Study the following sentences.

The baby is…

We were …

Neither sentence expresses a complete thought. Some word or words have to be supplied to complete their meaning.

A compound sentence can be converted into a simple sentence by reducing one or more main clauses into a word or phrase.

Study the following examples.

We often use the past perfect tense to express the idea that the first action had completed before the second one started.

The patient had died before the doctor arrived.

Some words which differ slightly in form or meaning from one another take different prepositions after them.

Compare:

He has no desire for name or fame.

Both than and as are used in comparisons. Than is used after adjectives and adverbs in the comparative degree. As and that are not used after comparatives.

Longer structures usually come last in a clause or sentence.

Students are often discouraged by the length of time it takes to learn a second language. (More natural than ‘The length of time it takes to learn a second language often discourages students.’)

Each sentence given below contains an error. The error is in one of the underlined parts. Find the underlined part which contains the error.