Improving Verbal Skills English Grammar Exercises

Question. You can tell that this car has been very well made and is certainly ....... to the other makes in this garage.
(a) better
(b) clearer
(c) above
(d) superior
Answer. D

Question. It's quite obvious that whatever you like to call his remarks they are impolite and ....... to slander.
(a) same
(b) amount
(c) total
(d) extend
Answer. B

Question. He ....... to have sailed single-handed round the world but personally I don't believe him.
(a) says
(b) believes
(c) claims
(d) intends
Answer. C

Question. In this biography she is ....... as a kind sweet old lady but in reality she was a bad tempered old witch.
(a) depicted
(b) framed
(c) outlined
(d) caught
Answer. A

Question. He had to be ....... from all the other patients in the hospital because he had a highly contagious disease.
(a) outcast
(b) eliminated
(c) extracted
(d) isolated
Answer. D

Question. It's not that I don't trust you ....... I must have some evidence of your identity.
(a) although
(b) but
(c) also
(d) because
Answer. B

Question. The General made absolutely sure his troops were ready for battle and ....... with the latest equipment.
(a) invested
(b) created
(c) provided
(d) tested
Answer. C

Question. People used to think the cinema would be ....... by television but it never happened because people still go to the pictures.
(a) supposed
(b) surrounded
(c) suppressed
(d) supplanted
Answer. D

Question. She ....... to be very confident on stage but inside she was feeling very nervous.
(a) appeared
(b) supposed
(c) stood
(d) credited
Answer. A

Question. There's little point in those two firms competing for the same market as they would be much better ....... with one another.
(a) consuming
(b) convincing
(c) convening
(d) collaborating
Answer. D

Question. We sometimes find it difficult to imagine where we come from and believe that we are in fact ....... from apes.
(a) directed
(b) departed
(c) devolved
(d) descended
Answer. D

Question. Although he hadn't actually done anything, he looked as if he might and he was arrested for being outside the house with ....... to burgle it.
(a) purpose
(b) reason
(c) intent
(d) inclination
Answer. C

Question. Not only did he pay for them to go on holiday but he ....... provided them with spending money.
(a) addition
(b) also
(c) either
(d) too
Answer. B

Question. I don't mind sleeping on an uncomfortable bed in a hostel as anything is ....... to sleeping in a tent.
(a) preferable
(b) preferred
(c) preferring
(d) prefers
Answer. A

Question. I know you trust him but I have my doubts about him and must admit to being ....... of him.
(a) suspect
(b) suspecting
(c) suspicious
(d) suspected
Answer. C

Question. You needn't worry about that regulation as it has nothing to do with you and doesn't ....... to your situation.
(a) adhere
(b) apply
(c) attract
(d) attach
Answer. B

Question. The Government published a report clearing the minister of any guilt and ....... that he had acted correctly.
(a) concluded
(b) conducted
(c) conferred
(d) confided
Answer. A

Question. They are in fact twins but are not at all alike physically but are not ....... from one another in attitude.
(a) separate
(b) divided
(c) diverse
(d) different
Answer. D

Question. Like all good philosophers in ....... of truth she is always looking for new perspectives.
(a) sight
(b) reach
(c) search
(d) enquiry
Answer. C

Question. Let's look at it this way — it's not so much a problem ....... a challenge to our efforts.
(a) as
(b) since
(c) for
(d) it
Answer. A

Question. In some 19th century novels you see the very poor conditions people lived in that can only be described as ....... misery.
(a) dejected
(b) object
(c) reject
(d) abject
Answer. D

Question. Television can give you a very good idea of how people live in different countries as it can ....... scenes from every day life.
(a) deter
(b) depict
(c) delineate
(d) defer
Answer. B

Question. This is a sort of shortened version of what happened and has been ....... to fit into the newspaper.
(a) adopted
(b) attuned
(c) abbreviated
(d) added
Answer. C

Question. It was quite obvious from the secretive manner in which he left the shop and the ....... looks he kept giving that he hadn't paid for the items of clothing.
(a) furtive
(b) fugitive
(c) furious
(d) famous
Answer. A

Question. It was a remarkable performance because the actor seemed to convey the whole range of human emotions , what you might call the complete ....... from beginning to end.
(a) gamble
(b) grasp
(c) granting
(d) gamut
Answer. D

Question. The telephone connection was very poor and we only heard a ....... account of what the reporter was describing.
(a) gesticulated
(b) gambled
(c) garrulous
(d) garbled
Answer. D

Question. The teacher found it quite ....... to try and teach the children because they refused to listen to a word she was saying.
(a) festive
(b) futile
(c) feeble
(d) fatuous
Answer. B

Question. The university decided to give their ....... an honorary degree because she had always been most generous in her financial help.
(a) believer
(b) benefit
(c) benefactor
(d) beholder
Answer. C

Question. I've no wish to disregard or ....... your achievements but I think you could have done much more.
(a) belittle
(b) bemoan
(c) bereave
(d) betoken
Answer. A

Question. His attempt to make fun of the situation was considered to be in bad taste and ....... in the extreme.
(a) fertile
(b) frequent
(c) febrile
(d) facetious
Answer. D

Question. She suddenly stopped speaking to him on the phone and the conversation came to an ....... end.
(a) acute
(b) arid
(c) awful
(d) abrupt
Answer. D

Question. Some of Shakespeare's historical plays are rather long and so there are editions where they are ....... to make them shorter.
(a) abridged
(b) accented
(c) adopted
(d) acquired
Answer. A

Question. Although all the athletes were full of life at the start of the marathon, towards the end of the race a few were showing signs of tiredness and were clearly ........
(a) flogging
(b) failing
(c) flagging
(d) foiling
Answer. C

Question. Fortunately she took no notice of the reviews of her acting and was quite ....... to some of the more sarcastic comments.
(a) important
(b) impenetrable
(c) immediate
(d) impervious
Answer. D

Question. The secret of a good interview is to get straight to the point and ask ....... questions.
(a) incisive
(b) inserting
(c) introducing
(d) inductive
Answer. A

Question. Although her boss knew that she was not telling the truth, her explanations for being late were always so reasonable and totally ....... that he believed her.
(a) pleasant
(b) perceptive
(c) penetrating
(d) plausible
Answer. D

Question. As soon as he had invested the money, he became uneasy and was beginning to sense ....... about his investment.
(a) questions
(b) qualms
(c) queries
(d) quavers
Answer. B

Question. Many of the safety instructions on things you buy often seem unnecessary and often quite ....... to the average person.
(a) superb
(b) supreme
(c) superfluous
(d) superficial
Answer. C

Question. He found himself at the edge of the cliff in a ....... position because one wrong step and he would fall into the sea.
(a) precipitate
(b) peculiar
(c) pertinent
(d) precarious
Answer. D

Question. Everything about the village was what you'd call ....... because all the houses were well looked after and reminded you of a time long since gone.
(a) quaint
(b) queer
(c) quiet
(d) queenly
Answer. A

Question. Everyone lost their money when the so-called treasurer ....... with all the society's savings.
(a) avoided
(b) evaded
(c) absolved
(d) absconded
Answer. D

Question. The police not only arrested the leader of the gang but also the ....... who had helped him.
(a) acolytes
(b) attackers
(c) accomplices
(d) associates
Answer. C

Question. I have no wish to ....... these criminal activities but I do have some sympathy with the perpetrators.
(a) condone
(b) concede
(c) console
(d) conduct
Answer. A

Question. The judge has to adopt a ....... view of the crime by being utterly impartial.
(a) detracted
(b) detached
(c) definite
(d) defended
Answer. B

Question. Despite all the chaos around him the captain remained totally calm and assumed an air of ........
(a) equation
(b) equality
(c) equanimity
(d) equity
Answer. C

Question. The police stopped the car because it had followed an ....... course down the road and asked the driver why he was going from side to side.
(a) uneven
(b) unequal
(c) unerring
(d) erratic
Answer. D

Question. It was possible to look up the topic on the internet but she decided instead to ask her ....... father who knew the answer to most things.
(a) earnest
(b) erudite
(c) learning
(d) imminent
Answer. B

Question. The party leader advised all her members to ....... any question about finance and avoid the topic of money completely.
(a) risk
(b) undertake
(c) eschew
(d) involve
Answer. C

Question. He has a very refined vocabulary and prefers to use a ....... rather than a more common and vulgar word.
(a) euphemism
(b) delicacy
(c) finery
(d) edition
Answer. A

Question. I've looked everywhere for my key and even carried out an ....... search of my car but I can't find that book.
(a) exhausted
(b) exhausting
(c) exhaust
(d) exhaustive
Answer. D

Question. The result of the election didn't give either candidate a clear majority but in the end the leader of the opposition agreed to step down and ....... to the wishes of the electorate.
(a) accept
(b) accent
(c) accede
(d) ascend
Answer. C

Question. The sound of the waterfall goes on all day and night and in the end the ....... noise gets on your nerves.
(a) interrupting
(b) inciting
(c) invading
(d) incessant
Answer. D

Question. I apologized for what seemed like a deliberate act of rudeness but I explained that it had been purely accidental and an ....... action on my part.
(a) inverted
(b) inadvertent
(c) incurred
(d) inhibited
Answer. B

Question. Although it's a complicated subject the professor managed to make it all totally clear and ....... by her delivery.
(a) lucid
(b) luminous
(c) lightening
(d) lifting
Answer. A

Question. When you take a party of tourists round a famous city there are always those who ....... and keep everybody else waiting.
(a) litter
(b) lessen
(c) loiter
(d) languish
Answer. C

Question. Before she knew what had happened a man suddenly fell on her ....... across and stealing her handbag.
(a) lurking
(b) linking
(c) limping
(d) lunging
Answer. C

Question. There was absolutely no call for him to criticise her so cruelly and in almost a ....... manner.
(a) malformed
(b) malicious
(c) maladroit
(d) malcontent
Answer. B

Question. There was absolutely no question about it he was the ....... idiot such as you'd find in one of those old farces.
(a) provincial
(b) provided
(c) proverbial
(d) protective
Answer. C

Question. You'll soon get used to his funny ways as it's one of the ....... of his personality.
(a) quibbles
(b) quills
(c) quaffs
(d) quirks
Answer. D

Question. He didn't really give speeches because he used to scream and shout and you could hear him ....... a hundred meters down the road.
(a) reigning
(b) raining
(c) ruling
(d) rattling
Answer. B

Question. He always follows that old .......: early to bed, early to rise makes a man healthy, wealthy and wise.
(a) phrase
(b) ballad
(c) adage
(d) analogy
Answer. C

Question. If you invest that money, you will find it will grow and ....... interest.
(a) agree
(b) adapt
(c) apart
(d) accrue
Answer. D

Question. People often ask her how she manages to stay slim and she always tells them she is very careful in the amount she eats to the point of being ........
(a) abbreviated
(b) abstemious
(c) actuated
(d) abrupt
Answer. B

Question. You must react now and not just be ....... as if there is nothing wrong.
(a) complacent
(b) combining
(c) combative
(d) concerning
Answer. A

Question. I find these mathematical puzzles too ....... and prefer the more straightforward type.
(a) abject
(b) abortive
(c) abounding
(d) abstruse
Answer. D

Question. There was no changing her mind as she was quite ....... about her decision and wouldn't consider any alternative.
(a) attractive
(b) attentive
(c) adamant
(d) adjoined
Answer. C

Question. It was quite obvious that he was drunk because he couldn't finish his sentences and his speech was not........
(a) contented
(b) coherent
(c) convinced
(d) convoluted
Answer. B

Question. The strings on the puppet were all intertwined and it took us ages to ....... them.
(a) disentangle
(b) distribute
(c) disturb
(d) distend
Answer. A

Question. There are really too many political parties in this election as there are so many small groups or ........
(a) fictions
(b) fanatics
(c) fusion
(d) factions
Answer. D

Question. He liked to play the ....... and would invariably dress up in the most outrageous clothes.
(a) eclectic
(b) eccentric
(c) evasive
(d) evolved
Answer. B