O-Level Editing 3: The Park Connector
Twelve numbered lines, laid out as the paper does it. Lines 1 and 12 are correct. Of the ten between them, eight carry one grammatical error and two are correct: write the corrected word for the eight, and a tick for the two.
This passage tests pronouns, word forms, comparatives and the quantifiers that go with countable nouns.
Spelling and punctuation are not tested. Change a word only when the grammar is wrong.
The passage
(1) The new park connector runs from the reservoir all the way down to the coast.
(2) My brother says the eastern loop is the longest of the two.
(3) My brother and me cycled the whole length of it last Saturday.
(4) There were too much cyclists on the path for a weekend morning.
(5) It took us three hours, including a long stop for ice cream.
(6) Even with that crowd, the stretch beside the canal was surprising empty.
(7) The new lamps along the last kilometre were taller as the old ones.
(8) We rode past a heron standing perfectly still in the shallow water.
(9) We were impressed by the different in height between the two bridges we crossed.
(10) The volunteer which planted the trees beside the path still comes back every month.
(11) There are less joggers on the path once the afternoon heat sets in.
(12) By the time we reached the sea, the sky had gone white with glare.
Check your answers
Line 2: reveal answer
longest → longer (comparative and superlative)
A superlative compares three or more. With exactly two, English uses the comparative.
Line 3: reveal answer
me → I (pronoun)
The pair is the subject of "cycled". Drop the other person and you hear it at once: "me cycled" is not English.
Line 4: reveal answer
much → many (quantifier)
"Cyclists" can be counted, so the quantifier is "many". "Much" belongs with things you cannot count, such as traffic or shade.
Line 5: reveal answer
Tick. This line is correct.
"Us" is the object of "took", which is the right case, and the line has no other fault.
Line 6: reveal answer
surprising → surprisingly (word form)
The word modifies the adjective "empty", and only an adverb can do that.
Line 7: reveal answer
as → than (comparative and superlative)
A comparative takes "than". "As" belongs in the other pattern, "as tall as".
Line 8: reveal answer
Tick. This line is correct.
"Perfectly" is already the adverb, and "standing" is a participle describing the heron, which is the right form here.
Line 9: reveal answer
different → difference (word form)
The sentence needs a noun after "the". "Different" is the adjective; "difference" is the noun built from it.
Line 10: reveal answer
which → who (pronoun)
"Which" refers to things. A person takes "who". "That" is also credited.
Line 11: reveal answer
less → fewer (quantifier)
"Fewer" goes with things you count, "less" with things you measure. Fewer joggers, less sunlight.
Check the harder lines
Line 2 reads: 'My brother says the eastern loop is the longest of the two.' Why is 'longer' correct?
Show answer & explanation
Answer: (B) Because a superlative needs three or more things, and there are two
The correct answer is (B). Comparatives ('longer', 'better') handle two; superlatives ('longest', 'best') need at least three. (A) confuses number with degree. (C) has nothing to do with it. (D) is not true: 'eastern' names a direction. The giveaway is the phrase 'of the two' at the end of the line, so read to the full stop before you settle on a comparative.
Line 3 reads: 'My brother and me cycled the whole length of it last Saturday.' What is the quickest way to check a pronoun in a pair?
Show answer & explanation
Answer: (C) Remove the other person and see which pronoun still works
The correct answer is (C). 'Me cycled' is wrong, so the pronoun must be 'I'. (A) and (B) are invented rules, and each is wrong half the time: 'She gave it to my brother and me' needs 'me', while this line needs 'I'. (D) is about tense. The same test settles line 5 of Practice 5, where removing the other person leaves 'for I', which is why that one needs 'me'.
Line 11 reads: 'There are less joggers on the path once the afternoon heat sets in.' Which pair is right?
Show answer & explanation
Answer: (C) fewer joggers, less sunlight
The correct answer is (C). 'Fewer' counts separate things, 'less' measures a quantity. You can count joggers; you cannot count sunlight. (A) and (D) put 'fewer' in front of a noun you cannot count. (B) is the error in the line. If you can put a number in front of the noun, it takes 'fewer'.
What to take away
Five of these eight turned on choosing between a pair: longer or longest, than or as, many or much, fewer or less, who or which. Each pair has one clean test. Count the things being compared, ask whether the noun can be counted, and ask whether you are pointing at a person or a thing.
Lines 5 and 8 were correct. Neither is short. Length tells you nothing either way, and looking for the shortest line is a habit worth losing.
Back to O-Level editing · Next: Practice 4: The School Band