Question

It said on the bottle that drinking was bad for you and he drank so much he was drunk. A. and he drank so much he was drunk. B. he drunk so much he was drunk. C. he drank so much he was drank. D. he drunk so much he was drank. E. he drink so much he was drink

Short answer

Option A is correct.

Step-by-step solution

Identify the Correct Past Tense Forms

The verbs in the sentence need to be correctly conjugated in the past tense. The verb 'drink' in past tense is 'drank' and the past participle is 'drunk'.

Analyze Each Option

Evaluate each provided option: A. 'drank' and 'drunk' are correct forms. B. 'drunk' is incorrectly used as a past tense here. C. 'drank' is correct, but 'drank' is incorrectly repeated. D. 'drunk' and 'drank' are incorrectly used. E. 'drink' and 'drink' are incorrect.

Choose the Correct Option

Based on the analysis, option A is grammatically correct as it uses 'drank' for the past tense and 'drunk' as the past participle.

Key concepts

Verb Conjugation

Verb conjugation is essential for conveying the correct tense and meaning in a sentence. The original exercise focused on past tense verbs.
For the verb 'drink', the past tense is 'drank' and the past participle is 'drunk'.
It's crucial to distinguish between these forms to avoid grammatical errors.
For instance, in 'He drank a lot', 'drank' correctly indicates a past action. In 'He was drunk', 'drunk' accurately describes the state resulting from the action.
Understanding these verb forms ensures clarity and correctness in your writing.

Grammar Rules

Grammar rules guide the structure and correctness of written and spoken language. For GMAT grammar questions, recognizing correct verb forms is vital.
In our exercise, 'drank' and 'drunk' must be correctly placed:

• 'Drank' is for actions completed in the past.
• 'Drunk' acts as a past participle, commonly following auxiliary verbs like 'have'.

By following these rules, you enhance the readability and accuracy of your sentences.
Misusing verb forms can confuse readers and obscure your intended meaning.

Sentence Correction

Sentence correction involves identifying and rectifying grammatical errors. It ensures sentences are clear and precise.
Our exercise requires choosing the correct verb forms from multiple options. Here's how to apply effective sentence correction:

• Identify the tense and ensure each verb matches it.
• Ensure subject-verb agreement, even in complex sentences.
• Check that past participles are correctly used with appropriate auxiliary verbs.

For example, 'he drank so much he was drunk' is correct because 'drank' matches the past tense action and 'drunk' correctly follows as a past participle.
Attentive sentence correction fine-tunes your writing, making it more effective and professional.