Choose the best word/phrase to replace the underlined part in accordance with…
2023
Choose the best word/phrase to replace the underlined part in accordance with grammatical usage, wherever necessary.
In his middle age even he preferred working hard to amuse himself.
- A.
Even in his middle age
- B.
In his middle age too
- C.
In his middle age even
- D.
Also in his middle age
Attempted by 21 students.
Show answer & explanation
Correct answer: A
Solution: Even in his middle age
'Even' is used to highlight something unexpected or surprising. Here it emphasizes that it would be surprising for someone of that age to prefer working hard rather than amusing himself.
Placement: When 'even' modifies the whole time phrase, it should come before the phrase. Therefore 'Even in his middle age he preferred...' is correct; putting 'even' at the end is unnatural.
Note on the verb phrase after 'preferred': the sentence can be read in two ways, so check intended meaning.
If the intended meaning is 'rather than amusing himself' (comparison): use the gerund after the preposition 'to': "Even in his middle age he preferred working hard to amusing himself."
If the intended meaning is 'in order to amuse himself' (purpose): use the infinitive of purpose: "Even in his middle age he preferred working hard to amuse himself." This reading is less likely in this context.
For this question, the required replacement is the phrase 'Even in his middle age' because it correctly places 'even' to express the unexpected contrast.