In the below given questions, a part of sentence is bold. All you have to do…
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In the below given questions, a part of sentence is bold. All you have to do is identify a suitable replacement for the underlined portion to properly construct and improve the sentence. In case there is no improvement needed and you feel that the sentence is grammatically correct, then choose the “No Improvement” option.
I guess John had something urgent to discuss, however he was unable to express the thoughts to his mother.
- A.
He could not express his thoughts
- B.
Unable to speak his thoughts
- C.
He could not say anything
- D.
He cannot express his thoughts
Attempted by 32 students.
Show answer & explanation
Correct answer: A
Answer: He could not express his thoughts
Why this is correct:
Tense agreement: "could not" (past) matches the earlier verb phrase "had something urgent to discuss".
Natural phrasing: "express his thoughts" is a clear and idiomatic way to say he was unable to communicate his own ideas.
Why the other choices are not preferred:
"Unable to speak his thoughts" is awkward and incomplete; it lacks a clear subject and uses a non-idiomatic verb phrase.
"He could not say anything" is grammatical but less precise—it suggests total silence rather than difficulty expressing specific urgent thoughts.
"He cannot express his thoughts" uses present tense, which conflicts with the past context and changes the time reference.
Note: Separate punctuation should be used before "however" in the full sentence (for example, use a semicolon or start a new sentence), but the question focuses on the underlined portion; the best replacement is given above.