Out of the following four sentences, select the most suitable sentence with…
2016
Out of the following four sentences, select the most suitable sentence with respect to grammar and usage.
- A.
I will not leave the place until the minister does not meet me.
- B.
I will not leave the place until the minister doesn’t meet me.
- C.
I will not leave the place until the minister meet me.
- D.
I will not leave the place until the minister meets me.
Attempted by 6 students.
Show answer & explanation
Correct answer: D
Answer: I will not leave the place until the minister meets me.
Explanation: 'Until' introduces the time up to which an action continues. In this context the clause after 'until' should be affirmative and the verb must agree with the subject.
Why the correct sentence works: It uses 'until' to mark the time limit and uses the correct singular verb form 'meets' with the subject 'minister'.
Why the sentence using 'does not meet me' is wrong: Placing a negative ('does not') after 'until' creates an awkward or unintended meaning; the intended meaning is to wait until the meeting happens, so the affirmative 'meets' is needed.
Why the sentence using the contraction 'doesn't meet me' is wrong: The contraction still makes the clause negative, which is not appropriate with 'until' in this meaning; use the affirmative verb instead.
Why the sentence with 'minister meet me' is wrong: This is a subject–verb agreement error. 'Minister' is singular and requires 'meets'.
Corrected form: I will not leave the place until the minister meets me.
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