QUESTION 25-29: GRAMMAR IN USE

PRIMALY ENGLISH OLYMPIAD 1 · 5 lessons

Despite the heavy rain, ______ managed to arrive at the venue on time, determined to participate in the competition.

  • my friend and I
  • my friend and me
  • me and my friend
  • I and my friend
Why:

Why A is correct:
When a pronoun is part of a compound subject (doing the action), use the subject form "I," not "me." Here, "my friend and I" are both arriving, so "I" is needed.

Why the others are wrong:
- B (my friend and me): "Me" is an object pronoun; it can't be part of a subject.
- C (me and my friend): Same problem—"me" can't be a subject, plus it's considered impolite to put yourself first.
- D (I and my friend): Grammatically possible but awkward and impolite; proper etiquette puts the other person first.

The doctor advised me to consume less salt, but I still add ______ to my meals.

  • some
  • many
  • a few
  • any
Why:

Correct answer: A. some

  • "Some" is used with uncountable nouns like salt, which you can't count individually. Salt is measured by amount, not by individual pieces.
  • "Many" is for countable nouns (many grains, many people), not uncountable nouns.
  • "A few" also goes with countable nouns and sounds awkward with salt.
  • "Any" is typically used in questions or negatives ("Do you add any salt?" or "I don't add any salt"), not in positive statements like this one.

The store won’t give you a refund ______ you have the receipt.

  • unless
  • because
  • if
  • while
Why:

A. unless ✓
"Unless" means "except if" or "only if not." The sentence means: the store won't refund your money EXCEPT IF you have a receipt. This matches the logical meaning.

B. because ✗
This gives a reason, but it's illogical—it would mean "the store won't refund you FOR THE REASON that you have a receipt," which is backward.

C. if ✗
"If" is too general and doesn't capture the negative condition. It would suggest the refund policy depends on having a receipt, but doesn't show the "except" relationship.

D. while ✗
"While" means "during the time that" or "although," neither of which fits. It doesn't express the condition needed for a refund.

I visited a university during the open day. After exploring the campus, I knew that ______ university was the right choice for me.

  • the
  • a
  • an
  • -
Why:

Why "the" is correct:
You use "the" because you're referring to a specific university you already visited—the one from the open day. Since both the speaker and reader know which university you mean, the definite article "the" is needed.

Why the others are wrong:
- "a" – This indefinite article is for something not yet identified or any member of a group. It would mean "some university" rather than the specific one you visited.
- "an" – Same problem as "a"—it's indefinite and doesn't specify which university.
- "-" (no article) – English requires an article before singular countable nouns like "university" in this context.

______ I study the stars, ______ fascinated I become with the universe.

  • The more, the more
  • More, more
  • The most, the most
  • Most, most
Why:

Correct answer: A. The more, the more

This is a "comparative correlation" structure showing how two things increase together. The pattern is "the more [you do X], the more [result Y happens]." You need "the" before each comparative adjective "more" to show this relationship.

Why others are wrong:
- B (More, more): Missing "the" makes it incomplete and doesn't show the correlation clearly.
- C & D (most/most): "Most" is a superlative (for the highest degree), not a comparative. This sentence compares increasing levels, not absolute extremes.

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