Difficulty: Easy
Correct Answer: Are highly committed
Explanation:
Introduction / Context:This is a sentence correction problem that checks your understanding of correct verb forms and collocations in English. The sentence is They claim that their employees are highly committing and disciplined. You must select the alternative that makes the sentence grammatically correct and idiomatic. Such questions are common in verbal ability sections of competitive exams and language proficiency tests.
Given Data / Assumptions:
Concept / Approach:In English, we normally describe people as committed rather than committing when we want to show that they are dedicated or loyal. Highly committed is a standard adjective phrase meaning very dedicated. The present continuous form committing would usually refer to performing an action such as committing a crime, which does not fit here. Therefore, the correct solution is to use the adjective committed with the existing verb are to form are highly committed, which matches number and tense correctly.
Step-by-Step Solution:
Step 1: Keep the base clause They claim that their employees are as it is because it is grammatically fine. Step 2: Replace highly committing with a more natural adjective phrase that describes the employees. Step 3: Recognise that highly committed is a common phrase expressing strong dedication and fits smoothly before and disciplined. Step 4: The corrected sentence becomes They claim that their employees are highly committed and disciplined. Step 5: Check subject verb agreement. Employees is plural, the verb are is plural and the adjectives committed and disciplined both describe the same plural noun, so the final sentence is correct.Verification / Alternative check:A good way to verify is to read each option in full within the sentence. Options that change the tense unnecessarily or create awkward phrasing should be discarded. When you insert are highly committed, the sentence reads naturally and matches the intended meaning. Native usage strongly favours the form highly committed employees rather than highly committing employees, which confirms that option are highly committed is the best and grammatically correct choice.
Why Other Options Are Wrong:
Common Pitfalls:Students sometimes accept awkward sounding phrases as long as they look grammatically possible. In usage questions, both grammar and natural expression matter. Another pitfall is not reading the entire sentence with each option, which can make a slightly wrong answer appear acceptable. Always read the full sentence aloud in your mind with each alternative and prefer forms that are both grammatically correct and idiomatic in standard English.
Final Answer:The phrase that should replace the underlined part is Are highly committed.
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