In the following sentence, the bracketed part is grammatically incorrect. Choose the option that best improves the sentence: One to spearhead this campaign is an IT professional, known for (having working) on net neutrality and who founded the Internet Freedom Foundation.

Difficulty: Easy

Correct Answer: having worked

Explanation:


Introduction / Context:
This sentence improvement item tests participle and perfect aspect usage in English. The sentence describes an information technology professional who is leading a campaign and has prior experience working on net neutrality. The phrase in brackets must correctly express a completed action in the past that is relevant to the present profile of this person.


Given Data / Assumptions:

  • Original sentence: One to spearhead this campaign is an IT professional, known for "having working" on net neutrality and who founded the Internet Freedom Foundation.
  • The person has already done work on net neutrality in the past.
  • That past work contributes to his or her current reputation.
  • The structure "known for having ..." should lead into a past participle to show a completed past action.


Concept / Approach:
The pattern "having + past participle" (perfect participle) is used to show that an action was completed before another time reference. Here, the professional is known now for having worked on net neutrality earlier. Therefore, the correct phrase is "having worked". The original "having working" incorrectly combines the auxiliary "having" with the present participle "working". Options like "having work" and "have working" also fail because they do not follow any standard perfect participle pattern.


Step-by-Step Solution:
Step 1: Identify the time relationship. The work on net neutrality happened before the present recognition of the professional.Step 2: Recognise that "having + past participle" is the standard way to express this relationship.Step 3: Look at the base verb "work" and form its past participle "worked".Step 4: Combine them into "having worked".Step 5: Insert option C into the sentence to get: "known for having worked on net neutrality and who founded the Internet Freedom Foundation."


Verification / Alternative check:
Reading the sentence with "having worked" shows that it fits naturally into formal English. The phrase concisely summarises prior experience. If you try "having work", the structure is broken because "work" is a bare verb or noun, not a past participle. "Have working" is also incorrect because it lacks the perfect aspect and does not connect smoothly with "known for". The "No improvement" choice preserves "having working", which is ungrammatical. Comparing all options confirms that only option C gives a correct and fluent participial phrase.


Why Other Options Are Wrong:

  • Option A: "having work" does not use a past participle and gives an incomplete or incorrect phrase.
  • Option B: "have working" does not fit after "known for" and does not create the desired perfect participle structure.
  • Option D: "No improvement" keeps the clearly wrong "having working", which combines forms incorrectly.


Common Pitfalls:
Many learners confuse different "-ing" forms, especially when they appear next to auxiliary verbs like "having". It is important to remember that "having" as a perfect participle is normally followed by a past participle ("having finished", "having read", "having worked"). In exam questions, always check whether the intended meaning is "already done earlier". If so, expect a structure using "having + past participle" or some other perfect aspect form rather than a simple "-ing" verb.


Final Answer:
The correct improvement is having worked.

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