In the following sentence about present habits and possession, choose the alternative that best improves the underlined verb phrase; if no improvement is needed, select "No improvement". I am staying with some friends who are owning a farm.

Introduction / Context:
This sentence improvement question tests your understanding of verb forms used to express permanent possession. The sentence describes a present situation where the speaker is staying with friends who possess a farm. The problem lies in the verb phrase "are owning", which is not the standard way of expressing possession in English.

Given Data / Assumptions:

• The sentence is "I am staying with some friends who are owning a farm."
• The underlined portion in the original exam would be "are owning".
• The options are "will be owning", "own", "have been owning", and "No improvement".
• The context indicates a general, permanent fact about the friends, not a temporary action.

Concept / Approach:
Verbs of possession, such as "have" and "own", are stative verbs and are usually not used in continuous forms in standard English to express general ownership. Instead, we use the simple present ("they own a farm"). The continuous aspect suggests a temporary or ongoing activity, which does not fit the idea of long term possession.

Step-by-Step Solution:
Step 1: Identify the incorrect part: "who are owning a farm". This uses the present continuous form of "own".Step 2: Recognise that owning a farm describes a stable fact about the friends, so the simple present "own" is appropriate.Step 3: Replace the phrase with "who own a farm": "I am staying with some friends who own a farm." The sentence now sounds natural and correct.Step 4: Examine "will be owning". This suggests a future continuous action and does not match the given context.Step 5: Examine "have been owning". This mixes present perfect and continuous with a stative verb, which is very unnatural.Step 6: Examine "No improvement". Since "are owning" is incorrect, we cannot keep it.Step 7: Therefore, "own" is the correct improvement.

Verification / Alternative check:
Compare with similar sentences: "They own a house in the city", "My parents own a small shop", and "She owns three dogs". All use the simple present because ownership is a state, not an activity. You would not normally say "they are owning a house". Rewriting the original as "I am staying with some friends who own a farm" follows this same pattern and confirms that "own" is the right choice.

Why Other Options Are Wrong:
Option A, "will be owning", implies a future temporary process rather than present possession.
Option C, "have been owning", combines a perfect progressive aspect with a stative verb in a way that is virtually never used in standard English.
Option D, "No improvement", is incorrect because the continuous form "are owning" is not standard for expressing simple possession.

Common Pitfalls:
Students sometimes overuse continuous forms, thinking they always make sentences sound more advanced. However, grammar rules distinguish between stative and dynamic verbs, and using the wrong aspect can make a sentence incorrect. It is important to remember that verbs like "own", "know", and "believe" usually stay in simple tenses when expressing ongoing states.

Final Answer:
The correct form is "who own a farm", so the answer is option B.