Difficulty: Easy
Correct Answer: It being
Explanation:
Introduction / Context:
This sentence improvement question tests your understanding of participial constructions in English. Examinations often use sentences that describe a background situation followed by a main action. The given sentence is "It is a pleasant day, we went for a walk." You are asked to replace the initial part so that the whole sentence is grammatically correct and stylistically appropriate for formal written English.
Given Data / Assumptions:
Concept / Approach:
When we want to state a general condition or background reason followed by a main action in a single sentence, English often uses participial phrases such as "It being a pleasant day, we went for a walk." Here "it being a pleasant day" functions as a dependent clause explaining the circumstance that leads to the action "we went for a walk". Using "It is" or "It was" would either require another clause connector or a full stop to avoid a comma splice. Therefore, the test is really about recognising the correct non finite construction that smoothly and correctly joins the two ideas.
Step-by-Step Solution:
Step 1: Observe that the sentence as given has two finite verbs, "is" and "went", joined only by a comma. This is a comma splice and is incorrect in formal English.
Step 2: Consider the meaning. The pleasant weather is the reason for going for a walk, so we need a construction that shows cause or background.
Step 3: "It being a pleasant day, we went for a walk." uses the present participle "being" and turns the first idea into a dependent clause, which is grammatically acceptable.
Step 4: "Having been a pleasant day" does not fit naturally because "having been" usually refers to something that already finished before another past event, which is not the case here.
Step 5: "It was a pleasant day, we went for a walk." still has the same comma splice issue as the original.
Step 6: "Because it was a pleasant day, we went for a walk." is grammatically correct, but it is not offered exactly in that form; instead, we only have "Because it was" without the rest of the clause attached, which would create a fragment in the answer pattern.
Step 7: Therefore, among the given options, "It being" is the one that leads to a correct and elegant full sentence.
Verification / Alternative check:
If we rewrite using two separate sentences, we could say "It was a pleasant day. We went for a walk." That is correct but does not satisfy the single sentence structure of the question. Next, test "It being a pleasant day, we went for a walk." This reads smoothly, clearly shows cause and effect, and does not have any extra finite verb that causes a comma splice. This confirms that "It being" is the correct improvement in the list of options.
Why Other Options Are Wrong:
"Having been a pleasant day" suggests that the day has already finished, which is illogical while you are still describing the walk on that same day. "It was" creates another independent clause and still needs a conjunction or full stop. "No improvement" is wrong because the original "It is a pleasant day, we went for a walk." is grammatically faulty. "Because it was" by itself does not complete the sentence pattern shown in the question, and if used it would require a comma and the remaining part, which is not reflected in the option.
Common Pitfalls:
Students often overlook comma splices because they are common in informal speech and casual writing. Another pitfall is treating "It was" as always acceptable at the start of a sentence without checking whether the following punctuation and structure support it. It is important to recognise how participial phrases like "It being a pleasant day" can compactly express cause and background without needing an extra conjunction. Mastering these patterns helps in both error spotting and sentence improvement tasks.
Final Answer:
The correct improvement is "It being", giving the sentence "It being a pleasant day, we went for a walk."
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