Difficulty: Easy
Correct Answer: No improvement
Explanation:
Introduction / Context:
This sentence improvement question is about the correct use of reciprocal pronouns and possessive forms in English. The sentence Members usually meet in one another's homes describes a situation where members of a group visit each other. The underlined phrase one another's homes uses a standard pattern for reciprocal possession. The question asks whether this phrase needs any improvement. You must know that one another and each other are used when two or more people do the same thing to one another, and that they can take the possessive form by adding apostrophe s.
Given Data / Assumptions:
From the sentence, we can note the following points.
Concept / Approach:
Reciprocal pronouns each other and one another express mutual relationships or actions. When we need a possessive form, we usually add an apostrophe s to the last word: each other's or one another's. Both each other's homes and one another's homes are accepted forms. In many style guides, one another is recommended when more than two people are involved, which fits the idea of members of a group. Therefore, the phrase in one another's homes is already correct and does not need any change. You should choose No improvement when the original wording is standard and the alternatives are incorrect or awkward.
Step-by-Step Solution:
Verification / Alternative check:
If we restate the sentence in a more explicit way, it would be Members usually meet in the homes of one another. This paraphrase clearly shows the same meaning as in one another's homes. Grammars and dictionaries of standard English list one another's as a correct possessive form of the reciprocal pronoun. This confirms that the original phrase is entirely acceptable. Any attempt to replace it with irregular or ungrammatical patterns would actually worsen the sentence rather than improve it.
Why Other Options Are Wrong:
Option A, anothers's, is doubly incorrect: another is singular and the spelling anothers's does not follow any standard possessive rule. Option B, each another's, mixes each and another in a way that is not used in English; the standard expression is each other, not each another. Option C, every other's, sounds unnatural and does not clearly express mutual possession among members of a group. Option E, each others', misplaces the apostrophe and is grammatically wrong; the standard form would be each other's, not each others'. Hence, the original wording is the best.
Common Pitfalls:
Learners often hesitate between each other and one another and may try to create new forms like each another, which are not used in standard English. Another frequent error is incorrect placement of apostrophes in possessives, especially with pronouns. A simple rule is that reciprocal pronouns take the possessive form by adding apostrophe s to the final word: each other's, one another's. In sentence improvement questions, you should not change an expression that is already correct and idiomatic. When in doubt, think about whether you have seen or heard the phrase in good usage before, and consider how native speakers would normally say it.
Final Answer:
The sentence is already correct, so the right choice is: No improvement.
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