In the following sentence, the part in brackets may need improvement. Choose the best alternative to replace the bracketed part: “My sister (has ordered for) a new mobile phone.”

Difficulty: Easy

Correct Answer: has ordered

Explanation:


Introduction / Context:
This sentence improvement question checks your understanding of correct verb usage and prepositions in standard English. The sentence “My sister (has ordered for) a new mobile phone” contains a bracketed phrase that may be grammatically incorrect or redundant. Your task is to choose the option that makes the sentence idiomatic and grammatically accurate. Such questions are common in competitive exams to test both grammar and usage.



Given Data / Assumptions:

  • The base sentence is: “My sister has ordered for a new mobile phone.”
  • The options are: “has ordered,” “order,” “has ordered to,” and “No improvement.”
  • In standard English, the verb order when used with a direct object does not take the preposition for before that object.
  • We want the sentence to mean that the sister placed an order to buy a new mobile phone.


Concept / Approach:
The verb order can be used in two patterns: order something (direct object) or order for someone (indirect object). When the thing ordered is the object, we usually say “order something,” not “order for something.” Therefore, “has ordered a new mobile phone” is correct, while “has ordered for a new mobile phone” is redundant and incorrect. We also need to keep the tense appropriate, which in this context is the present perfect because the action has recently taken place and has current relevance.



Step-by-Step Solution:
Step 1: Check the existing phrase “has ordered for.” The verb order already implies that something is requested or bought, so adding for before the direct object is unnecessary in this structure. Step 2: Evaluate option “has ordered.” If we replace the bracketed part with “has ordered,” the sentence becomes “My sister has ordered a new mobile phone,” which is grammatically correct and idiomatic. Step 3: Evaluate option “order.” Using “My sister order a new mobile phone” is incorrect because the verb form does not match the subject and tense; we need present perfect, not base form. Step 4: Evaluate option “has ordered to.” The structure “has ordered to a new mobile phone” is ungrammatical because order to is used with verbs, as in “ordered him to go,” not with nouns like mobile phone. Step 5: Evaluate the “No improvement” choice. Keeping “has ordered for” is not idiomatic; we should remove for when the object directly follows. Step 6: Thus, the best replacement is “has ordered,” which gives a correct and natural sentence.


Verification / Alternative check:
Compare with other examples: “He has ordered a pizza” and “She ordered a taxi.” In both cases, there is no for before the object. However, we do say “He has ordered a pizza for his friend,” where for introduces an indirect beneficiary. In the question sentence, we are not specifying for whom the phone is bought, only that it has been ordered, so adding for is unnecessary. This confirms that “has ordered” is the correct, idiomatic form.



Why Other Options Are Wrong:
The base form “order” does not match the subject and tense. “Has ordered to” misuses the preposition to and is not used with inanimate objects. The “No improvement” option would leave the unidiomatic and grammatically awkward phrase “has ordered for,” which is not standard when the noun directly follows as the object. Only “has ordered” removes the incorrect preposition and preserves both correct tense and clear meaning.



Common Pitfalls:
A frequent mistake is to overuse prepositions such as for after verbs that already take direct objects, especially when translating from languages where an equivalent preposition is mandatory. Another pitfall is not recognising the role of tense and subject verb agreement in sentence improvement questions. To avoid such errors, remember typical patterns of common verbs and read examples from authentic English sources. In this case, always think “order something” unless you explicitly mention “order something for someone.”



Final Answer:
The improved sentence should read “My sister has ordered a new mobile phone,” so the correct replacement is has ordered, and the correct answer is option has ordered.

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