Coherent ordering of PQRS — Frame the sentence: Though he dialled frequently, my brother could not contact me on telephone as I had gone out of office and had left no information (stepwise solution).

Given data

• P: ‘‘on telephone’’
• Q: ‘‘my brother could not contact me’’
• R: ‘‘and had left no information’’
• S: ‘‘as I had gone out of office’’

Concept/ApproachThe concessive opener ‘‘Though he dialled frequently’’ is followed by the main clause (Q) with its instrument (P), then causal detail (S), and an additional consequence (R).

Ordered buildQ: ‘‘… my brother could not contact me …’’P: ‘‘… on telephone …’’S: ‘‘… as I had gone out of office …’’R: ‘‘… and had left no information.’’Complete sentence: ‘‘Though he dialled frequently, my brother could not contact me on telephone as I had gone out of office and had left no information.’’

Common pitfallsDo not separate ‘‘contact me’’ from its instrument ‘‘on telephone’’; keep them adjacent for clarity.

Final AnswerQPSR