Choose the most appropriate combination of words to complete the given sentences:
The new underpass near the railway crossing has saved office-goers ______ time. Earlier, there was ______ long jam at the gate that people often reached work late.
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 3
The correct answer is Option (3) → a great deal of / such a
Complete sentences: The new underpass near the railway crossing has saved office-goers a great deal of time. Earlier, there was such a long jam at the gate that people often reached work late. “Time” cannot be counted. “Jam” is a singular countable noun after the adjective “long”, and the “that” part gives the result.
| Option | Meaning and use | Example |
|---|---|---|
| (1) a large number of / such | a large number of: with countable plural nouns, but “time” is uncountable; such before a singular countable noun needs “a” | There was such heavy rain that the match was called off. |
| (2) a great deal of / so | the first blank is right; so comes before an adjective with no noun after it | The queue was so long that we went home. |
| (3) a great deal of / such a (answer) | a great deal of: a large amount of, with uncountable nouns; such a + adjective + singular noun, with a “that” result | It was such a long queue that we lost a great deal of time at the bank. |
| (4) a large number of / what a | a large number of: with countable plural nouns, but “time” is uncountable; what a begins an exclamation, not a statement | A large number of fans waited outside the stadium. |