NDA (I) 2017 General Ability Test · Question 30 of 149

Correct — B, to avail myself of. 'Avail' in this sense is a reflexive verb that needs both a reflexive pronoun matching the subject and the preposition 'of' before the thing used, giving 'I would like to avail myself of a fifteen days' holiday this summer.'

• (a)to avail of — The reflexive pronoun is missing; 'avail of' is common in Indian English but is not the standard form the item is testing.
• (c)to avail myself — The reflexive pronoun is there but the link to the thing being used is broken, since 'avail oneself' must be followed by 'of'.
• (d)No improvement — 'Avail' cannot take a direct object, so 'to avail a holiday' leaves the verb without the reflexive pronoun and the preposition it requires.

A verb-pattern item on the reflexive construction 'avail oneself of something', meaning to make use of an opportunity.

• The reflexive pronoun must agree with the subject, as in 'he availed himself of' and 'they availed themselves of'.
• Absent, pride, resign and acquit follow the same reflexive habit, as in 'he absented himself from the class'.

• Treating a reflexive verb as though it could take a plain object.

Asked as a sentence-improvement item that strips the reflexive pronoun or the preposition from a fixed verb pattern.

No directly related past PYQ was found.

• practice — not a real PYQ

  Which option best improves the underlined part — You must <u>avail the opportunity</u> while it lasts.

  • (a)avail yourself of the opportunity
  • (b)avail of yourself the opportunity
  • (c)avail with the opportunity
  • (d)No improvement

  Answer(a) avail yourself of the opportunity — the verb is reflexive and takes 'of'.

• practice — not a real PYQ

  Which option best improves the underlined part — He <u>absented</u> from the class without permission.

  • (a)absented himself
  • (b)was absented
  • (c)absent himself
  • (d)No improvement

  Answer(a) absented himself — 'absent oneself from' is reflexive.