---
title: "Edit text: bilingualism"
subject: "Communication English"
chapter: 3
key: "semester_5/communication_english:edit-text-brigitte-halford-bilingual"
source: https://www.bctengineer.com/q/semester_5/communication_english/edit-text-brigitte-halford-bilingual
site: BCT Engineering
---

# Edit text: bilingualism

Communication English · Chapter 3: Contextual Grammar

- Asked in: 2078 Bhadra, 5 marks
- Answer checked by Claude Opus 5.5 (high effort) on 2026-10-14
- Page: https://www.bctengineer.com/q/semester_5/communication_english/edit-text-brigitte-halford-bilingual
- Whole chapter: https://www.bctengineer.com/md/semester_5/communication_english/chapter-3

## Question

Edit the following text:
Dr Brigitte halford, a professor of linguistics at Freiburg University in German agree bilinguals tends to use language better as a whole she says. "They also display greater creativity and problem-solving ability, and they learn further languages more easily."
So with all of the benefit, why do we not show more enthusiasm for learning other languages.

## Short answer

Dr Brigitte Halford, a professor of linguistics at Freiburg University in Germany, agrees. 'Bilinguals tend to use language better as a whole,' she says. 'They also display greater creativity and problem-solving ability, and they learn further languages more easily.' So with all of these benefits, why do we not show more enthusiasm for learning other languages?

## Answer

#### Edited text
Dr Brigitte Halford, a professor of linguistics at Freiburg University in Germany, agrees. "Bilinguals tend to use language better as a whole," she says. "They also display greater creativity and problem-solving ability, and they learn further languages more easily."

So with all of these benefits, why do we not show more enthusiasm for learning other languages?

#### Corrections made
- "halford" capitalised; commas placed around "a professor ... in Germany".
- "German" changed to the noun "Germany".
- "agree" changed to "agrees" (singular subject), followed by a full stop.
- "Bilinguals tends" changed to "Bilinguals tend" (plural subject), and her words placed in quotation marks, with a comma before "she says".
- "all of the benefit" changed to "all of these benefits".
- Question mark added at the end of the question.

## Check yourself

The answer's key points as multiple-choice questions, with the correct option and why.

1. 'at Freiburg University in German' is corrected to:
   A. in Germany
   B. in Germans
   C. in Germanic
   D. in Germanly
   Answer: A. A noun naming the country is needed after 'in'. (Key point: Country vs nationality)

2. Which verbs are correct: 'Dr Halford ... that bilinguals ... use language better'?
   A. agree; tends
   B. agrees; tend
   C. agrees; tends
   D. agree; tend
   Answer: B. Singular 'Dr Halford' takes 'agrees'; plural 'bilinguals' takes 'tend'. (Key point: Subject-verb agreement)

3. Where does 'she says' belong in the edited text?
   A. After the quoted sentence, separated by a comma inside the quotes
   B. Before 'Dr Brigitte'
   C. In the middle of the word 'languages'
   D. It is removed
   Answer: A. The quote ends with a comma, then 'she says' follows. (Key point: Quotation and reporting phrase)

4. How should 'why do we not show more enthusiasm for learning other languages.' end?
   A. With a full stop
   B. With a question mark
   C. With a comma
   D. With a colon
   Answer: B. It is a direct question. (Key point: Question mark)

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