---
title: "Edit text: who is knocking"
subject: "Communication English"
chapter: 3
key: "semester_5/communication_english:edit-text-who-is-knocking"
source: https://www.bctengineer.com/q/semester_5/communication_english/edit-text-who-is-knocking
site: BCT Engineering
---

# Edit text: who is knocking

Communication English · Chapter 3: Contextual Grammar

- Asked in: 2076 Ashwin, 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-who-is-knocking
- Whole chapter: https://www.bctengineer.com/md/semester_5/communication_english/chapter-3

## Question

Edit the following text.
Who is knocking? whispered his wife lying beside him on the floor. I do not know he whispered back breathlessly the second knocking was so loud that the rickety old door could have fallen down.

## Short answer

'Who is knocking?' whispered his wife, lying beside him on the floor. 'I do not know,' he whispered back breathlessly. The second knocking was so loud that the rickety old door could have fallen down.

## Answer

#### Edited text
"Who is knocking?" whispered his wife, lying beside him on the floor.

"I do not know," he whispered back breathlessly. The second knocking was so loud that the rickety old door could have fallen down.

#### Corrections made
- Quotation marks and a question mark added to the question.
- Comma after "whispered his wife" to join the participle phrase "lying beside him".
- The reply placed in quotation marks with a comma after "know".
- A full stop added after "breathlessly", and "The second knocking" begun with a capital letter.

## Check yourself

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

1. How is the wife's question punctuated?
   A. In quotation marks ending with a question mark
   B. With no marks
   C. With a full stop
   D. In brackets
   Answer: A. Spoken words are quoted and a question ends with '?'. (Key point: Direct speech)

2. What follows 'whispered his wife'?
   A. A comma before 'lying beside him'
   B. A colon
   C. Nothing
   D. A question mark
   Answer: A. A comma attaches the participle phrase to the clause. (Key point: Participle phrase)

3. Why is a full stop added after 'breathlessly'?
   A. To separate two complete sentences
   B. To end a question
   C. To show a quotation
   D. To shorten the text
   Answer: A. 'The second knocking was so loud...' is a new sentence with a capital letter. (Key point: Run-on sentence)

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