A part of the following sentence is underlined. Choose the option that can replace the underlined part to improve the sentence. If you feel Options A, B, or C do not improve the sentence, then choose Option D: "No improvement required."
It's none uncommon to find street musicians playing in the park during the weekends, drawing crowds from nearby areas.
Show answer & explanation
Correct answer: B
Explanation
Correct Answer
not uncommon to find street musicians
Explanation
The original sentence uses the incorrect phrasing "none uncommon." The word "uncommon" is an adjective, and to negate it properly within this common introductory construction ("It is..."), you must use the adverb "not." The phrase "not uncommon" forms a double negative that idiomatic English uses to mean "fairly common" or "frequent."
The other options introduce separate grammatical or stylistic issues. Option 1 ("nothing uncommon") is grammatically incorrect in this specific sentence frame. Option 3 ("never uncommon to find streets of musicians") changes the syntax awkwardly and alters the meaning entirely by converting the musicians themselves into "streets of musicians." Option 4 is incorrect because the baseline sentence contains a clear grammatical error that requires correction.
Key Points
When a sentence sets up a status using an adjective like "uncommon," "unusual," or "surprising," the standard modifying adverb used to create a litotes (an understatement expressing an affirmative by negating its opposite) is always "not." This automatically rules out noun-like negatives such as "none" or "nothing."