Direction: Each item in this section has a sentence with three underlined parts labelled (a), (b) and (c) Read each sentence to determine whether there is an error in any underlined part and indicate your response in the Answer Sheet against the corresponding letter, i.e., (a) or (b) or (c). If you find no error, your response should be indicated as (d).
c
Analyzing the Sentence for Grammar Errors
The question asks us to identify if there is a grammatical error in any of the underlined parts of the sentence: "Every person who believes in principles (a) / must stand up to fight (b) / for their convictions . (c) / No error (d)". We need to examine each part carefully.
Examining Part (a): "Every person who believes in principles"
- The phrase starts with "Every person," which is treated as a singular subject.
- The relative pronoun "who" refers back to "Every person".
- The verb "believes" agrees in number with the singular antecedent "who" (and "Every person").
- "in principles" is a standard prepositional phrase.
- There is no grammatical error in part (a).
Examining Part (b): "must stand up to fight"
- "must stand up" is a correct construction using the modal verb "must" followed by the base form of the verb "stand up".
- "to fight" is an infinitive phrase used correctly here to indicate the purpose of standing up.
- There is no grammatical error in part (b).
Examining Part (c): "for their convictions"
- This part contains the possessive pronoun "their".
- The pronoun "their" refers back to the subject of the sentence, which is "Every person".
- "Every person" is a singular noun phrase.
- The pronoun "their" is a plural possessive pronoun.
- According to traditional grammar rules regarding pronoun-antecedent agreement, a singular antecedent (like "Every person") requires a singular pronoun.
- Using the plural pronoun "their" to refer to the singular antecedent "Every person" is a grammatical error in formal contexts.
- The pronoun should agree in number with its antecedent. A singular antecedent requires a singular pronoun (like "his", "her", or "his or her").
- Therefore, the use of "their" in this context is incorrect. It should ideally be "his or her convictions".
Analyzing the Error
Based on the analysis, the error lies in part (c) due to the incorrect pronoun-antecedent agreement. The singular subject "Every person" is referred to by the plural possessive pronoun "their".
Since there is an error in part (c), option (d) "No error" is incorrect.
Identifying the Correct Answer
The error is found in part (c) of the sentence.
| Part | Sentence Fragment | Analysis | Error? |
|---|---|---|---|
| (a) | Every person who believes in principles | Subject "Every person" (singular), verb "believes" agrees. | No |
| (b) | must stand up to fight | Correct use of modal verb and infinitive. | No |
| (c) | for their convictions | Pronoun "their" (plural) refers to "Every person" (singular). Pronoun-antecedent agreement error. | Yes |
| (d) | No error | Incorrect as there is an error in (c). | No |
The correct option indicating the part with the error is (c).
Revision Table: Key Grammar Concepts
| Concept | Explanation | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Pronoun-Antecedent Agreement | A pronoun must agree in number (and gender) with the noun or pronoun it refers to (its antecedent). If the antecedent is singular, the pronoun should be singular. If the antecedent is plural, the pronoun should be plural. | Incorrect: Every student brought their book. Correct: Every student brought his or her book. Correct: All students brought their books. |
| Singular Indefinite Pronouns/Adjectives | Words like "each," "every," "everyone," "everybody," "anyone," "anybody," "someone," "somebody," "no one," "nobody" are grammatically singular. | Each of the students Everybody is here. No one has finished. |
Additional Information on Pronoun Agreement
The issue of using "their" as a singular pronoun is a topic of ongoing discussion and evolution in English grammar. While traditionally considered incorrect in formal writing when referring to a singular antecedent of indeterminate gender (like "every person"), its use is becoming increasingly common and accepted in informal contexts and even some formal ones as a gender-neutral option.
However, in many standardized grammar tests that follow traditional rules, using a plural pronoun like "their" with a singular antecedent like "every person," "each student," or "someone" is marked as an error in pronoun-antecedent agreement. The expectation in such tests is often the use of "his or her," "his," or "her" depending on context or convention.
In this specific sentence and format (common in error identification questions), the mismatch between the singular "Every person" and the plural "their" is the intended error based on traditional grammar rules.
Similar Questions
Directions: Each item in this section has a sentence with three underlined parts labelled (a), (b) and (c). Read each sentence to find out whether there is any error in any underlined part. Indicate your response in the Answer Sheet against the corresponding letter i.e., (a) or (b) or (c). If you find no error, your response should be indicated as (d).
(a) She wouldn't have (b) has an accident, (c) if she had driven carefully. (d) No Error
Directions: Each item in this section has a sentence with three underlined parts labelled (a), (b) and (c). Read each sentence to find out whether there is any error in any underlined part. Indicate your response in the Answer Sheet against the corresponding letter i.e., (a) or (b) or (c). If you find no error, your response should be indicated as (d).
(a) Columbus made his (b) first voyage from Europe to America (c) on 1492. (d) No Error
Directions: Each item in this section has a sentence with three underlined parts labelled (a), (b) and (c). Read each sentence to find out whether there is any error in any underlined part. Indicate your response in the Answer Sheet against the corresponding letter i.e., (a) or (b) or (c). If you find no error, your response should be indicated as (d).
(a) I will watch film (b) if I finish the work (c) in time. (d) No Error
Directions: Each item in this section has a sentence with three underlined parts labelled (a), (b) and (c). Read each sentence to find out whether there is any error in any underlined part. Indicate your response in the Answer Sheet against the corresponding letter i.e., (a) or (b) or (c). If you find no error, your response should be indicated as (d).
(a) In 1989, the government (b) did an about-face and Iran restored (c) it's family planning program. (d) No Error
Directions: Each item in this section has a sentence with three underlined parts labelled (a), (b) and (c). Read each sentence to find out whether there is any error in any underlined part. Indicate your response in the Answer Sheet against the corresponding letter i.e., (a) or (b) or (c). If you find no error, your response should be indicated as (d).
(a) If you want (b) to know the news (c) you can read a newspaper. (d) No Error
Directions: Each item in this section has a sentence with three underlined parts labelled (a), (b) and (c). Read each sentence to find out whether there is any error in any underlined part. Indicate your response in the Answer Sheet against the corresponding letter i.e., (a) or (b) or (c). If you find no error, your response should be indicated as (d).
(a) Over long periods of time, (b) layers of sediments builds up (c) to a height of a few kilometers. (d) No Error
Directions: Each item in this section has a sentence with three underlined parts labelled (a), (b) and (c). Read each sentence to find out whether there is any error in any underlined part. Indicate your response in the Answer Sheet against the corresponding letter i.e., (a) or (b) or (c). If you find no error, your response should be indicated as (d).
(a) I'm not working tomorrow, (b) so I don't had to (c) get up early. (d) No Error
Directions: Each item in this section has a sentence with three underlined parts labelled (a), (b) and (c). Read each sentence to find out whether there is any error in any underlined part. Indicate your response in the Answer Sheet against the corresponding letter i.e., (a) or (b) or (c). If you find no error, your response should be indicated as (d).
(a) She didn't (b) tell anybody (c) about her plans. (d) No Error
Directions: Each item in this section has a sentence with three underlined parts labelled (a), (b) and (c). Read each sentence to find out whether there is any error in any underlined part. Indicate your response in the Answer Sheet against the corresponding letter i.e., (a) or (b) or (c). If you find no error, your response should be indicated as (d).
(a) When a gas is (b) cooled down it turns into a liquid (c) from a process called condensation. (d) No Error
Directions: Each item in this section has a sentence with three underlined parts labelled (a), (b) and (c). Read each sentence to find out whether there is any error in any underlined part. Indicate your response in the Answer Sheet against the corresponding letter i.e., (a) or (b) or (c). If you find no error, your response should be indicated as (d).
(a) Whenever the sky is (b) clear, you can see (c) the stars in the night. (d) No Error
Important Questions from Error Spotting
The following sentence has been split into four segments. Identify the segment that contains a grammatical error.
Fortunately, / the fire did not / caused much damage / to the building.
The following sentence has been divided into parts. One of them may contain an error. Select the part that contains the error from the given options. If you don’t find any error, mark ‘No error’ as your answer.
Neither of them have / any experience / in software development.
The following sentence has been split into four segments. Identify the segment that contains a grammatical error.
Each of the students were / present for / the valedictory session / that night.
From the given options, identify the segment in the sentence which contains the grammatical error.
If you prepare well, you wouldn't have failed the exam.
Directions: Identify the segment in the sentence which contains grammatical error from the given options.
Thunderstorms develop in hot, humid tropical areas like India much to frequently.
