Analyzing the English Grammar Error in the Sentence

The question asks us to identify the part of the sentence that contains a grammatical error. The sentence is divided into three underlined parts: (a), (b), and (c). If there is no error, the answer is (d).

Let's examine each part:

• (a) He was my school friend, - This part establishes a past state. "He was my school friend" is grammatically correct.
• (b) but becoming a great man - This part attempts to connect the past state with a subsequent development. The phrase "becoming a great man" is a participial phrase. When used to introduce a clause or indicate a reason/condition, it should logically modify the subject of the main clause. Here, it's used after "but" to introduce a transition to the present state described later in the sentence. However, the structure "but becoming... he has grown" is awkward and grammatically incorrect in standard English. A participial phrase used this way often implies a simultaneous action or reason, which isn't the intended meaning here. It sounds like the act of becoming is parallel to the outcome of growing proud. A more correct construction is needed to show the causal or sequential relationship between becoming a great man and growing proud. For instance, "but after becoming a great man..." or "but having become a great man...". The current phrasing is a common type of error involving misplaced or awkwardly used modifiers/phrases.
• (c) he has grown proud enough to forget his old friends. - This part describes the current state of the subject ("he"). "he has grown proud enough to forget his old friends" is grammatically correct on its own and follows standard English structure for expressing a consequence of being proud.
• (d) No error - This would be the answer if parts (a), (b), and (c) were all grammatically correct.

Based on the analysis, the error lies in part (b) due to the incorrect and awkward use of the participial phrase "becoming a great man" in this context. The connection between the initial state (school friend), the transition (becoming great), and the resulting state (proud and forgetting friends) is not correctly conveyed by this phrasing.

Revision Table: Sentence Parts Analysis

Additional Information: Understanding Participial Phrases and Sentence Structure

A participial phrase is a phrase containing a participle (like "becoming," "having become," "written," "walking") and any related modifiers or objects. These phrases often function as adjectives, modifying a noun or pronoun, or as adverbs, modifying a verb, adjective, or adverb, often indicating time, cause, or condition.

When a participial phrase begins a sentence, it should modify the subject of the main clause. For example:

• Walking down the street, he saw a friend. ("Walking" modifies "he")
• Having finished the work, she went home. ("Having finished" modifies "she")

If the phrase doesn't clearly modify the subject (or another nearby noun), it can result in a dangling participle or a misplaced modifier, causing confusion or grammatical error. In our sentence, "but becoming a great man" is placed to connect the initial state and the resulting state, but "becoming" doesn't correctly modify "he" in a way that smoothly transitions from "school friend" to "grown proud" in this structure. The intended meaning is likely about the *result* of becoming a great man, which caused the pride. A clearer structure like "but after he became a great man, he has grown proud..." or "but having become a great man, he has grown proud..." or simply rephrasing the connection would be better.

Correcting such errors involves rephrasing the sentence to make the relationship between the actions or states clear and ensuring that modifying phrases correctly refer to the intended word.

Since the error is identified in part (b), that is the correct option.