Direction : 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 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). (a) A great part (b) of Arabia (c) is a desert (d) No error
(d)
This question asks us to identify if there is any grammatical error in the given sentence: "A great part of Arabia is a desert". The sentence is divided into three parts, labelled (a), (b), and (c).
Analyzing Sentence Error in "A great part of Arabia is a desert"
Let's break down the sentence and examine each underlined part:
- (a) A great part: This phrase refers to a portion of something larger. "Part" is a singular noun here, modified by the adjective "great" and the indefinite article "A". This part of the sentence is grammatically correct.
- (b) of Arabia: This is a prepositional phrase ("of Arabia") modifying the noun "part". It specifies which part is being referred to. "Arabia" is a proper noun, referring to a geographical region. This part is also grammatically correct.
- (c) is a desert: This is the predicate of the sentence. The subject of the sentence is the phrase "A great part of Arabia". When "part" is followed by a singular or uncountable noun (like "Arabia" in this context, treated as a singular region), the verb usually agrees with "part", which is singular. In this case, "is" is a singular verb, correctly agreeing with the singular subject phrase "A great part of Arabia". The phrase "a desert" is a singular noun phrase functioning as the complement, describing the nature of this great part. This part is grammatically correct.
Subject-Verb Agreement with "Part of" Phrases
Understanding subject-verb agreement is crucial here. When the subject includes a phrase like "part of" followed by a singular noun (or an uncountable noun or a collective noun treated as singular), the verb should typically be singular. For example:
- A large part of the country is agricultural.
- A part of the report was missing.
In our sentence, "A great part of Arabia", "Arabia" is treated as a singular entity (a region). Therefore, the singular verb "is" is correctly used.
Conclusion: Identifying the Error
Based on the analysis of each part and the rules of subject-verb agreement, all parts of the sentence "A great part of Arabia is a desert" are grammatically correct.
Therefore, there is no error in any underlined part.
Revision Table: Key Grammar Concepts
Here's a quick summary of concepts related to this question:
- Subject: The noun or pronoun that performs the action or is described in the sentence (e.g., "A great part of Arabia").
- Predicate: The part of the sentence that contains the verb and gives information about the subject (e.g., "is a desert").
- Subject-Verb Agreement: The rule that the verb in a sentence must agree in number (singular or plural) with its subject.
- "Part of" Construction: When "part of" is followed by a singular noun, the subject phrase is usually treated as singular, requiring a singular verb.
Additional Information: Common Sentence Errors
Some common types of errors found in such questions include:
- Incorrect subject-verb agreement.
- Wrong use of articles (a, an, the).
- Incorrect tense or verb form.
- Errors in preposition usage.
- Incorrect pronoun agreement.
Practicing identifying these common errors in various sentence structures helps improve grammar skills.
Important Questions from Error Spotting
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).
A honest mistake (a) / is no more than that; (b) / just an honest mistake. (c) / No error (d)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 any 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).
A company of five thousand soldiers , (a) / having marched tirelessly for over five days , (b) / have just moved into their cantonment . (c) / No error (d)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).
Every person who believes in principles (a) / must stand up to fight (b) / for their convictions . (c) / No error (d)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 any 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).
The Olympic Games reflects(a) / the highest spirit of (b) / human endeavour and achievement . (c) / No error (d)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).
The principal of the school (a) / stressed the need for discipline (b) / amongst the students. (c) / No error (d)
