Direction: Item in this section has a sentence with three underlined parts labelled as (a), (b) and (c). Read each sentence to find out whether there is any error in any underlined part and indicate your response on 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). Who (a) / do you wish (b) / to see? (c) / No error (d)
a
Identifying Grammar Errors: Who vs. Whom Usage
The question asks us to identify if there is an error in any of the underlined parts of the given sentence: "Who (a) / do you wish (b) / to see? (c) / No error (d)". We need to examine each part carefully based on English grammar rules.
Analyzing Each Part of the Sentence
Let's break down the sentence and analyze each underlined part:
- (a) Who: This is an interrogative pronoun used to ask about a person. We need to determine if "Who" is the correct form in this context.
- (b) do you wish: This is the verb phrase "do wish" with the subject "you". This structure "do + subject + verb" is standard for forming questions in English.
- (c) to see?: This is the infinitive form "to see", which functions as the main action intended. The question mark indicates it is a question.
Detailed Error Analysis for Part (a)
The part (a) uses the pronoun "Who". The sentence is asking about the person that "you" wish to see. In the phrase "wish to see", "see" is the verb. The person being seen is the object of the verb "see".
In English, "Who" is used as a subject pronoun (referring to the person performing the action), while "Whom" is used as an object pronoun (referring to the person receiving the action or the object of a preposition).
Consider the structure of the underlying thought: "You wish to see someone." Here, "someone" is the object of "to see". When we form a question about the object, we should use the object pronoun "Whom".
A simple test is to answer the question with a personal pronoun. If the answer would be "he", "she", or "they", use "Who". If the answer would be "him", "her", or "them", use "Whom".
For example, if the answer is "I wish to see him," then the question should be "Whom do you wish to see?". Since "him" is an object pronoun, the correct interrogative pronoun is "Whom".
Therefore, the use of "Who" in part (a) is incorrect. It should be "Whom".
Analysis of Parts (b) and (c)
- (b) do you wish: This is grammatically correct for forming a question with the verb "wish".
- (c) to see?: This part, including the infinitive "to see" and the question mark, is also grammatically correct in the context of the question.
Conclusion on the Error
Based on the analysis, the error lies in part (a), where "Who" is used instead of "Whom" because the pronoun is functioning as the object of the verb "to see".
The correct sentence should be: "Whom do you wish to see?".
Thus, the error is in part (a).
Revision Table: Who vs. Whom Grammar Rules
| Pronoun | Function | Usage | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| Who | Subject pronoun | Used when the pronoun performs the action of the verb. Can be replaced by 'he', 'she', 'they'. | Who is coming to the party? (He is coming.) |
| Whom | Object pronoun | Used when the pronoun receives the action of the verb or is the object of a preposition. Can be replaced by 'him', 'her', 'them'. | Whom did you see? (I saw him.) To whom did you give the book? (I gave it to her.) |
Additional Information on Pronoun Usage and Error Spotting
Understanding the role of pronouns as subjects or objects is crucial for correctly using "Who" and "Whom". While "Whom" is becoming less common in informal spoken English, it is still considered correct and necessary in formal writing and many standardized tests.
Another way to check if "Whom" is needed is to rearrange the sentence or clause into a statement and substitute a personal pronoun. If 'he', 'she', or 'they' fits, use 'who'. If 'him', 'her', or 'them' fits, use 'whom'. For "Whom do you wish to see?", the statement form is "You wish to see him/her/them". Since object pronouns fit, "Whom" is correct.
Error spotting in grammar often involves identifying common issues like:
- Subject-verb agreement
- Pronoun usage (subject/object, possessive, relative)
- Tense consistency
- Parallelism
- Correct use of prepositions
- Errors in articles (a, an, the)
Regular practice with various sentence structures helps improve the ability to spot these errors efficiently in competitive exams.
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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.
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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.
