Direction: Parts of the following sentence have been given as options. Select the option that contains an error. My younger brother were attending a short-term computer course these days.
were attending
Analyzing the Sentence for Grammatical Errors
The question asks us to identify the part of the given sentence that contains a grammatical error. The sentence is: "My younger brother were attending a short-term computer course these days." We need to examine each part provided in the options to find the error.
Understanding Subject-Verb Agreement
A fundamental rule in English grammar is subject-verb agreement. This means that the verb in a sentence must agree in number with its subject. If the subject is singular, the verb must be singular. If the subject is plural, the verb must be plural.
Examining the Subject and Verb
Let's break down the sentence to identify the subject and the main verb phrase:
- Subject: "My younger brother"
- Verb Phrase: "were attending"
- Object/Complement: "a short-term computer course"
- Time Phrase: "these days"
Now, let's analyze the agreement:
- The subject is "My younger brother". "Brother" is a singular noun. Therefore, the subject "My younger brother" is singular.
- The verb phrase is "were attending". The auxiliary verb here is "were". "Were" is the past tense or subjunctive form used with plural subjects (like 'we', 'you', 'they', plural nouns) or 'you' (singular or plural).
Since the subject "My younger brother" is singular, the auxiliary verb should also be singular in the past continuous tense. The singular past tense auxiliary verb for 'to be' is "was".
Therefore, the phrase "were attending" uses a plural verb form ("were") with a singular subject ("My younger brother"). This violates the rule of subject-verb agreement.
Analyzing the Options
Let's look at the given options in light of our analysis:
- were attending: As we identified, the verb "were" does not agree with the singular subject "My younger brother". This part contains the error.
- My younger brother: This is the subject phrase. It is grammatically correct by itself.
- a short-term computer course: This is the object phrase. It is grammatically correct by itself.
- these days: This is a time phrase indicating something ongoing. It is grammatically correct by itself and often used with continuous tenses (like present continuous or present perfect continuous). While the full sentence structure with "were attending" and "these days" seems contradictory (past continuous vs. present/recent ongoing action), the primary and clear error is the subject-verb disagreement with "were".
The part of the sentence containing the grammatical error is "were attending" due to the incorrect use of the plural auxiliary verb "were" with the singular subject "My younger brother". The sentence should likely use "was attending" (past continuous) or "is attending" (present continuous, better fit with "these days"). However, the instruction is to identify the error, which is clearly in the form of "were attending".
| Sentence Part | Analysis | Contains Error? |
|---|---|---|
| My younger brother | Singular subject | No |
| were attending | Verb phrase; "were" is plural | Yes (Subject-Verb Agreement) |
| a short-term computer course | Object phrase | No |
| these days | Time phrase | No (correct phrase, but may imply a different tense than 'were attending') |
The option that contains the error is the one listing "were attending".
Revision Table: Subject-Verb Agreement
| Subject Number | Verb Form (e.g., 'to be' in past continuous) | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Singular (I, He, She, It, singular nouns) | was + -ing verb | He was reading. My brother was attending. |
| Plural (We, You, They, plural nouns) | were + -ing verb | They were reading. My brothers were attending. |
| You (singular or plural) | were + -ing verb | You were reading. |
Additional Information on Verb Tenses with "These Days"
The phrase "these days" typically refers to the present or recent past and ongoing actions. It is commonly used with the present continuous tense or sometimes the present perfect continuous tense to describe a situation or action happening around the present time.
- Present Continuous: He is attending a course these days. (Action ongoing currently)
- Present Perfect Continuous: He has been attending a course for two weeks now. (Action started in the past, continues to the present)
- Past Continuous: He was attending a course last month. (Action ongoing at a specific time in the past)
While "these days" doesn't perfectly fit with past continuous ("was attending"), the most direct and clear grammatical error in the original sentence "My younger brother were attending a short-term computer course these days" is the subject-verb agreement error ("were" with singular "brother").
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