Direction: The following sentence has been divided into three segments, A, B, C. One of them may contain a grammatical error. Select the segment that contains the error, from the given options. If you don’t find any error, mark ‘No error’ as your answer. He is not rich (A) / so he cannot afford (B) / to buy a expensive car (C).
C
Identifying Grammatical Errors in Sentences
The question asks us to identify the segment of the given sentence that contains a grammatical error. The sentence is divided into three parts:
- (A) He is not rich
- (B) so he cannot afford
- (C) to buy a expensive car
We need to examine each segment for any grammatical mistakes, such as errors in tense, subject-verb agreement, articles, prepositions, etc.
Analyzing Segment (A): He is not rich
This segment "He is not rich" is grammatically correct. 'He' is a third-person singular subject, and 'is' is the correct form of the verb 'to be' for this subject in the present tense. 'Not' is used correctly for negation, and 'rich' is an adjective modifying 'He'.
Analyzing Segment (B): so he cannot afford
This segment "so he cannot afford" is also grammatically correct. 'So' is used here as a conjunction connecting the reason (not being rich) to the consequence (cannot afford). 'He' is the subject, and 'cannot afford' is the correct verb phrase. 'Cannot' is a modal verb followed by the base form of the main verb 'afford'.
Analyzing Segment (C): to buy a expensive car
Let's examine segment (C): "to buy a expensive car". The phrase is "a expensive car". Here, we have the indefinite article 'a' followed by the adjective 'expensive'. The rule for using the indefinite articles 'a' and 'an' depends on the sound that begins the word immediately following the article.
- Use 'a' before words that start with a consonant sound (e.g., a book, a car, a house).
- Use 'an' before words that start with a vowel sound (e.g., an apple, an hour, an expensive car).
The word "expensive" starts with the vowel sound /ɪ/. Therefore, the correct indefinite article to use before "expensive" is 'an', not 'a'. The phrase should be "an expensive car".
Thus, segment (C) contains a grammatical error related to the use of the indefinite article.
Identifying the Error Segment
Based on our analysis, segment (C) "to buy a expensive car" contains the grammatical error. The article 'a' should be 'an' because 'expensive' starts with a vowel sound.
Corrected Sentence
The corrected sentence would be:
He is not rich so he cannot afford to buy an expensive car.
| Segment | Content | Analysis | Error |
|---|---|---|---|
| A | He is not rich | Subject-verb agreement and structure are correct. | No error |
| B | so he cannot afford | Conjunction and verb phrase usage are correct. | No error |
| C | to buy a expensive car | Incorrect article 'a' used before a word starting with a vowel sound ('expensive'). | Error |
Therefore, the segment containing the error is C.
Revision Table: Understanding Article Usage (a vs an)
| Article | Usage Rule | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| a | Used before words that begin with a consonant sound. | a cat, a dog, a university (sounds like 'yoo-ni-versity'), a European country (sounds like 'yoo-ro-pean') |
| an | Used before words that begin with a vowel sound. | an apple, an elephant, an hour (the 'h' is silent), an umbrella, an honest person (the 'h' is silent) |
Additional Information: Types of Articles
Articles are words that modify nouns. They indicate whether a noun is specific or unspecific. There are two main types of articles in English:
- Indefinite Articles: 'a' and 'an'. They are used before singular, countable nouns when the noun is unspecific, generic, or being mentioned for the first time. As seen in the solution, the choice between 'a' and 'an' depends on the initial sound of the word following the article.
- Definite Article: 'the'. It is used before singular or plural, countable or uncountable nouns when the noun is specific, already known to the listener or reader, unique, or part of a specific group.
Understanding the correct use of articles is crucial for accurate sentence construction in English grammar.
Similar Questions
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.
The availability of funds will be / ensured if they all tried to / submit the proposals on time.
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.
He promised them / that he would sure repay / the loan urgently.
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.
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- Select the INCORRECTLY spelt word.
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The following sentence has been split into four segments. Identify the segment that contains a grammatical error.
She always / invite me / to / dinner.
- Select the INCORRECTLY spelt word.
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- Select the INCORRECTLY spelt word.
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.
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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)
