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.
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Important Questions from Error Spotting
The following question 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 against the corresponding letter i.e., (a) or (b) or (c). If you find no error, your response should be indicated as (d).
It is identification with the audience(a)that makes one come home from the play so much more(b)satisfied than one ever is after merely passive enjoyment of the show.(c) No error.(d)
The following question has a sentence with four parts labelled (a), (b), (c), and (d). Read each sentence to find out whether there is an error in any part and indicate your response against the corresponding letter i.e., (a) or (b) or (c). If you find no error, your response should be indicated as (d).
CV Raman was one of the greatest sons of India (a) who has earned everlasting fame (b) for scientific researches. (c) No error. (d)
The following question 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 against the corresponding letter i.e., (a) or (b) or (c). If you find no error, your response should be indicated as (d).
This box(a)is heavy than(b) the other one.(c) No error. (d)
The following question 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 against the corresponding letter i.e., (a) or (b) or (c). If you find no error, your response should be indicated as (d).
Thewriter does not have the freedom (a) to choose his own themes, (b) society thrusts them on him (c) No error. (d)
The following question has a sentence with three underlined parts labelled (a), (b) and (c). Read each sentence to find out whether there is an error in any underlined part and indicate your response against the corresponding letter i.e., (a) or (b) or (c). If you find no error, your response should be indicated as (d).
No one knows (a) why he did it, (b) or who was behind his doing it.(c) No error. (d)
