Directions: Each item in this section has a sentence with three options labelled (a), (b) and (c). Read each sentence to find out whether there is any error in any 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) We often hear people say (b) that most human beings have not evolved (c) or grow up enough to stick to the truth or non-violence. (d) No error
(c)
English Grammar: Identifying Sentence Errors
The question asks us to find the part of the sentence that contains an error. Let's examine the sentence and its parts carefully:
Sentence: We often hear people say that most human beings have not evolved or grow up enough to stick to the truth or non-violence.
Sentence Analysis: Examining Each Part
- (a) We often hear people say
This part of the sentence appears grammatically correct. "We often hear" is a standard construction. "hear people say" uses the base form of the verb "say" after the verb of perception "hear" followed by an object ("people"), which is also correct.
- (b) that most human beings have not evolved
This part introduces a clause explaining what people say. It uses the auxiliary verb "have" followed by "not" and the past participle "evolved". This structure ("have + past participle") is correct for the present perfect tense, indicating a state or action that started in the past and continues to the present or has relevance to the present. "most human beings" is the plural subject agreeing with "have".
- (c) or grow up enough to stick to the truth or non-violence.
This part continues the idea started in part (b). It is connected to part (b) by the coordinating conjunction "or". The auxiliary verb "have" from part (b) applies to both "evolved" and "grow up". Therefore, "grow up" should also be in the past participle form to maintain grammatical consistency (parallel structure) with "evolved". The past participle of "grow up" is "grown up".
- (d) No error
Based on the analysis of part (c), there is an error in the sentence.
Detailed Explanation of the Error in Part (c)
The sentence uses the auxiliary verb "have" followed by two main verbs connected by "or": "evolved" and "grow up". When multiple verbs follow a single auxiliary verb and are connected by conjunctions like "and", "or", or "but", they should generally be in the same form. In this case, "have not evolved" uses the past participle of "evolve". To maintain parallelism and grammatical correctness, the second verb "grow up" must also be in its past participle form, which is "grown up".
The correct phrase should be "have not evolved or grown up".
The Corrected Sentence
The corrected sentence would be: "We often hear people say that most human beings have not evolved or grown up enough to stick to the truth or non-violence."
Conclusion
The error is located in part (c) of the sentence, where "grow up" is used instead of the correct past participle form "grown up".
| Part | Text | Analysis |
|---|---|---|
| (a) | We often hear people say | Correct structure (verb of perception + object + base verb). |
| (b) | that most human beings have not evolved | Correct use of auxiliary 'have' + past participle ('evolved'). |
| (c) | or grow up enough to stick to the truth or non-violence. | Incorrect verb form; 'grow up' should be 'grown up' to match the past participle 'evolved' used with 'have'. |
| (d) | No error | Incorrect, as there is an error in part (c). |
Therefore, the part of the sentence with the error is (c).
Revision Table: Key Grammar Concepts
| Concept | Explanation | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Present Perfect Tense | Formed with 'have'/'has' + past participle. Used for actions starting in the past with relevance now, or actions continuing to the present. | She has finished her homework. |
| Auxiliary Verbs | Verbs like 'have', 'be', 'do' used with main verbs to form tenses, moods, or voices. They affect the form of the main verb that follows. | They are studying. (be + -ing) |
| Past Participle | A verb form (often ending in -ed, -en, -t, or irregular forms) used in perfect tenses, passive voice, or as adjectives. | The cake was eaten. (passive voice) |
| Parallel Structure (Parallelism) | Using the same grammatical form for two or more parts of a sentence that are coordinate or listed together. Especially important with conjunctions (and, or, but) or after a single auxiliary verb. | Incorrect: He likes running and to swim. Correct: He likes running and swimming. |
Additional Information: Verb Forms with Auxiliaries
Understanding how auxiliary verbs determine the form of the main verb is crucial for sentence correction. The auxiliary 'have' (or 'has'/'had') always requires the main verb(s) that follow it to be in the past participle form when forming perfect tenses.
- Auxiliary 'be' (is, am, are, was, were, been) is followed by:
- Present participle (-ing) for continuous tenses (e.g., is walking, were talking).
- Past participle for passive voice (e.g., was seen, are made).
- Auxiliary 'do' (do, does, did) is followed by the base form of the main verb (e.g., do you like, did he go).
- Auxiliary 'have' (have, has, had) is followed by the past participle of the main verb (e.g., have eaten, had gone).
- Modal auxiliaries (can, could, will, would, shall, should, may, might, must) are followed by the base form of the main verb (e.g., can swim, should study).
In our sentence, "have not evolved or grow up", the auxiliary is "have". Both verbs linked by "or" ("evolved" and "grow up") must follow the rule for "have". "Evolved" is correct (past participle), but "grow up" is not; it must be "grown up" (past participle).
Similar Questions
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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)
