Directions: Each item in this section has a sentence with three underlined parts, labelled as (a), (b) and (c). Read each sentence to determine 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). Prateek doesn't (a)/ look well today, (b)/ doesn't he? (c)/ No error (d)
c
Identifying Grammatical Errors in Sentences
This question requires us to identify a grammatical error within a given sentence, focusing specifically on the structure involving a statement followed by a tag question. We need to examine the underlined parts labelled (a), (b), and (c) to find any mistake in grammar, usage, or punctuation. If the entire sentence is grammatically correct, we select option (d).
Understanding Tag Questions
A tag question is a question added to the end of a declarative statement. It is typically used to seek confirmation or agreement.
Key rules for forming tag questions:
- The auxiliary verb used in the tag question should be the same as the one used in the main statement. If no auxiliary verb is present in the statement (simple present/past tense), use 'do', 'does', or 'did'.
- The polarity of the tag question must be opposite to that of the main statement. If the statement is positive, the tag is negative. If the statement is negative, the tag is positive.
- The pronoun in the tag question must refer to the subject of the main statement.
Analysis of the Sentence Structure
The sentence provided is: "Prateek doesn't (a)/ look well today, (b)/ doesn't he? (c)/ No error (d)"
Let's break down the sentence:
- Statement: "Prateek doesn't look well today"
- Subject:
Prateek(singular, masculine) - Verb phrase:
doesn't look. The auxiliary verb here isdoes. - Polarity of the statement: Negative (because of "doesn't").
- Subject:
- Tag Question: "doesn't he?"
- Proposed auxiliary verb:
doesn't(negative). - Pronoun:
he(correctly refers to Prateek).
- Proposed auxiliary verb:
Determining the Correct Tag Question
According to the rules of tag questions:
- The statement "Prateek doesn't look well today" is negative.
- Therefore, the tag question must be positive.
- The auxiliary verb used in the statement is
does. - The subject
Prateekis correctly represented by the pronounhe.
Combining these points, the correct tag question should use the positive auxiliary verb 'does' and the pronoun 'he'. So, the correct tag should be "does he?".
Identifying the Error Location
The sentence uses the tag question "doesn't he?" in part (c).
Comparing the actual tag with the correct tag:
| Component | Statement Part | Actual Tag (c) | Correct Tag |
| Subject Pronoun | Prateek | he | he |
| Auxiliary Verb | doesn't (negative) | doesn't (negative) | does (positive) |
As seen from the analysis and the table, the tag question uses a negative auxiliary ("doesn't") when it should be positive ("does") because the main statement is negative. This mismatch in polarity is the grammatical error.
The error is located in the underlined part (c), which contains the incorrect tag question.
Similar Questions
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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).
I waited (a) for her return (b) with growing unease. (c) No error. (d)
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.
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.
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.
