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Question

Directions : I tem in this section has a sentence with three parts labelled (a), (b) and (c). Read each sentence to find out whether there is any error in any underlined part. 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).

Amit told to Divya (a) / that he would come (b) / with a reward for her. (c)/  No error (d)

This question was previously asked in
NDA I 2022 GAT Previous Year Paper (10-Apr-2022)
The correct answer is

(a)

Understanding Sentence Structure and Grammar Errors

This question asks us to identify the part of the given sentence that contains a grammatical error. The sentence is divided into three parts:

  1. Amit told to Divya
  2. that he would come
  3. with a reward for her.

Let's examine each part to find the potential error.

Analyzing Part (a): Amit told to Divya

This part of the sentence uses the verb 'told'. The verb 'tell' (past tense 'told') is a transitive verb that typically takes a direct object (the person spoken to) without a preposition immediately following it when reporting a statement. The structure is usually 'tell someone something'.

For example:

  • Incorrect: He told to me the story.
  • Correct: He told me the story.

In part (a), the sentence uses 'told to Divya'. This structure is grammatically incorrect. The correct way to phrase this would be 'Amit told Divya'.

Compare this with the verb 'say'. 'Say' (past tense 'said') often requires a preposition ('to') when followed by the person being spoken to:

  • Incorrect: He said me the story.
  • Correct: He said to me the story.

Since the sentence uses 'told', the inclusion of 'to' before 'Divya' is the error.

Analyzing Part (b): that he would come

This part is a subordinate clause introduced by 'that'. It follows standard reported speech structure. 'He would come' correctly reflects the future tense from the original direct speech (e.g., "I will come") shifted to the past tense in reported speech. This part is grammatically correct.

Analyzing Part (c): with a reward for her

This phrase acts as a prepositional phrase modifying 'come', indicating the purpose or accompaniment. 'With a reward for her' is a standard and grammatically correct construction in this context. This part is also grammatically correct.

Identifying the Error

Based on the analysis, the error is in part (a) due to the incorrect use of the preposition 'to' after the verb 'told'. The correct phrasing should be 'Amit told Divya'.

Therefore, the part with the error is (a).

Part Sentence Fragment Grammar Check Error Found?
(a) Amit told to Divya 'told' is transitive, does not need 'to' before object Yes
(b) that he would come Correct reported speech structure No
(c) with a reward for her. Correct prepositional phrase structure No

Revision Table: Using Tell and Say in Reported Speech

Verb Structure Example (Reported Speech)
Tell Tell + Person (Object) + That-clause / Object She told me that she was leaving.
Say Say + That-clause / Object She said that she was leaving.
Say Say + to + Person (Object) + That-clause / Object She said to me that she was leaving.

Remember, 'tell' is generally used when you mention the person being spoken to, while 'say' can be used with or without mentioning the person, but if the person is mentioned immediately after 'say', it requires 'to'.

Additional Information: Transitive Verbs

A transitive verb is a verb that requires a direct object to complete its meaning. In the sentence structure subject-verb-object, the object is the noun or pronoun that receives the action of the verb. For example, in "She read a book," 'read' is the transitive verb and 'book' is the direct object.

Some transitive verbs, like 'tell', directly take the object (the person or thing receiving the action) without needing a preposition like 'to' in between when the object is the person spoken to. Other verbs might require a preposition. Understanding which verbs are transitive and how they are used with or without prepositions is key to correct sentence construction.

In this specific sentence, 'told' is used with 'Divya' as the direct object (the person told). Therefore, the 'to' is unnecessary and incorrect.

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  5. Identify the type of the clause in the brackets.

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