Directions: item in this section has a sentence with three underlined parts labelled (a), (b) and (c). Read sentence to find out 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). Many people came (a) / from faraway places to prayed (b) / at the temple on the auspicious day. (c) / No error (d)
b
Identifying Grammatical Errors in English Sentences
The question asks us to identify the part of the given sentence that contains a grammatical error. The sentence is divided into three parts, labeled (a), (b), and (c), and we also have option (d) for 'No error'. Let's examine each part carefully to find any potential mistakes related to grammar, usage, or structure.
The sentence is: Many people came (a) / from faraway places to prayed (b) / at the temple on the auspicious day. (c) / No error (d)
Analyzing Sentence Part (a): "Many people came"
This part of the sentence, "Many people came", acts as the subject and the main verb in the past tense. "Many people" is a plural subject. "came" is the past tense of the verb "to come", which is appropriate for a plural subject in the past tense. This part seems grammatically correct in terms of subject-verb agreement and tense usage in this context.
Analyzing Sentence Part (b): "from faraway places to prayed"
This part introduces a phrase indicating origin ("from faraway places") and then an infinitive phrase indicating purpose ("to prayed"). The standard structure for an infinitive in English is "to" followed by the base form of the verb (also known as the bare infinitive). For the verb "to pray", the base form is "pray". The past tense and past participle form is "prayed". The phrase here uses "to prayed", which is incorrect. It should be "to pray". This structure "to + past tense/past participle" is not the correct form for an infinitive expressing purpose.
Therefore, the error lies in part (b) due to the incorrect use of the verb form after "to".
Analyzing Sentence Part (c): "at the temple on the auspicious day."
This part consists of prepositional phrases indicating location ("at the temple") and time ("on the auspicious day"). "at the temple" is a correct way to specify a location. "on the auspicious day" is a correct way to specify a particular day or date. These phrases are grammatically sound and fit correctly within the sentence structure.
Determining the Correct Answer
Based on our analysis:
- Part (a) "Many people came" is correct.
- Part (b) "from faraway places to prayed" contains an error; "to prayed" should be "to pray".
- Part (c) "at the temple on the auspicious day." is correct.
- Since there is an error in part (b), option (d) "No error" is incorrect.
The part of the sentence with the error is (b).
The corrected sentence should read: "Many people came from faraway places to pray at the temple on the auspicious day."
| Part | Text | Analysis | Error? |
|---|---|---|---|
| (a) | Many people came | Subject-verb agreement (plural subject, past tense verb) is correct. | No |
| (b) | from faraway places to prayed | Incorrect infinitive form. Should be "to pray" (to + base verb). | Yes |
| (c) | at the temple on the auspicious day. | Correct usage of prepositions for location and time. | No |
| (d) | No error | Incorrect, as an error was found in (b). | N/A |
The error is clearly identified in part (b).
Revision Table: Understanding Infinitives
| Concept | Explanation | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Infinitive | The base form of a verb, often preceded by "to". Used to express purpose, desire, etc. | to eat, to run, to study, to pray |
| Structure of 'to' infinitive | to + base form of verb |
to write, to sleep, to see |
| Incorrect form after 'to' | Using past tense or past participle after 'to' (unless it's part of a different structure like passive voice or perfect infinitive, which is not the case here). | to wrote, to slept, to seen, to prayed |
Additional Information: Common Errors with Infinitives
Students often make mistakes when using infinitive forms. Here are some key points to remember:
- Always use the base form of the verb directly after "to" when forming the simple infinitive (to + verb). For example, "They decided to go," not "to went."
- Infinitives can function as nouns, adjectives, or adverbs in a sentence. In this question, "to pray" functions as an adverbial phrase indicating the purpose of coming.
- There are also bare infinitives (verb base form without "to"), used after certain verbs (like make, let, help, see, hear) or modal verbs (can, will, should, etc.). For example, "Let him go," or "I can swim." However, the structure "to + verb" usually requires the base form.
- Perfect infinitives (to have + past participle) and passive infinitives (to be + past participle) exist but follow different rules and are used in specific contexts, distinct from the simple infinitive for purpose as seen in this sentence.
Focusing on the basic rule of "to + base verb" helps avoid the type of error seen in the question.
Similar Questions
Directions: Each item in this section 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. 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).
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(a) Whenever the sky is (b) clear, you can see (c) the stars in the night. (d) No Error
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.
