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). They had promised to delivered (a) / the bags before mid-March (b) / to enable us to inaugurate the shop. (c) / No error (d)
a
Understanding the Grammar Error in the Sentence
The question asks us to identify any grammatical error in the given sentence. We need to carefully examine each underlined part: (a), (b), and (c).
The sentence is: They had promised to delivered (a) / the bags before mid-March (b) / to enable us to inaugurate the shop. (c) / No error (d)
Analyzing Part (a): "to delivered"
This part contains the phrase "to delivered". In English grammar, when "to" is used as a preposition or part of an infinitive construction (like after verbs such as 'promise', 'want', 'decide', etc.), it is typically followed by the base form of the verb (also known as the simple form or V1). The base form of the verb 'deliver' is 'deliver'.
- The phrase "to delivered" uses the past tense or past participle form ('delivered') after 'to'. This is incorrect.
- The correct structure should be "to + base form of the verb".
Therefore, the phrase should be "to deliver". This indicates a grammatical error in part (a).
Analyzing Part (b): "the bags before mid-March"
This part specifies the direct object ("the bags") and a time frame ("before mid-March"). This phrase is grammatically correct and fits appropriately in the context of the sentence, indicating when the action (delivering the bags) was promised to occur.
Analyzing Part (c): "to enable us to inaugurate the shop."
This part describes the purpose of delivering the bags ("to enable us to inaugurate the shop"). This uses the infinitive "to enable" correctly to express purpose, and "to inaugurate" correctly follows "enable somebody to do something". This part is grammatically correct.
Conclusion on the Grammar Error
Based on the analysis, the error lies in part (a) where "to delivered" should be "to deliver" to follow the correct infinitive structure after the verb 'promised'.
| Part | Phrase | Analysis | Error? |
|---|---|---|---|
| (a) | to delivered | Incorrect verb form after 'to'. Should be base form 'deliver'. | Yes |
| (b) | the bags before mid-March | Correct object and time phrase. | No |
| (c) | to enable us to inaugurate the shop. | Correct infinitive usage for purpose. | No |
Since there is an error in part (a), the correct option identifying the error is (a).
Revision Table: Key Grammar Concepts
| Concept | Explanation | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Infinitives with 'to' | Verb form using 'to' + base form of the verb. Often used after certain verbs (e.g., promise, want, decide, agree), to show purpose, or as nouns/adjectives/adverbs. | She wants to learn French. He went there to study. |
| Base Form of Verb | The simplest form of the verb, without any endings like -ed, -ing, or -s. | walk, run, eat, deliver, go |
| Past Tense Form | Verb form used to talk about actions completed in the past. Often ends in -ed for regular verbs. | walked, ran, ate, delivered, went |
| Past Participle Form | Verb form used in perfect tenses (have/has/had + past participle) or passive voice (be + past participle). Often the same as the past tense for regular verbs. | walked, run, eaten, delivered, gone |
Additional Information: Verbs Followed by Infinitives
Many verbs in English are followed by the infinitive form (to + base verb). Recognizing these verbs helps in identifying errors related to verb forms after 'to'.
Common verbs followed by infinitives include:
- Agree
- Ask
- Decide
- Expect
- Hope
- Learn
- Need
- Offer
- Plan
- Promise
- Refuse
- Want
- Wish
In the given sentence, the verb 'promised' belongs to this category, and it should be followed by the infinitive 'to deliver', not 'to delivered'.
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) If you want (b) to know the news (c) you can read a newspaper. (d) No Error
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(a) I'm not working tomorrow, (b) so I don't had to (c) get up early. (d) No Error
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(a) She didn't (b) tell anybody (c) about her plans. (d) No Error
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(a) When a gas is (b) cooled down it turns into a liquid (c) from a process called condensation. (d) No Error
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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.
