Identify the segment in the sentence which contains a grammatical error. One must not boast about their success.
Identifying Grammatical Errors in Sentences
The question asks us to find the segment in the given sentence that contains a grammatical error. The sentence provided is:
One must not boast about their success.
Analyzing Pronoun Agreement with 'One'
Let's break down the sentence and analyze the parts. The subject of the sentence is the indefinite pronoun 'One'. When referring back to the indefinite pronoun 'One', the standard formal English requires the use of the possessive pronoun 'one's'.
In the given sentence, the possessive pronoun 'their' is used to refer back to 'One'. While 'their' is sometimes used as a gender-neutral singular possessive pronoun in informal contexts or when the gender of the singular antecedent is unknown, the formal rule when the antecedent is the specific indefinite pronoun 'One' is to use 'one's'.
Therefore, using 'their' to refer to 'One' is considered a grammatical error in formal writing.
Evaluating the Sentence Segments
Let's examine each segment based on standard grammatical rules:
- 'One must': This segment contains the subject 'One' and the modal verb 'must'. This is grammatically correct.
- 'not boast': This segment contains the negation 'not' and the base form of the verb 'boast', used correctly after the modal 'must'. This is grammatically correct.
- 'about': This is a preposition used correctly after the verb 'boast' (boast about something). This is grammatically correct.
- 'their success': This segment contains the possessive pronoun 'their' referring to 'One'. As explained above, 'their' is incorrect when referring to 'One'; it should be 'one's'.
Based on this analysis, the segment containing the grammatical error is 'their success'.
Options Analysis
Let's look at the provided options:
- <span>their success</span>: This segment contains the incorrect possessive pronoun 'their' used for the antecedent 'One'. This is the segment with the error.
- <span>One must</span>: This segment is grammatically correct.
- <span>about</span>: This preposition is used correctly.
- <span>not boast</span>: This verb phrase after a modal is correct.
The segment identified as containing the grammatical error is 'their success'. The sentence should be corrected to: "One must not boast about one's success."
Revision Table: Correcting Pronoun Agreement
| Original Sentence Segment | Issue Identified | Corrected Segment | Grammar Rule Applied |
|---|---|---|---|
| their success | Incorrect possessive pronoun for 'One' | one's success | Formal pronoun agreement with the indefinite pronoun 'One' requires 'one's'. |
Additional Information: Pronoun Agreement with Indefinite Pronouns
Pronoun agreement means that a pronoun must agree in number and gender with the noun or pronoun it refers to (its antecedent). This is a common area for errors.
Different indefinite pronouns have different rules for pronoun agreement, although there is a trend towards using 'they/them/their' as a singular gender-neutral pronoun in modern English, especially with indefinite pronouns like 'everyone', 'someone', 'anyone', 'nobody', etc.
However, the pronoun 'One' is a special case. When 'One' is used as the subject referring to a person in general, the standard formal possessive pronoun is always 'one's'. Similarly, reflexive pronoun is 'oneself'.
- Example 1: One should be careful about one's words. (Correct)
- Example 2: One should help oneself before helping others. (Correct)
- Incorrect: One should be careful about their words.
Understanding pronoun agreement, especially with unique cases like 'One', is crucial for grammatical accuracy.
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