Identify the segment that contains a grammatical error. If there is no error, select 'No error’. Our passage across the Arabian Sea/ was smooth as the most timid of/ navigators could desire.
was smooth as the most timid of
Understanding Grammatical Errors in English Sentences
The question asks us to find the segment in the given sentence that contains a grammatical error. Let's look at the sentence:
"Our passage across the Arabian Sea/ was smooth as the most timid of/ navigators could desire. "
We need to examine each segment provided in the options to identify any issues with grammar, usage, or structure.
Analyzing the Sentence Segments
The sentence is divided into the following potential segments containing an error:
- No error
- Our passage across the Arabian Sea
- was smooth as the most timid of
- navigators could desire.
Let's examine each segment:
- Segment 1: Our passage across the Arabian Sea
This segment acts as the subject of the sentence ("Our passage across the Arabian Sea"). The structure "Our passage across..." is grammatically correct. There is no apparent error here. - Segment 2: was smooth as the most timid of
This segment contains the verb "was" and an adjective phrase "smooth as the most timid of navigators could desire" which describes how smooth the passage was. The phrasing "smooth as" is used here. This is where the potential error lies. - Segment 3: navigators could desire.
This segment completes the comparison, indicating the degree of smoothness being compared to. The structure "navigators could desire" is grammatically sound in this context as part of a comparative clause.
Identifying the Grammatical Error
The error is in the second segment: "was smooth as the most timid of".
When making a comparison of equality using an adjective, the correct structure is typically "as + adjective + as". For example, "as big as", "as fast as", "as beautiful as".
The sentence compares the smoothness of the passage to the maximum smoothness desired by the most timid navigators. To express this comparison of equality or degree, the correct phrasing should be "was as smooth as".
The missing "as" before "smooth" makes the phrase grammatically incorrect in standard English when used in this comparative structure.
Correcting the Error
The grammatically correct sentence would be:
"Our passage across the Arabian Sea was as smooth as the most timid of navigators could desire."
Therefore, the segment containing the grammatical error is "was smooth as the most timid of".
| Incorrect Phrase | Correct Phrase | Explanation |
|---|---|---|
| smooth as | as smooth as | Used for comparisons of equality/degree with adjectives. |
| big as | as big as | Example of the structure "as + adjective + as". |
Based on our analysis, the segment "was smooth as the most timid of" contains the grammatical error because it is missing the first "as" required for the comparative structure "as smooth as".
Revision Table: Common Comparison Structures
| Structure | Use | Example |
|---|---|---|
| as + adjective/adverb + as | Comparing things that are equal in some quality or manner. | She is as tall as her brother. He ran as quickly as he could. |
| comparative adjective/adverb + than | Comparing two things where one has more of a quality than the other. | This book is more interesting than that one. She sings better than him. |
| the + superlative adjective/adverb | Comparing three or more things to show which has the most of a quality. | He is the fastest runner in the team. This is the most difficult question. |
Additional Information: Degrees of Comparison
Adjectives and adverbs can have different forms to show degrees of comparison. These are called positive, comparative, and superlative degrees.
- Positive Degree: The basic form of the adjective or adverb, used when not making a comparison. (e.g., smooth, fast, difficult)
- Comparative Degree: Used to compare two things. (e.g., smoother, faster, more difficult)
- Superlative Degree: Used to compare three or more things to show which one is the highest in degree. (e.g., smoothest, fastest, most difficult)
The structure "as + positive degree + as" is a way to express equality, indicating that two things are equal in the quality described by the positive degree adjective or adverb. In our sentence, "as smooth as" uses the positive degree "smooth" to indicate an equal level of smoothness (or the maximum desired level, which acts as a standard).
Important Questions from Error Spotting
Direction: Each item in this section has a sentence with three underlined parts labelled (a), (b) and (c) Read each sentence to determine whether there is an 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).
A honest mistake (a) / is no more than that; (b) / just an honest mistake. (c) / No error (d)Direction: Each item in this section has a sentence with three underlined parts labelled (a), (b) and (c) Read each sentence to determine 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).
A company of five thousand soldiers , (a) / having marched tirelessly for over five days , (b) / have just moved into their cantonment . (c) / No error (d)Direction: Each item in this section has a sentence with three underlined parts labelled (a), (b) and (c) Read each sentence to determine whether there is an 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).
Every person who believes in principles (a) / must stand up to fight (b) / for their convictions . (c) / No error (d)Direction: Each item in this section has a sentence with three underlined parts labelled (a), (b) and (c) Read each sentence to determine 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).
The Olympic Games reflects(a) / the highest spirit of (b) / human endeavour and achievement . (c) / No error (d)Direction: Each item in this section has a sentence with three underlined parts labelled (a), (b) and (c) Read each sentence to determine whether there is an 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).
The principal of the school (a) / stressed the need for discipline (b) / amongst the students. (c) / No error (d)
