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Question

In the following question, each sentence has four parts marked P, Q, R and S. Choose the part of the sentence with the error and mark as your answer. If there is no error, mark 'No error (S)' as your answer.
Such an act of cruelty (P)/ had never be (Q)/ committed before. (R)/ No error (S)

This question was previously asked in
SSC-JHT Paper 1 2017 Question Paper (15-Jun-2017)
The correct answer is

Q

Sentence Grammar Error Identification

This question requires identifying a grammatical mistake within a given English sentence. The sentence is divided into parts labeled P, Q, R, and S (indicating no error). We need to find the incorrect part.

Sentence Structure Breakdown

The sentence is presented as follows:

  • Part P: Such an act of cruelty
  • Part Q: had never be
  • Part R: committed before.
  • Part S: No error

Sentence Parts Evaluation

We will now carefully examine each part for grammatical accuracy:

  • Part P: "Such an act of cruelty" - This part is correct. The usage of "an" before "act" is appropriate due to the vowel sound.
  • Part Q: "had never be" - This part contains the grammatical error. The auxiliary verb "had" is used, indicating the Past Perfect Tense. This tense requires the auxiliary verb followed by the past participle of the main verb. The verb here is "be".
  • Part R: "committed before." - This part is grammatically sound. "Committed" is the correct past participle form of the verb "commit".
  • Part S: "No error" - This option would be correct only if all other parts were grammatically accurate. Since we've identified an error in Part Q, this option is incorrect.

Past Perfect Tense Verb Error

The core issue is in Part Q, specifically the verb form following "had". The rule for the Past Perfect Tense is:

Subject + had + past participle

In the phrase "had never be":

  • "had" is the auxiliary verb.
  • "never" is an adverb modifying the verb.
  • "be" is the base form (infinitive) of the verb.

The correct form required after "had" is the past participle. The past participle of the verb "be" is "been".

Therefore, the incorrect construction is "had never be", and the correct construction should be "had never been".

Corrected Sentence Example

By replacing the incorrect verb form in Part Q with the correct one, the sentence becomes:

"Such an act of cruelty had never been committed before."

Final Conclusion on Error

The grammatical error resides in Part Q of the sentence.

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Important Questions from Error Spotting

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    It is identification with the audience(a)that makes one come home from the play so much more(b)satisfied than one ever is after merely passive enjoyment of the show.(c) No error.(d)

  2. The following question has a sentence with four parts labelled (a), (b), (c), and (d). Read each sentence to find out whether there is an error in any part and indicate your response against the corresponding letter i.e., (a) or (b) or (c). If you find no error, your response should be indicated as (d).

    CV Raman was one of the greatest sons of India (a) who has earned everlasting fame (b) for scientific researches. (c) No error. (d)

  3. The following question 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 and indicate your response 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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  4. The following question 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 and indicate your response 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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    No one knows (a) why he did it, (b) or who was behind his doing it.(c) No error. (d)

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