In the following question, some part of the sentence may have errors. Find out which part of the sentence has an error and select the appropriate option. If a sentence is free from error, select 'No Error'. He fall over the (1)/ ledge after (2)/ drinking heavily last night. (3)/ No error (4)
1
Understanding Sentence Structure and Error Spotting
The question asks us to identify the part of the sentence that contains a grammatical error. We need to examine each part of the sentence carefully to find any mistakes related to grammar, usage, or tense.
Analyzing the Sentence Parts for Grammar Errors
Let's break down the sentence "He fall over the (1)/ ledge after (2)/ drinking heavily last night. (3)/ No error (4)" into its numbered parts and analyze each one for potential errors:
- Part (1): "He fall over the"
- Part (2): "ledge after"
- Part (3): "drinking heavily last night."
- Part (4): "No error" (This option is selected if no error is found in parts 1, 2, or 3).
Identifying the Grammatical Error
The sentence describes an action that happened in the past, specifically "last night". When we talk about actions that were completed at a specific time in the past, we usually use the simple past tense. Let's look at the verb used in part (1): "fall".
- "Fall" is the base form or present tense form of the verb.
- For a singular subject like "He" in the present tense, we would say "He falls".
- However, the action happened "last night", indicating the past tense. The simple past tense form of the verb "fall" is "fell".
Therefore, the verb "fall" is incorrect in the context of the past action indicated by "last night". The sentence requires the past tense form of the verb.
Correcting the Error
The correct verb form for the simple past tense, used with the subject "He", is "fell". So, part (1) should be "He fell over the".
The corrected sentence would be: "He fell over the ledge after drinking heavily last night."
Conclusion on Sentence Error
Based on the analysis, the error lies in part (1) of the sentence, where the present tense verb "fall" is incorrectly used instead of the past tense verb "fell".
| Part | Text | Analysis | Error? |
|---|---|---|---|
| (1) | He fall over the | Subject 'He', verb 'fall'. Action happened 'last night' (past). 'fall' is present tense. Needs past tense 'fell'. | Yes |
| (2) | ledge after | Connects to the rest of the sentence. Grammatically correct on its own. | No |
| (3) | drinking heavily last night. | Explains the circumstance and time of the action. Grammatically correct on its own. | No |
Since part (1) contains the error, the appropriate option is 1.
Revision Table: Understanding Verb Tenses
| Tense | Verb Form (Fall) | Example with 'He' | Usage Context |
|---|---|---|---|
| Base Form / Present Simple (Plural/I/You) | fall | They fall | Habitual actions, general truths |
| Present Simple (Singular) | falls | He falls | Habitual actions, general truths (with singular subject) |
| Simple Past | fell | He fell | Completed actions in the past |
| Past Participle | fallen | He has fallen | Used with auxiliary verbs (e.g., have, had) for perfect tenses, or as an adjective. |
In the given sentence, the time phrase "last night" clearly indicates a completed action in the past, requiring the simple past tense verb "fell".
Additional Information on Irregular Verbs
The verb "fall" is an example of an irregular verb. Irregular verbs do not follow the standard rule of adding '-ed' to form their simple past tense and past participle. Instead, they often change their spelling in unpredictable ways.
Understanding irregular verbs is crucial for correct grammar in the past tense. Here are a few other common irregular verbs:
- Go > Went > Gone
- Eat > Ate > Eaten
- See > Saw > Seen
- Come > Came > Come
- Do > Did > Done
- Make > Made > Made
Memorizing common irregular verbs helps avoid errors when speaking or writing about past events.
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)
