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'. The Maldives has been buffeted by one political crisis after another (1)/ since Nasheed, the first democratically elected president, (2)/ was forcibly to quit in 2012. (3)/ No error (4)
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Identifying Grammar Errors in Sentence Structure
Let's analyze the provided sentence part by part to identify any potential grammatical errors. The sentence describes the situation in the Maldives and a past political event.
Analyzing Each Part of the Sentence
- Part (1): "The Maldives has been buffeted by one political crisis after another"
This part uses the present perfect passive voice ("has been buffeted by") which correctly indicates an action that started in the past and continues to affect the present. The phrase "one political crisis after another" is also a standard and correct idiomatic expression to describe a series of crises. This part appears to be grammatically correct.
- Part (2): "since Nasheed, the first democratically elected president,"
This part introduces the starting point in time ("since Nasheed... in 2012" from part 3, though split here) and identifies the person involved. The phrase "the first democratically elected president" acts as an appositive, providing additional information about Nasheed, and is correctly punctuated with commas. This part is grammatically sound in isolation and in context.
- Part (3): "was forcibly to quit in 2012."
This part describes the event that happened to Nasheed. The structure used is "was forcibly to quit". This construction is grammatically incorrect in standard English. When someone is made or compelled to do something against their will in the passive voice, the typical structure is "was forced to [verb]" or "was made to [verb]". The adverb "forcibly" can be used with these structures, for example, "was forcibly removed" or "was forced to quit forcibly". However, "was forcibly to quit" is not a correct passive infinitive construction. The correct phrasing should be "was forced to quit" or similar.
- Part (4): No error
Since an error has been found in part (3), this option is incorrect.
Identifying the Error
Based on the analysis, the grammatical error is located in part (3) of the sentence. The structure "was forcibly to quit" is incorrect. The correct passive construction when referring to someone being compelled to do something is typically "was forced to [verb]".
| Part of Sentence | Analysis | Status |
|---|---|---|
| (1) The Maldives has been buffeted by one political crisis after another | Present perfect passive and idiomatic phrase are correct. | Correct |
| (2) since Nasheed, the first democratically elected president, | Introduces time frame and identifies person with correct appositive phrase. | Correct |
| (3) was forcibly to quit in 2012. | Incorrect passive infinitive construction. Should be "was forced to quit". | Incorrect |
Therefore, the part of the sentence that contains the error is (3).
Revision Table: Correct Passive Voice Constructions
| Incorrect Structure | Correct Structure | Example |
|---|---|---|
| was forcibly to [verb] | was forced to [verb] | He was forced to resign. |
| was forcibly [verb - past participle] | was forcibly [verb - past participle] | He was forcibly removed. |
| was made to [verb] | was made to [verb] | They were made to wait. |
Additional Information: Understanding Passive Voice and Infinitives
The passive voice is used when the focus is on the action and the object of a sentence, rather than the subject performing the action. It is formed using a form of "to be" + the past participle of the main verb.
Infinitives are the base form of a verb, usually preceded by "to" (e.g., to quit, to run, to eat). When certain verbs are used in the passive voice, they are followed by an infinitive. The verb "force" is one such verb. In the active voice, we say "They forced him to quit." In the passive voice, this becomes "He was forced to quit."
Adverbs like "forcibly" modify verbs, adjectives, or other adverbs, describing how, when, where, or to what extent something is done. In the phrase "was forcibly to quit", the adverb "forcibly" is awkwardly placed and the infinitive structure is incorrect following "was forcibly". The correct use with "force" in the passive is "was forced to quit".
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)
