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 salaried class may feel hard done by (1)/ and the young may not seeing a swift surge in (2)/ employment opportunities as a result of the Budget proposals. (3)/ No error (4)
2
Understanding English Grammar Errors
This question asks us to identify if there is a grammatical error in the given sentence and, if so, in which part. We need to carefully read each part of the sentence and check for any inconsistencies with standard English grammar rules.
Analyzing the Sentence Parts
Let's break down the sentence and examine each numbered part:
- Part (1): "The salaried class may feel hard done by"
- Part (2): "and the young may not seeing a swift surge in"
- Part (3): "employment opportunities as a result of the Budget proposals."
- Part (4): "No error"
Detailed Error Explanation: Modal Verbs
Now, let's look closely at part (2): "and the young may not seeing a swift surge in".
This part contains the modal verb "may". Modal verbs (like can, could, will, would, shall, should, may, might, must) have a specific rule regarding the form of the verb that follows them.
The general rule is that a modal verb is followed by the base form of the main verb (also known as the infinitive without 'to').
Examples:
- Incorrect: She can singing well.
- Correct: She can sing well. (Sing is the base form)
- Incorrect: They should going now.
- Correct: They should go now. (Go is the base form)
In part (2), the verb following the modal verb "may" is "seeing". "Seeing" is the present participle or gerund form, not the base form. The base form of "seeing" is "see".
Therefore, the construction "may not seeing" is grammatically incorrect.
Correcting the Sentence Part
To correct the error in part (2), we must replace "seeing" with the base form "see".
The corrected part (2) would be: "and the young may not see a swift surge in"
Since part (2) contains the grammatical error, this is the part we must select as the answer.
| Part of Sentence | Content | Analysis | Error? |
|---|---|---|---|
| (1) | The salaried class may feel hard done by | Correct usage of 'may feel'. 'Hard done by' is an idiom. | No |
| (2) | and the young may not seeing a swift surge in | Incorrect verb form 'seeing' after modal 'may'. Should be base form 'see'. | Yes |
| (3) | employment opportunities as a result of the Budget proposals. | Correct structure and vocabulary. | No |
Based on our analysis, the error lies in part (2) of the sentence.
Revision Table: Modal Verb Usage
| Modal Verb | Followed by | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Can, Could | Base Form | He can run fast. |
| Will, Would | Base Form | They will arrive soon. |
| Shall, Should | Base Form | You should study harder. |
| May, Might | Base Form | It may rain today. |
| Must | Base Form | We must leave now. |
Additional Information: Common Grammar Mistakes
Understanding common grammar mistakes is crucial for error detection questions. Here are a few areas to focus on:
- Subject-Verb Agreement: Ensure the verb agrees in number with its subject (e.g., "He walks," "They walk").
- Tense Consistency: Maintain consistent verb tense within a sentence or paragraph, unless there's a reason to change it.
- Pronoun Agreement: Pronouns must agree in number and gender with the noun they refer to.
- Preposition Usage: Correctly using prepositions (in, on, at, for, with, etc.) can be tricky.
- Modifier Placement: Ensure adjectives and adverbs are placed correctly to modify the intended words.
- Parallel Structure: When listing items or ideas, use the same grammatical form (e.g., all nouns, all -ing forms, all infinitives).
Practicing identifying these types of errors will improve your ability to spot them in sentences.
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)
