In the given sentence, identify the segment that contains a grammatical error. A historian is one who study the meaning of documents written in the past.
To identify the grammatical error in the given sentence, let's analyze each part carefully. The sentence is: "A historian is one who study the meaning of documents written in the past." We need to check for common grammar issues like subject-verb agreement, pronoun usage, tense, etc.
Analysing the Sentence Structure for Grammatical Errors
Let's break down the sentence to understand its structure and identify potential grammatical errors:
- "A historian is one": This part introduces the subject ("A historian") and links it to a description ("one"). "A historian" is singular, and the verb "is" is correctly singular. This segment is grammatically sound.
- "who study the meaning": This is a relative clause modifying "one". The relative pronoun "who" refers back to "one". Since "one" is singular, the verb in this clause should agree with a singular subject. The verb used here is "study".
- "of documents written": This phrase correctly modifies "meaning", specifying the type of documents. It is grammatically correct.
- "in the past": This phrase indicates the time frame for the writing of the documents. It is a standard, correct phrase.
Identifying Subject-Verb Agreement Error
The potential error lies in the segment "who study the meaning". The relative pronoun "who" acts as the subject of the relative clause. Its antecedent is "one", which is singular. In English, the verb in a clause must agree in number with its subject. Since the subject ("who", referring to "one") is singular, the verb should be in the singular form. The third-person singular present tense form of the verb "study" is "studies".
Therefore, the verb "study" should be "studies" to agree with its singular subject ("who" representing "one").
Incorrect: who study
Correct: who studies
The segment containing the grammatical error is "who study the meaning".
| Sentence Segment | Analysis | Grammatical Status |
|---|---|---|
| A historian is one | Subject ("A historian") is singular, verb ("is") is singular. | Correct |
| who study the meaning | "who" refers to singular "one". Verb "study" does not agree with singular subject; should be "studies". | Incorrect (contains the error) |
| of documents written | Phrase modifying "meaning", grammatically sound. | Correct |
| in the past | Adverbial phrase of time, grammatically sound. | Correct |
Conclusion on the Grammatical Error
Based on the analysis, the segment "who study the meaning" contains a subject-verb agreement error. The verb "study" should be "studies" because its subject (the relative pronoun "who", referring to "one") is singular.
Revision Table: Correcting the Grammatical Error
| Incorrect Segment | Type of Error | Corrected Segment |
|---|---|---|
| who study the meaning | Subject-Verb Agreement | who studies the meaning |
The corrected sentence would be: "A historian is one who studies the meaning of documents written in the past."
Additional Information: Subject-Verb Agreement with Relative Pronouns
When a relative pronoun (like who, whom, whose, which, that) is the subject of a clause, the verb in that clause must agree in number with the antecedent of the relative pronoun. The antecedent is the noun or pronoun that the relative pronoun refers to.
- Example 1: "He is one of the students who study hard." (Antecedent "students" is plural, so "study" is correct).
- Example 2: "He is the student who studies hard." (Antecedent "student" is singular, so "studies" is correct).
- Example 3: "This is the book that contains useful information." (Antecedent "book" is singular, so "contains" is correct).
- Example 4: "These are the books that contain useful information." (Antecedent "books" is plural, so "contain" is correct).
In the given sentence, the antecedent of "who" is "one", which is singular. Therefore, the verb should be singular ("studies").
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)
