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Question

In the sentence identify the segment which contains the grammatical error.

The street artist Satish Munjal has been painting this wall since the past one week.

This question was previously asked in
SSC CGL 2018 (Tier 2) Statistics Previous Year Paper (22-feb-2018)
The correct answer is

since the past one week

Identifying Grammatical Errors in Sentences

Let's carefully examine the given sentence to find the segment that contains a grammatical error:

The street artist Satish Munjal has been painting this wall since the past one week.

We need to look at each part of the sentence to determine if it follows standard English grammar rules.

Analyzing the Sentence Segments

The sentence describes an action (painting) that started in the past and is ongoing, which is correctly expressed using the Present Perfect Continuous tense ("has been painting"). Let's look at the provided options:

  • this wall: This phrase functions as the direct object of the verb "painting" and is grammatically correct within the structure of the sentence.
  • since the past one week: This phrase indicates the duration of the action. We need to consider if the preposition "since" is used correctly with the time expression "the past one week".
  • has been painting: This is the verb phrase in the Present Perfect Continuous tense, which is appropriate for an action that began in the past and continues into the present.
  • The street artist: This is the subject of the sentence, including the noun and its descriptor. This part is grammatically correct.

Pinpointing the Grammatical Error

The error lies in the way the duration of the action is expressed. The phrase is "since the past one week".

In English, the preposition since is used to indicate a specific point in time when an action began (e.g., since Monday, since 2005, since dawn). The preposition for is used to indicate a duration or length of time (e.g., for two hours, for three days, for a week).

The phrase "one week" represents a duration of time, not a specific point in time. Therefore, using since with "one week" (or "the past one week") is incorrect.

When referring to a duration, especially a recent one like "the past one week", the correct preposition to use is for. The correct phrase should be "for the past one week".

Thus, the segment "since the past one week" contains the grammatical error because it incorrectly uses "since" with a duration.

Correcting the Sentence Fragment

The incorrect segment "since the past one week" should be replaced with the correct phrase expressing duration.

The corrected phrase is: for the past one week.

The corrected sentence would be:

The street artist Satish Munjal has been painting this wall for the past one week.

Revision Table: Understanding Since and For

Here is a simple table explaining the difference between 'since' and 'for' when referring to time:

Preposition Used With Examples
Since A specific point in time (when something started). since morning, since 1999, since Tuesday, since I arrived
For A duration of time (how long something lasted or has lasted). for two hours, for three years, for a long time, for the past week

Additional Information on Time Prepositions and Tenses

The Present Perfect Continuous tense is often used with time expressions introduced by 'since' or 'for' to show how long an action has been ongoing. It's crucial to choose the correct preposition based on whether you are stating the start point ('since') or the duration ('for').

Common errors involve confusing 'since' and 'for'. Remember:

  • 'Since' answers the question "From what point in time?".
  • 'For' answers the question "For how long?".

In the given sentence, "one week" answers "For how long?", requiring the use of 'for'.

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