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Question

One part of the sentence below may contain an error. Identify the part. If there is no error, choose ‘No error’.

The World Health Organisation's experts says that immunising children against the coronavirus “is not a high priority” given the extremely limited global supply of vaccines.

The correct answer is

The World Health Organisation's experts says that immunising

Analyzing the Sentence for Grammatical Errors

The question asks us to identify the part of the given sentence that contains a grammatical error. We need to examine each part of the sentence carefully to check for any inconsistencies with English grammar rules, such as subject-verb agreement, tense, punctuation, or word usage.

Step-by-Step Analysis of the Sentence Parts

The sentence is: "The World Health Organisation's experts says that immunising children against the coronavirus “is not a high priority” given the extremely limited global supply of vaccines."

Let's break it down into the provided parts:

  • Part 1: The World Health Organisation's experts says that immunising
  • Part 2: children against the coronavirus “is not a high priority”
  • Part 3: given the extremely limited global supply of vaccines.
  • Part 4: No error.

Examining Part 1: Subject-Verb Agreement

In Part 1, the main subject is "World Health Organisation's experts". The word "experts" is a plural noun. The verb associated with this subject is "says". In standard English grammar, when the subject is plural (like "experts"), the corresponding verb in the simple present tense should be in its base form, which typically does not end in "-s". For example:

  • A single expert says... (singular subject, singular verb)
  • Multiple experts say... (plural subject, plural verb)

Here, the subject "experts" is plural, but the verb used is "says", which is the form used with singular subjects. This is a clear error in subject-verb agreement.

The correct phrasing should be "The World Health Organisation's experts say that immunising...".

Examining Part 2: Gerund as Subject

Part 2 is "children against the coronavirus “is not a high priority”". The word "immunising" from Part 1 acts as a gerund (a verb form ending in -ing used as a noun). In this context, "immunising children against the coronavirus" functions as a single, singular concept or action. The verb "is" correctly agrees with this singular gerund phrase acting as a subject. This part appears grammatically correct within the context of the overall sentence structure.

Examining Part 3: Participial Phrase

Part 3 is "given the extremely limited global supply of vaccines.". This part functions as a participial phrase providing a reason or context for the main statement. "Given" acts similarly to "because of" or "considering". This construction is grammatically correct and provides supplementary information.

Identifying the Error

Based on the analysis, the grammatical error lies in the subject-verb agreement in Part 1, where the plural subject "experts" is incorrectly paired with the singular verb form "says" instead of the correct plural form "say".

Therefore, the part of the sentence containing the error is "The World Health Organisation's experts says that immunising".


Revision Table: Subject-Verb Agreement

Understanding subject-verb agreement is crucial for correct sentence construction. Here is a brief overview:

Subject Type Example Subject Verb Form (Simple Present) Example Sentence
Singular Noun/Pronoun (He, She, It, A dog, The book) He Base form + -s/-es He walks to the park.
Plural Noun/Pronoun (We, You, They, Dogs, Books) They Base form (no -s/-es) They walk to the park.
'I' and 'You' I Base form (no -s/-es) I walk to the park.

Additional Information on Sentence Error Identification

Identifying errors in sentences involves checking various grammatical aspects. Besides subject-verb agreement, other common areas to check include:

  • Verb Tense Consistency: Ensuring verbs are in the correct tense and consistent throughout the sentence or paragraph.
  • Pronoun Agreement: Checking that pronouns agree in number and gender with the nouns they replace.
  • Parallel Structure: Ensuring lists or series of items use the same grammatical form.
  • Modifiers: Making sure adjectives and adverbs are used correctly and modify the intended words or phrases.
  • Punctuation: Checking for correct use of commas, periods, semicolons, apostrophes, etc.
  • Word Choice: Using the appropriate word for the context.

Practicing sentence error identification helps improve overall writing and comprehension skills. Focusing on common error types like subject-verb agreement is a good starting point.

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Important Questions from Error Spotting

  1. 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)
  2. 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)
  3. 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)
  4. 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)
  5. 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)
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