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Question

Parts of the following sentence are given as options. Identify the segment that contains a grammatical error.

A large number of student have participated in this music video.

This question was previously asked in
SSC CGL 2020 Tier-II (English) Previous Year Paper (29-Jan-2022)
The correct answer is

of student

Finding Grammatical Errors in Sentences

The question asks us to identify the segment of the sentence "A large number of student have participated in this music video" that contains a grammatical error. We need to examine each part provided in the options.

Analyzing the Sentence and Options

Let's break down the sentence and look at the potential errors based on the options:

The sentence is: A large number of student have participated in this music video.

  1. Option 1: in this music video

    This part of the sentence acts as a prepositional phrase indicating location/context. Grammatically, "in this music video" is correct in structure and usage within the sentence context.

  2. Option 2: have participated

    This is the verb phrase. The subject of the verb is related to "A large number of student". The phrase "A large number of..." is typically followed by a plural noun, and the verb agrees with the noun (plural). So, if the noun were plural, "have participated" would be correct. We need to look at the noun following "of".

  3. Option 3: of student

    This is the part of the phrase following "A large number". The structure "A large number of" requires a plural countable noun after 'of'. The word 'student' is singular. The correct form should be 'students'. This appears to be where the error lies.

  4. Option 4: A large number

    This phrase itself is correct as an idiom used to refer to a significant quantity. However, the grammatical correctness of the entire subject phrase depends on what follows it, specifically the noun after 'of'.

Identifying the Grammatical Error

The rule for phrases like "A large number of", "a majority of", "a variety of", etc., is that they are followed by a plural countable noun, and the verb usually agrees with the plural noun (hence, a plural verb). In the given sentence, "A large number of" is followed by the singular noun "student". This is incorrect. The noun should be in its plural form, "students".

The correct phrase should be "A large number of students". Because the noun is singular ("student"), the phrase "of student" contains the grammatical error.

The Corrected Sentence

The corrected sentence would be: A large number of students have participated in this music video.

In this corrected sentence, "A large number of students" acts as the subject phrase, and the plural verb "have participated" agrees with the plural noun "students".

Conclusion

Based on the analysis of each segment and the grammatical rule for "A large number of", the part containing the error is "of student".

Sentence Segment Analysis Grammatical Correctness
in this music video Prepositional phrase, correctly structured. Correct
have participated Plural verb form, agrees with a potential plural subject (students). Correct (if noun is plural)
of student Requires a plural noun ('students') after 'of' when following 'A large number'. 'student' is singular. Incorrect
A large number Correct introductory phrase for a plural subject. Correct (as a phrase opener)

Revision Table: Common Subject-Verb Agreement Errors

Understanding subject-verb agreement is crucial for sentence correction. Here are some points to remember:

  • A singular subject takes a singular verb.
  • A plural subject takes a plural verb.
  • Phrases like "A number of..." take a plural noun and a plural verb. Example: A number of students are here.
  • Phrases like "The number of..." take a plural noun but a singular verb. Example: The number of students is increasing.
  • Pay attention to collective nouns and indefinite pronouns as they have specific rules.

Additional Information: The Phrase "A large number of"

The phrase "A large number of" functions similarly to "many". Both are followed by plural countable nouns and require plural verbs. For example:

  • Many students have participated.
  • A large number of students have participated.

It's important not to confuse this with "The number of", which focuses on a single count and takes a singular verb.

  • The number of students who participated was large.

Identifying the correct subject and its number (singular or plural) is key to ensuring subject-verb agreement in English sentences.

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Important Questions from Error Spotting

  1. The following question has a sentence with three underlined parts labelled (a), (b) and (c). Read each sentence to find out whether there is any error in any underlined part and indicate your response against the corresponding letter i.e., (a) or (b) or (c). If you find no error, your response should be indicated as (d).

    It is identification with the audience(a)that makes one come home from the play so much more(b)satisfied than one ever is after merely passive enjoyment of the show.(c) No error.(d)

  2. The following question has a sentence with four parts labelled (a), (b), (c), and (d). Read each sentence to find out whether there is an error in any part and indicate your response against the corresponding letter i.e., (a) or (b) or (c). If you find no error, your response should be indicated as (d).

    CV Raman was one of the greatest sons of India (a) who has earned everlasting fame (b) for scientific researches. (c) No error. (d)

  3. The following question has a sentence with three underlined parts labelled (a), (b) and (c). Read each sentence to find out whether there is any error in any underlined part and indicate your response against the corresponding letter i.e., (a) or (b) or (c). If you find no error, your response should be indicated as (d).

    This box(a)is heavy than(b) the other one.(c) No error. (d)

  4. The following question has a sentence with three underlined parts labelled (a), (b) and (c). Read each sentence to find out whether there is any error in any underlined part and indicate your response against the corresponding letter i.e., (a) or (b) or (c). If you find no error, your response should be indicated as (d).

    Thewriter does not have the freedom (a) to choose his own themes, (b) society thrusts them on him (c) No error. (d)

  5. The following question has a sentence with three underlined parts labelled (a), (b) and (c). Read each sentence to find out whether there is an error in any underlined part and indicate your response against the corresponding letter i.e., (a) or (b) or (c). If you find no error, your response should be indicated as (d).

    No one knows (a) why he did it, (b) or who was behind his doing it.(c) No error. (d)

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