Identifying Grammatical Errors in Sentences

Understanding common grammatical errors is crucial for improving sentence construction. The question asks us to find the part of the sentence that contains a grammatical error.

The given sentence is: "The reason for visiting Meerut was because my mother needed to be looked after."

We need to examine the provided options, which are segments of the sentence, and determine which one is grammatically incorrect.

Analyzing the Grammatical Error

Let's look closely at the structure of the sentence, specifically the phrase "The reason... was because". This is a common grammatical error related to redundancy.

• The phrase "The reason... was" sets up an expectation for the explanation of that reason.
• The word "because" means "for the reason that".

When you combine "The reason... was" with "because", you are essentially saying "The reason... was for the reason that...", which is repetitive and grammatically incorrect.

The correct way to phrase this construction is generally "The reason... was that...". The word "that" introduces the clause that explains the reason without the redundancy of "because".

Let's rewrite the sentence using the correct structure:

"The reason for visiting Meerut was that my mother needed to be looked after."

Alternatively, you could restructure the sentence entirely to avoid the "reason... that" construction:

"I visited Meerut because my mother needed to be looked after."

Both of these revised sentences are grammatically correct and convey the same meaning clearly.

Examining the Options

Now, let's look at the options based on our analysis:

• to be looked after: This is a passive infinitive phrase and is grammatically correct in this context, indicating the action needed for the mother.
• The reason for visiting: This is the subject of the sentence, a noun phrase, and is grammatically correct.
• my mother needed: This is the beginning of the subordinate clause explaining the reason, and is grammatically correct.
• was because: As discussed, the combination of "was" following "The reason" and preceding "because" creates a redundancy error. This segment contains the grammatical mistake.

Therefore, the segment containing the grammatical error is "was because".

The grammatical error in the sentence "The reason for visiting Meerut was because my mother needed to be looked after" lies in the phrase "was because". This is due to the incorrect and redundant use of "because" after "The reason... was". The correct conjunction to introduce the reason in such a structure is "that".

Revision Table: Fixing the Redundancy Error

Understanding and correcting redundancy errors improves clarity and conciseness in writing.

Additional Information: Redundancy in English Grammar

Redundancy in grammar occurs when words are used that unnecessarily repeat meaning. It makes writing less efficient and can sometimes sound awkward or incorrect. Avoiding redundancy helps make your sentences clear and precise.

Examples of other common redundancies:

• Free gift (A gift is always free)
• Past history (History is always past)
• End result (A result is typically the end outcome)
• Joint collaboration (Collaboration is by definition joint)
• Basic fundamentals (Fundamentals are basic)
• Repeat again (Repeat means to do again)

Being aware of these common pitfalls helps in identifying and correcting grammatical errors related to redundancy.