Analyzing the Sentence and Identifying Errors

The given sentence is: "The river overflew it’s banks in the monsoon."

We need to examine the underlined segment "overflew it’s banks" and determine if it requires substitution for grammatical correctness.

Let's break down the underlined segment:

• "overflew": This is the past tense of the verb "overflow". While "overflew" is a valid past tense form, "overflowed" is the more commonly used and generally preferred past tense for the meaning of water spilling over the banks of a river or container. "Overflew" is more often associated with flying over something.
• "it’s": This is a contraction of "it is" or "it has". In the context of "its banks", we need the possessive form of "it", which indicates ownership or belonging. The possessive form is "its", without an apostrophe.
• "banks": This is the plural form of "bank". A river typically has two banks, so the plural form is appropriate here.

Based on this analysis, the underlined segment contains two errors:

1. The verb form "overflew" is less appropriate than "overflowed" for this specific meaning.
2. The possessive pronoun "it’s" is incorrectly used instead of "its".

Therefore, the underlined segment needs substitution.

Evaluating the Substitution Options

Let's look at the provided options:

1. overflowed its banks

   This option changes "overflew" to "overflowed" (correct verb form for water spilling) and "it’s" to "its" (correct possessive pronoun). It keeps "banks" plural, which is appropriate. This option corrects both errors in the original segment.

2. No substitution

   This option suggests the original sentence is correct, which we've determined it is not due to the use of "overflew" and "it’s".

3. overflows it’s banks

   This option changes the verb to the simple present "overflows" and keeps the incorrect "it’s". The simple present might be used for habitual actions, but "in the monsoon" often refers to a specific past event or a pattern of past events. More importantly, the incorrect "it’s" remains.

4. overflew its bank

   This option keeps the less appropriate verb "overflew" but corrects "it’s" to "its". It also changes "banks" to the singular "bank". While a river *could* overflow a single bank, the plural "banks" is more standard when referring to the river spilling over its boundaries. However, the main issue remains the less preferred verb "overflew".

Determining the Most Appropriate Option

Comparing the options, Option 1 "overflowed its banks" is the only one that correctly addresses both the verb form ("overflowed" is preferred over "overflew" for this meaning) and the possessive pronoun ("its" is correct, not "it’s").

The corrected sentence becomes: "The river overflowed its banks in the monsoon." This sentence is grammatically sound and uses the appropriate vocabulary.

Revision Table: Understanding Key Differences

Additional Information: Common Grammar Pitfalls

Understanding the difference between similar-sounding words or contractions is crucial for good English grammar. Here are a few common examples similar to "its" vs "it’s":

• Your vs You’re: "Your" is possessive (belonging to you). "You’re" is a contraction of "you are".
• Their vs There vs They’re: "Their" is possessive (belonging to them). "There" refers to a place or is used as an expletive ("There is"). "They’re" is a contraction of "they are".
• Affect vs Effect: "Affect" is usually a verb meaning to influence. "Effect" is usually a noun meaning a result or outcome.

Paying attention to these details will significantly improve the accuracy and clarity of your writing.