Some parts of the sentence have an error and some parts are correct. Find out which part of the sentence has an error. If a sentence is free from error, choose 'No error' as the answer. Nursery classes (a) / for the children (b) / starts on April every year. (c) No error (d)
(c)
Understanding the Sentence and Identifying the Error
Let's analyze the given sentence to find the grammatical error:
"Nursery classes (a) / for the children (b) / starts on April every year. (c) No error (d)"
We need to examine each part of the sentence to determine if it is grammatically correct.
Analysis of Sentence Parts
- Part (a): Nursery classes
This is the subject of the sentence. The noun "classes" is plural. - Part (b): for the children
This is a prepositional phrase modifying "Nursery classes". It correctly uses the preposition "for" and the plural noun "children". - Part (c): starts on April every year.
This part contains the verb ("starts") and information about when the action happens ("on April every year").
Identifying the Grammar Error in Part (c)
Let's look closely at part (c). The subject of the sentence is "Nursery classes" (plural), and the verb in part (c) is "starts". In simple present tense, a plural subject requires a plural verb form (without an '-s' ending).
Here's the subject-verb agreement rule:
- Singular subject + Verb ending in '-s' (e.g., He runs)
- Plural subject + Verb without '-s' (e.g., They run)
In our sentence, the subject "Nursery classes" is plural, but the verb "starts" is the singular form. Therefore, there is a subject-verb agreement error.
The correct verb form for the plural subject "Nursery classes" should be "start".
Additionally, the phrase "on April" is incorrect. When referring to a month, the preposition "in" is used. The correct phrase should be "in April every year". Both the subject-verb agreement error and the preposition error are located within part (c).
Correcting the Sentence Part
The incorrect part (c) "starts on April every year" should be corrected to "start in April every year".
The full corrected sentence would be: "Nursery classes for the children start in April every year."
Conclusion
Based on the analysis, the grammatical error is found in part (c) of the sentence due to incorrect subject-verb agreement ("classes starts" instead of "classes start") and an incorrect preposition ("on April" instead of "in April").
Therefore, the part of the sentence that has an error is (c).
Revision Table: Subject-Verb Agreement Basics
| Subject (Singular) | Verb (Simple Present) | Example |
|---|---|---|
| He, She, It | Verb + s/es | He talks, She watches |
| Singular Noun (e.g., dog) | Verb + s/es | The dog barks |
| Subject (Plural) | Verb (Simple Present) | Example |
| We, You, They | Verb (base form) | They talk, We watch |
| Plural Noun (e.g., dogs) | Verb (base form) | The dogs bark |
Additional Information: Prepositions of Time (In, On, At)
Understanding how to use prepositions of time like 'in', 'on', and 'at' is important for sentence correction. Here's a quick guide:
- In: Used for longer periods of time like months, seasons, years, decades, centuries.
Examples: in April, in summer, in 2023, in the 1990s. - On: Used for specific days or dates.
Examples: on Monday, on April 15th, on my birthday, on the weekend (American English). - At: Used for specific times of the day or night.
Examples: at 3 o'clock, at noon, at midnight, at sunrise.
In the given sentence, since "April" is a month, the correct preposition is "in".
Important Questions from Error Spotting
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)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)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)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)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)
