The following sentence has been divided into parts. One of them contains an error. Select the part that contains the error from the given options. No sooner did Priya / get her report card / when she started jumping / with joy.
when she started jumping
Identifying Grammatical Errors in Sentences
The question asks us to find the part of the given sentence that contains a grammatical error. Let's examine the sentence and its parts.
The sentence is: No sooner did Priya / get her report card / when she started jumping / with joy.
It is divided into the following parts:
- No sooner did Priya
- get her report card
- when she started jumping
- with joy
We need to identify which of these parts has an error.
Analyzing the Sentence Structure: No Sooner
The sentence begins with "No sooner did Priya...". This structure, starting with "No sooner", is an example of inversion, where the auxiliary verb ("did") comes before the subject ("Priya"). This structure is commonly used to emphasize that one event happened immediately after another.
The phrase "No sooner" is part of a correlative conjunction pair. Correlative conjunctions are pairs of words used to connect elements of equal grammatical rank. The correct correlative conjunction paired with "No sooner" is "than". The structure is typically "No sooner + auxiliary verb + subject + main verb + ... + than + second clause".
Locating the Error
In the given sentence, the first part is "No sooner did Priya", which correctly uses the inverted structure with "No sooner" and the auxiliary verb "did". The second part, "get her report card", is the main action following the auxiliary verb. The third part is "when she started jumping". The fourth part is "with joy".
According to the rule for "No sooner", it should be followed by "than" to introduce the second event. However, the sentence uses "when" instead of "than" in the third part ("when she started jumping").
Let's compare the incorrect and correct structures:
- Incorrect: No sooner did Priya get her report card when she started jumping with joy.
- Correct: No sooner did Priya get her report card than she started jumping with joy.
Therefore, the part "when she started jumping" contains the error because it uses "when" instead of the required conjunction "than" after "No sooner".
Conclusion
The error lies in the use of "when" after "No sooner". The correct conjunction to follow "No sooner" is "than".
The part containing the error is "when she started jumping".
| Part | Sentence Segment | Analysis | Error? |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | No sooner did Priya | Correct use of No sooner + inversion | No |
| 2 | get her report card | Correct main verb form after 'did' | No |
| 3 | when she started jumping | Incorrect conjunction 'when' after 'No sooner'; should be 'than' | Yes |
| 4 | with joy | Prepositional phrase modifying the action | No |
Revision Table: Correlative Conjunctions and Inversion
| Conjunction/Phrase | Pairing Conjunction | Example (with inversion) |
|---|---|---|
| No sooner | than | No sooner had I finished studying than the power went out. |
| Hardly | when/before | Hardly had I left the house when it started raining. |
| Scarcely | when/before | Scarcely had they begun the show when the lights flickered. |
Additional Information: Negative Inversion
Starting a sentence with certain negative adverbs or adverbial phrases often requires inversion, where the auxiliary verb comes before the subject. This adds emphasis.
Examples of phrases that trigger inversion:
- Never
- Rarely
- Seldom
- Little
- Only then
- Not only... but also
- Under no circumstances
- On no account
- No sooner... than
- Hardly/Scarcely... when/before
For instance:
- Incorrect: I have never seen such a beautiful sight. (Standard order)
- Correct (Inversion): Never have I seen such a beautiful sight.
- Incorrect: He not only finished the work but also helped others. (Standard order)
- Correct (Inversion): Not only did he finish the work, but he also helped others.
In the given question, "No sooner did Priya get..." is a correct application of inversion following "No sooner". The error was solely in using "when" instead of "than".
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