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Question

The following sentence has been divided into parts. One of them may contain an error. Select the part that contains the error from the given options. If you don’t find any error, mark ‘No error’ as your answer.

Karan call the restaurant / to ask if he could / reserve a table for the next day.

This question was previously asked in
SSC CGL 2023 (Tier-II) Paper 1 Previous Year Paper (26-Oct-2023) (Shift-1)
The correct answer is

Karan call the restaurant  

Analyzing Sentence for Grammatical Errors

The question asks us to identify if there is an error in the given sentence, which is split into three parts. We need to examine each part carefully to check for any grammatical mistakes.

The sentence is: Karan call the restaurant / to ask if he could / reserve a table for the next day.

Examining Each Part of the Sentence

Let's look at each part of the sentence:

  • Part 1: "Karan call the restaurant"
  • Part 2: "to ask if he could"
  • Part 3: "reserve a table for the next day"

Identifying the Sentence Error

The sentence describes an action that happened in the past ("to ask if he could reserve a table for the next day" implies a past intention or action). Therefore, the main verb describing Karan's action should be in the past tense.

  • In Part 1, the verb used is "call". The past tense of "call" is "called". Since the action likely happened in the past, "Karan call" is grammatically incorrect. It should be "Karan called the restaurant".
  • Part 2, "to ask if he could", uses the infinitive "to ask" and the modal verb "could", which is appropriate in this context to express possibility or past ability/permission. This part seems grammatically correct.
  • Part 3, "reserve a table for the next day", completes the purpose of the call. The verb "reserve" is used correctly after the modal "could" (could reserve). The phrase "for the next day" is also standard. This part is grammatically correct.

Based on the analysis, the error lies in the use of the verb "call" instead of "called" in the first part of the sentence.

Correcting the Error

The corrected sentence would be: "Karan called the restaurant to ask if he could reserve a table for the next day."

Conclusion on the Error Location

The part of the sentence that contains the error is "Karan call the restaurant". This corresponds to the first option provided.

Sentence Part Content Grammatical Status Reason
Part 1 Karan call the restaurant Incorrect Verb "call" should be in past tense ("called").
Part 2 to ask if he could Correct Uses appropriate infinitive and modal verb.
Part 3 reserve a table for the next day Correct Verb "reserve" is correct after "could". Phrase is standard.

Revision Table: Understanding Verb Tenses

Here is a quick look at verb tenses relevant to this type of sentence error:

Tense Form (Regular Verbs) Example (Call) Usage
Present Simple Base form / Base form + s call / calls Habitual actions, facts.
Past Simple Base form + ed called Completed actions in the past.

Additional Information: Identifying Verb Errors

When checking sentences for errors, pay close attention to:

  • Subject-Verb Agreement: The verb must agree with the subject in number (singular/plural). For example, "He walks" vs. "They walk".
  • Verb Tense: Ensure the verb tense is appropriate for the time of the action being described. Look for time indicators in the sentence (e.g., yesterday, next day, now).
  • Verb Form: Use the correct form of the verb (base form, past simple, past participle, -ing form) depending on the tense, presence of helping verbs, or structure of the sentence (e.g., after modals like 'could', the base form is used).
  • Parallelism: Ensure consistent verb forms are used when listing actions or ideas.

In this question, the key was identifying that the context implied a past action, requiring the past simple tense "called".

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Important Questions from Error Spotting

  1. 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)
  2. 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)
  3. 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)
  4. 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)
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    The principal of the school (a) /  stressed the need for discipline (b) /  amongst the students. (c) / No error (d)
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