Analyzing the Grammatical Error in the Sentence

The question asks us to identify the segment containing a grammatical error in the sentence: "Each of the students were / present for / the valedictory session / that night." Let's break down the sentence into its segments and analyze each one.

The segments are:

• Segment 1: Each of the students were
• Segment 2: present for
• Segment 3: the valedictory session
• Segment 4: that night

Identifying the Error: Subject-Verb Agreement

The error in this sentence lies in subject-verb agreement. The subject of the sentence is "Each". When "Each of" is followed by a plural noun (like "students"), the verb should still agree with "Each," which is singular.

• Rule: "Each," "Every," "Either," "Neither," "One," and compounds like "everyone," "everybody," "someone," "somebody," "no one," "nobody," "anyone," "anybody" are singular and require a singular verb, even if they are followed by a phrase like "of the students" or "of the books."

In the given sentence, the subject is "Each of the students." Although "students" is plural, the grammatical subject that determines the verb form is "Each." Therefore, the verb must be singular.

Evaluating the Segments

Let's examine each segment based on this rule:

• Segment 1: Each of the students were

  Here, the subject is "Each," which is singular. The verb used is "were," which is plural. This violates the rule of subject-verb agreement. The correct verb should be the singular past tense of "to be," which is "was." Therefore, this segment contains the grammatical error.

• Segment 2: present for

  This segment is a prepositional phrase fragment and is grammatically correct in its form, following the subject and verb.

• Segment 3: the valedictory session

  This is a noun phrase acting as the object of the preposition "for" in the previous segment. It is grammatically correct.

• Segment 4: that night

  This segment acts as an adverbial phrase indicating time. It is grammatically correct.

Based on the analysis, the error is in the first segment, "Each of the students were." The verb "were" should be "was" to agree with the singular subject "Each."

Correct Sentence Structure

The corrected sentence would read: "Each of the students was present for the valedictory session that night."

Conclusion

The segment containing the grammatical error is "Each of the students were" due to incorrect subject-verb agreement.

Revision Table: Subject-Verb Agreement with Indefinite Pronouns

Additional Information: Common Subject-Verb Agreement Issues

Subject-verb agreement is a fundamental rule in English grammar. It means that the verb in a sentence must agree in number (singular or plural) with its subject. Here are some other common cases where subject-verb agreement can be tricky:

• Phrases between subject and verb: Sometimes, a phrase like "along with," "as well as," "in addition to," or "together with" comes between the subject and the verb. These phrases do not affect the number of the subject. The verb still agrees with the main subject.

  Example: The manager, along with the employees, is attending the meeting.

• Compound Subjects joined by "and": Subjects joined by "and" are usually plural and take a plural verb.

  Example: John and Mary are going to the store.

• Compound Subjects joined by "or" or "nor": When subjects are joined by "or" or "nor," the verb agrees with the subject closest to it.

  Example: Neither the students nor the teacher is in the classroom.

  Example: Neither the teacher nor the students are in the classroom.

• Collective Nouns: Collective nouns (like team, committee, family, audience) can be singular or plural depending on whether the group is acting as a single unit or as individual members.

  Example (as a unit): The team is ready for the game.

  Example (as individuals): The team are arguing among themselves.

Mastering subject-verb agreement is crucial for clear and correct writing.