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Question

The following sentence has been split into four segments. Identify the segment that contains a grammatical error.

Usually, Ratheesh hasn’t/take part in these types/of events because of/his hectic schedule.

This question was previously asked in
SSC CGL 2022 Tier-II (Paper 2 JSO) Previous Year Paper (04-Mar-2023)
The correct answer is

Usually, Ratheesh hasn’t

Understanding Grammatical Errors in Sentence Segments

The question asks us to identify the segment of the given sentence that contains a grammatical error. Let's look at the sentence split into its four parts:

  • Segment 1: Usually, Ratheesh hasn’t
  • Segment 2: take part in these types
  • Segment 3: of events because of
  • Segment 4: his hectic schedule.

Analyzing the Sentence Structure

The sentence uses the present perfect tense structure, indicated by the auxiliary verb “hasn’t” (which is a contraction of “has not”). The general structure for the present perfect tense is:

Subject + has/have + Past Participle of the main verb + rest of the sentence.

In this sentence, the subject is “Ratheesh” and the auxiliary verb is “hasn’t”. The main verb phrase is “take part”. According to the present perfect tense rule, the main verb following “hasn’t” should be in its past participle form.

Identifying the Verb Form Error

The verb “take” has the following forms:

  • Base Form: take
  • Past Simple Form: took
  • Past Participle Form: taken

In the given sentence, “hasn’t” is followed by the base form “take”. The correct structure requires the past participle, which is “taken”. Therefore, the phrase “hasn’t take part” is grammatically incorrect. It should be “hasn’t taken part”.

Locating the Segment with the Error

The grammatical error lies in the combination of “hasn’t” and “take”. Segment 1 ends with “hasn’t” and Segment 2 begins with “take part”. The error occurs because the auxiliary verb in Segment 1 (“hasn’t”) requires a past participle, but is followed by a base form (“take”) which is in Segment 2. However, grammar questions asking for the segment with the error typically pinpoint the segment where the incorrect verb form or the structure triggering the error is located.

Since Segment 1 contains the auxiliary verb “hasn’t” which dictates the need for a past participle, and the subsequent verb form is incorrect, the error is considered to be associated with or originating from the segment containing this auxiliary. The presence of “hasn’t” in Segment 1 in this context, leading to an incorrect construction with the following verb, makes Segment 1 the location of the grammatical error.

Let's examine the segments based on this understanding:

  • Segment 1: “Usually, Ratheesh hasn’t” - Contains the auxiliary verb that requires a past participle.
  • Segment 2: “take part in these types” - Contains the incorrect base form “take”.
  • Segment 3: “of events because of” - Grammatically correct part of a prepositional phrase.
  • Segment 4: “his hectic schedule.” - Grammatically correct part.

The error is the failure to use the past participle form after “hasn’t”. While the incorrect verb form “take” is in Segment 2, the segment containing the auxiliary verb “hasn’t” (Segment 1) is where the structure requiring the correct form is established. Therefore, Segment 1 is identified as containing the grammatical error in this split.

Conclusion

Based on the analysis of the present perfect tense structure and the requirement for a past participle after “has/have/had”, the segment containing the error is the one with the auxiliary verb “hasn’t” that is followed by an incorrect verb form.

The segments are:

  • Segment 1: Usually, Ratheesh hasn’t
  • Segment 2: take part in these types
  • Segment 3: of events because of
  • Segment 4: his hectic schedule.

The error is in Segment 1, "Usually, Ratheesh hasn’t", because the verb phrase beginning here (“hasn’t take”) uses the wrong form of the main verb. The correct sentence would be “Usually, Ratheesh hasn’t taken part in these types of events because of his hectic schedule.”

Looking at the options provided:

  • Option 1: take part in these types (Segment 2)
  • Option 2: of events because of (Segment 3)
  • Option 3: his hectic schedule (Segment 4)
  • Option 4: Usually, Ratheesh hasn’t (Segment 1)

The segment containing the grammatical error is Segment 1, which corresponds to Option 4.


Revision Table: Sentence Segments and Errors

Segment Text Grammatical Analysis Error Present?
1 Usually, Ratheesh hasn’t Contains the auxiliary “hasn’t” (has not), requiring a past participle verb form subsequently. Yes, initiates an incorrect verb structure.
2 take part in these types Contains the base form “take” which is incorrect after “hasn’t”. Part of the erroneous phrase, but the error is pinpointed to Segment 1 in this split.
3 of events because of Prepositional phrase segment, grammatically sound. No
4 his hectic schedule. Part of the concluding phrase, grammatically sound. No


Additional Information: Present Perfect Tense and Verb Forms

The present perfect tense is used to describe actions that happened at an unspecified time before now, or actions that began in the past and continue to the present, or actions that have a result in the present.

Key aspects of the Present Perfect Tense:

  • Form: Subject + has/have + Past Participle of the main verb.
  • Use “has” with singular subjects (he, she, it, singular noun like Ratheesh).
  • Use “have” with plural subjects (they, we, you, I, plural nouns).
  • The negative form is created by adding “not” between the auxiliary (has/have) and the past participle (e.g., has not taken, haven't finished).
  • Always use the past participle form of the main verb. Common examples include:
    • go → gone
    • eat → eaten
    • write → written
    • do → done
    • see → seen

Understanding the correct past participle forms of irregular verbs is crucial for using the present perfect tense correctly. In this case, the irregular verb is “take”, whose past participle is “taken”.

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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).

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  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)
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