No sooner had the doctor seen the results of the blood test, than he suggested the patient to see the specialist.
Grammar Error Identification in Sentence
The sentence provided is: "No sooner had the doctor seen the results of the blood test, than he suggested the patient to see the specialist."
The task is to identify the part of the sentence containing a grammatical error.
Analyzing the Sentence Structure
The phrase "No sooner had... than..." is a standard and correct grammatical structure used to indicate that one event happened immediately after another.
Let's examine each part:
- Part 1: $no sooner had$ - Correctly used to start the sentence.
- Part 2: $results of the blood test$ - This noun phrase is grammatically sound within the sentence context.
- Part 3: $suggested the patient$ - This part, specifically the verb 'suggested' followed by the object 'the patient' and the subsequent infinitive verb, contains the error.
- Part 4: $see the specialist$ - This is the infinitive phrase that follows the incorrect construction.
Grammar Rule for 'Suggest'
The verb 'suggest' has specific grammatical requirements when followed by a person and an action. The structure 'suggest [someone] to [do something]' is incorrect.
The correct constructions are:
- Using a gerund: $suggest [someone] [verb-ing]$. For example: "The doctor suggested the patient seeing a specialist."
- Using a 'that' clause with the subjunctive mood: $suggest that [someone] [base form of verb]$. For example: "The doctor suggested that the patient see a specialist."
The sentence uses "suggested the patient to see", which incorrectly employs the infinitive form after the object.
Conclusion
The error stems from the incorrect verb construction following 'suggested'. Thus, Option C, $suggested the patient$, highlights the problematic part of the sentence leading to the grammatical mistake.
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)
