View the Error Finding Practice Set 11

VIEW THE ERROR FINDING PRACTICE SET 11

Error Finding Practice Set 11 – English Solution

1. The Principal started / his lecture / with a pessimistic note. / NE

Explanation: Replace ‘with’ by ‘on’ in part ‘C’. ‘On a humorous/positive/negative, etc. note’ is an idiomatic construction which means ‘a particular mood or style’. On a pessimistic note = in a bad mood; e.g.

a) His presidency began on an optimistic note.
b) I’d like to end the discussion on a more cheerful note.

2. Kalidas is / a Shakespeare / of India. / NE

Explanation: Replace the article A by ‘the’ in part ‘B’. Normally no article is used before the name of a person. However, we use the article ‘the’ before the name of a person/thing if it is used to completely compare the qualities of another person/thing.

INCORRECT: Kalidas was Shakespeare of India.
CORRECT: Kalidas was the Shakespeare of India.

INCORRECT: She is a Lata Mangeshkar of Rajasthan.
CORRECT: She is the Lata Mangeshkar of Rajasthan.

INCORRECT: Mumbai is London of India.
CORRECT: Mumbai is the London of India.

3. The patient died / despite he had received / the best medical help. / NE

Explanation: Either replace ‘despite’ by ‘although’, OR ‘despite he had received’ by ‘despite receiving’ in part ‘B’. ‘Despite’ is not followed by a clause; we use a noun or gerund (ing form) with it instead. If we want to use a clause we use ‘although’ before that clause then. Despite = although; e.g.

a) Despite my sickness I went to the office.
= Despite being sick I went to the office.
= Although I was sick I went to the office.

b) He managed to eat a big lunch despite having eaten an enormous breakfast.

NOTE: However, we can use a clause after ‘in spite of/despite’ if we have ‘the fact that’ with it; e.g.

In spite of/despite the fact that she fell midway through the race, she won.

4. He left for Mumbai on Saturday / arriving there / on Sunday. / NE

Explanation: Replace ‘arriving’ by ‘to arrive’ or ‘and arrived’ in part ‘C’. ‘To arrive’ = in order to arrive.

Hindi translation: वह रविवार को मुंबई पहुँचने लिए शनिवार को निकला.

5. As soon as they / entered the temple / they prayed to the gods on bent knees. / NE

Explanation: Replace ‘on bent knees’ by ‘on bended knee’ in part ‘C’. ‘On bended knee’ is an idiom. This idiom is used to show respect while one or both our keens are touching the ground. It means ‘in a position in which the knee of one leg is touching the floor’; e.g.

He went down on bended knee to ask her to marry him.

NOTE: Here ‘gods’ doesn’t mean God; rather it means देवता.

6. What to speak of milk/even water was/not available there./NE

Explanation: Replace ‘what to speak of’ by ‘not to speak of’ in part ‘A’. When we want to indicate that there is so little of something that it is hardly worth mentioning we use ‘not to speak of’.

7. Every Saturday / I go out / for shopping. / NE

Explanation: Remove the preposition ‘for’ from part ‘C’. When we speak about general activities that involve movement we can use either ‘go out + gerund)’ or ‘go + gerund’; e.g.

They have gone fishing until later this evening.
= They have gone out fishing until later this evening.

It was pouring with rain and all we could do was to go shopping.
= It was pouring with rain and all we could do was to go out shopping.

8. The beggar whom we had suspected / to be guilty turned out / to be the innocent. / NE

Explanation: Remove the article ‘the’ from part ‘C’. ‘Innocent’ is an adjective. No article can be placed before an adjective unless it’s followed by a noun.

9. He walks / as if the earth / belonged to him. / NE

Explanation: No error. Clauses that start with ‘as if’ or ‘as though’ describe an unreal situation if they are followed by an unreal tense (the Past Subjunctive or the Past Perfect Subjunctive). If the tense after them is real, they express that the statement is true.

In the given statement after ‘as if’ is unreal as the earth cannot belong to anyone.

Hindi translation of the given sentence: वह इस तरह से चलता है जैसे पृथ्वी उसी की हो.

10. To gain reputation among your clients, / you ought to finish every assignment you undertake / within the stipulated deadline. / NE

Explanation: Replace ‘within’ by ‘by’ in part ‘C’. With a ‘point in time’ we use ‘by’ whereas with a ‘period of time’ we use ‘within’. Any deadline is always a fixed date or time; so it indicates a ‘point in time’; e.g.

a) The job application must be submitted by 31 January 2015. (Any date is a point in time; therefore you can’t use ‘within’ here.)

b) Our electricity bill must be paid within 2 weeks. (‘2 weeks’ is a period of time; therefore you can’t use ‘by’ here.)

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