Archive for August, 2014

Error detection

August 27th, 2014 in English Learning

1. By the time he gets back from his foreign vacation, the company has appointed another person.

a) By the time

b) he gets back

c) from his foreign vacation

d) the company has appointed

e) No error

2. I decided to see the doctor because I had been feeling ill during last few weeks.

a) decided to see

b) because

c) had been feeling

d) during last few weeks

e) No error

3. I have been working on this project for the three last months.

a) have been working

b) on this project

c) for

d) the three last months

e) No error

4. Not only they need clothing, but they are also short of food and water.

a) Not only they need

b) clothing

c) but they are also

d) short of food and water

e) No error

5. He is not only involved in conducting adult literacy programs but also in organizing workshops for the unemployed.

a) he is not only involved in conducting

b) adult literacy programs

c) but also in organizing

d) for the unemployed.

e) No error

Answers

d) the company has appointed

It should be: the company will have appointed. We use the future perfect tense to suggest that something will have been done by a certain time in the future.

2. d) during last few weeks

It should be ‘during the last few weeks’

3. d) the three last months

It should be ‘the last three months’.

4. a) Not only they need

It should be ‘not only do they need’. When a negative expression goes at the beginning of a sentence, it should be followed by auxiliary verb + subject.

In this case, the sentence should read: Not only do they need clothing, but they are also short of food and water.

5. a) he is not only involved in conducting

It should be ‘he is involved not only in conducting’. When we use a correlative conjunction like not only … but also…, the same kind of words should follow both parts. So, for example, if ‘not only’ is followed by a verb, ‘but also’, too, should be followed by a verb.

In this case, ‘not only’ is followed by a verb, and ‘but also’ is followed by a preposition. It is not possible.

The sentence should read: He is involved not only in conducting adult literacy programs, but also in organizing workshop for the unemployed.