English Grammar - Spotting Errors

English Grammar
English Grammar - Spotting Errors

Find the part of the sentence that contains an error (see description for the full four-part sentence).


Neither the projection of growth nor the estimation of deficit trends (1)/ appear to have accounted for the liquidity constraints (2)/ that small-scale enterprises face (3)/ during cyclical downturns in demand. (4)

Options:

  1. (1)
  2. (2)
  3. (3)
  4. (4)

Right Answer: (2)

This sentence contains a subject-verb agreement error in part (2). Following the 'neither...nor' construction, the verb must agree with the noun phrase nearer to it, which is 'the estimation of deficit trends' — a singular subject (the head noun is 'estimation', singular). Therefore, the correct verb form should be 'appears', not 'appear'. Parts (1), (3), and (4) are grammatically sound: part (1) correctly sets up the neither-nor subject, part (3) uses the correct relative clause structure, and part (4) correctly describes the circumstances. This error tests the same proximity-agreement rule as many neither-nor constructions in competitive exams. The correct answer is option 2, part (2).

This question is part of English Grammar - Spotting Errors, which has 15 practice questions with answers.

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