English Grammar - Spotting Errors

English Grammar
English Grammar - Spotting Errors

Find the part of the sentence that contains an error. (The sentence is given in the question description.)


The report's emphasis on techno-optimism, while commendable, (1)/ overlook the structural inequities (2)/ that persist in data accessibility and digital literacy (3)/ across demographic and regional divides. (4)

Options:

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

Right Answer: (2)

The error occurs in part two, where the verb does not agree with its subject. The subject of the sentence is 'the report's emphasis', which is singular, so the verb must take the singular form 'overlooks' instead of 'overlook'. Candidates are often misled by the intervening phrase 'on techno-optimism, while commendable', and they wrongly make the verb agree with the nearest noun. The rule is that a prepositional phrase or a parenthetical clause placed between the subject and the verb does not change the number of the subject. Hence part two contains the error.

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

Recent questions from every quiz

Latest Articles

Published: | Last Updated:
Deepak - Educational Content Creator

Written by Deepak

Educational Content Creator

I am an educational content creator dedicated to making learning simple, engaging, and accessible for students preparing for competitive exams. He specializes in creating high-quality study materials, including notes, multiple-choice questions (MCQs), previous year question papers, practice tests, and exam-oriented resources.

Experience: 10+ years in Education and Competitive Exam Content Creator