In this English error spotting question, identify the erroneous part in: "Madhu lived in Mumbai (A) since 1970 to 1985, (B) but is now living in Chennai. (C) No Error (D)".

Introduction / Context:
This question checks your understanding of prepositions used with time expressions, especially "since", "from", and "to". The test sentence is: "Madhu lived in Mumbai (A) since 1970 to 1985, (B) but is now living in Chennai. (C) No Error (D)". We must locate the part that contains the incorrect time expression and suggest the correct form according to standard English usage.

Given Data / Assumptions:

• Full sentence: "Madhu lived in Mumbai since 1970 to 1985, but is now living in Chennai."
• Part (A): "Madhu lived in Mumbai"
• Part (B): "since 1970 to 1985,"
• Part (C): "but is now living in Chennai."
• Part (D): "No Error"
• The intended meaning is that Madhu lived in Mumbai during the period from 1970 until 1985, and now she lives in Chennai.

Concept / Approach:
The preposition "since" is used with the starting point of a period and is normally followed by a single time point, such as "since 1970", often with a perfect tense: "has lived in Mumbai since 1970". When we want to indicate the entire duration from one year to another, we usually use the pair "from ... to ..." or "from ... till ...". Therefore, "since 1970 to 1985" is an incorrect combination. The correct expression would be "from 1970 to 1985". Alternatively, we could say "since 1970" if we used a present perfect tense and did not specify the end year, but that is not the case here.

Step-by-Step Solution:
Step 1: Identify the time phrase "since 1970 to 1985" in part (B).Step 2: Recall that "since" is followed by a single starting point and works best with perfect tenses.Step 3: Notice that the sentence also mentions the end year 1985, which suggests a closed period.Step 4: Replace "since" with "from" to obtain the correct expression: "from 1970 to 1985".Step 5: Check the whole sentence now: "Madhu lived in Mumbai from 1970 to 1985, but is now living in Chennai." This is grammatically correct and semantically clear.

Verification / Alternative check:
If we tried to keep "since", we would need a different tense and structure, such as "Madhu has lived in Mumbai since 1970", which suggests she still lives there and does not match the second clause "but is now living in Chennai." Therefore, using "since" in the original sentence conflicts with both the time period and the later information about her current residence. Parts (A) and (C) are otherwise correct: "Madhu lived in Mumbai" properly uses the simple past for a finished period, and "but is now living in Chennai" correctly uses the present continuous to describe a current temporary or recent situation.

Why Other Options Are Wrong:

• Option A (part A) is correct; it properly introduces the subject and past action.
• Option C (part C) is also correct; it clearly indicates the contrast between past residence and present residence.
• Option D (No Error) cannot be chosen because we have identified a clear error in part (B).

Common Pitfalls:
Learners sometimes mix up "since" and "from" because both can appear before time expressions. Remember that "since" is tied to a starting point and usually goes with perfect tenses to indicate continuity up to the present, whereas "from ... to ..." is used to mark a complete span between two specific times, usually with simple past when the period is over. Keeping this distinction in mind prevents confusion in error spotting and tense questions.

Final Answer:
The error is in part B, where "since 1970 to 1985" should be corrected to "from 1970 to 1985".