In this error spotting sentence, identify the part which contains a grammatical or idiomatic error in the sentence “While he went beside with our decisions, we were never sure he totally agreed.”

Introduction / Context:
Error spotting questions test a learner ability to notice incorrect usage in parts of a sentence. The sentence here is While he went beside with our decisions, we were never sure he totally agreed. The parts are numbered for convenience, and the learner must decide which part has an error. This type of question is very common in competitive exams and helps improve grammatical accuracy and idiomatic usage in English.

Given Data / Assumptions:
The sentence is divided as follows:

• Part 1: While he went beside.
• Part 2: with our decisions, we were.
• Part 3: never sure he totally agreed.
• Part 4: No error.
• We assume that only one part contains the main error, as is standard in this pattern.

Concept / Approach:
The main idea of the sentence is that he outwardly accepted or followed the group decisions, but the others were not sure he truly agreed. In idiomatic English, the phrase go along with is used to express the idea of cooperating with or appearing to accept something. The phrase go beside with is not correct usage. Therefore, the error lies in part 1, where went beside is used instead of went along. The remaining parts are grammatically acceptable in this context, although stylistic changes are possible.

Step-by-Step Solution:
Step 1: Read the entire sentence to understand the meaning: he seemed to cooperate with decisions but might not have fully agreed. Step 2: Check part 1, While he went beside. The expression went beside with our decisions is awkward and unidiomatic. Step 3: Recall the standard idiom go along with, which fits the meaning of cooperating or pretending to agree. Step 4: Notice that part 2, with our decisions, we were, connects well to the rest of the sentence when part 1 is corrected to While he went along with our decisions. Step 5: Parts 2 and 3, with our decisions, we were never sure he totally agreed, are grammatically fine in this exam context. Step 6: Therefore, the only clear error is in part 1.

Verification / Alternative check:
Replace went beside with went along and read the sentence again: While he went along with our decisions, we were never sure he totally agreed. This version sounds natural and expresses the intended contrast between outward behaviour and inner agreement. Since the sentence becomes correct after adjusting only part 1, no other part needs to be marked as erroneous. Thus, part 1 is confirmed as the error segment.

Why Other Options Are Wrong:
Part 2, with our decisions, we were, correctly continues the clause from part 1 when part 1 is fixed. Part 3, never sure he totally agreed, is grammatically correct, although some writers might prefer not fully agreed. However, the structure is acceptable in exam English. Part 4, No error, is not the answer because we have already identified a clear idiomatic error in part 1. Therefore, options b, c, and d must be rejected.

Common Pitfalls:
Learners sometimes search for tense or article errors and overlook idiomatic mistakes such as go beside with instead of go along with. Another pitfall is to feel that the word totally is informal and therefore wrong, while the real issue lies elsewhere. For error spotting tasks, it is important to consider both grammar and common collocations, and to ask whether a phrase is actually used by native speakers in that form.

Final Answer:
The error is in part 1, where went beside should be replaced by went along to form the correct idiom went along with our decisions.