Error spotting: in the following question, one part of the sentence may have an error. Find out which part of the sentence has an error. If the sentence is free from error, choose the option marked No error. Many people die (A) / with cholera (B) / every year (C) / No error (D)

Difficulty: Easy

Correct Answer: B

Explanation:


Introduction / Context:
This error spotting question tests your knowledge of the correct preposition used with the verb die when you mention a specific disease. Choosing the correct preposition is important for natural and accurate English, especially in formal or medical contexts.


Given Data / Assumptions:

  • Full sentence: Many people die with cholera every year.
  • Part (A): Many people die.
  • Part (B): with cholera.
  • Part (C): every year.
  • Part (D): No error.
  • The intended meaning: Many people lose their lives because of cholera every year.


Concept / Approach:
In standard English, when you want to mention the cause of death and it is a disease, you normally use the preposition of or from, such as die of cholera or die from cholera. The phrase die with cholera sounds as if the person simply had cholera at the time of death, not that cholera caused the death. For exam purposes, the correct expression is die of cholera. Therefore, the error lies in part (B), where the preposition with should be replaced by of.


Step-by-Step Solution:
Step 1: Look at each part of the sentence and determine whether it follows standard English usage. Step 2: Realise that Many people die (A) is correct, and every year (C) is also correct. Step 3: Focus on with cholera (B) and recall that the usual collocation is die of a disease. Step 4: Conclude that part (B) contains the error because it uses the wrong preposition.


Verification / Alternative check:
Compare similar expressions: die of cancer, die of malaria, die of pneumonia. You might also see die from wounds or die from complications, but die with a disease is generally not used to express cause of death in standard written English. Hence, sentence correction books and exam keys consistently treat with cholera in this context as wrong and require of cholera instead.


Why Other Options Are Wrong:

  • Part (A): Many people die is grammatically and semantically correct.
  • Part (C): every year is a correct adverbial phrase of frequency and time.
  • Part (D): No error is incorrect because there is an identifiable preposition error in part (B).


Common Pitfalls:
Some learners try to translate directly from their first language where an equivalent of with may be used, so they do not notice anything wrong with with cholera. Others suspect every year and attempt to change it unnecessarily. For preposition questions, remind yourself of fixed expressions such as suffer from, recover from, and die of when diseases are mentioned. This habit will help you quickly identify the error in similar exam items.


Final Answer:
Correct option: B.

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