Difficulty: Medium
Correct Answer: to temple is full of potholes.
Explanation:
Introduction / Context:
Error spotting questions are designed to test grammatical accuracy and understanding of common English patterns. This sentence looks almost correct at first glance: "The road from my house to temple is full of potholes." However, there is a subtle but important mistake, and the learner has to identify which part contains the error.
Given Data / Assumptions:
Concept / Approach:
In English, when we refer to a specific, known temple, we generally use the definite article "the." Correct prepositional phrases of this type follow the pattern "from X to Y," where both X and Y are properly marked: "from my house to the temple." The phrase "to temple" without an article is ungrammatical here because "temple" is a singular countable noun referring to a specific place. Therefore, segment C is wrong and should read "to the temple is full of potholes."
Step-by-Step Solution:
Step 1: Check Segment A: "The road from" correctly begins the prepositional phrase and contains no error. Step 2: Check Segment B: "my house" is a standard noun phrase and is grammatically sound. Step 3: Examine Segment C: "to temple is full of potholes." Here, the phrase "to temple" stands out because "temple" is missing the article "the." Step 4: Rewrite the segment correctly as "to the temple is full of potholes." Step 5: Conclude that Segment C is the part containing the error.
Verification / Alternative check:
When we combine the corrected segment with the rest of the sentence, we get: "The road from my house to the temple is full of potholes." This version reads naturally and follows the familiar pattern "from X to Y" with proper use of the definite article. There are no remaining structural or agreement issues in the sentence, confirming that only Segment C needed correction.
Why Other Options Are Wrong:
Option A: "The road from" is correct; it sets up the prepositional phrase and introduces the subject. Option B: "my house" is a standard expression and requires no change. Option D: "No error" is incorrect because we have clearly identified a definite article error in Segment C. Option E: "The entire sentence is correct as written." is also wrong, because the sentence is not fully correct without adding "the" before "temple."
Common Pitfalls:
Learners may overlook small function words like articles, especially when they focus more on verbs and tenses. Another common error is thinking that place nouns like "school," "office," or "temple" never take articles, which is not true. They can appear without articles in some idiomatic expressions ("go to school," "at home"), but when a specific building or place is meant, "the" is often required. Here, the speaker clearly refers to a particular temple on the known route from the house, so "the temple" is correct.
Final Answer:
The erroneous part is "to temple is full of potholes.", which should be "to the temple is full of potholes."
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