In the following question, one part of the sentence may have an error. Find out which part of the sentence has an error and select the option corresponding to it. If the sentence is free from error, select "No error". Sentence: "He had already sent me message (A) / that his arrival (B) / was scheduled for Thursday (C) / No error (D)".

Introduction / Context:
Error-spotting questions test your grasp of grammar and standard English usage. This sentence deals with a common structure involving verbs of communication ("sent") followed by indirect objects and direct objects ("me a message"). It checks whether you know when to use articles such as "a" before singular countable nouns. Recognising missing articles is a frequent source of marks in competitive exams.

Given Data / Assumptions:

• The sentence is divided into parts: (A) He had already sent me message (B) that his arrival (C) was scheduled for Thursday (D) No error.
• We must identify which part contains the grammatical error.
• "Message" is a singular countable noun.

Concept / Approach:
In English, singular countable nouns generally require an article (a, an, the) or another determiner (my, his, some, etc.). The structure "send someone a message" is standard: subject + sent + indirect object + direct object. The phrase "sent me message" is missing the article "a". The other parts of the sentence are grammatically acceptable: "that his arrival" correctly introduces a clause, and "was scheduled for Thursday" is properly formed.

Step-by-Step Solution:
Step 1: Examine part (A): "He had already sent me message". Step 2: Identify the pattern: "sent me message" should be "sent me a message", since "message" is a singular countable noun. Step 3: Recognise that the article "a" is missing before "message", making part (A) ungrammatical. Step 4: Examine part (B): "that his arrival". This correctly introduces a noun clause: "that his arrival was scheduled for Thursday". Step 5: Examine part (C): "was scheduled for Thursday." This is a correct passive construction in the past tense. Step 6: Since parts (B) and (C) are fine, and (D) "No error" conflicts with the error found in (A), the only incorrect segment must be (A).

Verification / Alternative check:
Rewrite the sentence correctly: "He had already sent me a message that his arrival was scheduled for Thursday." This now sounds natural and grammatically correct. Another acceptable way to express the same idea would be "He had already sent me a message informing me that his arrival was scheduled for Thursday." In all such versions, the article "a" before "message" is necessary. None of the other parts require change, confirming that only part (A) has the error.

Why Other Options Are Wrong:

• B (that his arrival): This correctly introduces a clause specifying the content of the message.
• C (was scheduled for Thursday): Proper passive structure indicating a scheduled event; no error here.
• D (No error): Incorrect because we have already identified a definite error in part (A), so the sentence is not error-free.

Common Pitfalls:
Students sometimes overlook missing articles because they focus mainly on verb forms and tenses. Another common mistake is to think that the indirect object ("me") makes an article unnecessary for the direct object ("message"), which is not true for singular countable nouns. To improve, pay attention to patterns like "give me a book", "send her a letter", "offer us an opportunity" and apply them consistently.

Final Answer:
The error is in part (A), which should read "He had already sent me a message".