Difficulty: Medium
Correct Answer: B
Explanation:
Introduction / Context:
This question again tests error spotting skills, focusing on article usage and natural collocations in English. The sentence talks about the speaker inability to specify exactly when they will leave. Small words like articles and prepositions are very common sources of mistakes in competitive exams, so exam setters frequently design questions around them to check fine grammatical awareness.
Given Data / Assumptions:
The sentence is divided into parts as follows: It is not possible for me (A) / to give you the accurate date (B) / of my departure yet. (C) / No Error (D). The task is to identify which part contains the error. We assume that the intended meaning is that the speaker cannot specify the exact date at this time.
Concept / Approach:
The phrase the accurate date is not idiomatic in this context. In English, one normally says the exact date or an accurate date depending on whether a specific date has already been fixed. Because the speaker is explaining that they cannot currently state a specific exact date, the natural choice would be to give you the exact date of my departure or to give you an accurate date of my departure. Thus, the problem lies with the article and adjective combination in part B, which makes the phrase a little unnatural. The structure in parts A and C is grammatically sound.
Step-by-Step Solution:
Step 1: Read the sentence smoothly to see if it sounds natural: It is not possible for me to give you the accurate date of my departure yet.
Step 2: Identify that It is not possible for me is a correct introductory clause used to express inability.
Step 3: Focus on the phrase the accurate date and notice that usual English uses the exact date in this sense.
Step 4: Decide that part B is the problematic segment because of the unnatural article adjective combination.
Step 5: Suggest a corrected version: to give you the exact date of my departure yet, which sounds natural and grammatically correct.
Verification / Alternative check:
To verify, compare different variants in full sentences: It is not possible for me to give you the exact date of my departure yet versus It is not possible for me to give you the accurate date of my departure yet. Native style writing and speaking strongly favour exact date in this context. Another possible version is It is not possible for me to give you an accurate date for my departure yet, where the indefinite article an is correctly used before accurate. This confirms that part B, in its original form, is the part that needs correction.
Why Other Options Are Wrong:
Part A, It is not possible for me, is a standard structure for expressing inability and contains no error.
Part C, of my departure yet, correctly uses the preposition of to connect date and departure and the adverb yet to show that the situation may change later.
Part D, No Error, cannot be chosen because we have already identified a non standard phrase in part B that examiners clearly intend as the tested error.
Common Pitfalls:
Many learners find article usage difficult and may overlook subtly wrong combinations such as the accurate date. They may focus only on big grammar items like tense or subject verb agreement and miss collocation based issues. In error spotting questions, it is important to pay attention to how native or formal English actually phrases common ideas, for example exact date, wrong number, or strong possibility. Building familiarity with such fixed expressions will greatly improve performance in this area.
Final Answer:
The error lies in part B, because the phrase the accurate date is not idiomatic; it should be corrected to the exact date or an accurate date depending on the intended nuance.
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