In the following English grammar question, a sentence is divided into three underlined parts and you must choose which part contains a grammatical error. The sentence is: "At this moment that terrible door burst noisily open and banged for the wall." Which part of the sentence contains the error in standard English usage?

Difficulty: Easy

Correct Answer: 3

Explanation:


Introduction / Context:
This question belongs to the common error spotting type that appears in many English language competitive exams. You are given a sentence broken into three labelled parts, and you must identify the part containing a grammatical or idiomatic error. The sentence describes a dramatic moment when a terrible door bursts open and hits a wall. The key test here is of preposition use and natural English phrasing rather than complex grammar rules.


Given Data / Assumptions:

  • The given sentence is: At this moment that terrible door burst noisily open and banged for the wall.
  • Part (1) is: At this moment that.
  • Part (2) is: terrible door burst noisily open and.
  • Part (3) is: banged for the wall.
  • Part (4) corresponds to No Error, which is chosen only if all three parts are correct.


Concept / Approach:
Error spotting questions often involve incorrect prepositions or words that sound almost right but are not idiomatic in standard English. When something hits a wall, we say it bangs against the wall, not bangs for the wall. Therefore, the approach is to read each part carefully and ask whether that word choice would be used by a fluent speaker. If a part sounds unnatural, you evaluate whether there is a more correct standard construction, and that part is likely to contain the error.


Step-by-Step Solution:
Step 1: Read part (1): At this moment that. This may feel slightly wordy but it is acceptable in narrative style as a way of setting the scene, as in At this moment that terrible door... Step 2: Read part (2): terrible door burst noisily open and. This phrase is grammatically acceptable; doors can burst open noisily and the conjunction and continues the action. Step 3: Read part (3): banged for the wall. The preposition for is not idiomatic here. When something strikes a surface, English uses against, on or upon, not for. Step 4: The correct phrasing should be banged against the wall or banged on the wall rather than banged for the wall. Step 5: Since part (3) clearly contains the incorrect preposition, the error lies in segment 3 and that is the correct answer.


Verification / Alternative check:
To double check, you can try to rewrite the entire sentence in standard English. A natural version would be: At this moment that terrible door burst noisily open and banged against the wall. Here, against clearly expresses the idea of contact with the wall. You can also search your own reading experience: English speakers say He ran into the door, not He ran for the door, when they mean impact. This confirms that for is the wrong preposition in this context, and part (3) is indeed faulty.


Why Other Options Are Wrong:
Part (1) uses a narrative style phrase At this moment that terrible door..., which is acceptable even if slightly dramatic. Part (2) has correct verb usage; burst is the past tense of burst and noisily open describes how the door opened, which is fine. Part (4), No Error, is incorrect because we have already identified a clear mistake in part (3). Therefore options 1, 2 and 4 do not represent the error and cannot be selected as correct answers.


Common Pitfalls:
Students sometimes focus so strongly on tenses and subject verb agreement that they ignore small function words such as prepositions. Another frequent error is to think that if a phrase sounds unusual it must be completely wrong, even when it is just a stylistic choice. In this sentence, the unusual but acceptable phrase At this moment that may distract you, while the real error hides in the short phrase banged for the wall. Always pay attention to prepositions after verbs of motion or impact, because they are a common testing point in English exams.


Final Answer:
The part containing the grammatical and idiomatic error is segment 3, which uses the incorrect phrase banged for the wall instead of banged against the wall.

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