In this English grammar error spotting question on verb forms, identify the incorrect part of the sentence: "The peon has not sweeped the floor today."

Introduction / Context:
This question checks understanding of irregular verb forms in English, specifically the past participle of "sweep". The sentence is "The peon has not sweeped the floor today." Learners often regularise verbs by adding "ed", but many commonly used verbs have irregular past tense and past participle forms. Correct usage of these forms is essential for accurate speaking and writing.

Given Data / Assumptions:

• The sentence describes an action that has not been completed today.
• Segment (a) is "The peon".
• Segment (b) is "has not sweeped".
• Segment (c) is "the floor today.".
• Segment (d) is "No error".
• We assume standard present perfect grammar rules apply.

Concept / Approach:
The verb "sweep" has the past tense and past participle "swept", not "sweeped". When forming the present perfect tense, we use "has" or "have" plus the past participle. Therefore, the correct verb phrase should be "has not swept". The subject "The peon" is singular, so "has" is correct, but the participle is wrong. The rest of the sentence, "the floor today", is fine and clearly expresses the time frame for the incomplete action.

Step-by-Step Solution:
Step 1: Identify the verb phrase "has not sweeped", which is intended to be in the present perfect tense. Step 2: Recall that the base verb is "sweep" and its correct past participle is "swept". Step 3: Replace "sweeped" with "swept" to form "has not swept". Step 4: Check segment (a) "The peon" and segment (c) "the floor today." and see that both are grammatically acceptable. Step 5: Conclude that the only error lies in segment (b), which uses the wrong form of the verb.

Verification / Alternative check:
Compare with other examples using the same verb: "She swept the room yesterday", "He has swept the courtyard", and "They have swept the hall." None of these use "sweeped". Checking a standard verb list or dictionary confirms that "swept" is the correct past and past participle form. Therefore, the presence of "sweeped" in the given sentence is a clear grammatical error, making segment (b) the incorrect part.

Why Other Options Are Wrong:
Option (a) "The peon" correctly identifies the subject of the sentence. Option (c) "the floor today." is a proper object with an adverbial phrase indicating time. Option (d) "No error" cannot be accepted because the verb form in segment (b) is clearly wrong in standard English.

Common Pitfalls:
Many learners apply the regular rule of adding "ed" to form the past tense of verbs, leading to forms like "sweeped", "sleeped", or "keeped". In reality, verbs such as "sweep", "sleep", and "keep" are irregular and become "swept", "slept", and "kept". A good strategy is to memorise frequent irregular verbs and practise them in sentences. Over time, correct forms will sound natural and incorrect forms will stand out immediately.

Final Answer:
The incorrect part is option (b) "has not sweeped". It should be "has not swept". Therefore, the correct answer is "has not sweeped".