In the following question, some part of the sentence may have an error. Find out which part has an error and select the appropriate option. If the sentence is free from error, select "No Error". Not only did they offer him (1) / good salary but provided (2) / him with a beautiful bungalow. (3) / No Error (4)

Difficulty: Easy

Correct Answer: 2

Explanation:


Introduction / Context:
This error spotting question examines your understanding of correlative conjunctions and parallel structure in English. The sentence uses the pair not only … but to connect two benefits given to someone. For a grammatically correct and stylistically balanced sentence, the structure following not only and but should be parallel and the full correlative form not only … but also is normally required in formal writing.


Given Data / Assumptions:

  • Part 1: “Not only did they offer him”
  • Part 2: “good salary but provided”
  • Part 3: “him with a beautiful bungalow.”
  • Part 4: “No Error”
  • We must identify where the grammatical or structural problem lies.


Concept / Approach:
The correlative conjunctions not only and but also should be used together to join two grammatically similar parts. In this sentence, not only introduces “did they offer him a good salary” and but should introduce a second part with parallel structure “also provided him with a beautiful bungalow.” Without also, the correlative pair feels incomplete and the parallelism is weakened. Exams often test this precise point to check if candidates know full correlative forms.


Step-by-Step Solution:
Look at Part 1: “Not only did they offer him” – this is correct as the beginning of a not only clause, although it still needs its object, “a good salary”, which appears in Part 2.Look at Part 2: “good salary but provided” – the phrase “but provided” is missing the word also, which should follow but in a not only … but also construction.Look at Part 3: “him with a beautiful bungalow.” – this is otherwise grammatically fine and provides the object for provided.The corrected sentence should read: “Not only did they offer him a good salary but also provided him with a beautiful bungalow.”Therefore, the error is located in Part 2.


Verification / Alternative check:
Read both versions: the original “Not only did they offer him good salary but provided him with a beautiful bungalow” sounds slightly incomplete and unbalanced. Adding also after but produces the standard and widely taught pattern: “Not only did they offer him a good salary but also provided him with a beautiful bungalow.” This version flows more naturally and respects parallelism: offer him a good salary / also provide him with a bungalow.


Why Other Options Are Wrong:
Part 1 is correct in both structure and tense. Part 3 correctly completes the meaning of provided and contains no errors. Part 4 stands for No Error but cannot be chosen because we already identified a missing word in Part 2. Thus, the only part that truly requires correction is the second one, where but should be followed by also.


Common Pitfalls:
In spoken English, many people omit also in not only … but also, and this usage has become quite common. However, competitive exams still treat the full pair as the standard and expect candidates to notice its absence. Always check for balance: if you see not only, quickly look for but also. If also is missing and the sentence is intended to connect two similar clauses, that part likely contains the error.


Final Answer:
The error is in part 2; the phrase should be “good salary but also provided”.

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