In this error spotting question, identify the part of the sentence that contains a grammatical error: The boy which money was lost felt sorry.

Introduction / Context:
This error spotting item checks the learner knowledge of relative pronouns and their correct use in English sentences. The example given is The boy which money was lost felt sorry. The task is to find which part contains the error. Relative pronouns such as who, whom, whose, which, and that link a noun to a clause that describes it, but they are used in specific ways depending on whether they refer to people, things, or possession.

Given Data / Assumptions:

• The sentence is: The boy which money was lost felt sorry.
• Segments: The boy, which money, was lost felt sorry, and No Error.
• The noun being described is the boy, and the clause refers to his money being lost.
• We must choose the segment that uses the wrong relative word or structure.

Concept / Approach:
When we want to show possession in a relative clause, we use the relative pronoun whose, not which, when referring to people. The structure needed here is whose money was lost, because we are describing the boy and indicating that some money belonging to him was lost. The word which is normally used for things or animals, not for people in this kind of possessive construction. Therefore, the phrase which money is incorrect, and the correct phrase should be whose money. Our approach is to locate this misuse of which and mark that segment as the error.

Step-by-Step Solution:
Step 1: Identify the noun being described, which is the boy. span style="display:block;">Step 2: Notice that the following clause talks about money being lost, and that the money belongs to the boy. Step 3: Recall that to show possession in a relative clause with a person, we use whose, as in the boy whose money was lost. Step 4: Compare this with the phrase which money and see that which is used incorrectly here. Step 5: Check the other segments The boy and was lost felt sorry, which are grammatically acceptable when combined with the corrected relative clause. Step 6: Conclude that the error is in the segment which money.

Verification / Alternative check:
We can verify by constructing other sentences with similar patterns. For example, The girl whose bicycle was stolen cried, not The girl which bicycle was stolen cried. Likewise, The man whose car broke down called a mechanic, not The man which car broke down called a mechanic. In all these cases, whose indicates possession and refers to a human antecedent. The correct form for the original sentence therefore is The boy whose money was lost felt sorry. This confirms that which money is wrong and that the second segment contains the error.

Why Other Options Are Wrong:
The boy: This is the subject of the sentence and is correctly used.
was lost felt sorry: When connected to the correct relative clause whose money was lost, this part forms a grammatically sound structure meaning that the boy felt sorry about the loss.
No Error: Selecting this option would mean that the sentence is entirely correct, which is not the case.
which money: This phrase is incorrect because which should not be used here. The correct possessive relative pronoun referring to the boy is whose.

Common Pitfalls:
Many learners overuse which as a general relative pronoun because it seems simple and familiar. They may not realise that English distinguishes between who for people, which for things, and whose for possession. Another common error is to avoid whose because it seems more formal, leading to awkward or incorrect constructions. To avoid such mistakes, it is important to remember that whose is the only correct choice for possessive relative clauses referring to both people and, in some contexts, things.

Final Answer:
The incorrect part of the sentence is which money; it should be corrected to whose money was lost.