In the following sentence, some part may have an error. Find out which part of the sentence has an error and select the appropriate option. If the sentence is free from error, select "No Error": "He was such a (1)/ wonderful person (2)/ into so many ways. (3)/ No Error (4)".

Difficulty: Easy

Correct Answer: 3

Explanation:


Introduction / Context:
Error spotting questions test your ability to notice small but important grammatical mistakes in otherwise simple sentences. The sentence "He was such a wonderful person into so many ways" clearly tries to praise someone in many respects, but one of the parts contains an incorrect preposition. Your task is to identify which numbered segment contains the error.


Given Data / Assumptions:

  • Segment (1): "He was such a".
  • Segment (2): "wonderful person".
  • Segment (3): "into so many ways."
  • Segment (4): "No Error".
  • The intended meaning is: He was a wonderful person in so many ways.
  • We assume standard conversational English usage.


Concept / Approach:
The phrase "in so many ways" is a common English expression used to describe the different aspects in which something is true. The preposition "into" is not used in this context. "Into" usually suggests movement towards the inside of something or transformation (for example, "go into the room", "turn into ice"), not the idea of "in many respects". Therefore, the error lies in segment (3), where "into" should be replaced with "in".


Step-by-Step Solution:
Step 1: Read the sentence carefully: "He was such a wonderful person into so many ways." Step 2: Check segment (1) "He was such a". This is a common and correct beginning for an emphatic statement. Step 3: Check segment (2) "wonderful person". This correctly completes the noun phrase "such a wonderful person". Step 4: Examine segment (3) "into so many ways." Here, the preposition "into" sounds awkward and unnatural in this context. Step 5: Substitute the more usual expression "in so many ways", which is the standard English collocation. Step 6: Confirm that the corrected sentence "He was such a wonderful person in so many ways" now reads smoothly and expresses the intended meaning. Step 7: Conclude that part (3) contains the error.


Verification / Alternative check:
Compare with similar sentences: "She is kind in many ways," "He helps people in so many ways," and "They support us in countless ways." In all of these, the correct preposition is "in". Using "into" would be wrong: "kind into many ways" or "helps people into many ways" do not make sense. This shows that the collocation "in so many ways" is fixed and must be used here as well.


Why Other Options Are Wrong:
Segment (1) "He was such a" correctly introduces an emphatic description. Segment (2) "wonderful person" is also correct and logically completes the introductory phrase. Segment (4) "No Error" is wrong because we have already identified a clear grammatical error in segment (3), so the sentence is not error free.


Common Pitfalls:
A common mistake is to read quickly and miss small prepositional errors, especially when the rest of the sentence sounds natural. Another pitfall is to confuse "in" and "into" and treat them as interchangeable. Remember that "into" usually implies motion or transformation ("walk into", "change into"), while "in" is used for states or conditions ("in love", "in many ways", "in trouble").


Final Answer:
The error is in part 3. The sentence should read: "He was such a wonderful person in so many ways."

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