English grammar error-spotting (reported prediction with conditional ‘‘if’’-clause): Read the sentence split into four labeled parts (A–D) and select the part containing any grammatical error; if there is no error, choose ‘‘No error.’’ Focus on tense sequence, conditional construction, adverb placement, and natural verb choice: ‘‘Many times the news has been published / in the papers that the end of the world will be certain / if a nuclear war breaks out. / No error.’’

Difficulty: Easy

Correct Answer: in the papers that the end of the world will be certain

Explanation:


Given data

  • Part A: ‘‘Many times the news has been published’’
  • Part B: ‘‘in the papers that the end of the world will be certain’’
  • Part C: ‘‘if a nuclear war breaks out.’’
  • Part D: ‘‘No error.’’


Concept / Approach
We evaluate tense sequence with conditionals and idiomatic verb choices inside a ‘‘that’’-clause reporting a generally accepted consequence. In first conditionals, the matrix clause often uses ‘‘will’’; however, when stating a certainty that logically follows from a condition, English commonly uses the simple present ‘‘is’’ to express a timeless or general truth inside the reported content.


Step-by-step evaluation
Step 1: Part A—word order and present perfect (‘‘has been published’’) are acceptable; adverbial ‘‘Many times’’ can front the clause without error.Step 2: Part C—‘‘if a nuclear war breaks out’’ correctly uses present simple in the ‘‘if’’-clause.Step 3: Part B—‘‘will be certain’’ is an awkward and non-idiomatic expression when the sense is of logical certainty; prefer the simple present ‘‘is certain’’ for a general truth within the reported statement.Hence, the erroneous segment is Part B.


Verification / Alternative (corrected version)
Corrected sentence: ‘‘The news has been published many times in the papers that the end of the world is certain if a nuclear war breaks out.’’(Placing ‘‘many times’’ after the subject is also more idiomatic but not compulsory.)


Common pitfalls

  • Assuming that ‘‘will be’’ is always preferred in the main clause of an if-sentence; when asserting general certainty, the simple present is more natural.
  • Marking Part A as wrong merely due to adverb position—fronting an adverbial of frequency is grammatically acceptable.


Final Answer
in the papers that the end of the world will be certain

More Questions from Spotting Errors

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