English grammar error-spotting (phrasal verb with ‘‘break’’ used for raids): Read the sentence in four parts and identify the erroneous segment; select ‘‘No error’’ if none is wrong: ‘‘The police broke upon the robbers / when they were in the lonely place / to divide their booty. / No error.’’

Given data

• A: ‘‘The police broke upon the robbers’’
• B: ‘‘when they were in the lonely place’’
• C: ‘‘to divide their booty.’’
• D: ‘‘No error.’’

Concept / ApproachThe idiomatic phrasal verb for a sudden police arrival/raid is ‘‘broke in on/upon’’ or ‘‘came upon’’/‘‘pounced on’’; ‘‘broke upon’’ without ‘‘in’’ is non-idiomatic.

Step-by-step evaluationCorrect forms include: ‘‘The police broke in upon the robbers …’’ / ‘‘The police came upon the robbers …’’Hence the error is in Part A: ‘‘The police broke upon the robbers’’.

Additional notesPart B would also be smoother as ‘‘in a lonely place’’, but the principal idiomatic error tested is the phrasal verb in Part A.

Final AnswerThe police broke upon the robbers