Solve this multiple-choice question and choose the correct option.

English grammar error-spotting (correct past participle of ‘‘overflow’’): Read the parts and choose the one with the error; select ‘‘No error’’ only if all parts are correct: ‘‘There was very heavy rain last night, / and the rivers have overflown their banks / causing severe hardship to the people living by them. / No error.’

Difficulty: Easy

There was very heavy rain last night,
and the rivers have overflown their banks
causing severe hardship to the people living by them.
No error.

Correct Answer: and the rivers have overflown their banks

Explanation:

Given data

B uses ‘‘have overflown’’.

Concept / ApproachThe verb ‘‘overflow’’ forms its past and past participle as ‘‘overflowed’’. ‘‘Overflown’’ is the past participle of ‘‘overfly’’ (or an adjective meaning ‘‘covered with water’’) and is not used here.

Correction‘‘… the rivers have overflowed their banks …’’

Common pitfalls

Overgeneralizing ‘‘-flown’’ as the participle for verbs beginning with ‘‘over-’’.

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