English grammar error-spotting (sequence of tenses in reported belief/expectation): Choose the single erroneous part; select ‘‘No error’’ only if all is correct: ‘‘He was sure / that he should / win the Prize. / No error.’

Difficulty: Easy

Correct Answer: that he should

Explanation:

Concept/ApproachAfter a past reporting verb of certainty/belief (‘‘was sure’’), the natural backshift for a future-in-the-past is ‘‘would’’: ‘‘that he would win …’’. ‘‘Should’’ does not express simple futurity here.

Correction‘‘He was sure that he would win the prize.’’

NotesAlso standardize capitalization: ‘‘prize’’ is not a proper noun unless part of a title (e.g., ‘‘the Nobel Prize’’).

Final Answerthat he should

More Questions from Spotting Errors

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