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.’
Verbal Ability
Spotting Errors
Difficulty: Easy
Choose an option
-
AHe was sure
-
Bthat he should
-
Cwin the Prize.
-
DNo error.
Answer
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