English grammar – Spot the error (choose the part with an error or “No error”). Sentence: Ketan had a lot / of work to complete yesterday / and wishes / that he had my help.

Difficulty: Easy

Correct Answer: and wishes

Explanation:


Introduction / Context:
Tense consistency is crucial in narrative sentences. This item mixes a completed past-time setting (“yesterday”) with a present-tense reporting verb (“wishes”), creating a mismatch.



Given Data / Assumptions:

  • Phrases “had a lot” and “yesterday” put the context firmly in the past.
  • Segment C uses “wishes” (present).
  • Segment D uses the past form “had” to express a past unreal desire.


Concept / Approach:
When the entire situation is past, the reporting or linking verb should also be past. The correct sequencing is “Ketan … wished that he had had my help.” Examinations generally credit changing “wishes” to “wished” as the key correction; optionally “had” → “had had” strengthens accuracy (past perfect for counterfactual past).



Step-by-Step Solution:

Identify time marker: “yesterday”.Align tense: change “wishes” → “wished”.Optional refinement: “that he had had my help” to mark an unrealized past wish.


Verification / Alternative check:

Corrected: “Ketan had a lot of work to complete yesterday and wished that he had had my help.”


Why Other Options Are Wrong:

A–B: Past setting is right.D: Conceptually fine as an exam answer; “had had” is more precise but the error tested is in C.


Common Pitfalls:

Keeping the main clause in present despite a past-time adverbial; ignoring sequence of tenses in reported wishes.


Final Answer:
and wishes

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