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.
Verbal Ability
Spotting Errors
Difficulty: Easy
Choose an option
Answer
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