Error Spotting – Choose the part (A–D) that contains a grammatical error, or choose No error if the sentence is fully correct. Sentence (parts correspond to options below): A) Day in and day out B) he keep telling C) his friends that D) he wants to go abroad.
Correct Answer: he keep telling
Introduction / Context:This item checks present simple agreement with a third-person singular subject. In the simple present, the base verb generally takes -s or -es with he, she, or it.
Given Data / Assumptions:
- Subject: he
- Verb phrase provided: keep telling
- Temporal adverbial: Day in and day out, indicating habitual action
Concept / Approach:For habitual actions with third-person singular subjects, the main verb in the simple present must be inflected with -s: keeps. The progressive telling remains unchanged as a present participle following keeps.
Step-by-Step Solution:
Step 1: Identify subject number and person: third-person singular.Step 2: Apply present simple agreement: add -s to the base verb keep.Step 3: Keep the participle telling after the auxiliary verb form keeps.Corrected fragment: he keeps tellingVerification / Alternative check:Replace the subject with plural: They keep telling is correct. With he, the correct form is he keeps telling, which confirms the error in the original fragment.
Why Other Options Are Wrong:
- A) Idiomatic adverbial phrase indicating frequency.
- C) Object and complement clause introducer are correct.
- D) Verb in the subordinate clause agrees with he and is correctly inflected.
Common Pitfalls:Omitting -s with third-person singular in habitual statements is a frequent error, especially when an adverbial opening distracts from the agreement rule.
Final Answer:Option B contains the error. Use keeps instead of keep.