Choose the option that will replace the error highlighted in bold.
Charandas truth confessed to every crime he committed, knowing it would cost him his life.
Show answer & explanation
Correct answer: C
Explanation
Correct Answer
Truthfully
Explanation
The question asks you to replace the grammatically incorrect noun "truth" with the correct word form to modify the action in the sentence.
Let's look at the structure of the sentence:
"Charandas truth confessed to every crime..."
The word in question is modifying the action verb confessed. In English grammar, a word that modifies or describes a verb, telling us how an action was done, must be an adverb.
Let's evaluate the parts of speech for all the given options to see which one fits:
Truly is an adverb, but it means "sincerely" or "genuinely." While grammatically possible, it changes the specific emphasis from telling the factual truth to just acting sincerely.
Truthful is an adjective. Adjectives can only modify nouns (such as a truthful person), not verbs like confessed.
Truthfully is an adverb formed by adding the suffix "-ly" to the adjective truthful. It means "in a manner that tells the truth." Placing it in the sentence ("Charandas truthfully confessed...") perfectly describes the honest manner in which he performed the confession.
True is an adjective, which cannot be used to modify the verb confessed.
Because the sentence requires an adverb that directly denotes the act of speaking the truth to modify the verb confessed, Option 3 is the grammatically correct choice.
Key Points
To quickly solve word-form errors on grammar exams, locate the target word that is being modified. If it is an action verb, look closely at the choices ending in the standard adverbial suffix "-ly".
Be sure to distinguish between similar adverbs like "truly" and "truthfully" by looking at the exact context of the sentence; since crimes are legal matters requiring factual statements, truthfully is the precise contextual fit.