Find the part of the sentence that contains an error:
She insisted (1) / to pay for her meal (2) / despite our objections (3) / to the contrary(4).
Show answer & explanation
Correct answer: B
Explanation
Correct Answer
to pay for her meal (2)
Explanation
The error lies in part (2) of the sentence due to an incorrect prepositional collocation.
In English grammar, the verb insisted cannot be followed directly by an infinitive verb structure (to + verb). Instead, the verb "insist" requires the fixed preposition on (or upon), followed by a gerund (verb + ing).
Therefore, the grammatically correct structure should be "insisted on paying" rather than "insisted to pay." The rectified sentence reads: She insisted on paying for her meal despite our objections to the contrary.
Key Points
The fixed grammatical formula to memorize for spot-the-error questions is Insist + On + Gerund (Verb-ing).
Other parts of the sentence are completely correct because "despite" is properly used without "of," and "objections to the contrary" is a standard idiomatic phrase.