Identify the sentence with the INCORRECT usage of adverb.
Show answer & explanation
Correct answer: D
Explanation
The correct answer is option 4 i.e. Andrew hardly could believe the news when he heard it.
Error concept: Incorrect placement of the adverb.
What is wrong: The adverb “hardly” is incorrectly positioned in the sentence.
Grammatical concept: In English, certain adverbs of degree like “hardly” are usually placed before the main verb but after auxiliary verbs.
Incorrectness of the concept in context: Here, “could” is the auxiliary verb, so “hardly” should come after “could”, not before it.
How to correct: Place the adverb correctly after the auxiliary verb.
Correct phrase/correction: Andrew could hardly believe the news when he heard it.
Final sentence: Andrew could hardly believe the news when he heard it.
Hence, the chosen option is correct.