In the following sentence the underlined part contains as error. Alternatives to the underlined part are given as options. Select the correct alternative.
The speech you made today was sillier and irrelevant.
Show answer & explanation
Correct answer: B
Explanation
The correct answer is option 2 i.e. silly.
Error concept: Wrong comparative form.
What is wrong: The original sentence says “sillier and irrelevant”, which is incorrect because “irrelevant” is in its positive form while “sillier” is in the comparative form. Both qualities should be expressed in the same degree.
Grammatical concept:
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When two adjectives describe the same subject without comparison, both should be in the positive degree.
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Therefore, instead of “sillier and irrelevant”, the correct usage is “silly and irrelevant.”
Incorrectness of the concept in context:
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most silly → Superlative, not suitable.
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silliest → Superlative, wrong in context.
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more silly → Still comparative, inconsistent with “irrelevant.”
Correct phrase/ correction: silly and irrelevant
Final sentence: The speech you made today was silly and irrelevant.
Hence, the chosen option is correct.