The following sentence has been divided into four segments. One of them contains an error. Select the segment that contains the error from the given options.
She has been speaking / to him on / the subject / many times.
Show answer & explanation
Correct answer: D
Explanation
The correct answer is option 4 i.e. She has been speaking.
Error concept: Wrong tense usage for the context.
What is wrong: The sentence uses present perfect continuous tense (“has been speaking”), which is meant for actions that are ongoing or emphasize duration. However, the context “many times” indicates repeated completed actions, not continuous duration.
Grammatical concept:
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Present perfect continuous: has/have been + verb(-ing) → for ongoing actions or emphasizing duration.
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Present perfect: has/have + past participle → for repeated actions or experiences over time.
Incorrectness of the concept in context: Using “has been speaking” with “many times” is grammatically inconsistent because continuous tense does not normally pair with frequency adverbs like “many times.”
How to correct: Replace “has been speaking” with “has spoken.”
Correct phrase/ correction: has spoken
Final sentence: She has spoken to him on the subject many times.
Hence, the chosen option is correct.