The following sentence has been split into four segments. Identify the segment that contains a grammatical error.
She speaks / so soft that / hardly anyone / can hear her.
Show answer & explanation
Correct answer: A
Explanation
The correct answer is option 1 i.e. so soft that.
Error concept: Incorrect use of adjective instead of adverb.
What is wrong: The word “soft” is an adjective, but here it is modifying the verb “speaks,” so an adverb is needed. The correct form is “softly.”
Grammatical concept:
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Adjectives modify nouns, while adverbs modify verbs, adjectives, or other adverbs.
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Since “speaks” is a verb, it must be modified by an adverb: softly.
Incorrectness of the concept in context: Saying “She speaks so soft that hardly anyone can hear her” is incorrect; it should be “so softly that.”
How to correct: Replace “soft” with “softly.”
Correct phrase/ correction: so softly that
Final sentence: She speaks so softly that hardly anyone can hear her.
Hence, the chosen option is correct.