The following sentence has been split into four segments. Identify the segment that contains a grammatical error.
(A) They carefully planned the surprise party, / (B) ensuring everything / (C) was perfect for their friend, / (D) who thoughtful celebrated their birthdays.
Show answer & explanation
Correct answer: C
Explanation
The correct answer is option 3 i.e. D.
Error Concept: The error is related to incorrect word form and subject agreement.
What is wrong: Segment (D) uses “who thoughtful celebrated”, which is grammatically incorrect. The adjective “thoughtful” is improperly placed and does not modify the verb correctly. It should be “who thoughtfully celebrated”.
Grammar Concept: Adverbs are required to modify verbs. Here, “celebrated” is the verb, so the correct adverb form is thoughtfully.
Incorrectness in context: Using “thoughtful” (adjective) instead of “thoughtfully” (adverb) creates a grammatical error in the clause describing how the friend celebrated.
Correction: The segment should read: “who thoughtfully celebrated their birthdays.”
Final Sentence: They carefully planned the surprise party, ensuring everything was perfect for their friend, who thoughtfully celebrated their birthdays.
Hence, the chosen option is correct.