The following sentence has been split into four segments. Identify the segment that contains an error.
Stephan, however, contrived / to put away / his departure / for eighteen months.
Show answer & explanation
Correct answer: D
Explanation
The correct answer is option 4 i.e. to put away.
Error concept: The phrasal verb “put away” is wrongly used in this context.
What is wrong: “Put away” means to store, to save money, or to eat (a lot). It does not mean to postpone or delay.
Grammatical concept:
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To express postpone/delay, the correct phrasal verb is “put off”, not “put away.”
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“Put away” is semantically incorrect here.
Incorrectness of the concept in context: The sentence is about Stephan delaying his departure. Using “put away” makes the meaning wrong, since departure cannot be “stored away.”
How to correct: Replace “put away” with “put off.”
Correct phrase/ correction:
“…contrived to put off his departure…”
Final sentence:
Stephan, however, contrived to put off his departure for eighteen months.
Hence, the chosen option is correct.