The following sentence has been split into four segments. Identify the segment that contains a grammatical error.
The dog / eager wagged / its tail when / it saw its owner.
Show answer & explanation
Correct answer: C
Explanation
The correct answer is option 3 i.e. eager wagged.
Error concept: Incorrect word order / missing article.
What is wrong: The phrase “eager wagged” is grammatically incorrect. Adjectives describing a noun should come before the noun, not the verb.
Grammatical concept:
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Correct structure: The dog eagerly wagged its tail…
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Here, “eager” should be changed to the adverb “eagerly” to modify the verb “wagged.”
Incorrectness of the concept in context: Using the adjective “eager” directly before the verb makes the sentence ungrammatical.
How to correct: Replace “eager wagged” with “eagerly wagged.”
Correct phrase/ correction: eagerly wagged
Final sentence: The dog eagerly wagged its tail when it saw its owner.
Hence, the chosen option is correct.