The given sentence is divided into four segments. Select the option that has the segment with an adverbial usage error.
David loudly / opened the gift / presented by / his sister.
Show answer & explanation
Correct answer: D
Explanation
The correct answer is option 4 i.e. David loudly
Error concept: Misplaced or incorrect adverb usage.
What is wrong: The adverb “loudly” describes the manner of an action. However, the verb “opened” does not logically go with “loudly”, since one cannot “open” something loudly.
Grammatical concept: Adverbs of manner (like loudly, softly, quickly) should appropriately describe the action they modify. The correct choice here would be “David quickly opened the gift” or “David excitedly opened the gift”, but “loudly opened” is incorrect.
Incorrectness of the concept in context: Using “loudly” here creates an adverbial error, as the action does not suit the adverb.
How to correct: Replace “loudly” with a suitable adverb like “eagerly” or “quickly”.
Correct phrase/ correction: David eagerly opened the gift.
Final sentence: David eagerly opened the gift presented by his sister.
Hence, the chosen option is correct.