<u>There was great deal that had to be scrapped, that must be scrapped;</u> <u>but surely India could not have been what she undoubtedly was,</u> <u>and could not have continued a cultured existence for thousands of years.</u> <u>No error</u>
- (a)There was great deal that had to be scrapped, that must be scrapped;
- (b)but surely India could not have been what she undoubtedly was,
- (c)and could not have continued a cultured existence for thousands of years.
- (d)No error
Correct — A, There was great deal that had to be scrapped, that must be scrapped. In the quantity phrase 'a great deal', the word 'deal' is a countable noun meaning an amount, and it needs its article; the part should read 'There was a great deal that had to be scrapped'.
- (b)but surely India could not have been what she undoubtedly was, — 'Could not have been' is a correctly formed past modal, and using 'she' of a country is normal in this raised style of writing.
- (c)and could not have continued a cultured existence for thousands of years. — It carries on with the same subject and the same modal pattern as the part before it, so there is nothing in it to change.
- (d)No error — The article missing before 'great deal' in the first part is a genuine fault.
Quantity phrases built on a countable noun keep their article — a great deal, a great many, a large number, a lot.
Read whole, the printed sentence stops short of the clause that would have completed the thought, so the sense feels unfinished. That is how the paper printed it and it is not what is being tested; the tested fault is the dropped article in the opening part.
- 'A great deal of' is the standard quantity phrase used before uncountable nouns — a great deal of trouble, a great deal of time.
- 'Deal' here is a noun meaning an amount, which is why it needs 'a' in front of it.
- 'Much' can replace 'a great deal' and takes no article, but the two patterns cannot be mixed.
- Reading past a missing 'a' because the rest of the sentence is long and formal.
Asked as an error-detection item where a single missing article is the whole fault.
After reading foreword of (a) / the book on environmental issues in India, (b) / I decided to meet its author. (c) / No error (d)
- (a) After reading foreword of
- (b) the book on environmental issues in India,
- (c) I decided to meet its author.
- (d) No error
Answer(a) After reading foreword of
Same skill — an article has been dropped and nothing else in the sentence is wrong. There 'foreword' needs 'the' in front of it; here the quantity phrase 'great deal' needs its 'a'.
- practice — not a real PYQ
Which part contains the error — He spent great deal of money / on books / that he never read. / No error
- (a)He spent great deal of money
- (b)on books
- (c)that he never read.
- (d)No error
Answer(a) He spent great deal of money — the phrase must be 'a great deal of money'.
- practice — not a real PYQ
Which part contains the error — A large number of students / was present / at the function. / No error
- (a)A large number of students
- (b)was present
- (c)at the function.
- (d)No error
Answer(b) was present — 'a large number of' takes a plural verb, so 'were present'.