Direction: Select the segment of the sentence that contains the grammatical…
202420232025
Direction: Select the segment of the sentence that contains the grammatical error. If there is no error, mark 'No error' as your answer.
There was a case (A)/ that could has been resolved (B)/ within days but our legal system took 2 years (C)/. No error (D)/.
- A.
There was a case
- B.
that could has been resolved
- C.
within days but our legal system took 2 years
- D.
No error
Attempted by 869 students.
Show answer & explanation
Correct answer: B
Answer: The segment "that could has been resolved" is incorrect. The correct phrase is "that could have been resolved."
Explanation:
Modal verbs (could, would, should, etc.) are followed by the base form of the verb. To talk about a past possibility or a completed action with a modal, use the perfect modal: modal + have + past participle.
In this sentence, "could has been resolved" is incorrect because "has" is not the base form. The correct structure is "could have been resolved."
Corrected full sentence: There was a case that could have been resolved within days but our legal system took two years.
Additional note: The earlier solution contained a typo and some unrelated points. The key point relevant to this question is the rule about modal verbs and the perfect infinitive; other comments about subject-verb agreement or the subjunctive are unnecessary here.
A video solution is available for this question — log in and enroll to watch it.