Read each of the following sentences to find out whether there is an error or…
2023
Read each of the following sentences to find out whether there is an error or errors in any underlined part(s). If you feel that there is no error in the sentence, choose ‘None of the above’.
God’s justice will prevailed in the end.
Answer: B. will prevailed — ConceptA modal auxiliary such as will, can, may, or must is followed by the base form of the main verb (the bare infinitive). The modal carries tense or…
- A.
God’s justice
- B.
will prevailed
- C.
in the end.
- D.
More than one of the above
- E.
None of the above
Show answer & explanation
Correct answer: B
Concept
A modal auxiliary such as will, can, may, or must is followed by the base form of the main verb (the bare infinitive).
The modal carries tense or modality, so the following main verb does not take a past-tense or participial ending.
Application
Identify the verb phrase: “will prevailed.”
Treat “will” as the modal auxiliary; it therefore requires the base form of the next verb.
The base form is “prevail,” while “prevailed” is the past-tense form.
Replace “will prevailed” with “will prevail,” giving: “God’s justice will prevail in the end.”
Contrast
“God’s justice” is a well-formed possessive noun phrase functioning as the subject.
“In the end” is a standard idiomatic time expression meaning “eventually.”
Only one underlined segment requires correction, so the multiple-error and no-error response categories do not describe the sentence.
Result
The error is “will prevailed”; the corrected expression is “will prevail.”