Question

Choose the option that best corrects the sentence:
Wise are not always the most skilful.
a) NO CHANGE
b) The wise are not always the most skilful.
c) Wise are not always most skilful.
d) Wise are not always the skilful.

Answer 1

Hint: The subject, verb, and object should all match with each other. The plurality of the verb should also align with the given subject. Check the articles of the given articles and whether any are missing.

Complete answer:
In order to find the error in the given sentence, we must first understand how sentences are constructed. We must identify the different parts of speech in the given sentence.

The most basic construction in English is ‘subject + verb + object’. However, it becomes more complicated when other parts of speech come into play. We can add describing words such as adjectives, adverbs, and prepositions. Adjectives are usually placed before a noun and adverbs are usually placed before an adjective or verb. The articles should be placed in appropriate places, as required.

Let’s look at the given sentence: ‘Wise are not always the most skilful’. There is no error in the subject, as the verb matches the subject in the given phrase. There is only one article in the given sentence. There is one article missing, i.e. at the beginning of the sentence.

Now, we know what we are looking for. Let’s look at the given options-

a) NO CHANGE - This is an incorrect option as we already know that there is an error in the given sentence. This is not the required answer. So, this is an incorrect option.
b) The wise are not always the most skilful. - In this option, there are two articles, which is grammatically correct. This completes the given sentence. This is the required answer. So, this is the correct option.
c) Wise are not always most skilful. - In this option, the second article is missing. This is not the required answer. So, this is an incorrect option.
d) Wise are not always the skilful. - In this option, the second article is still missing. This is not the required answer. So, this is an incorrect option.

Note:
Dissect the sentence and go through parts of the sentence separately, and see if there are any errors to be worth noting. Then, choose the appropriate option accordingly.