Question

Choose the part of the sentence that has an error.
The children were laying in bed for a long time.
A. The children
B. Were laying in
C. Bed for
D. A long time

Answer 1

Hint: In order for a sentence to be grammatically correct, the subject and verb must both be singular or plural. In other words, the subject and verb must agree with one another in their tense. If the subject is in plural form, the verb should also be in plural form (and vice versa).

Complete answer:
Option A) The children – This is an incorrect option because These words well fit in the sentence “The children were laying in bed for a long time.” Hence option A is incorrect.
Option B) Were laying in - The sentence wrongly uses the verb “laying” to describe that the children were in bed. “Laying” means “to put (something) down gently or carefully.” Here, “lying” would be used to describe that the children were in bed. “Lying” means “to be in a horizontal or resting position on a supporting surface like a bed.” As “laying” is the error in the sentence, Option B is the correct answer.
Option C) Bed for - This is an incorrect option because These words well fit in the sentence “The children were laying in bed for a long time.” Hence option C is incorrect.
Option D) A long time - This is an incorrect option because These words well fit in the sentence “The children were laying in bed for a long time.”

Hence, the correct answer is option ‘B’.

Note:Usage of the verb is done wrong to describe the sentence. Here laying is the error and lying is the correct word. As “laying” is the error in the sentence, Option B is the correct answer.