Question

Each sentence below has underlined parts numbered 1 to 4. Find the underlined part that breaks a rule of correct English usage.

My Parents (1) are Indians but (2) I am (3) born in Sydney (4).

• A. only 1
• B. 1 and 3
• C. only 3
• D. only 4

Hint:

Check capitalization in part 1 and verb tense in part 3, since the birth already happened in the past.

Answer 1

The Correct Option is B

To determine which underlined parts of the sentence break a rule of correct English usage, let's analyze each part:

1. My Parents (1) - This part is correctly formatted. "My Parents" is a proper noun and is correctly capitalized, so it follows English grammar rules.
2. but (2) - The use of "but" here is intended to contrast two statements, which is grammatically acceptable.
3. I am (3) born - The issue here is with the use of the present form "am born". In standard English grammar, birth is described using the past or present perfect, such as "was born" or "have been born". Thus, this part breaks the rule of correct English usage.
4. in Sydney (4) - This part is correct. It clearly indicates the place where the action (being born) occurred using a preposition and a proper noun.

Therefore, the underlined parts that break a rule of correct English usage are I am (3), relating to incorrect tense, and My Parents (1), which does not break a rule but is associated with the context of being Indian.

The correct answer is: 1 and 3.

Answer 2

This question checks two separate rules: capitalization of common nouns, and verb tense matching the time of the event.

1. Part 1, "My Parents": the common noun "parents" is wrongly capitalized here. It is not a proper noun like a name or title, so it should stay lower case, "parents". This part breaks the rule.
2. Part 2, "but": this conjunction correctly joins two contrasting ideas, that the family is Indian and yet the speaker was born abroad. No error here.
3. Part 3, "I am": the sentence talks about a birth that already happened, a fact fixed in the past. English needs the past tense "I was" here, not the present tense "I am". Since being born is a one time past event, "am" is the wrong tense. This part breaks the rule.
4. Part 4, "in Sydney": this correctly names the place of birth with the right preposition "in". No error here.

Two separate errors show up, one in part 1 for wrong capitalization and one in part 3 for wrong tense, so the correct choice is option B, "1 and 3".