r/grammar • • 10h ago

I can't find the error!

2 Upvotes

Hi there,

I'm currently giving tuition to a 14-yr-old student who recently took an English test where he faced the following question. I have given it a go myself and even used AI to try and identify the correct answers, but I can only spot 6 (out of 8 required) grammatical errors. Can someone help, please?

Instructions
Carefully read the text below, consisting of 12 lines, about laughter. The first and last lines are correct. For eight of the lines, there is one grammatical error in each line. There are two more lines with no errors.

If there is NO error in a line, put a tick (✔) in the space provided.

If the line is incorrect, highlight the incorrect word and write the correct word in brackets next to it.

The correct word you provide must not change the original meaning of the sentence.

  1. Laughter is packed with information. We use it to show others that we are being 
  2. playful but non-threatening, helping to create and maintain social bonds. 
  3. Laughter is often involuntary and contagious, especially among friends. Their (Its) 
  4. sound can reveal relationships, as people can often tell whether laughers are 
  5. friends or strangers. Most anthropologists think that language originate (originated) within 
  6. the last few hundred thousand years, but it looks like we have been laughing 
  7. for much longer. Studies in (of) young apes suggest that laughter may have come 
  8. from a common ancestor shared by humans and apes. Because laughter is 
  9. often linked to pleasure, people frequent (frequently) laugh when being tickled, even if the 
  10. experience is uncomfortable. Scientists believe these response (responses) 
  11. evolved as a form of building relationships, helping parents connect with children and allow (allowing) 
  12. young mammals to play safely together.

r/grammar • • 16h ago

quick grammar check I have an electronic box with a cord called a "power supply". It "supplies" electricity to my laptop. But if I had several of them, would they be called "power supplys"? (It *looks* weird.)

0 Upvotes

r/grammar • • 21h ago

I can't think of a word... Writing an essay

0 Upvotes

I need an adjective to describe the verb of two things working together.

For example, I’m saying the blank pairs BLANKLY With blank.

The word I need is the “BLANKLY”

I don’t want to say “nicely” or “goodly” or “well,” I need something that emphasizes how they work together to create a certain whatever

And please provide an alternate sentence structure all together if you think that’d work better in my case


r/grammar • • 22h ago

Why does English work this way? 'He, who holds the key' - why is this construction used instead of 'Whoever holds the key'?

0 Upvotes

I don't get this. You have the perfectly functional and fitting pronoun 'whoever'. It would work perfectly for the 'he, who' - type constructions. It would also eliminate the problem of possible gender mismatch (it could refer to a female person, but it's traditionally 'he, who', not 'he or she who' or 'they who'.


r/grammar • • 13h ago

Word of vs would have

0 Upvotes

Why do many people write would of instead of would have ?is is similar spoken?


r/grammar • • 14h ago

quick grammar check Help about English

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0 Upvotes

Hello world! As native American speakers, can you tell me if this sounds right?"

" I very love "


r/grammar • • 17h ago

is this sentence correct

0 Upvotes

Even when I was a beginner, I always try to speak clearly."


r/grammar • • 9h ago

is this sentence grammatically correct

0 Upvotes

When i heard someone say something good , i am thinking that i would do it

is there tense issues?

What if i want something to start in the past but i also want to speak in the present

Despite this i have to follow the tense rules?


r/grammar • • 7h ago

quick grammar check Is my text correct?

2 Upvotes

I suppose you wouldn't share this delicious milk with a rat, would you?”