Which part of the sentence given below contains an error?
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Which part of the sentence given below contains an error?
"By the time he quit his job, (A) / he is executive assistant (B) / editor for all magazines (C) / at the publishing house (D)."
Show answer & explanation
The sentence contains a tense consistency error. The temporal clause 'By the time he quit his job' uses past tense ('quit'), which establishes a completed past action. The main clause must use past tense as well, so 'he is executive assistant' should be 'he was executive assistant' to maintain tense agreement. The present tense 'is' incorrectly conflicts with the past time reference.
Step-by-step Derivation:
Step 1: Identify the temporal reference. 'By the time he quit his job' uses past tense, signaling a completed past event. Step 2: Check the main clause verb. 'is' is present tense, which contradicts the past context. Step 3: Verify other parts—'editor for all magazines' is a noun phrase complement (not a verb error), and 'at the publishing house' is a prepositional phrase (no verb tense). Step 4: Conclusion—Option B contains the tense error. The correct form should be 'he was executive assistant' to align with the past time frame established by 'quit'.