The following sentence has been divided into four parts. Identify the part which contains a grammatical error. If there is no err…

Question

The following sentence has been divided into four parts. Identify the part which contains a grammatical error. If there is no error in the sentence, then select 'No Error'. The whole family / would burst into / peals for laughter. No Error

1. A. No Error
2. B. would burst into
3. C. The whole family
4. D. peals for laughter. (Correct answer)

Correct Answer

Option D — peals for laughter.

Detailed Solution & Explanation

The correct answer is peals for laughter.

Key Points

• The fixed expression is peals of laughter, not *peals for laughter* — the preposition of links the noun to what it consists of.
• The error therefore lies in the final part.
• The rest is correct: *the whole family* is a singular collective subject, and *would burst into* is the standard collocation for a sudden outbreak of emotion.

Additional Information

• Burst into takes an abstract noun of sudden emotion: burst into tears, laughter, song, flames, applause.
• A peal is a loud repeated sound — of bells, thunder or laughter — and always takes of before what produces it.
• Prepositional collocations are learnt as fixed units rather than reasoned out: die of, suffer from, deprived of, capable of, insist on, consist of, comply with.
• When the first three parts of an error-spotting sentence read naturally, examine the final fragment closely — planted errors are often placed there, where attention has already relaxed.