what are the mistakes in this sentence?
Mr.Gappy had ate a few of the lady's marvelous doughnuts.
The verb ate is incorrect.
The principal parts of the verb eat are:
Present: I always eat cereal for breakfast.
Past: Yesterday I ate pancakes.
Past participle: I had eaten too many pancakes before I got sick.
What change do you think you should make in this sentence?
ate should be eaten?
Right.
Mr. Grappy had eaten a few of the lady's marvelous doughnuts.
Thank you.
You're welcome.
The mistakes in the given sentence are as follows:
1. "had ate" is incorrect. The correct form would be "had eaten." This mistake can be identified by understanding the correct verb tense. In this case, the past perfect tense is needed, which requires using the auxiliary verb "had" followed by the past participle of the verb "eat," which is "eaten."
2. "a few of the lady's marvelous doughnuts" is grammatically correct, but it could be improved. Instead of saying "a few," it would be more specific to mention the exact number of doughnuts eaten. Moreover, adding an article before "lady" would make the construction more accurate. So, the sentence could be revised as "Mr. Gappy had eaten three of the lady's marvelous doughnuts."
To avoid such mistakes, it is crucial to have a good understanding of verb tenses and to pay attention to the correct usage of articles and quantifiers. Proofreading and grammar knowledge play a significant role in identifying and rectifying errors in sentences.