Q.58 Choose the grammatically INCORRECT sentence:
(A) They gave us the money back less the service charges of Three Hundred rupees.
(B) This country’s expenditure is not less than that of Bangladesh.
(C) The committee initially asked for a funding of Fifty Lakh rupees, but later settled for a lesser
sum.
(D) This country’s expenditure on educational reforms is very less.
Correct Answer: Option (D)
Option (D) is grammatically incorrect. The phrase “very less” is non-standard English. “Less” is a comparative adjective and cannot be modified by “very,” which intensifies absolute qualities. Instead, use “much less,” “far less,” “very little,” or simply “less.” Corrected version: “This country’s expenditure on educational reforms is much less” or “is very little.”
Detailed Explanation of All Options
Let’s analyze each option step-by-step to understand why only one is wrong. This structured breakdown helps in mastering grammatically incorrect sentence identification.
Option (A): Correct
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Sentence: They gave us the money back less the service charges of Three Hundred rupees.
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Why correct? “Less” functions as a preposition here, meaning “minus” or “deducting.” This is a standard idiomatic usage (e.g., “£10 less tax”). Capitalizing “Three Hundred rupees” is stylistic for emphasis, not a grammatical error.
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Key takeaway: Prepositional “less” is valid in financial contexts.
Option (B): Correct
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Sentence: This country’s expenditure is not less than that of Bangladesh.
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Why correct? This follows the standard comparative structure: “not less than” means “equal to or more than.” It’s equivalent to “no less than” and commonly used (e.g., “His score is not less than 90%”).
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Key takeaway: “Not less than” is idiomatic for comparisons, avoiding redundancy.
Option (C): Correct
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Sentence: The committee initially asked for a funding of Fifty Lakh rupees, but later settled for a lesser sum.
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Why correct? “Lesser” is appropriately used as a comparative adjective before “sum” (a noun). “A funding of” is acceptable in formal contexts, though “funding amounting to” is more precise. “Lesser sum” contrasts quantities correctly.
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Key takeaway: “Lesser” works with nouns; capitalization of “Fifty Lakh rupees” is emphatic, not erroneous.
Option (D): Incorrect (As Explained Above)
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Common error type: Misuse of intensifiers with comparatives. “Very less” appears in informal Indian English but fails formal grammar tests.
| Option | Status | Key Grammar Rule | Common Mistake Avoided |
|---|---|---|---|
| (A) | Correct | Prepositional “less” (deducting) | Confusing with comparative |
| (B) | Correct | “Not less than” for equality/comparison | Using “smaller than” wrongly |
| (C) | Correct | “Lesser” as comparative adjective | “Less” before nouns |
| (D) | Incorrect | No “very” with “less” | Informal “very less” |
Why These Errors Trip Up Test-Takers
In grammatically incorrect sentence questions, traps include:
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Regional idioms (e.g., “very less” in spoken Hindi-English mix).
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Confusion between comparative adjectives (“less/lesser”) and prepositions.
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Overlooking idiomatic phrases like “less the charges.”
Pro Tip: Practice with 50+ sentence correction quizzes. Read Wren & Martin or Norman Lewis’ books for rules on comparatives. For exams, memorize: “very/much + little/few,” not “very less.”
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