Identify and correct the error in the given line taken from a critical review of a recently staged play : 'As an actor, Ravi Raj, is superior then any other contemporary actor.' Options table: (A) Error: an, Correction: the (B) Error: is, Correction: were (C) Error: then, Correction: to (D) Error: other, Correction: another
Identify and correct the error in the given line taken from a critical review of a recently staged play : 'As an actor, Ravi Raj, is superior then any other contemporary actor.' Options table: (A) Error: an, Correction: the (B) Error: is, Correction: were (C) Error: then, Correction: to (D) Error: other, Correction: another
Options
Option (C) — Error: "then"; Correction: "to". "Superior" is always followed by "to", never "than"/"then". Corrected sentence: "As an actor, Ravi Raj, is superior to any other contemporary actor."
Marking Scheme
- 11 mark: selecting option (C) — Error 'then', Correction 'to'.
- 20 marks for any other option, since only 'then→to' represents an actual grammatical error in the sentence.
Hint
Comparative adjectives of Latin origin (superior, inferior, senior, junior, prior) always take 'to', never 'than' — and definitely not its homophone 'then'.
Quick Oral Answer
The error is 'then', which should be 'to', because the comparative adjective 'superior' is always followed by the preposition 'to', never 'than' or its homophone 'then'.
Analysis & Explanation
Tests knowledge of Latin-origin comparative adjectives (superior, inferior, senior, junior, prior) that always take "to", never "than".
Concept
- "Superior" must be followed by "to"; the sentence uses "then" (a homophone of "than", itself already wrong), making the error doubly clear.
Key points
- Correction: "then" → "to", giving "...is superior to any other contemporary actor."
- Distractor options wrongly flag "an" (correctly used for first mention), "is" (correct present tense for a review), and "other" (correct idiom for group comparison, vs. "another").
Common mistakes
- Confusing "then" (time sequence) with "than" (comparison) and missing that neither is the required word — "to" is.
Common Mistakes
- 1Selecting option (B) by wrongly assuming reviews must use subjunctive 'were' instead of the correct present tense 'is'.
- 2Selecting option (A), not realising 'an actor' is correctly used as a first, non-specific reference.
- 3Confusing 'than' and 'then' as interchangeable, failing to notice that only 'then' needs correcting (to 'to', not 'than') because 'superior' specifically demands 'to'.
Interesting Facts
Latin-origin comparative adjectives like 'superior', 'inferior', 'senior', 'junior', and 'prior' are a well-known exception group in English that pair with 'to' instead of the usual '-er...than' pattern.
'Then' and 'than' are among the most frequently confused homophones in written English, even among fluent speakers, due to their similar spelling and pronunciation.
Theatre and film review excerpts are a favoured CBSE source text for editing exercises, blending real-world register with grammar testing.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Why is 'superior to' correct and not 'superior than'?
'Superior' is a Latin-origin comparative adjective (along with inferior, senior, junior, prior) that idiomatically takes the preposition 'to' rather than 'than', which is used with regular comparative adjectives ending in -er (e.g., 'taller than').
Is there also a spelling/word-confusion issue in this sentence?
Yes — the sentence uses 'then' (a time-sequence adverb) instead of even the expected 'than', compounding the error since neither 'then' nor 'than' would be correct here; the grammatically required word is 'to'.