Identify the part of the sentence that contains a grammatical error.
The new policy has had A. a positive affect on the company's C. bottom line, but it has D. also caused some negative publicity.
- AOption (a)
The new policy has had
- BOption (b)
a positive affect on the company's
- COption (c)
bottom line, but it has
- DOption (d)
also caused some negative publicity
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Correct answer
a positive affect on the company's
Why this answer is correct
The correct answer is Option 2.
Key Points
- The primary issue in the sentence is the misuse of the word "affect" instead of "effect."
- In this context, we need a noun to follow the adjective "positive." "Effect" is a noun meaning a result or consequence, whereas "affect" is primarily a verb meaning to influence.
- The phrase should be "a positive effect on," which correctly identifies the impact the policy had on the company.
- Thus, the error is located in part A (Option 2) of the sentence.
Therefore, the correct answer is Option 2.
Correct Sentence: "The new policy has had a positive effect on the company's bottom line, but it has also caused some negative publicity."
Additional Information
- Option 1: "The new policy has had" – This part uses the present perfect tense correctly to describe an action that began in the past and continues to have relevance.
- Option 3: "bottom line, but it has" – This part is correct; "bottom line" is a standard business term for net income, and the conjunction "but" properly introduces the contrast.
- Option 4: "also caused some negative publicity" – This part is grammatically sound and correctly completes the second half of the contrast.
- Affect vs. Effect: A common mnemonic is RAVEN: Remember Affect Verb Effect Noun.











































