3. Which word is used incorrectly? 'The procedure for giving injections were explained thoroughly to the student nurses.'
Answer: D
The word 'were' is used incorrectly.
In the sentence, 'The procedure for giving injections were explained thoroughly to the student nurses,' the verb 'were' does not agree in number with its subject 'procedure', which is singular. The correct verb form should be 'was' to maintain subject-verb agreement.
A) procedure
The word 'procedure' is used correctly in the sentence. It is a singular noun that accurately refers to the singular action of explaining the method of giving injections.
B) student
The term 'student' is also used correctly. It describes the nurses as learners, which is appropriate in the context of the sentence. It does not present any grammatical issues.
C) thoroughly
The adverb 'thoroughly' is correctly used in the sentence to describe the manner in which the procedure was explained. It effectively conveys that the explanation was comprehensive.
D) were
The word 'were' is incorrectly used in this context. Since 'procedure' is a singular noun, the verb should be 'was' to ensure proper subject-verb agreement in the sentence.
Conclusion
The correct identification of 'were' as the incorrectly used word highlights the importance of subject-verb agreement in English grammar. While the other options—'procedure', 'student', and 'thoroughly'—are used appropriately, 'were' fails to match the singular subject, making it the sole error in the sentence.