<p>Stores were jammed(A) with last-minute(B) Christmas shoppers, and the festive spirit was greatly(C) disrupted by homemade bombs that exploded(D) at two department stores. No error(E).</p>
<p>The answer is No error. My question is why isn't the error (D)? Shouldn't it read 'the festive spirit was greatly disrupted by homemade bombs that HAD exploded at two department stores?</p>
<p>There are two actions and the second one (explosion of bombs) happened before the first action (disruption of stores)...so isn't (D) wrong? I'm confused.</p>
<p>Thank you!</p>
<p>Why do you think the bombs exploded before the stores were disrupted? I would imagine it happened at the same time.</p>
<p>I have another one! </p>
<p>By the time I graduate(A) from(B) law school, my sister (will have been practicing)(C) law (for three years)(D). No error(E).</p>
<p>The answer is No error. Why isn’t it (C)? Shouldn’t it say 'by the time I graduate my sister will HAVE PRACTICED law for three years?</p>
<p>@randwulf…Wow haha thanks. Didn’t realize that.</p>
<p>@iSeraphic: probably because during that period she was in her 3rd year so the action was in the continuous form
Anyway, here’s the tip: unless the mistake is too obvious (past tense turned into present tense for instance), don’t be too meticulous and skip that asap</p>
<p>I am bad at technical explanations, I go by my instincts, so someone else can probably give a better, more technical answer. But… There is a subtle difference between the original sentence and your edited one. The original one is very clear that when you graduate, your sister will still be practicing law. On the other hand, your suggested sentence is neutral on whether she will still be practicing law or not when you graduate. I think both sentences are grammatically correct, so there’s no error in the original one.</p>
<p>To put this in present tense, when you graduate your sister will say either:
“I have been practicing law for three years” (original)
Or
“I have practiced law for three years” (yours)</p>
<p>Both are perfectly correct but don’t necessarily mean the same thing.</p>
<p>Thank you for your thorough response. It makes perfect sense to me :)</p>
<p>Another one:</p>
<p>Numerous (collections of)(A) short stories include works by Isaac Singer who, (despite living)(B) in the United States for more than fifty years, continued(C) (to write)(D) primarily in Yiddish. No error(E).</p>
<p>There’s no error. Why isn’t it B “despite HAVING LIVED?”</p>