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Error spotting (exam direction): Identify the erroneous part — choose D if there is no error — 'I had hoped to have met him yesterday / to discuss the matter with him / but he was not in his house, and so I could not meet him. / No error.'

Difficulty: Easy

Correct Answer: I had hoped to have met him yesterday

Explanation:


Given sentence parts (A–D)
A. I had hoped to have met him yesterdayB. to discuss the matter with himC. but he was not in his house, and so I could not meet him.D. No error.


Concept/Approach (perfect infinitive vs simple infinitive)
With verbs of desire/plan like 'hope', when the intended action is simultaneous with or follows the hoping, use the simple infinitive: 'hope to meet'. The perfect infinitive 'to have met' implies the action occurred before the hoping, which is illogical here.


Step-by-step correction
1) Replace perfect infinitive: 'to have met' → 'to meet'.2) Correct: 'I had hoped to meet him yesterday …'


Verification
Compare: 'I hoped to meet him yesterday' vs 'I hoped to have met him by yesterday' (different timeline).


Final Answer
A — use 'to meet', not 'to have met'.

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