Extract:
Select the phrase in the following sentence that is not used correctly.
He had never had to been on his own in the past.
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A
had never
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B
never had
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C
to been
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D
on his own
The phrase "to been" is not used correctly; the perfect infinitive requires "to have been" rather than "to been."
A) had never
"Had never" is correctly used as past perfect auxiliary with adverb "never." No error affects this verb phrase component.
B) never had
"Never had" represents acceptable adverb placement variation, though "had never" is more common, "never had" isn't grammatically incorrect in this context.
C) to been
"To been" is ungrammatical, perfect infinitives require "to have + past participle," not "to + past participle." Correct form is "to have been on his own," making "to been" the erroneous construction.
D) on his own
Prepositional phrase "on his own" is correctly used to express independence. No error affects this idiomatic expression.
Conclusion
Perfect infinitives expressing completed action relative to another past action require "to have + past participle" structure. "To been" omits the required auxiliary "have," creating an ungrammatical verb form that violates infinitive construction rules.