Error Spotting
🔒 Log in to trackThe master checklist: SVA → tense → article → preposition
🔒 Log in to trackAn error-spotting question shows one sentence cut into four parts. One part has a grammar fault, and you pick that part. Do not hunt at random. Check the sentence in a fixed order, because most errors sit in the first four checks.
What the question asks
A sentence is cut into three or four parts and printed with slashes. One part has an error. You only find the faulty part. You do not rewrite it.
SSC, Railway and Banking papers ask 3 to 5 of these in the English section.
Example: The quality of the mangoes / were not / up to the mark / this season. The verb were is wrong. The subject is quality, so the verb is was. Pick part 2.
The eight checks in order
Check the sentence in this order. Stop at the first check that catches a part.
| Check | Ask yourself | Example |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Subject and verb | What is the true subject? Does the verb match it? | The quality of the mangoes were |
| 2. Tense | Is there a time word? Does the verb obey it? | has left two days ago |
| 3. Verb form | Should it be -ing or to + verb? | He enjoys to sing |
| 4. Article | What is the first sound of the next word? | an university |
| 5. Preposition | Which word does it depend on? | insisted for |
| 6. Pronoun and pair words | Right case? Right partner word? | between you and I |
| 7. Comparison | Any double form? | more bigger |
| 8. Word choice | Any repeated idea or wrong twin word? | return back |
About two-thirds of all errors live in checks 1 to 4. So this order saves time.
The method in three passes
- Read for sense. Read the whole sentence once at normal speed. Your ear catches about half the errors.
- Find the verb and its subject. Cover any phrase between them with your finger.
- Walk the checklist. Stop at the first rule that catches a part. Check that part once, then mark it.
Tip: Say the corrected sentence in your head. It must sound like ordinary formal English. If your fix changes two parts, you misread the sentence. Start again.
When two parts look wrong
Ask two questions. Which part breaks a rule? Which part only looks odd? Choose the part you can convict by a named rule.
No sooner had / the referee blew / the whistle than / the crowd cheered. Part 1 (had) feels odd, but no sooner had is correct. Part 2 breaks a rule: after had, use the participle blown.
Rule: Trust the rule, not the feeling. A part with no rule against it is innocent.
The No error option
Papers keep 2 or 3 "No error" items in a set. If every part passes the eight checks, choose "No error". Do not invent a fault.
Watch: Never choose "No error" just because nothing jumped out. Run the checks first.
Where errors hide
- Next to a phrase that interrupts, such as of the mangoes or along with his friends. The verb hides its fault there.
- In the last part. It often holds a since / for, a a / an or a tag. Eyes slow down by then.
- Not in a tail phrase like of the pending bill. It is usually innocent.
- Not in a part that only ends with a full stop.
Time plan
Spend about 30 seconds on each question. If two passes find nothing, mark your best guess and move on. Come back only if time is left.
Question types you will see
Each type: how to recognise it, the method step by step, and one question to try.
Divided sentence: find the faulty part
The stem says the sentence is divided into parts and one part has an error. The four options are the four parts.
Read the whole sentence for sense.
Find the verb and its true subject. Cover interrupting phrases.
Walk the eight checks in order.
Pick the part that breaks a rule.
The format shows where the fault is, so a rule-based scan beats a guess.
Find the part with the error. (a) The price of vegetables (b) have risen sharply (c) in the last (d) two months.
Show solutionHide solution
The true subject is 'price', which is singular.
'Vegetables' sits next to the verb, but it is only part of 'of vegetables'.
The verb should be 'has risen'.
(b) have risen sharply
Divided sentence with No error as an option
The sentence has three parts and the fourth option is 'No error'.
Run the same eight-check scan.
If every part passes, choose 'No error'.
If one part fails, pick it and ignore the 'No error' bait.
Papers mix in a few no-error items to catch guessers on both sides.
Find the part with the error. (a) My cousin has been (b) working in this bank (c) since last April. (d) No error
Show solutionHide solution
'Has been working' is present perfect continuous, and it fits 'since'.
'Last April' is a point in time, so 'since' is right.
All parts pass.
(d) No error
Two suspects: the rule decides
Two parts look doubtful. One only feels odd. The other breaks a definite rule.
Mark both suspects.
For each one, name the rule it would break.
A part with no rule against it is innocent.
Pick the part you can convict by a named rule.
Setters place one bait that feels wrong and one true error.
Find the part with the error. (a) No sooner had (b) the referee blew (c) the whistle than (d) the crowd cheered.
Show solutionHide solution
Part (a) feels odd, but 'no sooner had' is correct.
After 'had', the participle is needed.
The participle of 'blow' is 'blown', so use 'had blown'.
(b) the referee blew
Fragments from different sentences
Each option is a piece of a different sentence. Only one piece is ungrammatical.
Treat each option as a mini sentence.
Find the true subject of each piece before judging its verb.
Exactly one option fails a rule.
Short pieces hide agreement errors because the subject and verb sit close together.
Which piece is wrong? (a) The news of the floods have reached (b) The furniture in these rooms is (c) Mathematics is my favourite (d) Neither of the two answers is
Show solutionHide solution
'News' is singular, so (a) needs 'has reached'.
'Furniture' is singular, so 'is' is right.
'Mathematics' and 'neither of' take singular verbs, so (c) and (d) are right.
(a) The news of the floods have reached
Small word error in the last part
The last part holds a small word: a / an, a preposition, or since / for. The first parts look fine.
Read the last part slowly, word by word.
Say each article aloud and check its first sound.
Check each preposition against the word it depends on.
Eyes slow down near the end, so setters hide the small errors there.
Find the part with the error. (a) She has been (b) learning music (c) since five years. (d) No error
Show solutionHide solution
'Five years' is a length of time.
A length takes 'for', not 'since'.
Correct: 'for five years'.
(c) since five years
Shortcuts that save time
Verb first: find the subject and check its number. Then tense words. Then a / an / the by sound. Then the preposition partner. Only then pronouns, pairs and word choice.
One of my friends / are going / to London / next week.
Show solutionHide solution
Check 1: the true subject is 'one', which is singular.
So the verb must be 'is going'.
The later checks never run.
Part 2 (are going)
Delete the phrase between the subject and the verb, such as 'of my friends' or 'as well as the players'. Read the bare skeleton. Agreement errors become loud.
Choose 'No error' only after the full sweep. About one in five of these items hides a quiet agreement or preposition fault.
Mistakes to avoid
Where most students lose marks on this subtopic.
Matching the verb with the noun nearest to it.
Find the true subject. Cover the phrase in between.
Marking the part that only sounds clumsy.
Awkward is not always wrong. Mark only a part that breaks a named rule.
Starting the hunt in the middle and skipping the first part.
Check the first part too. Pronoun and connector errors sit there.
Finding two errors and freezing.
Re-check the second one. It is usually standard usage you misjudged.
Choosing 'No error' because the sentence sounds fine at speed.
Run all eight checks before you choose it.
Quick revision
Read this the night before the exam.
Read for sense, find the subject and verb, then walk the eight checks.
Interrupting phrases hide agreement errors. Cover them.
Rule beats feeling: pick the part that breaks a rule.
No error is a real option. Earn it by finishing the checks.
The eight checks: agreement, tense, verb form, article, preposition, pronoun and pairs, comparison, word choice.
The last part often hides since / for, a / an or a tag.
Practice: 12 questions
Sets of 10, mixed across the question types above. Every answer has a step-by-step explanation.
Topic test · 12 questions
Suggested time 8 min · wrong answers go to your mistake notebook automatically.