Error Spotting
🔒 Log in to trackPronoun and correlative-conjunction errors
🔒 Log in to trackPronouns change form by their job: subject forms do the action, object forms receive it. Correlative pairs such as no sooner ... than always travel together. Most errors are the wrong pronoun case, the wrong partner word, or a wrong connective in reported speech.
Pronoun case: who does what
- Subject pronouns do the action: I, we, he, she, they.
- Object pronouns receive it: me, us, him, her, them.
- After a preposition, use the object form: between you and me, for him and me.
- After let, use the object form: Let him and me finish.
- With than, add the hidden verb in your head: She is taller than I (am). Exams accept than I.
Rule: Between you and I is always wrong. A preposition needs the object form.
Look-alike words
- its means belonging to it. it's means it is.
- whose means belonging to whom. who's means who is.
- their, there, they're are three different words.
- Before a noun, a possessive never takes an apostrophe. It's tail is wrong. Its tail is right.
Relative pronouns
- who is the subject of the clause: The lawyer who took our case.
- whom is the object: The lawyer whom we met.
- whose shows possession, for people and things: the building whose roof leaked.
- which is for things. that is for people or things in defining clauses.
Tip: Replace the pronoun with he or him. He fits: use who. Him fits: use whom.
Correlative pairs
Pair words travel together. Check that both halves match.
| Pair | Example | Wrong partner |
|---|---|---|
| no sooner ... than | No sooner had the train left than the bell rang. | when |
| hardly / scarcely ... when | Hardly had he sat down when the phone rang. | than |
| not only ... but also | She not only sings but also dances. | but only |
| either ... or; neither ... nor | verb agrees with the nearer subject | first subject |
| both ... and | Both Ram and his brother came. | as well as |
| lest ... should | Work hard lest you should fail. | will not |
| whether ... or | I asked whether he would come or not. | nor |
What follows not only must match what follows but also: verb with verb, noun with noun.
After did, use the base verb: No sooner did the bell ring than .... After had, use the participle: No sooner had the bell rung than ....
Connectives in reported speech
- Reported yes/no question: use if or whether. Never that whether.
- Reported wh- question: keep the wh-word and drop that. He asked why he had changed his statement.
- Reported order or request: use to + verb. The coach told them to warm up.
Order and agreement
- Normal order is second person, third person, first person: you, he and I. Never I and you.
- To admit a fault, put yourself first: I, you and he are to blame.
- Each, everyone, somebody, nobody take singular pronouns: Each of the boys did his work. Exam keys follow his / her.
- Each other is for two. One another is for more than two.
- A pronoun that repeats the subject is wrong: My friend he came is wrong.
Question types you will see
Each type: how to recognise it, the method step by step, and one question to try.
Pronoun case after a preposition or let
A preposition (between, for, to, with) or let is followed by a subject-form pronoun (I, he, she, they).
Find the preposition or let before the pronoun.
Use the object forms: me, him, her, us, them.
Never say between you and I.
'You and I' sounds polite, so it is the classic planted error.
Find the part with the error. (a) The award was shared (b) between Ravi and he, (c) though the judges had earlier (d) picked only Ravi.
Show solutionHide solution
'Between' is a preposition.
It takes the object form.
Correct: 'between Ravi and him'.
(b) between Ravi and he
Who / whom / whose / which
A clause starts with who, whom, whose or which, and the case or the word is wrong.
Find the relative clause and its verb.
The pronoun does the action: who. It receives it (him fits): whom.
Possession: whose, even for buildings and things.
The him test settles who and whom in seconds. 'Which roof' has no defence.
Find the part with the error. (a) The building (b) which roof was damaged (c) in the storm (d) is being repaired.
Show solutionHide solution
The roof belongs to the building.
Possession needs 'whose'.
Correct: 'whose roof was damaged'.
(b) which roof was damaged
Correlative pair mismatch
The sentence has no sooner, hardly, scarcely or not only. The second half has the wrong partner or a broken verb.
Circle the first half of the pair.
Recall its partner: no sooner ... than. hardly / scarcely ... when. not only ... but also.
Check the word order after it.
The pairs are frozen, so swapping the partner word is the most planted error.
Find the part with the error. (a) No sooner had the train left (b) when the passengers (c) began complaining (d) about the delay.
Show solutionHide solution
'No sooner' pairs with 'than'.
'When' belongs with hardly or scarcely.
Correct: 'than the passengers'.
(b) when the passengers
Its / it's and other look-alikes
The suspect part has its / it's, whose / who's, or their / there.
Expand it's to it is and who's to who is.
If the expansion makes no sense, use the plain possessive.
A possessive before a noun never takes an apostrophe.
The apostrophe forms are contractions, and a noun after them needs a possessive.
Find the part with the error. (a) The committee published (b) it's annual report (c) before the audit (d) could even begin.
Show solutionHide solution
'It's' means 'it is'.
'It is annual report' makes no sense.
Correct: 'its annual report'.
(b) it's annual report
Connective in reported questions
The sentence reports a question (asked, wanted to know). The connective is 'that + wh-word' or 'that whether'.
Spot the reporting verb.
Yes/no question: whether or if.
Wh-question: the wh-word alone.
The wrong option joins two legal connectives into one illegal chunk.
Find the part with the error. (a) Mother wanted to know (b) that whether I had (c) locked the back door (d) before leaving.
Show solutionHide solution
The reported question is yes/no.
It takes 'whether' or 'if'.
Correct: 'whether I had locked'.
(b) that whether I had
Myself as a subject; a repeated pronoun
The subject holds a -self pronoun (myself, himself), or a pronoun repeats the subject.
Check the subject slot.
A -self pronoun is never the subject. Use I, he or she.
Delete a pronoun that only repeats the subject.
-self pronouns show the doer and receiver are the same, so they cannot stand alone as a subject.
Find the part with the error. (a) My friend and myself (b) attended the seminar (c) held at the (d) district library.
Show solutionHide solution
'Myself' cannot be a subject.
Use the subject form 'I'.
Correct: 'My friend and I'.
(a) My friend and myself
Shortcuts that save time
Between you and I, for he and I: all wrong. After a preposition, use the object form every time.
Between you and I, / the new manager / has no / practical experience.
Show solutionHide solution
'Between' is a preposition.
A preposition takes the object form.
Correct: 'between you and me'.
Part 1
After did, does or do, the verb keeps its base form: 'No sooner did the bell ring'. A past form after did is always an error.
Cover everything except the pair words. If one half stands with the wrong partner (hardly ... than), that part is the error.
Mistakes to avoid
Where most students lose marks on this subtopic.
Using 'whom' as the subject, or 'who' after a preposition ('to who').
Subject: who. After a preposition or as object: whom.
Writing 'between him and she'.
Both pronouns after 'between' are objects: between him and her.
Pairing hardly / scarcely with 'than' and no sooner with 'when'.
Hardly / scarcely go with when. No sooner goes with than.
Marking 'everyone ... their' without knowing the key.
SSC keys follow his / her. Mark accordingly when the options force a choice.
Writing 'that whether' or 'that why' in a reported question.
Use 'whether' or 'why' alone.
Quick revision
Read this the night before the exam.
After a preposition or let: the object pronoun. Between you and me.
its is not it's. whose is not who's.
who does, whom receives, whose owns (even for things).
no sooner ... than. hardly ... when. not only ... but also.
asked whether, asked why. Never 'that whether' or 'that why'.
two: each other. Many: one another.
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.