English Language

Spotting Errors

4,734 Questions
All Noun, Article, and Determiner Usage 629 Subject-Verb Agreement 529 Preposition and Phrasal Verb Choice 510 Tense and Time Sequence 429 Pronoun Agreement and Case 415 Adjective and Adverb Form 372 Idiom and Confusable Word Choice 367 Verb Complement and Mood 347 Sentence Structure and Modifier Placement 296 Conjunction and Connector Choice 228 Parallel Structure 220 Redundancy and Negation 148

Spotting Errors Questions

Multiple choice

Directions: The sentence below or part thereof has been underlined. The underlined part may have an error of grammar or diction. Select the option that best corrects the error, if any.

The voluminous personal papers of Thomas Alva Edison reveal that his inventions typically sprang to life not in a flash of inspiration but evolved slowly from previous works.

  1. sprang to life not in a flash of inspiration but evolved slowly

  2. sprang to life not in a flash of inspiration but were slowly evolved

  3. did not spring to life in a flash of inspiration but evolved slowly

  4. did not spring to life in a flash of inspiration but had slowly evolved

  5. had not sprang to life in a flash of inspiration

Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
D Correct answer
Explanation

Option (E)is incomplete and (B) not  supporting the verb subject agreement so both can be eliminated.  Options (A) and (C) have 'had' in the last part of the sentence, hence, the complete meaning does not evolve, so (D) is the answer.

Multiple choice

Directions: The sentence below or part thereof has been underlined. The underlined part may have an error of grammar or diction. Select the option that best corrects the error, if any.

An array of tax incentives has led to a boom in the construction of new office buildings; so abundant has capital been for commercial real estate that investors regularly scour the country for areas in which to build.

  1. so abundant has capital been for commercial real estate that

  2. capital has been so abundant for commercial real estate, so that

  3. the abundance of capital for commercial real estate has been such,

  4. such has the abundance of capital been for commercial real estate that

  5. such an abundance of capital been for commercial real estate
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
D Correct answer
Explanation

Options (C) and (E) are incomplete and do not bring out the correct meaning of the sentence, options (A) and (B) have an incorrect phrasing, so (D) is the answer.

Multiple choice

Directions: The sentence below or part thereof has been underlined. The underlined part may have an error of grammar or diction. Select the option that best corrects the error, if any.

A Labor Department study states that the numbers of women employed outside the home grew by more than a thirty-five % increase in the past decade and accounted for more than sixty-two % of the total growth in the civilian work force.

  1. numbers of women employed outside the home grew by more than a thirty-five % increase.

  2. numbers of women employed outside the home grew more than thirty-five %

  3. numbers of women employed outside the home increased by more than thirty - five %

  4. number of women employed outside the home increased by more than thirty-five %
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
D Correct answer
Explanation

The error in the question is usage of “Numbers of women' instead of 'Number of women' which is rectified only in (D) option, so, (D) is the answer.

Multiple choice

Directions: The sentence below or part thereof has been underlined. The underlined part may have an error of grammar or diction. Select the option that best corrects the error, if any.

Despite the money that has been invested by industry in the attempt to persuade Americans that highly processed foods are the best foods, the populace stubbornly clings to the belief that such foods are neither particularly healthy or tasty.

  1. are neither particularly healthy or tasty.

  2. are neither particularly healthful nor tasty.

  3. are not particularly healthy or tasty.

  4. are not very healthy nor tasty.

  5. none of these
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
B Correct answer
Explanation

“Neither and nor” are correlative conjunctions.  Since ‘neither’ is used so, it has to be followed by nor.  So he answer is (B).

Multiple choice

Directions: The sentence below or part of the sentence has been underlined. The underlined part may have an error of grammar or diction. Select the option that best corrects the error, if any.

The closing of small, inexpensive hospitals while large expensive hospitals remain open seems a luxury that we can no longer afford in order to maintain them.

  1. seems a luxury that we can no longer afford in order to maintain them.

  2. seems to emphasize luxury over economy, which we can no longer afford.

  3. seems to be a waste of valuable resources.

  4. seems a luxury we can no longer afford.

  5. seems too luxurious to be any longer affordable.
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
B Correct answer
Explanation

Options (C) and (E) change the whole meaning of the sentence, (A) and (D) are not meaningful enough. So (B) is the answer.

Multiple choice

Directions: The sentence below or part thereof has been underlined. The underlined part may have an error of grammar or diction. Select the option that best corrects the error, if any.

While it is certainly true that almost all literate citizens could be taught to improve their ability to read and reason, it must first be demonstrated that such an undertaking would increase the general welfare.

  1. While it is certainly true that almost all literate citizens could be taught to improve their ability to read and reason, it must first be demonstrated that such an undertaking would increase the general welfare.

  2. While it is certainly true that almost all literate citizens could improve their reading and reasoning skills, such a vast undertaking requires a clear demonstration of benefit before being undertaken.

  3. Before undertaking to improve the reading and reasoning of almost all citizens, it is necessary to show that the project will work.

  4. Before the project of improving almost all citizens' reading and reasoning skills is undertaken, than the outcome will be increased happiness must be demonstrated.

  5. Prior to the improvement of citizens' reading and reasoning skills, it must be shown that they will be happier with the improved skills than they are now.
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
A Correct answer
Explanation

The sentence is as such correct all other options have changed the meaning of the sentence and hence are all incorrect.

Multiple choice

Directions: The sentence below or part thereof has been underlined. The underlined part may have an error of grammar or diction. Select the option that best corrects the error, if any.

Defense attorneys have occasionally argued that their clients misconduct stemmed from a reaction to something ingested, but in attributing criminal or delinquent behavior to some food allergy, the perpetrators are in effect told that they are not responsible for their actions.

  1. in attributing criminal or delinquent behavior to some food allergy

  2. if criminal or delinquent behavior is attributed to an allergy to some food

  3. in attributing behavior that is criminal or delinquent to an allergy to some food

  4. if some food allergy is attributed as the cause of criminal or delinquent behavior

  5. in attributing allergy to food as a reason for criminal (on) delinquent behavior
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
D Correct answer
Explanation

The allergy is caused from some food and not 'to' some food, so options (B) (C) and (E) can be eliminated as such, (A) needs rearrangement of phrases, So (D) is the answer.

Multiple choice

Directions: The sentence below or part thereof has been underlined. The underlined part may have an error of grammar or diction. Select the option that best corrects the error, if any.

Which controversy rages over whether the sign language taught to some great apes is truly human-like speech, there is no similar dispute that our powers of communication are greater by far than that of any other animal.

  1. are greater by far than that of any other animal.

  2. are far greater than that of any other animal.

  3. are greater by far than any other animal.

  4. are far greater than those of any other animal.

  5. have been far greater than those of other animals.
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
E Correct answer
Explanation

The sentence has basically two errors, one is that of being an incorrect phrasing and second the comparison with 'animals' which has been used in singular form; only option (E) rectify's both the errors, so (E) is the answer.

Multiple choice

Directions: A sentence has been divided into four parts as P, Q, R and S. One of the parts contains a grammatical error. Find that part.

It is seen that today’s consumption patterns (P) are not only depleting natural resources at a rapid rate, (Q) but widening the inequalities in (R) consumption in different societies (S).

  1. P

  2. Q

  3. R

  4. S

  5. None of these
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
C Correct answer
Explanation

There is an error in the use of correlative conjunction ‘not only….but also'. The correct option is 3.