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 has four underlined words or phrases. The four underlined parts of the sentence are marked (A), (B), (C) and (D). Identify the one underlined word or phrase that must be changed in order for the sentence to be correct.

All (A) but (B) he (C) had fled away from the office when police (D) raided. (E) No error

  1. (A)

  2. (B)

  3. (C)

  4. (D)

  5. (E)
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
B Correct answer
Explanation

 Change 'he' to 'him' to correct the pronoun error. A preposition is always followed by pronoun in the objective case. 

Multiple choice

Directions: The sentence has four underlined words or phrases. The four underlined parts of the sentence are marked (A), (B), (C) and (D). Identify the one underlined word or phrase that must be changed in order for the sentence to be correct.

Mahatma Gandhi was not (A) one of those (B) politicians (C) who imitated everything (D) he saw. (E) No error

  1. (A)

  2. (B)

  3. (C)

  4. (D)

  5. (E)
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
D Correct answer
Explanation

 'They' is the correct pronoun instead of 'he' because the pronoun refers to 'politicians' not 'Mahatma Gandhi'.

Multiple choice

Directions: The sentence has a part underlined. The part may have error of grammar and/or syntax. Identify the error and select the option that rectifies the error.

While not all children has artistic ability, it's advisable for parents to provide encouragement to all who do.

  1. not all children has artistic ability

  2. all children doesn't have artistic ability

  3. artistic ability is not had by every child

  4. every child has no artistic ability

  5. not every child has artistic ability
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
E Correct answer
Explanation

 The phrase 'All children' is plural and verb 'has' is not plural. The answer is (E) as every is followed by a singular verb and the change grammatically rectifies the sentence.

Multiple choice

Directions: The sentence has a part underlined. The part may have error of grammar and/or syntax. Identify the error and select the option that rectifies the error.

The high protein content of various strains of alfalfa plants, along with the characteristically long root system that enables them to survive long droughts, make them particularly valuable in arid countries.

  1. enables them to survive long droughts, make them particularly valuable

  2. enables them to survive long droughts, makes them particularly valuable

  3. enable them to survive long droughts, and makes them particularly valuable

  4. enable them to survive long droughts, make them particularly valuable

  5. enables them to survive long drought, and make them particularly valuable
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
B Correct answer
Explanation

 The coordinating conjunction 'along with' necessitates that the verb connect with the first subject. 'High protein content' is a singular subject so all the verbs in the sentence should also be singular. 'Enables' is correct but the error is in the latter part of the sentence where 'make' is used instead of 'makes'. (B) rectifies the error.

Multiple choice

Directions: The sentence has a part underlined. The part may have error of grammar and/or syntax. Identify the error and select the option that rectifies the error.

A seismograph records oscillation of the ground caused by seismic waves, vibrations that travel from its point of origin, through the Earth or along its surface.

  1. oscillation of the ground caused by seismic waves, vibrations that travel from its point

  2. oscillations of the ground caused by seismic waves, vibrations that travel from its point

  3. oscillation of the ground caused by seismic waves, vibrations that travel from their points

  4. oscillations of the ground caused by seismic waves, vibrations which travel from its point

  5. oscillation of the ground caused by seismic waves, vibrations which travels from its points
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
C Correct answer
Explanation

 Vibrations being plural should not be followed by the singular pronoun 'its'. Hence, 'its' should be replaced by 'their' which is rectified only in (C). 

Multiple choice

Directions: The sentence has a part underlined. The part may have error of grammar and/or syntax. Identify the error and select the option that rectifies the error.

The manufacture of automobile was extremely expensive until assembly-line techniques made them cheaper to produce.

  1. The manufacture of automobile was extremely expensive until

  2. The manufacture of automobile was extremely expensive till

  3. Manufacture of the automobile was extremely expensive until

  4. The manufacture of automobiles was extremely expensive until

  5. Manufacture of the automobile was extremely expensive till
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
D Correct answer
Explanation

 The pronoun 'them' signals at a plural noun, but in the sentence the manufacture is of singular 'automobile'. This error is rectified only in option (D).

Multiple choice

Directions: The sentence has a part underlined. The part may have error of grammar and/or syntax. Identify the error and select the option that rectifies the error.

Regardless of one's personal beliefs, you have the responsibility to report the facts as impartially as possible.

  1. Regardless of one's personal beliefs

  2. Regardless of one's personal belief

  3. Regardless of personal beliefs

  4. Disregarding one's personal beliefs

  5. without paying regard to one's personal beliefs
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
C Correct answer
Explanation

 There is an error of shift of pronoun. 'You' signifies a second person and is not consistent with 'one's'. Option (C) is the answer as it dispenses with 'one's' altogether.

Multiple choice

Directions: The sentence has four underlined words or phrases. The four underlined parts of the sentence are marked (A), (B), (C) and (D). Identify the one underlined word or phrase that must be changed in order for the sentence to be correct.

It is (A) me (B) who (C) am to blame (D) for the accident. (E) No error

  1. (A)

  2. (B)

  3. (C)

  4. (D)

  5. (E)

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

 Change ‘me’ to ‘I’. The auxiliary ‘am’ can only be used with the subjective case ‘I’.

Multiple choice

Directions: The sentence has four underlined words or phrases. The four underlined parts of the sentence are marked (A), (B), (C) and (D). Identify the one underlined word or phrase that must be changed in order for the sentence to be correct.

What (A) is (B) the criteria (C) for deciding who (D) gets the prize? (E) No error

  1. (A)

  2. (B)

  3. (C)

  4. (D)

  5. (E)
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
A Correct answer
Explanation

Option 1 is the correct answer. "Are" is the correct verb for "criteria" which is a plural noun (singular is criterion).

Multiple choice

Directions: The sentence has four underlined words or phrases. The four underlined parts of the sentence are marked (A), (B), (C) and (D). Identify the one underlined word or phrase that must be changed in order for the sentence to be correct.

(A) None of the (B) two contestants (C) was ready (D) for compromise. (E) No error

  1. (A)

  2. (B)

  3. (C)

  4. (D)

  5. (E)
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
A Correct answer
Explanation

 Change 'none' to 'neither'. 'None' refers to more than two persons or things while neither is used for two persons or things.

Multiple choice

Directions: The sentence has four underlined words or phrases. The four underlined parts of the sentence are marked (A), (B), (C) and (D). Identify the one underlined word or phrase that must be changed in order for the sentence to be correct.

It is (A) I (B) who (C) has saved the team from (D) another defeat. (E) No error

  1. (A)

  2. (B)

  3. (C)

  4. (D)

  5. (E)
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
C Correct answer
Explanation

 Change 'has' to 'have' to correct the error of subject verb agreement, because 'who' is a relative pronoun (representing 'I' here).

Multiple choice

Directions: The sentence has four underlined words or phrases. The four underlined parts of the sentence are marked (A), (B), (C) and (D). Identify the one underlined word or phrase that must be changed in order for the sentence to be correct.

(A) Whom do people think (B) is (C) the better of the two candidates (D) for the chief minister’s post? (E) No error

  1. (A)

  2. (B)

  3. (C)

  4. (D)

  5. (E)
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
A Correct answer
Explanation

 Change ‘whom’ to ‘who’ because ‘whom’ is the subject of the clause ‘is the better of the two            candidates’, so the subject of the clause should be ‘who’.

Multiple choice

Directions: The sentence has four underlined words or phrases. The four underlined parts of the sentence are marked (A), (B), (C) and (D). Identify the one underlined word or phrase that must be changed in order for the sentence to be correct.

(A) The minister redeemed (B) him in the eyes of the public (C) after (D) resigning. (E) No error

  1. (A)

  2. (B)

  3. (C)

  4. (D)

  5. (E)
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
B Correct answer
Explanation

 Change 'him' to 'himself' to correct the error of reflexive pronoun.

Multiple choice

Directions: The sentence has four underlined words or phrases. The four underlined parts of the sentence are marked (A), (B), (C) and (D). Identify the one underlined word or phrase that must be changed in order for the sentence to be correct.

(A) In the evening (B) the lane is full (C) of people from (D) one end to another. (E) No error

  1. (A)

  2. (B)

  3. (C)

  4. (D)

  5. (E)
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
D Correct answer
Explanation

 Change 'one end to another' to 'one end to the other'. (There are only two ends).

Multiple choice

Directions: The sentence has four underlined words or phrases. The four underlined parts of the sentence are marked (A), (B), (C) and (D). Identify the one underlined word or phrase that must be changed in order for the sentence to be correct.

(A) One of the one who (B) placed it there (C) has returned the (D) one called pinto. (E) No error

  1. (A)

  2. (B)

  3. (C)

  4. (D)

  5. (E)
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
A Correct answer
Explanation

 'One of the ones' is the correct usage. 'One of the' is always followed by a plural noun or pronoun.