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 following sentence is divided divided into four parts designated as A, B, C & D. and locate errors. The errors,Read and locate the errors, if any, in any one part will be found in any one part of the sentence. If there is no error found, select option E. Do not bother about spelling or punctuation errors.

(A) One of the great attribute (B) of this scheme is (C) that it can be wound up (D) without affecting the overall programme.(E) No Error

  1. (A)

  2. (B)

  3. (C)

  4. (D)
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
A Correct answer
Explanation

(A) 'One of the great attributes (one out of many attributes) is…' The mistake has therefore occurred in A) and B) C) and D) are free from errors. There is no error There is no error There is no error There is no error

Multiple choice

Directions: The following sentence is divided divided into four parts designated as A, B, C & D. and locate errors. The errors,Read and locate the errors, if any, in any one part will be found in any one part of the sentence. If there is no error found, select option E. Do not bother about spelling or punctuation errors.

(A) No sooner the whistle blew (B) than there was (C) a flurry of activities amongst the passengers (D) to get into the train. (E) No Error

  1. (A)

  2. (B)

  3. (C)

  4. (D)
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
A Correct answer
Explanation

'No sooner did the whistle blow' is the correct expression because it gives substance to what follows. What follows is a flurry of activities forcing passengers to make a dash for their seats. 'Whistle blew' does not convey the sense of immediacy and urgency. It blew, but we do not seem to know when. This part signifies the immediacy of the situation. Use of “amongst” is correct This refers to the result of the flurry of activities. There is no error

Multiple choice

Directions: The following sentence is divided divided into four parts designated as A, B, C & D. and locate errors. The errors,Read and locate the errors, if any, in any one part will be found in any one part of the sentence. If there is no error found, select option E. Do not bother about spelling or punctuation errors.

(A) Did not the priest (B) tell you (C) to recite the mantra (D) a number of times? (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

The subject is 'the priest' and not 'not the priest'. Also, it distorts what we call apposition in grammar. Did 'not the priest' seems to be leading you to something when what we are entitled to know is what exactly the priest said. So, the right way of saying it would be 'did the priest not tell you to recite the mantra a number of times?' This sentence is in the present tense and this part follows the tense. This sentence is in the present tense and this part follows the tense This means to recite the mantra several times. There is no error

Multiple choice

Directions: The following sentence is divided divided into four parts designated as A, B, C & D. and locate errors. The errors,Read and locate the errors, if any, in any one part will be found in any one part of the sentence. If there is no error found, select option E. Do not bother about spelling or punctuation errors.

(A) Neither the minister (B) nor his personal secretary (C) were found (D) on the scene. (E) No Error

  1. (A)

  2. (B)

  3. (C)

  4. (D)
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
C Correct answer
Explanation

This follows the format of neither-nor and uses “the” as a particular minister is being referred. This uses the right pronoun (it can also be “her”) 'neither the minister nor his personal secretary was found on the scene'. Both the minister and his personal secretary are referred to as two distinct individuals separately. In a nutshell, it means 'the minister was not found on the scene' and 'the personal secretary was not found on the scene'. When combined together, the first second subject determines whether the verb will be singular or plural. Correct use of preposition. There is no error

Multiple choice

Directions: The following sentence is divided divided into four parts designated as A, B, C & D. and locate errors. The errors,Read and locate the errors, if any, in any one part will be found in any one part of the sentence. If there is no error found, select option E. Do not bother about spelling or punctuation errors.

(A) When war broke out (B) an urgent meeting of commander-in-chiefs (C) was held in the ministry (D) to decide country's response. (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

This part refers to an event in the past, the sentence is in simple past tense. No error found. Commanders-in-chief. Even though chiefs is often used, it would be improper and incorrect to say commander-in-chiefs. When commanders are present, there is no need for chiefs. The tense matches the opening part of the sentence. Hence, no error found. No error found No error

Multiple choice

Directions: The following sentence is divided divided into four parts designated as A, B, C & D. and locate errors. The errors,Read and locate the errors, if any, in any one part will be found in any one part of the sentence. If there is no error found, select option E. Do not bother about spelling or punctuation errors.

(A) It has become a fashion (B) these days to regard fast food sold (C) in the market more palatable (D) and superior than home food. (E) No Error

  1. (A)

  2. (B)

  3. (C)

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

The opening part of the sentence is in simple present tense. No error found. “these” supports the present tense of the opening statement. No error found in this part. It should be 'superior to' and not superior than. This is a prepositional error. 'To' is the only preposition the word takes. Mistakes are usually made because 'superior' is often treated as conventional comparative form of super. It stands on its own as an independent adjective. No error

Multiple choice

Directions: The following sentence is divided divided into four parts designated as A, B, C & D. and locate errors. The errors,Read and locate the errors, if any, in any one part will be found in any one part of the sentence. If there is no error found, select option E. Do not bother about spelling or punctuation errors.

(A) All that we can do (B) for the beggars (C) are to relocate them (D) to another place. (E) No Error

  1. (A)

  2. (B)

  3. (C)

  4. (D)
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
C Correct answer
Explanation

All that we can do' is the subject and there is no error in this part. ”beggers” acts as the complement of the subject. There is also no error in this part. All that we can do' is the subject and is quantified as singular. Its verb that occurs in C must also be singular. As the subject has 'beggars' as its complement, an error is made by putting 'are' after beggars (plural). Error therefore occurs in C. 'Are' needs to be replaced by 'is'. This completes the sentence, no error found. There is no error found

Multiple choice

Directions: The following sentence is divided divided into four parts designated as A, B, C & D. and locate errors. The errors,Read and locate the errors, if any, in any one part will be found in any one part of the sentence. If there is no error found, select option E. Do not bother about spelling or punctuation errors.

(A) He was sad that Seema and (B) her niece was taking (C) two different routes (D) to reach the same destination. (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

There is no error found. Seema and her niece 'were' (not was) taking two different routes. Seema and her niece are two individuals put together as compound subject. The verb must be in agreement with the subject, i.e. it should be in plural. There is no error found. There is no error found There is no error

Multiple choice

Directions: The following sentence is divided divided into four parts designated as A, B, C & D. and locate errors. The errors,Read and locate the errors, if any, in any one part will be found in any one part of the sentence. If there is no error found, select option E. Do not bother about spelling or punctuation errors.

(A) After retiring (B) from active service (C) he has chosen (D) to guide students in need of support. (E) No Error

  1. (A)

  2. (B)

  3. (C)

  4. (D)
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
C Correct answer
Explanation

show the statement in the past indefinite and no error is found. is a continuation of A and agrees with it. A and B show the statement in past indefinite whereas C) puts it in present perfect. This is a case of tense mismatch. It should read as 'after retiring from active service, he chose to…' A correct part of sentence which follows the meaning. No error found

Multiple choice

Directions: The following sentence is divided divided into four parts designated as A, B, C & D. and locate errors. The errors,Read and locate the errors, if any, in any one part will be found in any one part of the sentence. If there is no error found, select option E. Do not bother about spelling or punctuation errors.

(A) Left to myself (B) I will always prefer (C) reciting Eliot than (D) reciting Wilfred Owen. (E) No Error

  1. (A)

  2. (B)

  3. (C)

  4. (D)
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
C Correct answer
Explanation

'Left to myself' means given a choice and it is perfectly in order. This is a sentence in future tense. There is no error found The mistake occurs in C. 'Prefer' takes only 'to' as preposition. So, it should read as “I will always prefer reciting Eliot to reciting Wilfred Owen.” Reciting Eliot and reciting Owen are two independent activities. This denotes an activity and there is no error found. There is no error

Multiple choice

Directions: The following sentence is divided divided into four parts designated as A, B, C & D. and locate errors. The errors,Read and locate the errors, if any, in any one part will be found in any one part of the sentence. If there is no error found, select option E. Do not bother about spelling or punctuation errors.

(A) In deference to her wishes (B) I introduced her (C) to my neighbour (D) who is a known singer and a musician. (E) No Error

  1. (A)

  2. (B)

  3. (C)

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

This means “out of regard” or “respecting” her wishes. It is a correct use of the word and there is no error found. This is a simple sentence in past tense. There is no error found. We introduce people “to” each other. There is no error found. Mistake occurs in D. It should be 'who is a singer and musician'. Here, the reference is to the same individual. There is therefore, no need for article against the second noun when two nouns are joined by 'and' in the given example. There is no error

Multiple choice

Directions: The following sentence is divided divided into four parts designated as A, B, C & D. and locate errors. The errors,Read and locate the errors, if any, in any one part will be found in any one part of the sentence. If there is no error found, select option E. Do not bother about spelling or punctuation errors.

(A) Anjali confirmed (B) that on the scheduled date of the ceremony (C) none of the artists (D) were booked for any other performance. (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

There is no error found There is no error found Mistake occurs in C. 'None' means 'no one' and is definitely singular even though these days there is a tendency to use 'none' both as singular and plural depending on the sense conveyed by it.  Grammatically to be on the right side, we must use 'none' as singular unless warranted otherwise by the sense of the sentences. There is no error found There is no error

Multiple choice

Directions: The following sentence is divided divided into four parts designated as A, B, C & D. and locate errors. The errors,Read and locate the errors, if any, in any one part will be found in any one part of the sentence. If there is no error found, select option E. Do not bother about spelling or punctuation errors.

(A) Being a mellifluous singer (B) all her friends (C) sought her (D) presence on festive occasions. (E) No Error

  1. (A)

  2. (B)

  3. (C)

  4. (D)
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
A Correct answer
Explanation

Mistake occurs in A. No subject has been provided. It should therefore begin as 'she, being a mellifluous singer….' A sentence must have a subject. Where subject is not given, it has to be supplied. The plural “all” is followed the plural “friends”. No error found. This refers to “wanted her to attend” No error found. “On” is used for day and dates. No error found

Multiple choice

Directions: The following sentence is divided divided into four parts designated as A, B, C & D. and locate errors. The errors,Read and locate the errors, if any, in any one part will be found in any one part of the sentence. If there is no error found, select option E. Do not bother about spelling or punctuation errors.

(A) The only thing to do (B) to improve his performance (C) is to make him sit out (D) until he has not understood the finer elements. (E) No Error

  1. (A)

  2. (B)

  3. (C)

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

This part implies an action to be taken. This part refers to the reason why the action is needed This action is supposed to be taken. It should be 'until he has understood the finer elements'. Until means 'till not' or 'not till'. It has the negative element already. Therefore, 'until he has not understood…'vitiates the meaning of the writer. No error found