Chapter 1 · English Grammar

Error Spotting

Advanced ⏱ 45–55 minutes 🎓 Competitive & Beyond

What you will be able to do

  • Apply a systematic 8-step error-spotting approach
  • Recognise the high-frequency error categories in exams
  • Spot subject-verb, tense and pronoun errors fast
  • Catch preposition, article and modifier traps
  • Decide quickly when a sentence has 'no error'
Builds on / Related chapters
Grade 9 · Editing & Error Correction Grade 7 · Subject–Verb Agreement Grade 9 · Advanced Tenses

1 Quick Introduction

English

Error spotting is the bread-and-butter of every competitive English paper. A sentence is split into parts and you must find the one with a mistake (or mark 'No error'). Speed and accuracy come from a fixed checklist: scan for agreement, tense, pronouns, prepositions, articles and modifiers — in that order — every single time.

हिन्दी

Error spotting हर प्रतियोगी अंग्रेज़ी पेपर का मूल भाग है। एक वाक्य को भागों में बाँटा जाता है और आपको वह भाग ढूँढना है जिसमें गलती हो (या 'No error' चुनना है)। गति और शुद्धता एक निश्चित checklist से आती है: हर बार एक ही क्रम में — agreement, tense, pronouns, prepositions, articles और modifiers — जाँचें।

2 A Real-Life Situation

Imagine this

A typical exam item:

Q: (A) One of the boys / (B) who came late / (C) were punished / (D) by the teacher. / (E) No error

Answer: (C) — 'One of the boys … was punished' (the subject is 'One', singular).

Why this form? The trap is the plural 'boys' just before the verb. Your checklist — 'find the real subject first' — instantly reveals the error in part C. That is how a trained eye scores fast.

3 The Grammar Rule

Rule & Formula
StepCheck
1Read for overall meaning
2Subject-verb agreement
3Tense consistency
4Pronoun usage
5Articles & determiners
6Prepositions
7Adjective/adverb & comparison
8Parallel structure
Run the 8-point checklist on every sentence, in order
Spot the error: 'He is more cleverer than his brother.' → 'more cleverer' (double comparative).

4 The 8-Step Approach

Apply this checklist to every sentence, in order, until you find the error:

  1. Meaning — read the whole sentence first.
  2. Subject-verb agreement — find the real subject (ignore intervening phrases).
  3. Tense — check consistency and sequence.
  4. Pronouns — case (I/me), agreement, clear reference.
  5. Articles & determiners — a/an/the, much/many.
  6. Prepositions — collocations (good at, married to).
  7. Adjectives/adverbs & comparison — degrees, double comparatives.
  8. Parallelism — items in a list/correlative must match.

If none of the eight reveals a mistake, the answer is 'No error' — and about 15–20% of items genuinely have no error, so trust your checklist.

Visual — The 8-Step Approach
Run the checklist in order1 meaning2 agreement3 tense4 pronoun5 article6 preposition7 comparison8 parallelism
1
Worked Example
Spot the error: (A) The quality of / (B) the products / (C) are excellent. / (D) No error
Solution

(C) — subject is 'The quality' (singular) → 'is excellent'.

2
Worked Example
Spot the error: (A) He insisted / (B) on to go / (C) with us. / (D) No error
Solution

(B) — 'insist on' + gerund → 'on going'.

Key Points

  • Run the 8 checks in order: meaning, agreement, tense, pronoun, article, preposition, comparison, parallelism
  • Find the real subject — ignore intervening phrases
  • About 15–20% of items are 'No error' — trust the checklist

5 High-Frequency Error Traps

Exam-setters reuse the same traps. Memorise them:

TrapWatch for
Collective nounsThe committee has/have (singular as one unit)
Indefinite pronounsEveryone … his/their (singular, strict)
Either/Neithersingular verb; nor pairs with neither
'The + adjective'The rich are… (plural meaning)
Double comparativesmore better, more superior ✗
Redundancyreturn back, revert back, free gift
Confused wordsaffect/effect, principle/principal
Double negativeshardly … any (not 'no')
Bare infinitivemust to go ✗ → must go
Who vs whomwho = subject; whom = object
1
Worked Example
Spot the error: (A) Hardly had I slept / (B) when there was / (C) no any sound. / (D) No error
Solution

(C) — 'no any' is a double negative; use 'any' after 'hardly' (or 'no sound').

2
Worked Example
Spot the error: (A) The committee / (B) have decided / (C) to postpone it. / (D) No error (acting as one unit)
Solution

(B) — acting as one unit, 'committee' takes 'has decided'.

Key Points

  • Memorise traps: collective nouns, either/neither, double comparatives, redundancy
  • Confused words (affect/effect), double negatives (hardly … any)
  • Modals take the bare infinitive (must go, not must to go)

6 Vocabulary Builder

WordMeaningहिन्दी
Error spottingfinding the mistakeत्रुटि पहचान
Agreementsubject-verb matchमेल
Redundancyneedless repetitionअनावश्यक पुनरुक्ति
Collocationnatural word pairingशब्द-संगति
Intervening phrasewords between subject & verbबीच का वाक्यांश
✎ Vocabulary Quick Test0 / 1
Q.'One of the boys ___ absent.' Which verb?
Explanation: The subject is 'One' (singular) → 'is'.

7 Common Mistakes to Avoid

✗ IncorrectOne of the boys are absent.
✓ CorrectOne of the boys is absent.
Subject 'One' is singular.
✗ IncorrectHe is more superior to me.
✓ CorrectHe is superior to me.
'superior' is already comparative; no 'more'.
✗ IncorrectPlease revert back soon.
✓ CorrectPlease revert soon.
'revert' = come back; 'back' is redundant.
✗ IncorrectShe must to finish it.
✓ CorrectShe must finish it.
Modals take the bare infinitive.

8 Practice Exercises

Fill in the BlanksLevel 1
Spot the part with the error (write the letter), or 'No error'.
  1. (A) Each of the students / (B) have submitted / (C) their work. / (D) No error
  2. (A) The news / (B) are / (C) very encouraging. / (D) No error
  3. (A) He is taller / (B) than / (C) any boy in the class. / (D) No error
  4. (A) She is good / (B) in / (C) mathematics. / (D) No error
  5. (A) Neither he / (B) nor his friends / (C) was present. / (D) No error
Answer Key
  1. B (has submitted)
  2. B (is)
  3. C (any other boy)
  4. B (good at)
  5. C (were present)
Fill in the BlanksLevel 2
Identify and correct the error.
  1. The quality of these shoes are poor.
  2. He has been ill since three days.
  3. Between you and I, it's a secret.
  4. She is more cleverer than her sister.
  5. Hardly I had spoken when he interrupted.
Answer Key
  1. are → is
  2. since → for
  3. I → me
  4. more cleverer → cleverer
  5. Hardly I had → Hardly had I
Error Detection
  1. One of my friend is a doctor.
  2. The committee are divided. (acting as one)
  3. He did not knew the answer.
  4. I prefer tea than coffee.
Answer Key
  1. One of my friends is a doctor. (error: friend)
  2. The committee is divided. (error: are)
  3. He did not know the answer. (error: knew)
  4. I prefer tea to coffee. (error: than)
Sentence Correction
  1. Each of the answers are correct.
  2. He is junior than me.
  3. The number of students are increasing.
Answer Key
  1. Each of the answers is correct.
  2. He is junior to me.
  3. The number of students is increasing.
Rearrange the Words
  1. is / friends / one / my / of / a / doctor
  2. to / superior / he / me / is
  3. had / hardly / I / when / spoken / interrupted / he
Answer Key
  1. One of my friends is a doctor.
  2. He is superior to me.
  3. Hardly had I spoken when he interrupted.
Match the Following
Column AColumn B
1. One of the boys ___a. at
2. good ___ mathsb. is
3. more ___ (superior)c. any
4. hardly … ___ (negative)d. (drop 'more')
Answer Key
One of the boys ___ → isgood ___ maths → atmore ___ (superior) → (drop 'more')hardly … ___ (negative) → any

9 Micro Quiz

✎ Quick Check — 5 questions0 / 5
Q1.'Each of the girls ___ a prize.'
Explanation: 'Each' is singular → 'has'.
Q2.'He is senior ___ me.'
Explanation: 'senior to'.
Q3.'I have lived here ___ 2015.'
Explanation: Point in time → 'since'.
Q4.'Between you and ___, it's true.'
Explanation: After a preposition → 'me'.
Q5.'He is the ___ boy in the class.'
Explanation: 'tallest' (no double superlative).

10 Reading Practice

Error-spotting practice (errors marked with corrections):

1. Neither of the two plans (are) feasible. → (are → is)
2. He insisted (on to pay) the bill. → (on to pay → on paying)
3. The scenery of the hills (were) breathtaking. → (were → was)
4. She is the most cleverest (girl) in the class. → (most cleverest → cleverest)
5. I have been waiting (since) two hours. → (since → for)

Comprehension Questions
  1. Which checklist step catches error 1?
  2. What kind of error is number 2?
  3. Why is 'most cleverest' wrong in number 4?
Answer Key
  1. Step 2 — subject-verb agreement ('Neither' is singular → 'is').
  2. A preposition + verb-pattern error: 'insist on + gerund' → 'on paying'.
  3. It is a double superlative; 'cleverest' alone is correct.

11 Speaking, Writing & Daily Use

Say these aloud
  • One of the boys is absent today.
  • He is superior to his rivals.
  • Neither of the answers is correct.
  • She is good at solving puzzles.
  • Hardly had we left when it rained.
Write five sentences, each containing one common error from the high-frequency list, then give the correction — like an exam answer key.
Example: Sentence: The committee have decided. Correction: have → has.

12 Challenge Zone

🔥 Higher-Level Questions — 30 / 3
Q1.Spot the error: (A) Not only he / (B) insulted me / (C) but also threatened me. / (D) No error
Explanation: 'Not only' must invert or be placed correctly: 'He not only insulted me but also threatened me.'
Q2.Spot the error: (A) The reason for his failure / (B) is because / (C) he was careless. / (D) No error
Explanation: 'The reason … is that …' — 'because' is redundant.
Q3.Spot the error: (A) Many a student / (B) have failed / (C) due to carelessness. / (D) No error
Explanation: 'Many a + singular noun' takes a singular verb → 'has failed'.

13 Chapter Mind Map

Mind Map
          ERROR SPOTTING
                |
   +------------+------------+
   |                         |
 8-STEP CHECKLIST        HIGH-FREQ TRAPS
 1 meaning 5 article     collective nouns
 2 agreement 6 prep      either/neither
 3 tense   7 comparison  double comparative
 4 pronoun 8 parallelism redundancy/confused
 'No error' ~15-20%      who/whom, must go

14 One-Minute Revision

Remember these

  • Run the 8-step checklist in order: meaning → agreement → tense → pronoun → article → preposition → comparison → parallelism
  • Find the real subject; ignore intervening phrases
  • Memorise traps: collective nouns, either/neither, double comparatives, redundancy
  • Confused words (affect/effect), double negatives (hardly … any)
  • About 15–20% of items are 'No error' — trust the checklist