Error Spotting in English Grammar with Rules and Practice Questions

Error Spotting: Understanding the rules and correct methods to spot errors in a text is essential for mastering verbal ability in standard English. Error spotting exercises help improve your grammar, punctuation, and overall language proficiency. Here are some guidelines and methods to help you identify and correct errors effectively. Sentences, words, and phrases form the foundation of any language. 

Mistakes in sentences can create a negative impression on readers and obscure the intended meaning. These errors can also alter the message conveyed. Therefore, error spotting is a crucial method for identifying and correcting such mistakes. 

It is widely employed during the proofreading and editing process of written texts. By mastering error spotting, one can ensure clarity and accuracy in communication, which is especially important in academic and professional settings.

What is Error Spotting in English Grammar

Error spotting involves identifying grammatical mistakes in English and is a key part of the verbal ability section in exams. It tests your command of English grammar and language. Typically, candidates need to find one error per question, but sometimes there are multiple errors, such as issues with verbs or punctuation. 

For example, the sentence "What is the boys playing" contains two errors: the incorrect verb and missing punctuation. 

The correct form is "What are the boys playing?" Spotting errors is crucial yet manageable if you have a solid understanding of English grammar. 

This skill is vital for competitive exams in India, where a strong grasp of error spotting can significantly improve your verbal ability scores. 

To excel, practice regularly and focus on enhancing your grammar skills. Here are some essential rules and tips to help you master error spotting and boost your exam performance.

Also Check: Modal Exercises English Grammar

Rules and Tips to Solve Spotting Errors

Here are some essential grammar rules for spotting errors:

1. Identify Parts of Speech: Determine the role each word plays in a sentence. The essential parts of speech in English include nouns, pronouns, verbs, adjectives, adverbs, prepositions, conjunctions, and interjections. Knowing the role each word plays in a sentence is key to identifying grammatical errors.

Example: In "Ram are playing," "Ram" is a noun, but "are" is incorrect here. The correct form is "Ram is playing."

2. Determine Sentence Types: Recognize whether a sentence is affirmative, negative, or interrogative. Affirmative sentences follow the standard subject-verb-object order. Negative sentences include words like "not." Interrogative sentences often start with a question word or a helping verb.

Example: "How are you going?" should be "Where are you going?"

3. Check Punctuation: Proper punctuation is crucial for clarity. Make sure to use punctuation marks like commas, periods, and question marks correctly. Commas should be used to separate different clauses, and every sentence should conclude with the appropriate punctuation mark.

Example: "How are you," should be "How are you?"

4. Correct Pronoun Usage: Pronouns must match the nouns they replace in number and gender. This ensures clarity and avoids confusion.

Example: "Ram is a boy. She is playing cricket" should be "Ram is a boy. He is playing cricket."

5. Singularity and Plurality: Check if the sentence correctly reflects singular or plural forms. This often involves ensuring that nouns and verbs agree in number.

Example: "Many boy are dancing together" should be "Many boys are dancing together."

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Error Spotting Rules

Understanding common error types is essential for spotting errors effectively. Here are some key rules:

1. Parallelism: Parallel structure means using the same pattern of words for two or more words or ideas within a sentence.

Incorrect: She likes to dance, singing, and read.
Correct: She likes to dance, sing, and read.

2. Modifier Placement: Modifiers should be placed next to the words they modify to avoid confusion.

Incorrect: She almost drove her kids to school every day.
Correct: She drove her kids to school almost every day.

3. Subject-Verb Inversion: In questions, the subject comes after the auxiliary verb.

Incorrect: Where you are going?
Correct: Where are you going?

4. Double Negatives: Avoid using two negatives to express a single negation.

Incorrect: I don't need no help.
Correct: I don't need any help.

Error Spotting Exercise with Answers - Practice Grammar Questions

Practicing error spotting exercises is a great way to enhance your skills. Here’s an exercise to get you started:

Exercise: Identify the errors in the following sentences:

• He do not like playing soccer.
• Each of the girls have their own book.
• She is knowing the answer.
• The cat chased it’s tail.
• The teacher, as well as the students, were excited about the trip.

Answers:

• He does not like playing soccer.
• Each of the girls has their own book.
• She knows the answer.
• The cat chased its tail.
• The teacher, as well as the students, was excited about the trip.

Also Check: Types of Sentences Exercise

Check the Errors in Sentence Structure and Identify the Parts of Speech

Question 1: The cat quickly runs across the yard every morning.
Answer: No error
Explanation: The sentence structure is correct. The underlined word "runs" is a verb.

Question 2: She was going to the market and buys vegetables.
Answer: Error: "buys" should be "bought"
Explanation: The sentence structure is incorrect due to inconsistent tenses. The underlined word "was" is a verb.

Question 3: He enjoys reading books and to watch movies.
Answer: Error: "to watch" should be "watching"
Explanation: The sentence structure is incorrect due to a lack of parallelism. The underlined word "reading" is a gerund.

Question 4: The children played happily in the park despite the rain.
Answer: No error
Explanation: The sentence structure is correct. The underlined word "happily" is an adverb.

Question 5: Running late for the meeting, the documents were forgotten.
Answer: Error: The sentence should have a clear subject, e.g., "Running late for the meeting, he forgot the documents."
Explanation: The sentence structure is incorrect due to a misplaced modifier. The underlined word "Running" is a participle.

Question 6: She sang a song and danced joyfully.
Answer: No error
Explanation: The sentence structure is correct. The underlined word "danced" is a verb.

Question 7: The cake that she baked yesterday was delicious.
Answer: No error
Explanation: The sentence structure is correct. The underlined word "yesterday" is an adverb.

Question 8: Neither the teacher nor the students was aware of the change in schedule.
Answer: Error: "was" should be "were"
Explanation: The sentence structure is incorrect due to subject-verb agreement. Here "nor" is a conjunction.

Question 9: She is not only talented but also very dedicated to her work.
Answer: No error
Explanation: The sentence structure is correct. The underlined word "dedicated" is an adjective.

Question 10: Despite of the bad weather, they went hiking.
Answer: Error: "Despite of" should be "Despite" or "In spite of"
Explanation: The sentence structure is incorrect due to redundant wording. The underlined word "Despite" is a preposition.

Spotting Error Practice Questions Based on Articles

Question 1: She is a honest woman.

A) She

B) is

C) a honest

D) woman

Answer: C) a honest

Explanation: "a honest" should be "an honest" because "honest" starts with a vowel sound.

Question 2: He gave me an advice that changed my life.

A) He

B) gave

C) me an advice

D) that changed my life

Answer: C) me an advice

Explanation: "an advice" should be "a piece of advice" because "advice" is an uncountable noun and needs a quantifier.

Question 3: She wants to become a engineer when she grows up.

A) She

B) wants to become

C) a engineer

D) when she grows up

Answer: C) a engineer

Explanation: "a engineer" should be "an engineer" because "engineer" starts with a vowel sound.

Question 4: I saw an movie last night.

A) I

B) saw

C) an movie

D) last night

Answer: C) an movie
Explanation: "an movie" should be "a movie" because "movie" starts with a consonant sound.

Question 5: He is an university professor.

A) He

B) is

C) an university

D) professor

Answer: C) an university
Explanation: "an university" should be "a university" because "university" starts with a consonant sound.

Spotting Error Practice Questions Based on English Grammar

Question 1: Each of the parents have submitted their Project.

A) Each

B) of the parents

C) have submitted

D) their project

Answer: C) have submitted
Explanation: "have submitted" should be "has submitted" because "each" is singular and takes a singular verb.

Question 2: She don’t like playing basketball.

A) She

B) don’t like

C) playing

D) basketball

Answer: B) don’t like
Explanation: "don’t like" should be "doesn't like" because the subject "She" is singular and takes "doesn't."

Question 3: They has been working on this project for months.

A) They

B) has been

C) working on

D) this project for months

Answer: B) has been
Explanation: "has been" should be "have been" because the subject "They" is plural and takes "have."

Question 4: If I was the president, I would lower taxes.

A) If I

B) was the president

C) I would

D) lower taxes

Answer: B) was the president
Explanation: "was the president" should be "were the president" because it is a subjunctive mood expressing a hypothetical situation.

Question 5: Identify the parts of speech in the sentence (noun, verb, adjective, adverb, etc.) to spot errors.

1. The (article)
2. quick (adjective)
3. brown (adjective)
4. fox (noun)
5. jumps (verb)
6. over (preposition)
7. the (article)
8. lazy (adjective)
9. dog (noun)