Question 1

Error spotting (SSC/Bank style) — identify the erroneous part: Read the sentence and choose the part (A/B/C) that contains a grammatical/usage error; choose D if there is no error — 'Having received your letter / this morning, we are writing / to th…

Accepted Answer

Given sentence A. Having received your letterB. this morning, we are writingC. to thank you for the same.D. No error. Concept/Approach (standard usage) The expression 'for the same' is an Indianism and is considered poor/incorrect usage in formal English in this context. It should be replaced with a clear pronoun or noun (e.g., 'to thank you for it' or 'to thank you for your letter'). Step-by-step correction 1) Identify the referent: the letter received.2) Replace the vague phrase: 'for the same' → 'for it' / 'for your letter'.3) Corrected sentence: 'Having received your letter this morning, we are writing to thank you for it.' Verification/Alternative The participial opener 'Having received your letter this morning' correctly attaches to the subject 'we' and is not a dangling modifier; the primary error is the phrase in part C. Common pitfalls Accepting Indianised business English ('the same') as standard usage; overlooking vague pronoun reference. Final Answer C — 'to thank you for the same.'

Question 2

English grammar error-spotting (polite request with conditional clause): Read the full sentence divided into four labeled parts (A–D) and identify which part contains a grammatical error; if none of the parts contain any error, select ‘‘No error.’’ …

Accepted Answer

Given data Part A: ‘‘Will you please buy’’ Part B: ‘‘some jaggery for me’’ Part C: ‘‘if you go to the market?’’ Part D: ‘‘No error.’’ Concept / Approach Check each segment for standard grammar issues—polite request structure with ‘‘Will you please …’’, uncountable noun usage (‘‘jaggery’’), prepositions/articles (‘‘to the market’’), and first conditional structure (‘‘if + present, main clause with will/can/imperative’’). Also confirm overall sentence coherence. Step-by-step evaluation Step 1: ‘‘Will you please buy …’’—correct and idiomatic for polite requests.Step 2: ‘‘some jaggery’’—‘‘jaggery’’ is an uncountable mass noun; ‘‘some’’ is appropriate; no article needed.Step 3: ‘‘for me’’ correctly marks the indirect beneficiary; the prepositional phrase is fine.Step 4: ‘‘if you go to the market’’—‘‘if’’ + present simple is correct; article ‘‘the’’ with ‘‘market’’ is acceptable; punctuation is acceptable (ignored as per instructions). Verification / Alternative The sentence would also be acceptable as ‘‘Will you please buy me some jaggery when you go to the market?’’—but the original is already grammatically correct. Common pitfalls Mistakenly thinking ‘‘if you go’’ must be ‘‘when you go’’; ‘‘if’’ is fine for a conditional request. Adding an article before ‘‘jaggery’’ (incorrect with mass nouns). Final Answer No error.

Question 3

English grammar error-spotting (reported prediction with conditional ‘‘if’’-clause): Read the sentence split into four labeled parts (A–D) and select the part containing any grammatical error; if there is no error, choose ‘‘No error.’’ Focus on tens…

Accepted Answer

Given data Part A: ‘‘Many times the news has been published’’ Part B: ‘‘in the papers that the end of the world will be certain’’ Part C: ‘‘if a nuclear war breaks out.’’ Part D: ‘‘No error.’’ Concept / Approach We evaluate tense sequence with conditionals and idiomatic verb choices inside a ‘‘that’’-clause reporting a generally accepted consequence. In first conditionals, the matrix clause often uses ‘‘will’’; however, when stating a certainty that logically follows from a condition, English commonly uses the simple present ‘‘is’’ to express a timeless or general truth inside the reported content. Step-by-step evaluation Step 1: Part A—word order and present perfect (‘‘has been published’’) are acceptable; adverbial ‘‘Many times’’ can front the clause without error.Step 2: Part C—‘‘if a nuclear war breaks out’’ correctly uses present simple in the ‘‘if’’-clause.Step 3: Part B—‘‘will be certain’’ is an awkward and non-idiomatic expression when the sense is of logical certainty; prefer the simple present ‘‘is certain’’ for a general truth within the reported statement.Hence, the erroneous segment is Part B. Verification / Alternative (corrected version) Corrected sentence: ‘‘The news has been published many times in the papers that the end of the world is certain if a nuclear war breaks out.’’(Placing ‘‘many times’’ after the subject is also more idiomatic but not compulsory.) Common pitfalls Assuming that ‘‘will be’’ is always preferred in the main clause of an if-sentence; when asserting general certainty, the simple present is more natural. Marking Part A as wrong merely due to adverb position—fronting an adverbial of frequency is grammatically acceptable. Final Answer in the papers that the end of the world will be certain

Question 4

English grammar error-spotting (sequence of tenses in reported conditionals): Identify the erroneous part among A–C in the sentence below (select ‘‘No error.’’ only if all parts are correct). Pay particular attention to backshift after a past report…

Accepted Answer

Given data Part A: ‘‘He said that he’’ (past reporting verb ‘‘said’’) Part B: ‘‘will mind if’’ Part C: ‘‘I refused his offer.’’ Part D: ‘‘No error.’’ Concept / Approach In reported speech with a past reporting verb (‘‘said’’), verbs in subordinate clauses normally backshift to express future-in-the-past. Therefore, ‘‘will’’ in the subordinate clause typically changes to ‘‘would’’ when the perspective is retained in indirect speech. Step-by-step evaluation Step 1: Identify the reporting verb—‘‘said’’ (past tense) → triggers backshift.Step 2: Replace future modal relative to past viewpoint—‘‘will’’ → ‘‘would’’ (future-in-the-past).Step 3: Check the ‘‘if’’-clause—‘‘if I refused his offer’’ is acceptable as the hypothetical/contingent condition set at that past time. Verification / Alternative (corrected version) Correct: ‘‘He said that he would mind if I refused his offer.’’(Here, ‘‘would mind’’ correctly reflects the future-in-the-past viewpoint established by ‘‘said’’.) Common pitfalls Leaving ‘‘will’’ unchanged after a past reporting verb in indirect speech. Changing ‘‘refused’’ unnecessarily; it already matches the past-time reference of the reported condition. Final Answer will mind if

Question 5

English grammar error-spotting (reported meaning and voice): Read the sentence split into four labeled parts (A–D) and identify the part that contains a grammatical or idiomatic error; if there is no error, select ‘‘No error.’’ Focus on logical voic…

Accepted Answer

Given data A: ‘‘Arun's parents died when he was young and’’ B: ‘‘he looked after his aunt’’ C: ‘‘who had no children.’’ D: ‘‘No error.’’ Concept / Approach When a coordinating clause follows ‘‘… parents died when he was young’’, natural logic requires that the young child should be looked after by an elder/guardian, not that the child looked after the elder. The error is of voice and sense, which is tested under idiomatic/grammatical usage in error-spotting. Step-by-Step evaluation Step 1 (Part A): Grammatically fine. It sets up the background situation.Step 2 (Part B): ‘‘he looked after his aunt’’ conflicts with logic; the intended meaning clearly is the reverse.Step 3 (Part C): A non-restrictive/continuative clause—grammatically fine. Correction Suggested fix: ‘‘… and he was looked after by his aunt …’’ or more concise, ‘‘… and his aunt looked after him …’’ Common pitfalls Treating this as a purely grammatical tense error and missing the voice/meaning mismatch. Final Answer he looked after his aunt

Question 6

English grammar error-spotting (‘‘Though’’-clause and tense consistency): Read the sentence in four labeled parts (A–D) and choose the part containing an error; select ‘‘No error’’ only if all parts are correct. Pay attention to concessive ‘‘Though …

Accepted Answer

Given data A: ‘‘Though child marriage’’ B: ‘‘has been banned.’’ C: ‘‘the custom still prevailed among some groups in India.’’ D: ‘‘No error.’’ Concept / Approach With ‘‘Though …, …’’ the second clause states a current contrasting fact. Hence a present-tense verb is required for an ongoing situation. Also, punctuation between the two clauses should be a comma (punctuation errors are to be ignored per instruction; chief issue here is tense). Step-by-Step evaluation Step 1 (Parts A–B): ‘‘Though child marriage has been banned’’ is acceptable.Step 2 (Part C): ‘‘still prevailed’’ (past) conflicts with ‘‘still’’ (present relevance). It should be ‘‘still prevails …’’ Correction Corrected sentence: ‘‘Though child marriage has been banned, the custom still prevails among some groups in India.’’ Common pitfalls Leaving ‘‘still’’ with a past-tense verb to describe a continuing fact. Final Answer the custom still prevailed among some groups in India.

Question 7

English grammar error-spotting (article with idiom ‘‘in a … mood’’): Read the split sentence (A–D) and identify the erroneous part; choose ‘‘No error’’ only if the sentence is fully correct: ‘‘My papa is / in bad mood / today / No error.’’

Accepted Answer

Given data A: ‘‘My papa is’’ B: ‘‘in bad mood’’ C: ‘‘today’’ D: ‘‘No error.’’ Concept / Approach The set phrase in English is ‘‘in a bad mood’’; an article is required before a singular countable noun used in a descriptive prepositional phrase. Step-by-Step evaluation Part B lacks the article ‘‘a’’ → grammatical error. Correction ‘‘My papa is in a bad mood today.’’ Common pitfalls Omitting articles in fixed idioms (in a hurry, in a mood, in a fix). Final Answer in bad mood

Question 8

English grammar error-spotting (verb pattern with ‘‘forbid’’): Read the sentence in parts (A–D) and identify the erroneous segment. Evaluate correct complementation after ‘‘forbid’’: ‘‘The warden / forbade the student / from leaving the hostel. / No…

Accepted Answer

Given data A: ‘‘The warden’’ B: ‘‘forbade the student’’ C: ‘‘from leaving the hostel.’’ D: ‘‘No error.’’ Concept / Approach Traditional/standard usage after ‘‘forbid’’ is: forbid + someone + to + base verb (‘‘forbade the student to leave the hostel’’). ‘‘Forbid … from -ing’’ occurs in modern English but is often marked incorrect in formal tests. Step-by-Step evaluation Part C uses ‘‘from leaving’’; replace with the infinitival complement ‘‘to leave’’ for exam-standard correctness. Correction ‘‘The warden forbade the student to leave the hostel.’’ Common pitfalls Mixing ‘‘forbid … from -ing’’ (informal/contested) with the test-preferred ‘‘forbid … to + V1’’ pattern. Final Answer from leaving the hostel.

Question 9

English grammar error-spotting (present perfect with ‘‘so far’’ and object phrase): Identify the erroneous part; consider correct tense with ‘‘so far’’ and placement of adverbials: ‘‘In spite of several reminders, / he did not so far send / any repl…

Accepted Answer

Given data A: ‘‘In spite of several reminders,’’ B: ‘‘he did not so far send’’ C: ‘‘any reply to me, letters.’’ D: ‘‘No error.’’ Concept / Approach With time adverbials meaning ‘‘up to now’’ (‘‘so far’’), the present perfect is required. Word order also places ‘‘so far’’ mid-clause. Step-by-Step evaluation Part B wrongly uses simple past: should be ‘‘has not so far sent’’. Correction ‘‘In spite of several reminders, he has not so far sent any reply to my letters.’’ (Note: ‘‘to my letters’’ is the natural object phrase; punctuation errors are to be ignored.) Common pitfalls Using simple past with ‘‘so far / up to now’’ instead of present perfect. Final Answer he did not so far send

Question 10

English grammar error-spotting (concessive ‘‘Much as …’’ vs. ‘‘As much as …’’): Choose the erroneous part; evaluate correct concessive construction linking two clauses: ‘‘As much as I admire him for his sterling qualities. / I cannot excuse him for …

Accepted Answer

Given data A: ‘‘As much as I admire him for his sterling qualities.’’ B: ‘‘I cannot excuse him for’’ C: ‘‘being unfair to his friends.’’ D: ‘‘No error.’’ Concept / Approach The idiomatic concessive opener is ‘‘Much as I admire …, …’’ (meaning ‘‘Although I admire …’’). ‘‘As much as’’ can compare quantities, but as a concessive subordinator it is non-standard in formal usage and is flagged in exams. Step-by-Step evaluation Part A should read ‘‘Much as I admire him for his sterling qualities, …’’ Correction ‘‘Much as I admire him for his sterling qualities, I cannot excuse him for being unfair to his friends.’’ Common pitfalls Using ‘‘As much as’’ in place of concessive ‘‘Much as’’ in formal writing. Final Answer As much as I admire him for his sterling qualities.

Question 11

English grammar error-spotting (pronoun case after ‘‘between’’): Identify the part with the error; check objective case after prepositions and overall clause balance: ‘‘Please try to understand / that the dispute on this issue is between my brother …

Accepted Answer

Given data A: ‘‘Please try to understand’’ B: ‘‘that the dispute on this issue is between my brother and myself,’’ C: ‘‘and concerns nobody else.’’ D: ‘‘No error.’’ Concept / Approach After a preposition (‘‘between’’), use the objective case pronoun: ‘‘me’’ not ‘‘myself’’ (a reflexive form that must refer back to ‘‘I’’ in the same clause, which is absent here). Step-by-Step evaluation Part B is incorrect; it should be ‘‘between my brother and me’’. Correction ‘‘Please try to understand that the dispute on this issue is between my brother and me, and concerns nobody else.’’ Common pitfalls Overusing ‘‘myself’’ for formality where simple objective case is required. Final Answer that the dispute on this issue is between my brother and myself,

Question 12

English grammar error-spotting (uncountable nouns and subject–verb agreement): Read the sentence parts and locate the error; remember that ‘‘furniture’’ is an uncountable noun that takes singular agreement: ‘‘All the furnitures have been / sent to t…

Accepted Answer

Given data A: ‘‘All the furnitures have been’’ B: ‘‘sent to the new house’’ C: ‘‘located in a village.’’ D: ‘‘No error.’’ Concept / Approach ‘‘Furniture’’ is a mass/uncountable noun: no plural ‘‘furnitures’’. With an uncountable subject, use singular agreement (‘‘has been’’). Step-by-Step evaluation Part A should be ‘‘All the furniture has been …’’ Correction ‘‘All the furniture has been sent to the new house located in a village.’’ Common pitfalls Adding ‘‘-s’’ to uncountable nouns (luggage, information, furniture, stationery). Using plural verb forms with mass nouns. Final Answer All the furnitures have been

Question 13

English grammar error-spotting (clause control after copular ‘‘is’’): Read and choose the erroneous part; avoid redundant ‘‘that’’ with a finite clause plus modal ‘‘should’’ after a copular: ‘‘It does not matter how you do it; / what I want is that …

Accepted Answer

Given data A: ‘‘It does not matter how you do it;’’ B: ‘‘what I want is that’’ C: ‘‘you should finish the work within a month.’’ D: ‘‘No error.’’ Concept / Approach After the copular ‘‘is’’, the complement should be a bare content clause without an extra ‘‘that’’ introducing another finite clause with ‘‘should’’. The idiomatic choices are: ‘‘what I want is to finish…’’ (if same subject) or ‘‘what I want is that you finish …’’ (without ‘‘should’’ in many exam keys). Here, Part B triggers an awkward double subordination. Step-by-Step evaluation Part B is the source of awkwardness; the preferred correction is either (i) ‘‘what I want is that you finish the work within a month’’ or (ii) ‘‘what I want is for you to finish the work within a month.’’ Correction Replace ‘‘what I want is that’’ with ‘‘what I want is’’; then write the complement appropriately: ‘‘… is that you finish …’’ or ‘‘… is for you to finish …’’ Common pitfalls Combining ‘‘is that’’ with ‘‘you should …’’ which many tests flag as redundant. Final Answer what I want is that

Question 14

English grammar error-spotting (comparatives with ‘‘senior/junior’’ take ‘‘to’’, not ‘‘than’’): Read the four parts and identify the error: ‘‘Though senior in age, / his father is junior than / my father in service. / No error.’’

Accepted Answer

Given data A: ‘‘Though senior in age,’’ B: ‘‘his father is junior than’’ C: ‘‘my father in service.’’ D: ‘‘No error.’’ Concept / Approach Adjectives denoting rank/position (junior, senior, inferior, superior, prior) take the preposition ‘‘to’’ instead of ‘‘than’’ for comparison. Step-by-Step evaluation Part B should read: ‘‘his father is junior to my father in service.’’ Correction ‘‘Though senior in age, his father is junior to my father in service.’’ Common pitfalls Using ‘‘than’’ after rank adjectives due to analogy with regular comparatives. Final Answer his father is junior than

Question 15

English grammar error-spotting (dangling modifier with ‘‘While …’’ participial clause): Identify the erroneous part; ensure the introductory modifier has the correct grammatical subject immediately after it: ‘‘While walking slowly in the park / on a…

Accepted Answer

Given data A: ‘‘While walking slowly in the park’’ B: ‘‘on a quiet summer afternoon’’ C: ‘‘a mad dog suddenly attacked him from behind’’ D: ‘‘No error.’’ Concept / Approach An introductory participial clause must modify the grammatical subject that immediately follows. Here, the modifier ‘‘While walking …’’ mistakenly attaches to ‘‘a mad dog’’ (illogical). This is a classic dangling modifier. Step-by-Step evaluation Part A dangles because the subject that follows in Part C is ‘‘a mad dog’’. Correction ‘‘While he was walking slowly in the park on a quiet summer afternoon, a mad dog suddenly attacked him from behind.’’ (Now the subject ‘‘he’’ correctly matches the modifier.) Common pitfalls Beginning with a participial clause without immediately placing the intended subject next. Final Answer While walking slowly in the park

Question 16

Error spotting (exam direction): Identify the erroneous part (A/B/C) in the sentence — choose D if there is no error — 'Everyone visiting the house asked the young girl / how could she kill the wolf / single handed and without a weapon. / No error.'

Accepted Answer

Given sentence parts (A–D) A. Everyone visiting the house asked the young girlB. how could she kill the wolfC. single handed and without a weapon.D. No error. Concept/Approach (reported/indirect speech word order) After verbs like 'asked', 'wanted to know', etc., the embedded (reported) question should use statement word order (subject + verb), not the inverted question order (auxiliary + subject). Step-by-Step correction 1) Identify the reported question: 'how could she kill the wolf'.2) Change to statement order: 'how she could kill the wolf' (also acceptable: 'how she could have killed the wolf' depending on narrative tense).3) Improved sentence: 'Everyone visiting the house asked the young girl how she could kill the wolf, single-handed and without a weapon.' Verification/Alternative Compare: Direct Q → 'How could she kill…?' vs. Indirect → '…asked how she could…' Common pitfalls Keeping the interrogative inversion ('could she') inside indirect speech; omitting the hyphen in 'single-handed'. Final Answer B — 'how could she kill the wolf' is incorrect; use 'how she could kill the wolf'.

Question 17

Error spotting (exam direction): Identify the erroneous part (A/B/C) in the sentence — choose D if there is no error — 'Many health-conscious people / prefer margarine / than butter. / No error.'

Accepted Answer

Given sentence parts (A–D) A. Many health-conscious peopleB. prefer margarineC. than butter.D. No error. Concept/Approach (verb + preposition pattern) The verb 'prefer' takes the preposition 'to', not 'than': 'prefer X to Y'. Step-by-Step correction 1) Locate collocation: 'prefer margarine than butter'.2) Replace 'than' → 'to': 'prefer margarine to butter'.3) Correct sentence: 'Many health-conscious people prefer margarine to butter.' Verification/Alternative Other correct forms: 'would rather eat margarine than butter' (note the different structure). Common pitfalls Using 'than' after 'prefer' due to confusion with comparative constructions. Final Answer C — 'than butter.' should be 'to butter.'

Question 18

Error spotting (exam direction): Identify the erroneous part (A/B/C) — choose D if there is no error — 'The retiring principal asked his old pupils / to take the interest in the school / after he has retired. / No error.'

Accepted Answer

Given sentence parts (A–D) A. The retiring principal asked his old pupilsB. to take the interest in the schoolC. after he has retired.D. No error. Concept/Approach (idiomatic usage: 'take interest in') The idiom is 'take interest in (something)', not 'take the interest in'. The article 'the' is incorrect here. Step-by-Step correction 1) Replace phrase: 'to take the interest in the school' → 'to take interest in the school'.2) (Additional improvement) Sequence of tenses: 'after he had retired' fits better than 'has retired' because the asking occurred before the retirement; however, the tested error is in Part B. Verification/Alternative Compare: 'take interest in studies' (correct) vs 'take the interest in studies' (incorrect). Common pitfalls Adding a definite article to fixed idioms. Final Answer B — 'to take the interest in the school' should be 'to take interest in the school'.

Question 19

Error spotting (exam direction): Identify the erroneous part (A/B/C) — choose D if there is no error — 'At present juncture / however, the supercomputer / would be a costly toy. / No error.'

Accepted Answer

Given sentence parts (A–D) A. At present junctureB. however, the supercomputerC. would be a costly toy.D. No error. Concept/Approach (fixed phrase with article) The standard expression is 'at the present juncture'. The definite article is required. Step-by-Step correction 1) Insert article: 'At present juncture' → 'At the present juncture'.2) Final sentence: 'At the present juncture, however, the supercomputer would be a costly toy.' Verification/Alternative Also acceptable: 'At present' (without 'juncture'), but with 'juncture' the article is necessary. Common pitfalls Dropping articles in set phrases. Final Answer A — 'At present juncture' → 'At the present juncture'.

Question 20

Error spotting (exam direction): Identify the erroneous part (A/B/C) — choose D if there is no error — 'The crew were on board, / and they soon busied themselves / in preparing to meet the storm. / No error.'

Accepted Answer

Given sentence parts (A–D) A. The crew were on board,B. and they soon busied themselvesC. in preparing to meet the storm.D. No error. Concept/Approach (collocation with 'busy oneself') Standard usage is 'busy oneself with something' or simply use a participle: 'busied themselves preparing…'. The preposition 'in' is awkward here. Step-by-Step correction 1) Replace or drop the preposition: 'busied themselves in preparing' → 'busied themselves with preparing' / 'busied themselves preparing'.2) Corrected example: '…and they soon busied themselves with preparing to meet the storm.' Verification/Alternative Dictionaries list 'busy oneself with' as the idiomatic pattern. Common pitfalls Using 'in' after 'busy' due to confusion with 'engaged in'. Final Answer C — 'in preparing to meet the storm.' → 'with preparing…' / 'preparing…'

Spotting Errors Questions