Spotting errors is one of the most important topics for all competitive examinations.It comes under the verbal ability section of General English. In this topic, a sentence divided into four parts will be given. There may or may not contain any grammatical error present in any part of the sentence. The candidate has to find the errors if any, and if there was no error, choose the option ‘No error’.
Model Question
Directions (Qs. 1 - 29): The given sentence has been divided up into four different parts a, b, c and d. Select the portion of the sentence which contains an error (spelling, grammatical or contextual). If there is no error, choose option ‘e’ (no error) as your answer.
1. The royal Maharaja (a)/ train was fitted up (b)/ with costly furnitures (c)/ and sophisticated features. (d)/ No error (e)
Explanation: Furniture is an uncountable noun. Furniture should be used in place of furnitures.
Ans: c
2. Customs officers have (a)/ the right to (b)/ check all luggages (c)/ going through customs. (d)/ No error (e)
Explanation: Luggage is an uncountable noun. Luggage should be used in place of luggages.
Ans: c
3. Mamatha Banerjee had (a)/ been the administrator of West Bengal (b)/ for more (c)/ than ten years. (d)/ No error (e)
Explanation: Administratrix is the feminine form of administrator. Administratrix should be used in place of administrator.
Ans: b
4. I think this (a)/ is not your vehicle. (b)/ It is (c)/ someone's else. (d)/ No error (e)
Explanation: To show a relation or possession, an apostrophe ('s) is used. Someone else's should be used in place of someone's else.
Ans: d
5. One should not put (a)/ one's sign (b)/ on any paper (c)/ that one hasn't read. (d)/ No error (e)
Explanation: Sign is a verb and Signature is anoun. A noun should come in the possessive case. So, signature is the correct usage in the sentence. Signature should be used in place of Sign.
Ans: b
6. Towns after towns were (a)/ conquered (b)/ by Ashoka, but (c)/ he found no peace anywhere. (d)/ No error (e)
Explanation: A noun in singular form is used on the either side of a preposition. Town after Town should be used in place of Towns after Towns.
Ans: a
7. Even after hours of discussion, (a)/ the joint action committee (b)/ could not come (c)/ to a final conclusion. (d)/ No error (e)
Explanation: Conclusion means comes to a reasoned judgment after making rigorous discussions. It is a final decision. So, usage of final again is unnecessary here. Remove the word ‘final’. Conclusion itself is enough for the sentence.
Ans: d
8. Work does not finish (a)/ for the day until (b)/ all the cattle is (c)/ safely penned into their home. (d)/ No error (e)
Explanation: Cattle is a plural noun. Are should be used in place of is.
Ans: c
9. This building (a)/ is not built (b)/ of stones (c)/ but of love. (d)/ No error (e)
Explanation: The building is compared with stones and love. So, the quantities should be the same. Love is an uncountable noun but looks like a singular noun. So, the singular noun ‘stone’ is appropriate to the sentence. Stone should be used in place of stones.
Ans: c
10. If I were him, (a)/ I would (b)/ have come (c)/ to the party. (d)/ No error (e)
Explanation: If a pronoun is used as a subject, it is said to be in the nominative case. In the sentence, after ‘if’, there are two pronouns ‘I’ and ‘him’, used as subjects. In subjective case, ‘him’ should be written as ‘he’. So, ‘he’ will replace ‘him’ in the sentence. He should be used in place of him.
Ans: a
11. A gram's weight (a)/ is quite light for (b)/ anyone to (c)/ carry in their pockets. (d)/ No error (e)
Explanation: A ton's weight / a gram's weight / a kilo's weight is the correct usage. No error.
Ans: e
12. He stopped (a)/ me going out late at night (b)/ because the situation (c)/ in the city was not good. (d)/ No error (e)
Ans: e
13. He did not approve (a)/ of his daughter raising (b)/ stupid questions and thereby (c)/ annoying her tutor. (d)/ No error (e)
Explanation: Gerunds (here raising) are always preceded by possessive case. His daughter’s should be used in place of his daughter.
Ans: b
14. Nepal's problems (a)/ are however (b)/ not so serious (c)/ and awful as Afghanistan. (d)/ No error (e)
Explanation: Here the problems of Afghanistan have been compared with those of Nepal (possessive cases). Hence, apostrophe('s) should be added to Afghanistan. Afghanistan’s should be used in place of Afghanistan.
Ans: d
15. His tone of speaking (a)/ as well as his friends (b)/ is really extremely rude (c)/ yet we never take it seriously. (d)/ No error (e)
Explanation: To show the possession of a quality (here tone of speaking), an apostrophe will be used. His friend’s should be used in place of his friends.
Ans: b
16. The book on (a)/ the table is (b)/ not mine. (c)/ It must be somebody else. (d)/ No error (e)
Explanation: To show a relation or possession, an apostrophe('s) is used. In the sentence, the book must be owned by somebody unknown. So, the answer should be somebody else’s. Somebody else’s should be used in place of somebody else.
Ans: d
17. He told me (a)/ that he had gone to visit (b)/ one of the MP's residences (c)/ and took pictures there. (d)/ No error (e)
Explanation: The possession of nouns started with 'one of' is not denoted by apostrophes. So, we can rewrite the phrase one of the MP’s residences to Residence of one of the MPs’ (only one MP chosen from all the MPs ofthe cabinet).
Ans: c
18. I went to (a)/ Hari's and Surekha's house (b)/ for congratulating them, but (c)/ the couple was not there. (d)/ No error (e)
Explanation: When two nouns are closely related (here Hari and Surekha are husband and wife), then apostrophe('s) is used only after the latter one. Hari and Surekha’s house should be used in place of Hari’s and Surekha’s house.
Ans: b
19. The apartment's roof (a)/ needs repairing otherwise it (b)/ may fall down and (c)/ result into many persons' death. (d)/ No error (e)
Explanation: Apostrophe('s) is not used with non-living things. So, we can rewrite the phrase. The roof of the apartment should be used in place of the apartment’s roof.
Ans: a
20. The book on human psychology gives (a)/ us much knowledge of the (b)/ Public's opinion (c)/ on the human behaviour. (d)/ No error (e)
Explanation: The word Public has been used as adjective, and generally ('s) is not used with adjectives. Also, Public is the plural form of ordinary people if it taken as a noun. So, ('s) is unnecessary in this case. Public opinion should be used in place of public's opinion.
Ans: c
21. No soldier (a)/ dared to turn (b)/ a deaf ear to his (c)/ commander’s-in-Chief orders. (d)/ No error (e)
Explanation: An apostrophe is added only at the end of compound words for a singular noun. Examples are son-in-law’s mother, sister- in-law’s father etc. Commander-in-chief’s should be used in place of commander’s-inchief.
Ans: d
22. I appreciate he (a)/ helping the homeless people (b)/ who are really the most ignored and completely abandoned (c)/ section of our society. (d)/ No error (e)
Explanation: A Gerund (here helping) is always preceded by a possessive case. His should be used in place of he.
Ans: a
23. I have listened (a)/ many songs of Asha Bhosle's (b)/ who is also (c)/ known as The Queen of Indipop. (d)/ No error (e)
Explanation: The phrase 'of Asha Bhosle' already shows the possession. Hence use of apostrophe ('s) to the word is unnecessary. Asha Bhosle should be used in place of Asha Bhosle's.
Ans: b
24. A friend of Suresh brother (a)/ came to me (b)/ last week and asked me for (c)/ some help. (d)/ No error (e)
Explanation: When two nouns are closely related (here Suresh’s brother and his friend who came to visit Suresh are friends), then apostrophe ('s) is used only after the latter one. Brother’s should be used in place of brother.
Ans: a
25. Sadly for us, (a)/ the main reason of our frustration lies (b)/ in the Governments (c)/ ineffective ruling. (d)/ No error (e)
Explanation: To show a relation or possession of something, an apostrophe ('s) is used before a noun or pronoun (here government is related with ineffective ruling). So, the answer should be- Government’s ineffective ruling. Government's should be used in place of Governments.
Ans: c
26. He asked me (a)/ to go to the super market (b)/ to bring some beautiful (c)/ summer’s flowers for his home. (d)/ No error (e)
Explanation: An apostrophe is not used withthe names of seasons. Summer flowers should be used in place of summer's flowers.
Ans: d
27. The Minister of Defence (a)/ boasts of improving (b)/ the military power of (c)/ the country's. (d)/ No error (e)
Explanation: The phrase 'of the country' already shows the possession. Hence use of apostrophe ('s) to the word country is unnecessary. Country should be used in place of Country's.
Ans: d
28. The life of the homeless people (a)/ is not in many (b)/ ways as peaceful and luxurious (c)/ as that of the rich's. (d)/ No error (e)
Explanation: ‘The rich’ is a plural word, referring ‘the rich people’. Hence, the use of apostrophe ('s) in the word is unnecessary here. The rich should be used in place of the rich's.
Ans: d
29. The MD of the company said (a)/ that he appreciated (b)/ his staffs coming on time (c)/ and co-operating him. (d)/ No error (e)
Explanation: Gerunds (here coming) are always preceded by possessive cases. Staff's should be used in place of staffs.
Ans: c
