Conjunctions Either ... Or & Neither ... Nor
Error Spotting Test is asked in the Verbal Ability Section of General English. The questions asked in the error spotting test have grammatical errors in them. The candidate is supposed to find the errors correctly. Generally, one question has one error. But at times there can be multiple. Despite being simple to understand, it is difficult to tackle this question without practice. However, if with sufficient practice and by using the tips given below, any candidate can ace this section. Spotting Errors in English is one of the important topics. It is mandatory in Banks and Insurance exams including IBPS (PO, Clerk, SO), SBI (PO, CLERK) and other exams like SSC, CDS, RRB and Defence exams. Therefore, we are here to give you General Tips for Spotting Errors in English which can come in handy in various Government & Banking Exams. If you are preparing for competitive exams of Baking, SSC, etc. you will encounter English Language and Comprehension sections. One of the most important aspects of the English section, in any exam, is to learn to Spot Errors and Correct Sentences. These Error Spotting and Sentence Correction Grammar information is aimed at helping you learn a little Grammar every day. Let us start with tips for Error Spotting which deals with the concept of “Either - Or” and “Neither - Nor”.
Rule 01:
* We use either...or/ neither...nor to present two alternatives.
* Either is used to present possibilities that are both true or valid.
* Neither is used to present things that aren't true or valid.
* Neither is used in the negative sense.
E.g.:
1. You can choose either this or that. (represents both true)
2. My friend's bike is neither black nor white. (represents both are not true)
3. You can show your Passport or your Pan card. (positive sentence)
Rule 02:
When we use either...or, or, neither... nor to join or combine two singular nouns, we should use a singular verb.
1. Either Ramesh or Suresh have done this. (wrong)
Sol: Because here have is a plural helping verb but here we have to use only singular helping verb. so replace have with has. Either Ramesh or Suresh has done this.(correct)
2. Neither the new student nor his friend have come. (wrong)
Neither the new student nor his friend has come. (correct)
3. Suresh or his brother have to go there. (wrong)
Suresh or his brother has to go there. (correct)
Rule 03:
When we use either...or, or, neither... nor to
join or combine a singular noun and a plural noun, we should use a plural verb and the plural noun should be placed near the plural verb.
1. Either Ramesh or his friends has brought it. (wrong)
(Here we have one singular Noun and another one is plural so we have to use plural helping verb. plural form of has is have. so replace has with have)
Either Ramesh or his friends have brought it. (correct)
2. Neither Shyam nor his brothers goes there. (wrong)
Neither Shyam nor his brothers go there. (correct)
3. Either Rohit or his classmates has fixed it. (wrong)
Either Rohit or his classmates have fixed it. (correct)
4. Either she or they has to do that. (wrong)
Either she or they have to do that. (correct )
Rule 04:
When we use either...or, or, neither... nor to join or combine Pronouns, the verb agrees with the nearest pronoun.
1. Either he or I is going to come to the party. (wrong)
(In the following example we combined two pronouns by using either....or. so verb agrees with the nearest pronoun so, I have to take am instead of is. so replace ‘is’ with ‘am’)
Either he or I am going to come to the party. (correct)
2. Neither you nor he are going to be invited. (wrong)
Neither you nor he is going to be invited. (correct)
3. Either you or they has got the award. (wrong) Either you or they have got the award (correct) Based on these rules try to find mistakes from the following sentences:
1. He doesn't know neither Hindi nor English.
2. He should choose either this book or that book.
3. Either he or friend have been informed.
4. Neither John nor his brother know this.
5. Either my brother or his friends is going to come.
6. Either the new student or his friends have informed the management.
7. Either I or he has to do this work.
8. Neither he nor I am buying this.
9. Either he or I am responsible for this.
10. Neither you nor they have to be blamed.
Key
1. Eliminate doesn't because already sentence consists neither...nor it gives negative sense
2. No error
3. Replace have with has (based on rule 02)
4. Replace know with knows (based on rule 02)
5. Replace is with are (based on rule 03)
6. No error (based on rule 03)
7. He or I have (replacing pronouns because when we express positive sentences the order of pronoun is 2nd , 3rd and 1st person)
8. No error (based on rule 04)
9. I or he is (replacing pronouns because when we express negative sentences the order of pronoun is, 1st, 2nd and 3rd person)
10. No error (based on rule 04) .
Vocabulary - Phrasal Verbs
Most of the Government exams have a separate English Language and comprehension section to test candidates language skills. Hence, the task to improve the English Vocabulary should not be procrastinated if you wish to fetch good marks in the Verbal Ability Section.
Good vocabulary plays a very important role in cracking all sorts of questions appearing in the verbal ability portion of Government exams. Hence, given below is the list of PHRASAL VERBS that are asked frequently in competitive examinations and have high chances to be asked again.
* Phrasal verbs combine a base verb with another word, usually a preposition or adverb - known as a particle - to create a completely new meaning. They are common in everyday spoken and in competitive exams English.
For example, words like “stand up,” “sit down,” and “get up.” List of Common English Phrasal Verbs , their Meanings and examples:
1. Back up
Meaning: support or defend someone Example: When the class was making fun of me, only the teacher backed me up.
2. Break down
Meaning: stop working, especially when referring to machines
Example: The ice cream machine at McDonald’s is always breaking down.
3. Call around
Meaning: contact multiple people
Example: Roy called around to find a nearby mechanic.
4. Calm down
Meaning: relax after an energetic or irritated state
Example: I need a few minutes to calm down after that match.
5. Call off
Meaning: cancel
Example: We called the party off./ We called off the party.
6. Check out
Meaning: verify a person or thing (can sometimes be flirtatious when used in reference to a person)
Example: I’ll check the contract out./ I’ll check out the contract.
7. Clean up
Meaning: be extremely successful in an endeavor, such as business, sports, or gambling
Example: 1. Our hockey team cleaned up at the tournament and went home undefeated.
2. Her boss said she had to either clean up or find a new job.
8. Clean up
Meaning: clean a general area
Example: John cleaned the living room up./ John cleaned up the living room.
9. Cheer up
Meaning: make someone happy, especially if they were previously sad.
Example: Reading always cheers me up on a rainy day.
10. Come around
Meaning: change an opinion or see a new point of view
Example: I never liked seafood, but came around after trying fried calamari.
11. Break up
Meaning: to end a relationship
Example: John and Mary broke up after 7 months of dating.
12. Bring up
Meaning: to mention something
Example: Remember, don’t bring up Mary’s breakup when you talk to her.
13. Carry on
Meaning: to continue doing what you have been doing
Example: Sorry, I didn’t mean to interrupt. Carry on with your speech.
14. Carry out
Meaning: to perform a task or assignment
Example: I couldn’t carry out my plan for the month.
15. Come across
Meaning: to seem or appear to have a specific quality, to make a certain impression on someone.
Example: John comes across as a very positive person.
16. Find out
Meaning: to learn of or discover facts/ information about something or someone.
Example: I wanted to find out where Helena was from, I couldn’t tell by her accent.
17. Get along
Meaning: to have a friendly relationship with someone.
Example: Alice and Sue get along very well, they never fight.
18. Get over
Meaning: to recover from a difficult or upsetting experience.
Example: John can’t get over his breakup with Mary, it’s all he can think about.
19. Give up
Meaning: to stop trying to do something due to a lack of success.
Example: Joan and Peter didn’t give up, they are still trying to have a baby.
20. Go on
Meaning: to continue
Example: The teacher waited for the students to quiet down before he went on with the lecture.
