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Correct / Incorrect Sentences

IBPS Clerk · English Language

· ✏️ 9 Practice MCQs· Full question bank in Study Panel

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Core Concept

Read this first — the foundation of the topic

→Core Concept

You need to spot grammar errors in given sentences. The errors can be in subject-verb agreement, tense, prepositions, articles, or sentence structure. Your job is to identify the mistake or confirm the sentence is correct

→Subject-Verb Agreement

Singular subjects take singular verbs, plural subjects take plural verbs 2

→Tense Consistency

Don't mix tenses unnecessarily in one sentence 3

→Article Usage

Use 'a/an' for countable singular nouns, 'the' for specific references 4

🔑Preposition Rules

Each verb/noun has specific prepositions (interested 'in', not 'on') 5

→Pronoun Agreement

Pronouns must match their antecedents in number and gender Formula for Quick Checking: S-V-A-T-P Method: S = Subject (check if singular/plural) V = Verb (check agreement with subject) A = Articles (check a/an/the usage) T = Tense (check consistency) P = Prepositions (check correct usage)

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Exam Patterns

What examiners ask — read before attempting PYQs

⚡Shortcut Trick 1 - The 'Of' Rule

If you see 'one of the + plural noun', the verb is always singular

✏️Example

'One of the boys IS playing' (not 'are playing'). Shortcut Trick 2 - Either/Neither Rule: 'Either...or' and 'Neither...nor' take verbs according to the SECOND subject

✏️Example

'Neither the teacher nor the students ARE present' (verb agrees with 'students')

✏️Worked Example 1

1

Identify subject = 'Each' (singular)

2

Check verb = 'have' (plural)

3

Apply S-V rule = Singular subject needs singular verb

4

Error found = 'have' should be 'has' Answer: Incorrect Worked Example 2: Sentence: 'The committee has decided to postpone the meeting.'

1

Identify subject = 'committee' (collective noun, treated as singular)

2

Check verb = 'has' (singular)

3

Check tense = Simple past perfect (consistent)

4

Check prepositions = 'decided to' (correct) Answer: Correct Shortcut Trick 3 - Collective Noun Rule: Team, committee, family, group, etc. are usually singular in Indian English. Use singular verbs with them

⚠️#1 Most Common Trap

Students confuse collective nouns with plural nouns. 'The team ARE playing well' is wrong. Collective nouns like team, family, committee take SINGULAR verbs in SSC exams

💡Remember

'The team IS playing well.' Another major trap is with 'one of the' constructions. Students think 'One of the girls are dancing' is correct because 'girls' is plural. But the subject is 'one', which is singular, so it should be 'One of the girls IS dancing.' Time-Saving Strategy: Read the sentence once completely, then apply the S-V-A-T-P method systematically. Don't rush to answer based on 'sound'.

SSC tests formal grammar rules, not conversational English. If you can't spot an obvious error in 30 seconds, the sentence is likely correct.

Correct / Incorrect Sentences

🔑 Key Points

📌 Exam Facts

🚀 60-Second Revision