Question 1

Neither the manager (A) nor the employees / (B) was / (C) present / (D) at the meeting. / No error

Accepted Answer

The error is in part (B). When using 'neither...nor', the verb must agree with the nearest subject. Here, 'employees' (plural) is nearest to the verb, so the correct form should be 'were' not 'was'. The correct sentence is: 'Neither the manager nor the employees were present at the meeting.'

Question 2

Neither the manager nor the employees (A) was (B) satisfied with the new policy (C) that the director had announced (D). No error (E)

Accepted Answer

The error is in part (B). When using 'neither...nor', the verb agrees with the nearest subject. Here, 'employees' (plural) is nearest to the verb, so the correct form should be 'were' instead of 'was'. The rule states: with 'neither...nor', the verb agrees with the noun closest to it.

Question 3

The data (A) shows (B) that the number of students attending the workshop (C) have increased significantly (D). No error (E)

Accepted Answer

The error is in part (D). 'The number of students' is a singular noun phrase (the subject is 'number', not 'students'), so it requires a singular verb. The correct form should be 'has increased' instead of 'have increased'. The word 'number' is singular and takes a singular verb, even though it refers to multiple students.

Question 4

The principal, along with the teachers, (A) are planning (B) to organise a cultural programme (C) next month (D). No error (E)

Accepted Answer

The error is in part (B). The phrase 'along with the teachers' is a modifying phrase, not a compound subject. The main subject is 'the principal' (singular), so the verb should be singular 'is planning' instead of plural 'are planning'. Phrases like 'along with', 'as well as', 'in addition to', and 'together with' do not create compound subjects.

Question 5

The data (A) shows / (B) that the majority of students / (C) prefer / (D) online learning. / No error

Accepted Answer

The error is in part (A). 'Data' is the plural form of 'datum', so it should take a plural verb. The correct form should be 'The data show' not 'The data shows'. In formal Indian and British English, 'data' is treated as plural. The correct sentence is: 'The data show that the majority of students prefer online learning.'

Question 6

Read the sentence carefully and identify the part containing an error:

"The committee (A) have decided / (B) to implement / (C) the new policy / (D) next month. / No error (E)"

Accepted Answer

The error is in part (A). The word 'committee' is a collective noun that functions as a singular entity in British and Indian English conventions. Therefore, it should be paired with the singular verb 'has' rather than the plural verb 'have'. The correct form would be: 'The committee has decided to implement the new policy next month.' Parts (B), (C), and (D) are all grammatically correct. The infinitive 'to implement' is used correctly after 'decided', the article 'the' is appropriate before 'new policy', and the prepositional phrase 'next month' is correctly placed.

Question 7

She has been working (A) in this office / (B) since five years / (C) and she is / (D) very satisfied. / No error

Accepted Answer

The error is in part (B). The phrase 'since five years' is incorrect. When using 'since' with a duration of time, we must use 'for' instead. The correct form is 'for five years'. 'Since' is used with a point in time (since 2019), while 'for' is used with a duration (for five years).

Question 8

She has been working in this organisation since five years and have gained considerable experience. No error

Accepted Answer

The error is in part D. When a sentence begins with present perfect ('has been working'), the second clause must maintain tense consistency. The verb 'have gained' should be 'has gained' to agree with the singular subject 'She'. The correct form is: 'She has been working in this organisation since five years and has gained considerable experience.'

Question 9

She has been working (A) in this organisation (B) for the last five years (C) and she is still working there (D). No error (E)

Accepted Answer

The error is in part (D). The sentence uses present perfect continuous in part (A) to indicate an ongoing action from the past to present. Adding 'and she is still working there' creates redundancy and tense inconsistency. The correct form should be 'and continues to work there' or simply remove part (D) as it repeats the meaning already expressed by the present perfect continuous.

Question 10

The research team have published their findings in a prestigious journal and it has received widespread acclaim. No error

Accepted Answer

The error is in part A. 'Team' is a collective noun that, in British English, can take a plural verb when members act individually, but this sentence treats it inconsistently. However, the primary error is the pronoun reference in part C: 'it' is ambiguous and should be 'they' to clearly refer to 'findings'. The correct form is: 'The research team have published their findings in a prestigious journal and they have received widespread acclaim.' Actually, upon review, part A is correct for British English. The real error is in part C where 'it' should be 'they' to refer to the plural 'findings'.

Question 11

She is one of the few employees (A) who has / (B) completed / (C) the training / (D) on time. / No error

Accepted Answer

The error is in part (A). The phrase 'one of the few employees who...' requires a plural verb 'have' not 'has'. The relative pronoun 'who' refers to 'employees' (plural), not 'one'. The rule is: in 'one of the + plural noun + who' constructions, the verb agrees with the plural noun, not 'one'.

Question 12

Neither the principal nor the teachers was present at the assembly, so the event had to be postponed. No error

Accepted Answer

The error is in part A. When using 'neither...nor', the verb agrees with the nearest subject. Here, 'teachers' (plural) is nearest to the verb, so it should be 'were' not 'was'. The correct form is: 'Neither the principal nor the teachers were present at the assembly, so the event had to be postponed.'

Question 13

The manager requested that all employees submit their reports by Friday and to attend the meeting on Saturday. No error

Accepted Answer

The error is in part C. When using parallel structure with 'and', both items must have the same grammatical form. The first item is 'submit their reports' (base verb form after 'that'), so the second item should be 'attend the meeting' not 'to attend the meeting'. The correct form is: 'The manager requested that all employees submit their reports by Friday and attend the meeting on Saturday.'

Question 14

The manager insisted (A) that the report / (B) should be submitted / (C) before the deadline / (D) yesterday. / No error

Accepted Answer

The error is in part (D). The word 'yesterday' contradicts the future-oriented modal 'should be submitted'. The sentence mixes past and future time references illogically.

Question 15

The government (A) has announced / (B) that it will provide / (C) financial assistance to / (D) those who are affected. / No error (E)

Accepted Answer

The error is in part (B). There is a tense inconsistency. The main clause uses present perfect 'has announced', but the reported speech uses future tense 'will provide'. In reported speech following present perfect, we should maintain consistency. The correct form should be 'that it will provide' is actually acceptable here because it represents a future action from the point of announcement. However, the sentence is grammatically correct as written. No error.

Question 16

The principal has asked (A) the students / (B) to refrain / (C) from using / (D) mobile phones in the campus. / No error

Accepted Answer

The error is in part (D). The correct preposition should be 'on' not 'in'. The phrase 'on the campus' is the standard usage in Indian English.

Question 17

Read the sentence carefully. Identify the part that contains a grammatical error.

The committee (A) have decided / (B) to implement / (C) the new policy / (D) across all departments. / No error (E)

Accepted Answer

The error is in part (A). The word 'committee' is a collective noun that should be treated as a singular entity in British/Indian English. Therefore, the correct verb form should be 'has decided' instead of 'have decided'. In Indian English convention, collective nouns like committee, team, group, etc., take singular verbs when referred to as a single unit. The remaining parts (B), (C), and (D) are grammatically correct: 'to implement' is the correct infinitive form, 'the new policy' uses the correct article, and 'across all departments' is the correct prepositional phrase.

Question 18

The board of directors (A) have unanimously agreed that the new policy (B) should be implemented immediately, and each employee (C) are required to comply with the regulations that (D) has been established by the management. Find the error.

Accepted Answer

The error is in part (C). The subject 'each employee' is singular (the distributive pronoun 'each' always takes a singular verb), so the verb must be 'is required', not 'are required'. Distributive pronouns require singular verb agreement.

Question 19

Neither the manager nor the supervisors (A) was aware that the project, which had been delayed (B) for three months, required (C) immediate attention from someone who have (D) prior experience in crisis management. Find the error.

Accepted Answer

The error is in part (D). The relative pronoun 'who' is singular and refers to 'someone' (singular), so the verb must be 'has' (singular), not 'have' (plural). The phrase 'who have' violates subject-verb agreement.

Question 20

The committee (A) have decided that the new policy, which affects (B) all employees who works (C) in the administrative department, will be implemented (D) next month. Find the error.

Accepted Answer

The error is in part (C). The relative pronoun 'who' refers to 'employees' (plural), so the verb must be 'work' (plural), not 'works' (singular). The phrase 'who works' violates subject-verb agreement within the relative clause.

RPF Sub-Inspector Find the Error (underlined parts)

Find the Error (underlined parts)— Rules & Concept

Key Points to Remember

Exam-Specific Tips

Find the Error (underlined parts) — Practice Questions

60-Second Revision — Find the Error (underlined parts)