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Correct / Incorrect Sentences

SSC CGL · English Language

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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.

🔑 Key Points

Use S-V-A-T-P method: Subject-Verb-Article-Tense-Preposition for systematic checking
Collective nouns (team, family, committee) always take singular verbs in SSC
One of the + plural noun always takes singular verb (One of the boys IS)
Either...or and Neither...nor verbs agree with the SECOND subject mentioned
Each, every, everyone, someone, anyone always take singular verbs
Check subject-verb agreement first as it covers 40% of all errors
Don't rely on 'sound' - SSC tests formal grammar rules only
Tense must be consistent throughout the sentence unless time reference changes
Articles: Use 'a/an' for first mention, 'the' for specific/second mention
If no obvious error found in 30 seconds, sentence is likely correct

📌 Exam Facts

Subject-verb disagreement accounts for 40% of sentence errors in SSC CGL
Collective nouns take singular verbs in Indian English grammar rules
Either/neither constructions follow the proximity rule for verb agreement
Words like each, every, everyone, someone are always grammatically singular
Preposition errors account for 25% of incorrect sentences in SSC
Article errors represent 15% of grammar mistakes tested
Tense inconsistency forms 20% of sentence error patterns
One of the + plural noun construction always requires singular verb form

🚀 60-Second Revision

Remember: Collective nouns are always singular (team IS, family HAS)
Formula: One of + plural = singular verb (One of the students IS)
Trap: Don't let plural words near singular subjects confuse verb choice
Quick check: Either/or verbs match the SECOND subject only
Rule: Each, every, everyone = always singular verbs
Strategy: Apply S-V-A-T-P method in 30 seconds maximum
Fact: If no clear error visible, sentence is probably correct

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