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Error Spotting

SSC MTS · English Language

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Core Concept

Read this first — the foundation of the topic

→Core Concept

Error spotting tests your knowledge of grammar rules. The sentence looks correct at first glance, but one part violates a grammar rule. Your job is to catch that violation

→Subject-Verb Agreement

The subject and verb must match in number and person. 2

→Tense Consistency

All parts of the sentence should follow logical tense sequence. 3

⚠️Preposition Errors

Wrong prepositions are commonly tested. 4

⚠️Article Errors

Incorrect use of a, an, the. 5

⚠️Pronoun Errors

Wrong pronoun forms or unclear antecedents. 6

→Parallelism

Items in a series must follow the same grammatical structure.

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Exam Patterns

What examiners ask — read before attempting PYQs

⚠️Most errors fall into these categories

Subject-verb disagreement (30%), Wrong prepositions (25%), Article mistakes (20%), Tense errors (15%), Others (10%)

⚡Shortcut Formula 1 - The 'Subject Finder' Trick

1

Identify the main subject

2

Check if verb agrees with THIS subject (ignore words in between)

3

Common trap words: each, every, either, neither (always singular) Shortcut Formula 2 - The 'Preposition Memory' Rule: Different FROM (not different than) Consist OF (not consist in) Independent OF (not independent from) Worked Example 1: Sentence: 'Each of the students (A)/ have submitted (B)/ their assignments (C)/ on time (D)/ No error (E)' Step-by-step Solution:

1

Find the subject = 'Each' (singular)

2

Find the verb = 'have submitted' (plural)

3

Check agreement = 'Each' is always singular, so verb should be 'has submitted'

4

The error is in part (B) Answer: (B) Worked Example 2: Sentence: 'The committee discussed (A)/ about the new policy (B)/ in great detail (C)/ yesterday (D)/ No error (E)' Step-by-step Solution:

1

Check each part for grammar violations

2

Part A: 'discussed' - correct tense

3

Part B: 'discussed about' - Wrong! 'Discuss' never takes 'about'

4

Should be 'discussed the new policy' Answer: (B) Shortcut Formula 3 - The 'Either-Neither' Rule: Either/Neither + singular verb Either...or/Neither...nor + verb agrees with the subject closer to the verb The #1 Most Common Trap: Students focus on the wrong subject! In complex sentences, there are multiple nouns. Always identify the MAIN subject that the verb should agree with. Ignore prepositional phrases and relative clauses when checking subject-verb agreement. For example: 'The box of chocolates ARE delicious' - Students see 'chocolates' and think plural verb is correct. But the main subject is 'box' (singular), so it should be 'IS delicious'

💡Time Management Tip

Spend maximum 20 seconds per question. If you can't spot the error quickly, mark 'No error' and move on. Don't waste time overthinking

⚠️Common Error Categories to Memorize

- Countable vs Uncountable nouns (much/many confusion) - Comparative degree errors (more better is wrong) - Redundancy (ATM machine, PIN number) - Idiom violations (take interest IN, not take interest ON)

🔑 Key Points

Subject-verb agreement errors appear in 30% of error spotting questions
Formula: Either/Neither always takes singular verb, ignore prepositional phrases
Shortcut: Words like each, every, either, neither are always singular subjects
Different FROM (never different than) - memorize this preposition rule
Discuss never takes 'about' - it's discuss something, not discuss about something
Formula: In Either...or constructions, verb agrees with the subject closer to verb
The main trap: Students identify wrong subject due to intervening prepositional phrases
Articles: Use 'an' before vowel sounds, 'a' before consonant sounds (not just letters)
Shortcut: If sentence sounds too perfect, look for redundancy errors (ATM machine)
Time limit: Maximum 20 seconds per question, guess 'No error' if unsure

📌 Exam Facts

Subject-verb agreement constitutes 30% of all error spotting questions in SSC CGL
Words 'each', 'every', 'either', 'neither' always take singular verbs regardless of following nouns
The verb 'discuss' never takes the preposition 'about' - it's always 'discuss something'
Preposition 'different' always pairs with 'from', never with 'than' in standard English
In 'either...or' and 'neither...nor' constructions, verb agrees with the nearest subject
Collective nouns like 'committee', 'team', 'family' take singular verbs in Indian English
The phrase 'one of the' is always followed by plural noun but singular verb
Uncountable nouns like 'information', 'advice', 'furniture' never take plural forms

🚀 60-Second Revision

Remember: Each, every, either, neither = always singular verb
Formula: Ignore prepositional phrases when checking subject-verb agreement
Trap: Don't confuse the main subject with nouns in prepositional phrases
Quick check: Different FROM, discuss (something), independent OF
Time strategy: Maximum 20 seconds per question, move on if stuck
Pattern: Look for redundancy errors in seemingly perfect sentences
Rule: Either...or verb agrees with the nearest subject to the verb

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