Question 1

English grammar error-spotting (collective noun + singular verb in passive): Read the sentence split into A–D and select the part with the error: ‘‘A body of volunteers / have been organised / to spread the message of the saint. / No error.’

Accepted Answer

Given data Subject head: ‘‘A body’’ (singular) Verb phrase: ‘‘have been organised’’ (plural auxiliary) Concept / Approach With a collective noun as the head (‘‘A body …’’), formal agreement is singular. Hence, the auxiliary must be singular: ‘‘has been organized/organised’’. Correction ‘‘A body of volunteers has been organised to spread the message of the saint.’’ Common pitfalls Letting the plural noun inside the of-phrase (‘‘volunteers’’) trigger plural agreement. Final Answer have been organised

Question 2

English grammar error-spotting (natural collocation: ‘‘catch a cold’’ not ‘‘get a cold’’ in tests): Read the sentence fragments (A–D) and mark the single erroneous part. Sentence: ‘‘When I get a cold / it takes me weeks / to shake it off. / No error…

Accepted Answer

Explanation Although ‘‘get a cold’’ occurs in informal speech, many competitive-exam keys prefer the idiom ‘‘catch a cold’’ for accuracy in standard usage. Everything else is correct (present simple for habitual truth, infinitival purpose phrase). Correction ‘‘When I catch a cold, it takes me weeks to shake it off.’’ Common pitfalls Using colloquial variants where exams expect the canonical idiom (catch a cold). Final Answer When I get a cold

Question 3

English grammar error-spotting (terminology, agreement, and relative clause tense in a technical sentence): Identify the single erroneous segment among A–D; select ‘‘No error’’ only if all parts are correct. Focus on expansion of ‘‘OTC’’, subject–ve…

Accepted Answer

Given data (errors concentrated in Part B) Wrong expansion of OTC: written as ‘‘Over the Country’’ (should be ‘‘Over-the-Counter’’). Agreement clash: ‘‘divisions is’’ should read ‘‘divisions are’’ because ‘‘divisions’’ is plural. Malformed relative verb: ‘‘which have been reached’’ is ungrammatical; correct is ‘‘which have reached’’ (active voice), or ‘‘that have reached’’. Core corrections to Part B ‘‘OTC (Over-the-Counter) divisions are … ‘‘prescription drugs … ‘‘which have reached’’ …’’ Notes on other parts (for awareness only) Part C also contains issues (‘‘the their’’ → ‘‘their’’, missing space ‘‘period are’’), but the test's marked error segment is Part B. In comprehensive editing, we would fix C as well. Corrected version (illustrative) ‘‘Another reason for pharmaceutical companies beefing up their OTC (Over-the-Counter) divisions are that prescription drugs with proven safety records that have reached the end of their patent-protection period are allowed to be sold without a prescription.’’ Common pitfalls Mishandling technical abbreviations. Letting a plural subject take a singular verb. Overusing passive ‘‘have been reached’’ where active is required. Final Answer OTC (Over the Country) divisions is that prescription drugs with proven safety records which have been reached

Question 4

English grammar error-spotting (‘‘a little’’ vs ‘‘little’’ with positive sense): Read the sentence and select the single erroneous part. Sentence: ‘‘There is still / little tea / left in the cup. / No error.’

Accepted Answer

Concept ‘‘Little’’ (without article) means ‘‘hardly any/insufficient’’ and gives a negative sense. ‘‘A little’’ means ‘‘some (enough)’’ and is used for a positive/neutral statement like ‘‘There is still … left’’. Correction Write: ‘‘There is still a little tea left in the cup.’’ Common pitfalls Confusing ‘‘little’’ with ‘‘a little’’ (and ‘‘few’’ with ‘‘a few’’) which flips the meaning. Final Answer little tea

Question 5

English grammar error-spotting (idiom for fuel efficiency: ‘‘kilometres to the litre’’): Read the sentence split into A–D and choose the erroneous part. Sentence: ‘‘He says that / his car does / eight kilometers in a litre / No error.’

Accepted Answer

Given data C expresses mileage/consumption as ‘‘kilometers in a litre’’. Concept / Approach In Indian/British usage, the idiomatic phrasing is ‘‘kilometres to the litre’’ (km per litre). Therefore ‘‘in a litre’’ is nonstandard here. Correction ‘‘His car does eight kilometres to the litre.’’ (Also standard: ‘‘gets 8 km/l’’.) Common pitfalls Using ‘‘in’’ instead of ‘‘to’’ (or ‘‘per’’) in rate expressions. Mixing singular/plural inconsistently—‘‘kilometres’’ plural with a specific number is correct. Final Answer eight kilometers in a litre

Question 6

Error spotting (bank/SSC style) — Identify the erroneous segment (A/B/C) or mark D for no error: 'After opening the door / we entered into the room / next to the kitchen / No error.' Focus on correct verb–preposition usage with 'enter' and provide t…

Accepted Answer

Given data A: After opening the door B: we entered into the room C: next to the kitchen D: No error. Concept/Approach (verb complementation) The verb enter is transitive in standard English and does not normally take the preposition 'into' before its object. We say 'enter the room', not 'enter into the room' (unless used in the phrasal sense 'enter into an agreement'). Step-by-step correction Replace B: 'we entered into the room' → 'we entered the room'.Corrected sentence: 'After opening the door, we entered the room next to the kitchen.' Verification/Alternative If motion must be highlighted, use 'went into the room'; with 'enter', omit 'into'. Common pitfalls Overusing 'into' after motion verbs that are already transitive (enter, approach). Final Answer B — 'we entered into the room' is erroneous; write 'we entered the room'.

Question 7

Error spotting — Choose the erroneous part (A/B/C) or D if correct: 'Can I lend / your pencil / for a minute, please? / No error.' Test correct verb choice 'lend' vs 'borrow' in polite requests and provide a clear, SEO-optimized correction.

Accepted Answer

Given data A: Can I lend B: your pencil C: for a minute, please? D: No error. Concept/Approach (lend vs. borrow) Lend = give temporarily; borrow = receive temporarily. A speaker who wants to use the listener's pencil should ask, 'Can I borrow your pencil?' not 'lend'. Step-by-step correction Replace A: 'Can I lend' → 'Can I borrow'.Corrected sentence: 'Can I borrow your pencil for a minute, please?' Common pitfalls Confusing the point of view of the giver vs. the receiver. Final Answer A — Use 'Can I borrow …?'

Question 8

Error spotting — Identify the erroneous segment (A/B/C) or mark D for no error: 'Last month we celebrated / the wedding of our sister for whom / we have been looking for a suitable alliance for three years. / No error.' Check tense sequencing with p…

Accepted Answer

Given data A: Last month we celebrated B: the wedding of our sister for whom C: we have been looking for a suitable alliance for three years. D: No error. Concept/Approach (sequence of tenses) The adverbial 'Last month' fixes a finished past time. Any ongoing action that led up to that past point should be expressed with the past perfect (progressive): 'had been looking' (not present perfect progressive 'have been looking'). Step-by-step correction C: 'we have been looking … for three years' → 'we had been looking … for three years'.Corrected sentence: 'Last month we celebrated the wedding of our sister for whom we had been looking for a suitable alliance for three years.' Note You may also streamline the relative clause to avoid repetitive 'for': '…our sister for whom we had been looking a suitable alliance …'; exam focus remains tense. Final Answer C — Replace with 'had been looking' to match 'Last month'.

Question 9

Error spotting — Pick the erroneous part (A/B/C) or D if correct: 'In an English paper / examiners should give as much weightage to language / as they give to contents. / No error.' Focus on idiomatic use of 'weight' vs 'weightage' and the correct m…

Accepted Answer

Given data A: In an English paper B: examiners should give as much weightage to language C: as they give to contents. D: No error. Concept/Approach (mass vs. count nouns & collocation) In academic English, the preferred term is weight rather than 'weightage'. Also, the material inside a paper is treated as a mass noun: 'content' (not 'contents') when referring to subject matter in general. Step-by-step correction C: 'as they give to contents' → 'as they give to content'.Full polished version: '…should give as much weight to language as they give to content.' Common pitfalls Using 'contents' where a mass/general sense is intended; mixing 'weightage' (regional) with international academic style. Final Answer C — Use the mass noun: 'content'.

Question 10

Error spotting — Choose the erroneous segment (A/B/C) or D if correct: 'I am hearing / a lot about / the problem of AIDS these days. / No error.' Test correct tense/aspect for general reports vs. ongoing action.

Accepted Answer

Concept/Approach (stative verb & aspect) 'Hear' is typically a stative verb when it means 'receive news/information'. For repeated reports over a period, use the simple present ('I hear') or present perfect progressive ('I have been hearing') rather than the present continuous used as a mere habitual. Step-by-step correction A: 'I am hearing' → 'I hear' / 'I have been hearing' (with 'these days').Corrected example: 'I have been hearing a lot about the problem of AIDS these days.' Common pitfalls Overusing the -ing form with stative verbs (know, believe, understand, hear in the sense of 'get news'). Final Answer A — Replace with 'I hear …' or 'I have been hearing …'

Question 11

Error spotting — Identify the erroneous piece (A/B/C) or D if correct: 'Unless you stop to make noise at once / I will have no option but to / bring the matter to the attention of the police. / No error.' Focus on gerund vs. infinitive after 'stop' …

Accepted Answer

Concept/Approach (verb pattern after 'stop') 'Stop to + verb' means 'pause in order to do something'. Here the meaning is to cease an activity, which requires 'stop + gerund': 'stop making noise'. Step-by-step correction A: 'stop to make noise' → 'stop making noise'.Corrected sentence: 'Unless you stop making noise at once, I will have no option but to bring the matter to the attention of the police.' Common pitfalls Confusing 'stop to do' (purpose) with 'stop doing' (cessation). Final Answer A — Use 'stop making noise'.

Question 12

Error spotting — Select the incorrect segment (A/B/C) or D for no error: 'He is generally / more hungry / than she is. / No error.' Ensure correct comparative adjective formation ('hungrier') and provide the polished alternative.

Accepted Answer

Concept/Approach (comparatives) One-syllable adjective 'hungry' (effectively two syllables but regular) forms the comparative with '-er': 'hungrier'; per prescriptive norms, 'more hungry' is less idiomatic here. Correction B: 'more hungry' → 'hungrier'.Corrected sentence: 'He is generally hungrier than she is.' Common pitfalls Using 'more + adjective' where the '-er' comparative is standard (cleverer, happier, hungrier). Final Answer B — Prefer 'hungrier'.

Question 13

Error spotting — Identify the erroneous segment (A/B/C) or mark D if correct: 'Since India has gained Independence / 49 years ago. / much progress has been made in almost every field. / No error.' Check incompatibility of 'since' with 'ago' and tens…

Accepted Answer

Concept/Approach (time markers) 'Since' (as a time conjunction meaning 'from the time when') does not co-occur with 'ago'. Use simple past with a time adverbial '… years ago': 'India gained Independence 49 years ago.' Or use 'since' with a point in time ('since 1947') and present perfect in the main clause. Corrections Option 1: 'Since India gained Independence, much progress has been made …' (drop 'ago').Option 2: 'India gained Independence 49 years ago; much progress has been made …' (no 'since'). Final Answer A — The 'since has gained' frame with 'ago' is ungrammatical.

Question 14

Error spotting — Choose the erroneous part (A/B/C) or D if correct: 'He ensured his bank manager / that he would soon / repay the loan. / No error.' Focus on precise verb choice ('assured' vs 'ensured') in business English.

Accepted Answer

Concept/Approach (diction) Ensure = make certain that something happens; it does not take a personal object. Assure = tell someone confidently to remove doubt. Therefore, we assure someone and ensure something. Step-by-step correction A: 'He ensured his bank manager' → 'He assured his bank manager …'Corrected sentence: 'He assured his bank manager that he would soon repay the loan.' Common pitfalls Using 'ensure' with human objects; confusing ensure/assure/insure. Final Answer A — Replace 'ensured' with 'assured'.

Question 15

Error spotting — Identify the erroneous segment (A/B/C) or select D for no error: 'A free press is not a privilege / but the organic necessity / in a free society. / No error.' Test correct article choice before a vowel sound and polish the civics/e…

Accepted Answer

Concept/Approach (articles) Before a singular count noun with a vowel sound, use the article an, not 'the', unless a specific unique referent is intended. Here the sense is generic: 'an organic necessity'. Step-by-step correction B: 'the organic necessity' → 'an organic necessity'.Corrected sentence: 'A free press is not a privilege but an organic necessity in a free society.' Common pitfalls Misusing 'the' where no prior specification exists; ignoring vowel-sound rule for 'a/an'. Final Answer B — Use 'an organic necessity'.

Question 16

English grammar error-spotting (idiom and collocation: choose the single erroneous part among A–D; select ‘‘No error’’ only if the sentence is fully correct): ‘‘He explained the matter / at great length / but I was not the wiser / No error.’’

Accepted Answer

Given data A: ‘‘He explained the matter’’ B: ‘‘at great length’’ C: ‘‘but I was not the wiser’’ D: ‘‘No error.’’ Concept / Approach Identify the fixed idioms. ‘‘At great length’’ is a correct collocation meaning ‘‘very thoroughly/for a long time’’. The idiomatic result phrase is ‘‘none the wiser’’, not ‘‘not the wiser’’. Step-by-step analysis Check B → valid idiom ‘‘at great length’’.Check C → replace with the fixed idiom ‘‘none the wiser’’. Correction ‘‘He explained the matter at great length, but I was none the wiser.’’ Common pitfalls Substituting ‘‘not’’ for the fossilized phrase ‘‘none the’’ in this idiom. Final Answer but I was not the wiser

Question 17

English grammar error-spotting (phrasal-verb transitivity: avoid ‘‘end up’’ + direct object): ‘‘He will end up his work / in the city / by the end of the year. / No error.’’ Choose the single erroneous part.

Accepted Answer

Given data A uses ‘‘end up’’ with a direct object. Concept / Approach ‘‘End up’’ is normally intransitive (‘‘end up doing/at/in’’). To mean ‘‘complete’’, use ‘‘finish/complete his work’’. Correction ‘‘He will finish his work in the city by the end of the year.’’ or ‘‘He will end up in the city …’’ (different meaning). Common pitfalls Forcing intransitive phrasal verbs to take a direct object. Final Answer He will end up his work

Question 18

English grammar error-spotting (avoid double concessive markers ‘‘even though … but’’): ‘‘Even though the shirt is rather expensive / but I wish to / purchase it with my own money. / No error.’’ Identify the erroneous segment.

Accepted Answer

Concept / Approach Do not use both ‘‘even though’’ and ‘‘but’’ together. One concessive marker suffices. Correction ‘‘Even though the shirt is rather expensive, I wish to purchase it …’’ or ‘‘The shirt is rather expensive, but I wish to purchase it …’’ Common pitfalls Redundant connectors reducing clarity. Final Answer but I wish to

Question 19

English grammar error-spotting (verb + preposition: ‘‘enquire of/ask (someone)’’): ‘‘He enquired me / why I had not seen him the previous day / as I had promised to do. / No error.’’ Pick the erroneous part.

Accepted Answer

Concept / Approach In formal English, ‘‘enquire’’ is used with a preposition (‘‘enquire of someone’’) or with ‘‘about/into’’ something; or we use ‘‘ask’’ with a direct object (‘‘asked me’’). Correction ‘‘He asked me why I had not seen him the previous day …’’ or ‘‘He enquired of me why …’’ Why B & C are fine ‘‘the previous day’’ correctly backshifts time in reported speech; ‘‘as I had promised to do’’ is grammatical and idiomatic. Final Answer He enquired me

Question 20

English grammar error-spotting (present perfect for life experience vs simple past): ‘‘I was there / many a time / in the past. / No error.’’ Choose the erroneous segment.

Accepted Answer

Concept / Approach For repeated experiences up to now, standard usage prefers the present perfect (‘‘have been’’) rather than the simple past when no definite time is given and the span connects to the present. Correction ‘‘I have been there many a time in the past.’’ Notes ‘‘many a time’’ is a fixed phrase; keep it as is. Final Answer I was there

Spotting Errors Questions