Error Spotting – English Language (Odisha Police Sub‑Inspector)
Error spotting is a common type of question in the Odisha Police Sub‑Inspector (SI) English Language paper.
The question presents a sentence or a short passage that contains one or more grammatical/orthographic errors.
Your task is to identify the incorrect part(s) and choose the correct option (or write the corrected sentence).
1. Simple Explanation
| Concept | What It Means | Why It Matters |
|---|---|---|
| Grammar | Rules that govern how words are combined. | Errors make the meaning unclear or wrong. |
| Punctuation | Marks (., ;, :, …, etc.) that signal pauses and structure. | Without correct punctuation the sentence can be confusing or change meaning. |
| Spelling | Correct arrangement of letters. | Mistakes can turn a word into another word or make it meaningless. |
| Vocabulary | Correct word choice (e.g., affect vs. effect). | Wrong word choice can distort the intended meaning. |
2. Key Points to Remember
| # | Topic | Quick Tip |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Subject–Verb Agreement | Singular subject → singular verb; plural subject → plural verb. |
| 2 | Tense Consistency | Keep the same tense throughout a single idea or paragraph. |
| 3 | Pronoun‑Antecedent Agreement | Pronoun must agree in number and gender with its antecedent. |
| 4 | Comma Splice / Run‑On | Do not join two independent clauses with just a comma. Use a semicolon, conjunction, or period. |
| 5 | Misplaced/ambiguous modifiers | Place modifiers near the word they describe. |
| 6 | Comma usage with adjectives | Use a comma between coordinate adjectives (e.g., tall, muscular). |
| 7 | Spelling – homophones | Their/there/they’re, affect/effect, accept/except, compliment/compliment etc. |
| 8 | Capitalization | Proper nouns, start of sentence, titles. |
| 9 | Phrasal verbs | Correct order: look up, turn on, give in, not look up? (But watch for give in vs give in to). |
| 10 | Parallelism | Items in a list or comparison should have the same grammatical form. |
3. Worked Example
Original Sentence
The committee has decided to implement the new policy, however, their lack of training has caused many problems.
| Step | Identify the error | Corrected form | Reason |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | has after committee (singular) | has | Committee is a collective noun; treat as singular. |
| 2 | however used as a coordinating conjunction without a comma before it | however, | Use comma before however when it introduces a clause. |
| 3 | their – refers to committee (singular) | its | Pronoun must agree in number. |
| 4 | has after lack of training (singular) | has | Lack is singular; keep has. |
| 5 | Run‑on sentence – two independent clauses joined by comma | The committee has decided to implement the new policy; however, its lack of training has caused many problems. | Use semicolon or period to separate independent clauses. |
Corrected Sentence
The committee has decided to implement the new policy; however, its lack of training has caused many problems.
Explanation in One Sentence
The sentence had subject‑verb agreement mistakes, a misplaced comma, a pronoun‑antecedent mismatch, and a comma splice.
4. Quick Revision Summary
| Topic | Common Mistake | Quick Fix |
|---|---|---|
| Subject‑Verb | “The team is playing” → is for singular; are for plural. | Check the noun before the verb. |
| Tense | “She will went to the market.” | Use will go (not went). |
| Pronoun | “Everyone should bring their book.” | Use his/her or their if referring to a group; their is acceptable for singular in informal contexts. |
| Comma splice | “It was raining, we stayed indoors.” | Replace comma with semicolon, period, or conjunction. |
| Modifiers | “She almost drove her car to the station.” | “She drove her car almost to the station.” |
| Homophones | “I’ll accept the invitation.” | Accept (verb) vs except (preposition). |
| Parallelism | “He likes dancing, to swim, and jogging.” | “He likes dancing, swimming, and jogging.” |
Practice Tip
- Read aloud – sounds often reveal missing commas or tense errors.
- Count – singular vs plural nouns/verbs.
- Check pronouns – ensure they match the noun they refer to.
- Look for conjunctions – if two independent clauses are joined, they need a semicolon or period.
Good luck with your preparation! Keep revising these patterns, and you’ll spot errors quickly and accurately in the exam.