Common Errors in English: English Notes for VITEEE

VITEEE English – Common Errors in English

(Study Notes – IIT‑JEE/Competitive Exam Style)

Why These Notes?
The VITEEE English section tests your command over the language, not just vocabulary.
A small error can turn a perfect paragraph into a “wrong” answer.
These notes catalogue the most frequent mistakes, give you the rule behind each, and show how to spot and fix them quickly.

1. Overview of Common Error Types

Error Category	Typical Examples	Why It Happens
Grammar	Subject‑verb disagreement, wrong tense, wrong pronoun case	Misreading of subject, lack of agreement drills
Punctuation	Comma splices, missing commas before and/or, misplaced apostrophes	Habitual writing style, lack of editing
Word‑Choice	Its vs it's, affect vs effect, whose vs who's	Homophones & homonyms confusion
Sentence Structure	Run‑on sentences, sentence fragments, dangling modifiers	Over‑concatenation or omission of key elements
Verb Usage	Lay vs lie, borrow vs lend	Memory of irregular verbs
Formality & Style	Informal contractions in formal contexts	Unaware of register difference

2. Detailed Rules & Tricky Points

2.1 Subject–Verb Agreement

Rule	Example	Common Trap
Singular subject → singular verb	The team* is winning.*	Forgetting that collective nouns can be singular in formal writing.
Plural subject → plural verb	The players* are celebrating.*	“Team” or “committee” treated as plural.
Compound subject joined by and → plural verb	Tom and* Jerry are*	Neglecting the plural nature of the compound.
Compound subject joined by or/and/or → verb agrees with the nearest noun	Either the manager* or the employees are*	Mistaking the verb to agree with the farthest noun.
Indefinite pronouns (everyone, nobody, each, etc.) → singular verb	Everyone has* to submit.*	Thinking “everyone” is plural.

Quick‑Check: Take out the noun and see if the verb stays singular or plural.

2.2 Misused Homophones

Pair	Correct Use	Common Mistake
Its / It’s	It’s = it is. Its = possessive.	“It’s” used as possessive.
Their / There / They're	Their = possessive. There = location. They’re = they are.	Mixing up their with there.
Who / Whom	Who = subject. Whom = object.	Using whom where who is correct.
Affect / Effect	Affect = verb. Effect = noun.	Using effect as a verb.
Loose / Lose	Loose = not tight. Lose = fail to keep.	Reversing the meanings.

Tip: When in doubt, spell it out in your mind: “I (I am)” → It’s; “I have it” → Its.

2.3 Punctuation – Commas & Apostrophes

Comma Splice
Wrong: “I love cooking, I hate baking.”
Right: “I love cooking; I hate baking.” or “I love cooking, and I hate baking.”
Serial (Oxford) Comma
Wrong: “We invited the President, the Vice‑President and the Secretary.”
Right: “We invited the President, the Vice‑President, and the Secretary.”
Comma before and/or in a series – always include when the series has more than two items.
Apostrophes for Possession
- Singular: the cat’s whiskers
- Plural ending in s: the teachers’ lounge
- Plural not ending in s: the children’s books
Apostrophes in Contractions
- Don’t = do not, they’re = they are, it’s = it is.
  Do not “its” form a contraction.

2.4 Sentence Structure

Type	Definition	Common Error	Fix
Run‑on	Two independent clauses joined by a comma only.	“She loves music, she plays guitar.”	Add a semicolon or conjunction.
Fragment	Missing subject or verb.	“Because of the rain.”	Add a clause: “Because of the rain, the match was postponed.”
Dangling Modifier	Modifier refers to an unintended noun.	“While walking down the street, the dog barked.”	“While I was walking down the street, the dog barked.”
Comma Splice	Already covered.	—	—

Rule of Thumb: Every sentence must have a clear subject + predicate.

2.5 Verb Tenses – Past vs. Present

Situation	Correct Tense	Why?
Action completed before another past action	Past perfect	“I had finished