📚 CLAT – English & Comprehension
Grammar & Error Spotting – Study Notes
Target – Identify and correct grammatical, punctuation, and usage errors quickly and accurately.
Why It Matters – CLAT’s “Grammar & Error Spotting” section tests your precision and comprehension of written English.
1️⃣ Simple Explanation
In this section, you will be given a paragraph or a set of sentences containing one or more errors. Your task is to:
- Spot the mistake(s).
- Explain why the original is wrong.
- Rewrite the sentence correctly.
Errors can be of three broad types:
| Type | What to look for | Typical example |
|---|---|---|
| Grammar | Tense, subject‑verb agreement, pronoun case, article usage, prepositions | He don’t like it. |
| Punctuation | Commas, semicolons, colons, apostrophes | Its a good day. |
| Usage/Word‑choice | Wrong synonym, idiom, verb form | He is a good at tennis. |
2️⃣ Key Points – Common Pitfalls & Rules
| # | Rule | Quick Test | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Subject‑Verb Agreement | Does the verb agree with the subject in number? | The list of items are on the desk. → are → is |
| 2 | Tense Consistency | All verbs in a single clause should be in the same tense unless a shift is intentional. | She will finish, but she had started already. |
| 3 | Pronoun‑Antecedent Agreement | Pronoun must agree in number & gender with its antecedent. | Everyone should bring their book. → their → his or her |
| 4 | Article Usage | ‘A/An’ before a singular, countable noun; ‘the’ before a specific noun; no article before uncountable nouns. | She adopted a cat. |
| 5 | Prepositions | Use the correct preposition for the verb or noun. | She is good in math. → at |
| 6 | Comma Use | 1) Between independent clauses joined by a conjunction. 2) After introductory elements. 3) In lists. | I went to the store and bought milk. → I went to the store, and bought milk. |
| 7 | Apostrophes | Possessive (‘s’) vs contraction (‘is’ → ‘it is’). | Its a big change. → It’s |
| 8 | Misused Words | Common confusions: affect vs effect, lie vs lay, than vs then, complement vs compliment. | He will affect the decision. → affect → affect (verb) vs effect (noun) – choose the correct one. |
| 9 | Parallelism | Items in a list or clauses should have the same grammatical form. | She likes swimming, to run, and hiking. → swimming, running, and hiking |
| 10 | Subject‑Complement Agreement | The complement must agree with the subject in number. | The team are ready. → are → is |
3️⃣ Strategies to Spot Errors Quickly
| Step | How to Apply | Example |
|---|---|---|
| A. Read Aloud | Hearing the sentence often reveals awkwardness or missing words. | “The committee have decided.” → hear “have” wrong with plural “committee”. |
| B. Check Subject‑Verb | Identify the subject first, then see if the verb matches. | “The group of students was late.” → was → were (group is plural). |
| C. Look for Inconsistencies | Tense jumps, article misuse, or missing prepositions. | “She will go to the market yesterday.” → will + yesterday (past). |
| D. Highlight Keywords | Words like however, therefore, but, because, although often introduce clauses that need commas. | “However the test was difficult.” → comma needed. |
| E. Use a Quick Reference | Keep a mini‑cheat sheet of the most common error categories handy. |
4️⃣ Worked Example
Original Paragraph
The committee, which has been working for months, has decided to increase the budget. They will implement the new plan next week, and the staff will start to be trained on the new software. However the new policy also means that the employees will have to work overtime. The management has promised that overtime pay will be given. The employees are hoping that the increased pay will compensate for the extra hours.
Step‑by‑Step Corrections
| No. | Error | Why It’s Wrong | Corrected Text |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | has decided (subject “committee” is singular) | Verb must agree with singular subject | has decided → has decided (already correct) – No change |
| 2 | will start to be trained | “to be trained” is awkward; passive form unnecessary | will start training |
| 3 | However (missing comma) | Introductory adverb requires a comma | However, |
| 4 | have to work overtime (subject “employees” is plural) | Verb must agree with plural subject | have to work overtime – No change |
| 5 |