SSC Stenographer – English Language
Topic: Error Spotting
Error spotting questions ask you to read a sentence or a short paragraph and choose the incorrect part.
The goal is to identify the exact grammatical, lexical or punctuation mistake, not just to correct a whole sentence.
1. Simple Explanation
| What you’re given | What you must do |
|---|---|
| A sentence (or a few sentences) | Find the one part that is wrong. |
| The wrong part may be a word, a phrase, a punctuation mark, or a grammatical structure | Select the answer that shows the correct version. |
Tip:
- Read the sentence slowly; pause after each clause.
- Check for the common error types (see below).
- If you’re unsure, try to rewrite the sentence correctly in your head—whichever rewrite you get most naturally is usually the right one.
2. Key Points to Remember
| Category | Typical Errors | How to Spot |
|---|---|---|
| Grammar | 1. Subject‑verb disagreement (e.g., “The list of items are…”) | Verify the subject; if it is a collective noun (list, team, group), the verb is singular. |
| 2. Verb tense consistency (e.g., “She went to the store and buys milk.”) | Ensure all verbs in a clause are in the same tense unless a shift is intentional. | |
| 3. Pronoun‑antecedent agreement (e.g., “Everyone should bring their notebook.”) | The pronoun must agree in number and gender with its antecedent. | |
| 4. Incorrect use of who vs whom (e.g., “Who did you speak to?”) | Who is subject, whom is object. | |
| 5. Misplaced modifiers (e.g., “She nearly drove the car to the shop.”) | The modifier should directly precede or follow the word it describes. | |
| 6. Parallelism (e.g., “He likes to swim, biking, and to run.”) | Items in a series should have the same grammatical form. | |
| Lexical | 1. Wrong word choice (e.g., “He is a great professor.” – should be “great”? Actually “great” is fine; but “great” vs *“great”? We’ll use “great” vs “good” etc.) | Ask: Does the word convey the intended meaning? |
| 2. Confusion between affect and effect (e.g., “The policy will affect the outcome.”) | Affect is usually a verb, effect a noun. | |
| 3. Wrong prepositions (e.g., “He is good in mathematics.”) | Common collocations: good at, proficient in. | |
| Punctuation | 1. Comma splice (e.g., “I love tea, it is sweet.”) | Two independent clauses joined only by a comma. |
| 2. Missing/extra commas (e.g., “Let’s eat grandma.”) | Check for missing commas that separate clauses or items. | |
| 3. Incorrect apostrophes (e.g., “Its a good day.”) | Its is possessive; It’s is the contraction of it is. | |
| Idiomatic & Structural | 1. Misused idioms (e.g., “We will see the light of day soon.”) | Common idioms: “light at the end of the tunnel.” |
| 2. Redundancy (e.g., “Each and every student.”) | Avoid unnecessary repetition. | |
| 3. Awkward phrasing (e.g., “The view is to be admired.”) | Prefer active voice or clearer wording. |
3. Worked Example
Sentence:
“The committee, which are made up of five members, has decided to postpone the meeting.”
Options:
- committee
- which
- are
- has
Step‑by‑step analysis
- Identify the clause with the error.
The relative clause “which are made up of five members” describes committee. - Check subject‑verb agreement.
Committee is a singular noun → the verb should be is, not are. - Confirm other parts.
Which is correctly used as a relative pronoun. Has agrees with committee (singular).
Corrected sentence:
“The committee, which is made up of five members, has decided to postpone the meeting.”
Answer: Option 3 (the word are).
4. Quick Revision Summary
- Read slowly; pause after each clause.
- Check for:
- Singular vs. plural verb
- Tense consistency
- Pronoun‑antecedent agreement
- Who / whom usage
- Modifiers in correct position
- Parallel structure in lists
- Word choice:
- Affect (verb) vs effect (noun)
- Good at / proficient in
- Punctuation:
- Avoid comma splices