SPOTTING THE ERROR

Read each of the following sentences to find out if there is any error in it. The error, if any, will
be in one part of the sentence. The number of that part is the answer. If there is no error, the
answer is (e). Ignore errors of punctuation if any.

1. Sigmund Freud had published (a) / his groundbreaking book, The Interpretation of Dreams, (b) / in
1899, after years (c) / of studying the brain as a neurologist (d). / No error (e)*remove

2. I would ask him (a) / to leave our house (b) / immediately (c) if my father should not have been at
home. (d) / No error (e) * would not have been

3. While he was walking (a) / along the road (b) /, a speeding car (c) / knocked down to him (d). / No
error (e) *Knocked him down

4. Though none of his well-wishers (a) / forwarded to help him (b) / I helped him (c) / by lending him
$100 dollars (d). / No error (e) *forward

5. Your over-dependent on (a) / others even for (b) / trivial matters may (c) / prove disadvantageous.
(d) / No error (e) *over-dependence

6. Even today (a)/ it is incredulous to think (b)/ that men have walked on the moon. (c)/ No error (d)
*Incredulous – unwilling or unable to believe. Incredible - difficult to believe

7. The firemen wore (a)/ inflammable clothing (b)/ for protection (c)/ No error (d)
*non-flammable

8. Beside food, (a)/the pilgrims carried (b) / some medicines . (c) / No error (d)
* Beside –next to / near , Besides – along with / in addition to

9. Adults suffering chicken pox from(a)/can develop (b) / all kinds of complication (c) / No error (d)

10. The well - known pianist (a) / had to practice for several hours a day (b)/ even after he rose to
fame. (c) (practise will replace practice because practice is a Noun and practise is a Verb.)

11. The prime minister was asked (a) / to write a forward (b) / to the book. (c) / No error (d)

*A foreword is an introduction to a book. · Forward can mean a direction

12. I must complement you (a) / on your good manners (b) / and your impeccable behavior. (c)/ No
error (d)

* complement - something that completes something else, compliment - expression to praise or

13. The sweets (a) / were shared (b)/ between the four girls. (c) / No error (d)

*Among

14. The long – distance train (a) / which met with an accident (b) / was carrying some army personal.
(c) / No error (d)
* Personnel- people

15. The young men from Japan (a) / found the assent of the mountain (b) / hard going. (c) / No
error(d)

* Assent is a word that indicates agreement or approval. Ascent refers to an upward movement.

16. Another baffling change (a)/ that I notice in him now-a-days(b)/ is that he avoids to speak to me.
(c)/ No error (d)
*Speaking

17. He lay the watch on the table(a)/ and then forgot all about it (b)/ when he went out. (c)/
No error (d) *laid (past tense)

18. While it is apparent (a)/ that biotechnology offers significant benefits (b)/ adequate attention has
not been focussed to this vital area.(c) / No error(d) *on

19.There is a need (a) / to revising Government policies (b) / on controlling unauthorized

20. If you had seen (a) / yesterday’s cricket I am sure (b) /……. would have enjoyed seeing our team
bat. (c) / No error (d) *you

21.When he will come (a) / I will (b) / make sure (c) / I meet him. (d) / No error (e) *comes

22.The traveller being weary (a)/ he (b) / sat by (c)/ the woodside to rest. (d) / No error (e)*remove

23. He did not (a) / and could not have (b) / understood (c) / the full facts of the case(d)/. No error(e)

24. Neither (a) / Rohit nor (b) / Kabir have done his (c) / lesson. (d) / No error (e)
*has – neither – nor – verb agrees with the nearest subject- Subject verb agreement

25. I am opposed (a) / to the plan of action not because (b) / it is ill conceived but that (c) / it seems
impractical(d) /. No error (e)* not only … but also .. Mandatory pair

26. He as well as you (a) / is tired of (b) / this long(c) / and troublesome affair (d) /. No error (e)
*are – Subject Verb agreement

27. Along the (a) / northern frontier of India (b) / is seen (c)/ the Himalayas mighty in their splendor
(d) /. No error (e) *pronoun- its

28. The recommendations of the committee (a) / that the age should be lowered down (b)
/immediately (c) / was not accepted (d) /. No error (e)* were - SV agreement

29. Each of the students whom (a) / I have chosen to take part (b) / in the discussion have (c) /
indicated that he (d) / will be happy to do so. No error (e)* has – SV agreement

30. Our country need (a) / a number of (b) / self sacrificing (c)/ and devoted political leaders (d)/
No error(e). * needs - SV agreement

31. We erect (a)/ monuments in the memory (b)/of the great lest their achievements (c) /might be
(d)/ forgotten. No error (e). * should
32. He used rather harsh words (a) / in denouncing (b) / her but he must have had (c) / some very
strong reasons to do so(d) /. No error (e). * ‘for doing so’

33. Since he has not (a)/ yet attained the age of eighteen (b)/, he had no right (c)/ to vote in the
present election (d)/. No error (e)* has

34. I am disappointed (a)/ in not having saw (b)/ any place while (c)/ I was in Delhi on vacation (d) /.
No error (e)*seen

35. What India needs today (a) / are more scientists (b) / technicians (c) / and planners (d)/
No error (e) is

36. No sooner did (a) / the thief saw the (b) /policeman than (c)/ he ran away (d) /. No error (e)see

37. Neither the size (a)/ nor the colour (b)/ of the gloves (c)/ were right (d) /. No error (e)was

38. If it was possible (a) / to get near (b) / where one of these eruptions took place (c)/, we could
have a grand sight (d) /. No error (e)were

39. Most of us are not aware (a) / that (b) / eating some varieties (c) / of mushrooms result (d) /
in death. No error (e) results

40. After (a) / Nepoleon had lost (b) / the battle of Waterloo in 1815, he had been (c) /exiled to(d)
/ the Island of St. Helena. No error (e)was exiled

41. It is written in Gita (a)/ that God (b) / incarnates himself (c)/ in times of troubles (d). the gita

42. Judge in him (a)/ prevailed upon the father (b) / and he sentenced (c)/ his son to death (d). (The
Judge - When we talk about a personality present inside a person, article comes with the name of that
personality. Hence replace 'Judge' with 'the Judge'.)

43. It is my considered belief (a)/ the one has to be very courteous (b)/ to his customers (c) /

Remove.in order to (d) succeed.

44. It is evident (a) / from the facts gathered so far (b)/ that he had a hand (c)/ in that murder (d).

45. The reason that (a) / the students now-a-days are so indisciplined is that (b)/they do not get
proper guidance (c) / from their parents and teachers (d).
46. A two miles walk (a) / daily early in (b) / the morning is very conductive (c) / to health
(d).conducive

47. The recent General Elections (a) / have indicated once again (b) /that the congress party enjoys
greater support of the masses (c) / than any party in the country (d).

48. He daren’t to go to (a)/ meet his boss in the office for, (b) /being guilty of constant opposition
against him, he cannot look (c)/ direct into his face (d).remove

49. In developing countries (a) / and urban areas, rapid population growth is creating (b) / major
economic and social problems that (c) / are becoming immanageable (d).

50. It (a)/ has been our custom since immemorial (b)/ to extend hospitality (c) /to those who come
to our door (d).time immemorial
Here's the classification of errors into grammar, vocabulary, redundancy, mandatory pairs,
and standard English:

1. **Grammar**: (c) "in 1899, after years of studying" → No error

2. **Grammar**: (d) "should not have been" → Corrected to "would not have been."

3. **Grammar**: (d) "knocked down to him" → Corrected to "knocked him down."

4. **Vocabulary**: (b) "forwarded to help" → Corrected to "forward to help."

5. **Grammar**: (a) "over-dependent" → Corrected to "over-dependence."

6. **Vocabulary**: (b) "incredulous" → Corrected to "incredible."

7. **Vocabulary**: (b) "inflammable" → Corrected to "non-flammable."

8. **Vocabulary**: (a) "Beside" → Corrected to "Besides."

9. **Grammar**: (a) "suffering chicken pox from" → Corrected to "suffering from chicken pox."

10. **Vocabulary**: (c) "practice" → Corrected to "practise."

11. **Vocabulary**: (b) "forward" → Corrected to "foreword."

12. **Vocabulary**: (a) "complement" → Corrected to "compliment."

13. **Vocabulary**: (c) "between" → Corrected to "among."

14. **Vocabulary**: (c) "personal" → Corrected to "personnel."

15. **Vocabulary**: (b) "assent" → Corrected to "ascent."

16. **Grammar**: (c) "avoids to speak" → Corrected to "avoids speaking."

17. **Grammar**: (a) "lay" → Corrected to "laid."

18. **Grammar**: (c) "focussed to" → Corrected to "focussed on."

19. **Grammar**: (b) "to revising" → Corrected to "to revise."

20. **Grammar**: (c) "would have enjoyed" → Corrected to add "you" before it.

21. **Grammar**: (a) "When he will come" → Corrected to "When he comes."

22. **Redundancy**: (a) "being weary" → No error.

23. **Grammar**: (b) "and could not have" → No error.

24. **Grammar**: (c) "have done" → Corrected to "has done."

25. **Mandatory pairs**: (c) "but that" → Corrected to "but also."

26. **Grammar**: (b) "is tired of" → Corrected to "are tired of."
27. **Grammar**: (d) "in their splendor" → Corrected to "in its splendor."

28. **Grammar**: (d) "was not accepted" → Corrected to "were not accepted."

29. **Grammar**: (c) "have indicated" → Corrected to "has indicated."

30. **Grammar**: (a) "Our country need" → Corrected to "Our country needs."

31. **Standard English**: (d) "might be forgotten" → Corrected to "should be forgotten."

32. **Grammar**: (d) "to do so" → Corrected to "for doing so."

33. **Grammar**: (c) "had no right" → Corrected to "has no right."

34. **Grammar**: (b) "not having saw" → Corrected to "not having seen."

35. **Grammar**: (b) "are more scientists" → Corrected to "is more scientists."

36. **Grammar**: (b) "did the thief saw" → Corrected to "did the thief see."

37. **Grammar**: (d) "were right" → Corrected to "was right."

38. **Grammar**: (a) "If it was possible" → Corrected to "If it were possible."

39. **Grammar**: (d) "result in death" → Corrected to "results in death."

40. **Grammar**: (c) "had been exiled" → Corrected to "was exiled."

41. **Standard English**: (a) "in Gita" → Corrected to "in the Gita."

42. **Standard English**: (a) "Judge in him" → Corrected to "The Judge in him."

43. **Redundancy**: (b) "the one has" → Corrected to "one has."

44. **No error**: No error detected.

45. **No error**: No error detected.

46. **Vocabulary**: (c) "conductive" → Corrected to "conducive."

47. **No error**: No error detected.

48. **Grammar**: (a) "daren’t to go" → Corrected to "daren’t go."

49. **No error**: No error detected.

50. **Vocabulary**: (b) "since immemorial" → Corrected to "since time immemorial."