How do I learn spotting errors?

We have provided information for that and other things you can do for improving are practice and reading a lot.

How do you use spotting error in a sentence?

Read the sentence carefully and try to find what looks like it doesn't match the rules that you have learnt in grammar.

What is error spotting?

Error spotting is a systematic way of identifying and rectifying the mistakes in a sentence.

What are the different types of errors?

There are three types of errors: systematic, random, and human error.

What is the zero error?

It is a type of error in which an instrument gives a reading when the true reading at that time is zero.

Spot The Error and Correct The Sentence in English with Examples

Table of Contents

Spot The Error

Error Spotting In English is a very important topic for all competitive exams. Whether you are a student taking an English exam in school, a government exam, taking the SAT, or taking other English proficiency exams, the ability to spot faults is one that is very useful. To excel at error detection, a candidate must develop a strong command of English grammar and vocabulary. You have to find an error in the given sentences in error spotting or spot the error. The mistake could be with any nouns, pronouns, or other grammar in the statement. In this blog, we will discuss typical mistakes in error spotting and offer advice on how to improve.

Spot the Error and Correct the Sentence

Here we have some tips for Error Spotting in English.

1. Certain nouns being a singular form represent plurality and therefore, take a plural verb in a sentence.

Example: police, clergy, people, peasantry, cattle.

People has left. (Incorrect)
People have left. (Correct)

2. Certain nouns take the plural verb because of their plural form.

Example: Clothes, Scissors, trousers, amends, spectacles, thanks.

The spectacles is missing. (Incorrect)
The spectacles are missing. (Correct)

3. When a noun denoting weight, number, money, length or measure is following a number, the noun form does not change as long as another noun or pronoun follows it.

Example: Million, pair, meter, year, dozen.

This is a 9-meters scale. (Incorrect)
This is a 9-meter scale. (Correct)

4. When the pronoun ‘one’ is used, it should be maintained throughout the whole sentence.

One must help his siblings. (Incorrect)
One must help one’s siblings. (Correct)

5. For living people ‘whose’ is generally used and for things that are non-living ‘which’ is used.

Which phone is kept on charging? (Incorrect)
Whose phone is kept on charging? (Correct)

6. ‘Fewer’ is used for denoting number while ‘Less’ is used for denoting quantity.

No less than thirty dogs were. (Incorrect)
No fewer than thirty dogs were. (Correct)

7. Sentences are always opposite to question tags, for example, if the question tag is positive then the sentence is negative and vice versa.

It’s a bit early, is it? (Incorrect)
It’s a bit early, isn’t it? (Correct)

8. Instead of ‘who’ or ‘which’, the relative pronoun ‘that’ is used after adjectives in the superlative degree.

These are the best which he could get. (Incorrect)
These are the best that he could get. (Correct)

9. ‘As’ is used both before and after the adjective to show equality.

I can write as fast, if not faster than her. (Incorrect)
I can write as fast as, if not faster than her. (Correct)

10. ‘Though’ is always followed by ‘yet’ in a sentence and not by ‘but’.

Thus,

Though he is rich but he is kind. (Incorrect)
Though he is rich, yet he is kind. (Correct)

11. ‘Not’ is never used with ‘unless’ as ‘unless’ expresses a condition that is always used in the negative sense.

Thus,

Unless you do not pay the fine, you will not be excused. (Incorrect)
Unless you pay the fine, you will not be excused. (Correct)

12. ‘While’ implies a time duration of doing something and ‘When’ denotes a general sense.

Thus,

When learning how to box, the technique is of utmost importance. (Incorrect)
While learning how to box, the technique is of utmost importance. (Correct)

Error Detection in English

Direction: In the following questions, one part of the sentence may have an error. Find out which part of the sentence has an error.

Que. Some of the richest (A) / business magnate (B) / live in Mumbai. (C) / No Error (D)
a. A
b. B
c. C
d. D
Ans.:- (b.)

Que. This is an urgent (A) / matter which may admit (B) / of few delays. (C) / No error (D)
a. A
b. B
c. C
d. D
Ans.:- (c.)

Que. Outside, the rain beats down (A) / in floods and the sea gives forth (B) / a sound like an alarm bells. (C) / No error (D)
a. A
b. B
c. C
d. D
Ans.:- (c.)

Que. I used (A)/ a pair of black trousers (B) / for a week (C)/ No error (D)
a. A
b. B
c. C
d. D
Ans.:- (a.)

Que. He has made a mistake (A)/ of which (B) / I am certain (C) / No error (D)
a. A
b. B
c. C
d. D
Ans.:- (d.)

Que. He was not allowed (A) / for the teacher (B) / to read in a low voice (C) / no error (D)
a. A
b. B
c. C
d. D
Ans.:- (b.)

Que. Each of the girls (A) / have come (B) / with her books. (C) / No Error (D)
a. A
b. B
c. C
d. D
Ans.:- (b.)

Que. Me and my wife (A) / were at home (B) / last night. (C) / No Error (D)
a. A
b. B
c. C
d. D
Ans.:- (a.)

Que. Essay writing is an art (A) / that requires many planning (B) / on the part of the writer. (C) / No Error (D)
a. A
b. B
c. C
d. D
Ans.:- (b.)

Que. If you permit me to speak the truth (A) / I shall state without hesitation (B) / that you have done a mistake (C) / No Error (D)
a. A
b. B
c. C
d. D
Ans.:- (c.)

Question- Summers in Delhi are extreme Hot

Answer-Summers in Delhi are extremely hot.

Spotting Errors

1. Read the sentence carefully. This is the foremost step in the process. Read it as many times as you can.

2. Most of the time, there are spelling mistakes in any part of the sentence.

3. Check for the correct usage of helping verbs as per the subject in a sentence, for eg.

Helping verb Subject

is/has/does/was – all singular nouns & he/she/it
am/do/was – I
are/have/were – all plural nouns & you/we/they

4. Check for the correct usage of main verbs in a sentence, for eg.,

do/does/did + 1st form of the main verb
has/have/had + 3rd form of the main verb
will/shall/would/should + 1st form of the main verb
will be/shall be/would be/should be + ‘ing’ form of the main verb

5. Always check if the sentence is framed in active/passive voice OR direct/indirect speech.

6. Check for the correct usage of all the tenses in a sentence, for eg., indefinite tense, continuous tense, perfect tense, perfect continuous tense.

7. In the case of perfect continuous tense, always remember that “for” is used for denoting a period of time or duration (i.e., 2 months, 2 years etc.) while “since” is used for denoting the point of time (i.e., 1959, yesterday, tonight etc.).

8. Check for the correct usage of the following:

there (used as an adverb to denote the position) while their (denotes a pronoun)
who/whoever (used as a subject) while whom/whomever (used as an object)
whose (used to identify who owns what)
then (denotes time and is mostly used with ‘if’) while than (denotes comparison).

9. Check for the correct usage of articles in a sentence, for eg.,

INDEFINITE ARTICLES: “a” – used with all consonants sound (eg., a kite) & “an” – used with all vowel sounds (eg., an MBA, an umbrella)
DEFINITE ARTICLE: “the” – used when you are talking about something specific, historic places, planets, names of some continents/countries/oceans/rivers, etc. (like the United States of America, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, the Amazon, the Indian Ocean etc.

10. Check for the correct usage of proper nouns and if they are written in CAPITAL letters, for eg., Neeta Arora, the Great Wall of China etc.

11. Check for the correct usage of noun/pronoun/adjectives and adverbs in a sentence. Also, check if proper conjunctions and prepositions have been used.