Episode 8 — Aptitude and Reasoning / 8.26 — Error Identification
8.26.a -- Concepts and Rules: Error Identification
1. What Is Error Identification?
In Error Identification (Spotting the Error) questions, you are given a sentence divided into 3 or 4 parts (labelled a, b, c, d). One part contains a grammatical error. You must identify which part is incorrect. Sometimes option (d) or a separate option says "No Error."
Example:
(a) Each of the students / (b) have completed / (c) their assignments on time. / (d) No Error.
Answer: (b) -- "have completed" should be "has completed" because "Each" is singular.
2. Subject-Verb Agreement Errors
This is the most commonly tested error type. The verb must agree with its subject in number (singular/plural).
Rule 1: Singular Subjects Take Singular Verbs
| Subject | Correct Verb | Incorrect Verb |
|---|---|---|
| He | goes | go |
| She | writes | write |
| It | is | are |
| The boy | plays | play |
Rule 2: Words Between Subject and Verb Do Not Change Agreement
The verb agrees with the subject, not with the nearest noun.
Wrong: The list of items are on the table. Right: The list of items is on the table. (Subject = "list," which is singular.)
Wrong: The quality of the mangoes were not good. Right: The quality of the mangoes was not good.
Rule 3: "Each," "Every," "Either," "Neither" -- Always Singular
| Word | Correct | Incorrect |
|---|---|---|
| Each of the boys | has finished | have finished |
| Every student | is expected | are expected |
| Either of the plans | is acceptable | are acceptable |
| Neither of the answers | is correct | are correct |
Rule 4: "One of" Takes a Singular Verb
Wrong: One of the students have failed. Right: One of the students has failed.
Rule 5: Collective Nouns
Collective nouns (team, committee, jury, family, government, audience) take a singular verb when acting as a single unit, and a plural verb when members act individually.
The committee has reached a decision. (acting as one unit) The committee are divided on the issue. (members disagree individually)
Rule 6: "Neither...nor" and "Either...or" -- Verb Agrees with the Nearer Subject
Neither the teacher nor the students were present. Neither the students nor the teacher was present.
Rule 7: Uncountable Nouns Take Singular Verbs
| Uncountable Noun | Correct | Incorrect |
|---|---|---|
| Information | is | are |
| Furniture | was | were |
| Advice | is | are |
| Luggage | was | were |
| News | is | are |
| Scenery | is | are |
| Machinery | is | are |
| Bread | is | are |
Rule 8: Subjects Joined by "and" Take a Plural Verb
Bread and butter are served at breakfast.
Exception: When two nouns refer to the same person or thing:
Bread and butter is his favourite breakfast. (a single combination) The poet and philosopher is dead. (one person who is both)
Rule 9: "A number of" vs "The number of"
A number of students have applied. (Plural -- "A number of" = many) The number of students is increasing. (Singular -- "The number" is the subject)
3. Tense Errors
Rule 1: Maintain Consistent Tense
Do not shift tenses within a sentence unless the meaning requires it.
Wrong: He went to the market and buys vegetables. Right: He went to the market and bought vegetables.
Rule 2: Use Past Perfect for the Earlier of Two Past Events
Wrong: The train left before we reached the station. Right: The train had left before we reached the station.
Rule 3: "Since" Requires Present Perfect or Past Perfect
Wrong: He is working here since 2015. Right: He has been working here since 2015.
Wrong: She knew him since childhood. Right: She had known him since childhood.
Rule 4: "When" with Simple Past, "While" with Past Continuous
Wrong: While I walked to school, it started raining. Right: While I was walking to school, it started raining.
Rule 5: Universal Truths in Simple Present
Even in reported speech, universal truths stay in the simple present.
Wrong: The teacher said that the Earth revolved around the Sun. Right: The teacher said that the Earth revolves around the Sun.
Rule 6: Conditional Sentences
| Type | If-Clause | Main Clause |
|---|---|---|
| Type 0 (fact) | If + present simple | present simple |
| Type 1 (real future) | If + present simple | will + base verb |
| Type 2 (unreal present) | If + past simple | would + base verb |
| Type 3 (unreal past) | If + past perfect | would have + past participle |
Wrong: If I would have studied harder, I would have passed. Right: If I had studied harder, I would have passed.
4. Pronoun Errors
Rule 1: Pronoun Must Agree with Its Antecedent
Wrong: Every student must bring their own book. (student = singular, their = plural) Right: Every student must bring his or her own book.
Rule 2: Ambiguous Pronoun Reference
Wrong: When Ravi met Sunil, he was very happy. (Who was happy?) Right: When Ravi met Sunil, Ravi was very happy.
Rule 3: Subject vs Object Pronouns
| Subject Pronouns | Object Pronouns |
|---|---|
| I | me |
| he | him |
| she | her |
| we | us |
| they | them |
| who | whom |
Wrong: Between you and I, this is a bad idea. Right: Between you and me, this is a bad idea. ("between" takes object form)
Wrong: It is me who is responsible. Right: It is I who am responsible.
Rule 4: Reflexive Pronoun Errors
Reflexive pronouns (myself, himself, herself, themselves) should only be used when the subject and object are the same.
Wrong: Please contact myself for details. Right: Please contact me for details.
Correct: He hurt himself while playing. (subject = he, object = himself -- same person)
Rule 5: "Who" vs "Whom"
- Who = subject (does the action)
- Whom = object (receives the action)
Wrong: The man whom stole the money was caught. Right: The man who stole the money was caught. (subject of "stole")
Correct: The man whom the police arrested was released. (object of "arrested")
5. Article Errors
Rule 1: "A" Before Consonant Sounds, "An" Before Vowel Sounds
It depends on sound, not spelling.
| Word | Article | Reason |
|---|---|---|
| an hour | an | "hour" starts with a vowel sound (/aʊər/) |
| a university | a | "university" starts with a consonant sound (/juː/) |
| an MBA | an | "M" is pronounced /em/ (vowel sound) |
| a European | a | "European" starts with /juː/ (consonant sound) |
| an honest person | an | "h" is silent; vowel sound /ɒ/ |
| a one-rupee coin | a | "one" starts with /wʌ/ (consonant sound) |
Rule 2: "The" for Specific or Unique Nouns
Use "the" when referring to:
- A specific noun already mentioned: "I saw a dog. The dog was brown."
- Unique things: the Sun, the Earth, the Taj Mahal
- Superlatives: the best, the tallest
- Ordinals: the first, the second
- Certain proper nouns: the Ganges, the Himalayas, the United States
Rule 3: No Article Before
- Abstract nouns used generally: "Honesty is the best policy." (NOT "The honesty")
- Uncountable nouns used generally: "Water is essential for life."
- Names of countries (single-word): "India," "France" (NOT "the India")
- Names of languages: "English," "Hindi" (NOT "the English" when referring to the language)
- Meals (general): "Dinner is ready." (NOT "The dinner")
- Games/sports: "He plays cricket." (NOT "the cricket")
Rule 4: Common Article Errors in Exams
| Incorrect | Correct | Rule |
|---|---|---|
| He is a honest man | He is an honest man | Silent "h," vowel sound |
| She is an European | She is a European | /juː/ is a consonant sound |
| The nature is beautiful | Nature is beautiful | Abstract/general, no "the" |
| I play the cricket | I play cricket | No article before sports |
| He gave me an advice | He gave me advice | "Advice" is uncountable |
| She is best student | She is the best student | Superlative needs "the" |
6. Preposition Errors
Rule 1: Common Preposition Combinations
| Correct | Incorrect |
|---|---|
| Consist of | Consist with/in |
| Depend on | Depend upon (acceptable) / Depend to |
| Interested in | Interested for/about |
| Good at | Good in (for subjects: good in maths is Indian English but formally "good at") |
| Different from | Different than (American) / Different to (British informal) |
| Agree with (a person) | Agree to a person |
| Agree to (a proposal) | Agree with a proposal |
| Superior to | Superior than |
| Inferior to | Inferior than |
| Prefer A to B | Prefer A than B / Prefer A over B |
| Die of (disease) | Die from/with |
| Congratulate on | Congratulate for |
| Comprise (no preposition) | Comprise of |
| Discuss (no preposition) | Discuss about |
| Enter (no preposition) | Enter into (a room) |
| Reach (no preposition) | Reach to/at |
| Emphasize (no preposition) | Emphasize on |
| Accompany (no preposition) | Accompany with |
Rule 2: Prepositions of Time
| Preposition | Usage | Example |
|---|---|---|
| At | Specific time | at 5 o'clock, at noon, at midnight |
| On | Days and dates | on Monday, on 15 August |
| In | Months, years, seasons, longer periods | in June, in 2024, in winter, in the morning |
| Since | Point of time (with perfect tenses) | since 2010, since morning |
| For | Duration of time | for two hours, for five years |
| By | Deadline | by tomorrow, by 6 p.m. |
Rule 3: Prepositions of Place
| Preposition | Usage | Example |
|---|---|---|
| At | Specific point | at the bus stop, at home |
| In | Enclosed space or area | in the room, in India, in a car |
| On | Surface | on the table, on the wall, on a bus |
| Between | Two items | between A and B |
| Among | Three or more items | among the students |
7. Parallelism Errors
When a sentence lists items or uses correlative conjunctions, all parts must have the same grammatical form.
Rule 1: Items in a List Must Be Parallel
Wrong: She likes swimming, to dance, and reading. Right: She likes swimming, dancing, and reading. (all gerunds) Also Right: She likes to swim, to dance, and to read. (all infinitives)
Rule 2: Correlative Conjunctions Require Parallelism
| Correlative Pair | Example |
|---|---|
| Not only...but also | He is not only intelligent but also hardworking. |
| Either...or | You can either take the bus or walk. |
| Neither...nor | She is neither rich nor famous. |
| Both...and | He is both a singer and a dancer. |
| Whether...or | Tell me whether he is coming or not. |
Wrong: He is not only intelligent but also he works hard. Right: He is not only intelligent but also hardworking.
Rule 3: Comparisons Must Be Parallel
Wrong: Running is better exercise than to swim. Right: Running is better exercise than swimming.
8. Modifier Errors
Rule 1: Misplaced Modifiers
A modifier must be placed next to the word it modifies.
Wrong: He nearly ate the whole cake. (Did he almost eat it, or did he eat nearly all of it?) Right: He ate nearly the whole cake.
Wrong: She only drinks water in the morning. (Only she? Only water? Only morning?) Right: She drinks only water in the morning.
Rule 2: Dangling Modifiers
A participial phrase at the beginning of a sentence must modify the subject that follows.
Wrong: Walking down the street, the trees looked beautiful. (The trees were not walking.) Right: Walking down the street, I thought the trees looked beautiful.
Wrong: Having finished the homework, the TV was turned on. Right: Having finished the homework, he turned on the TV.
Wrong: Born in a small village, his achievements were remarkable. Right: Born in a small village, he achieved remarkable success.
Rule 3: Squinting Modifiers
A squinting modifier is ambiguously placed between two elements.
Wrong: Students who study often make mistakes. (Study often? Or often make mistakes?) Right: Students who often study make mistakes. Or: Students who study make mistakes often.
9. Redundancy Errors
Redundancy means using unnecessary extra words that repeat the same meaning.
Common Redundant Phrases
| Redundant (Wrong) | Correct |
|---|---|
| Return back | Return |
| Revert back | Revert |
| Repeat again | Repeat |
| Combine together | Combine |
| Each and every | Each / Every |
| Past history | History |
| Future plans | Plans |
| Free gift | Gift |
| Advance planning | Planning |
| True fact | Fact |
| End result | Result |
| Final conclusion | Conclusion |
| Basic fundamentals | Fundamentals |
| Completely unanimous | Unanimous |
| Reason is because | Reason is that |
| Cooperate together | Cooperate |
| New innovation | Innovation |
| Absolutely essential | Essential |
| Close proximity | Proximity |
| Consensus of opinion | Consensus |
| Fellow colleagues | Colleagues |
| First priority | Priority |
| Joint collaboration | Collaboration |
| Mutual cooperation | Cooperation |
| Rise up | Rise |
| Sum total | Total |
| Unexpected surprise | Surprise |
10. Commonly Confused Words
Frequently Tested Pairs
| Word | Meaning | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| Accept | To receive | Except | To exclude |
| Affect | To influence (verb) | Effect | Result (noun) / To bring about (verb) |
| Advice | Guidance (noun) | Advise | To recommend (verb) |
| Beside | Next to | Besides | In addition to |
| Complement | To complete | Compliment | To praise |
| Disinterested | Impartial | Uninterested | Not interested |
| Emigrate | Leave a country | Immigrate | Enter a country |
| Farther | Physical distance | Further | Additional / abstract |
| Fewer | Countable nouns | Less | Uncountable nouns |
| Its | Possessive (belonging to it) | It's | It is / It has |
| Lay | To put down (transitive) | Lie | To recline (intransitive) |
| Loose | Not tight (adjective) | Lose | To misplace (verb) |
| Practice | Noun (British) | Practise | Verb (British) |
| Principal | Main / Head of school | Principle | A rule or law |
| Stationary | Not moving | Stationery | Writing materials |
| Than | Comparison | Then | Time / sequence |
| Their | Possessive (belonging to them) | There | Place / They're |
| Who's | Who is / Who has | Whose | Possessive (belonging to whom) |
| Your | Possessive | You're | You are |
11. Other Commonly Tested Rules
Rule: Adjective vs Adverb
- Adjectives modify nouns: She is a careful driver.
- Adverbs modify verbs: She drives carefully.
Wrong: He completed the work quick. Right: He completed the work quickly.
Rule: Comparative and Superlative Degrees
| Type | Rule | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Comparative (2 items) | -er / more + adjective + than | She is taller than her sister. |
| Superlative (3+ items) | -est / most + adjective + the | She is the tallest in the class. |
Wrong: He is more taller than his brother. Right: He is taller than his brother. (no double comparative)
Wrong: This is the most unique painting. Right: This is a unique painting. ("Unique" means one of a kind -- no degrees)
Rule: Fewer vs Less
- Fewer = countable nouns (fewer people, fewer books)
- Less = uncountable nouns (less water, less time)
Wrong: There are less students today. Right: There are fewer students today.
Rule: Much vs Many
- Much = uncountable (much water, much information)
- Many = countable (many books, many students)
Rule: "Would rather" and "Had better"
- Would rather + base verb: I would rather go than stay.
- Had better + base verb: You had better leave now.
Wrong: I would rather to go home. Right: I would rather go home.
Summary Table: Error Types and Frequency in Exams
| Error Type | Frequency in Exams | Difficulty |
|---|---|---|
| Subject-Verb Agreement | Very High | Easy to Moderate |
| Tense Errors | High | Moderate |
| Pronoun Errors | High | Moderate |
| Article Errors | Moderate to High | Easy |
| Preposition Errors | High | Easy to Moderate |
| Parallelism | Moderate | Moderate to High |
| Modifier Errors | Moderate | Moderate to High |
| Redundancy | Moderate | Easy |
| Confused Words | Moderate | Easy to Moderate |
| Comparative/Superlative | Moderate | Easy |
Key Takeaway: Over 60% of error identification questions test just three categories: Subject-Verb Agreement, Tense Errors, and Preposition Errors. Master these three first, then move to the others.