MCQs on Common Error Detection and Correction will help you to understand English in a better way and will be helpful in SSC, CGL, CHSL, PO, and CUET.
Error Detection and Correction, often referred to as spotting errors, involves identifying grammatical mistakes or inaccuracies in written or spoken English. Here are some key rules and concepts to help you spot errors more effectively:
MCQs on Common Error Detection and Correction
Subject-Verb Agreement: Ensure that the subject and verb in a sentence agree in number and person.
Example: She is (correct) / She are (incorrect) going to the party.
Subject-Verb Agreement:
- The dog barks loudly at strangers.
- My friends are coming over for dinner tonight.
- She plays the piano beautifully.
- The flowers in the garden bloom every spring.
- The children laugh and play in the park.
Pronoun-Antecedent Agreement: Ensure that pronouns agree with their antecedents in number, gender, and person.
Example: Each of the students has (correct) / Each of the students have (incorrect) completed their assignment.
Pronoun-Antecedent Agreement:
- Each of the students must submit their homework by Friday.
- The cat licked its paw and groomed itself.
- Every student should bring their own supplies to class.
- Somebody left his or her umbrella in the hallway.
- Neither of the options is suitable for our needs.
Incorrect Verb Forms: Watch out for incorrect verb forms, such as irregular verbs or incorrect tenses.
Example: He went (correct) / He go (incorrect) to the store yesterday.
Incorrect Verb Forms:
- She has completed her homework.
- They will arrive at the airport tomorrow morning.
- I have never seen that movie before.
- The sun has set, and the stars are shining brightly.
- He is studying for his exams next week.
Misplaced Modifiers: Ensure that modifiers are correctly placed to modify the intended word or phrase.
Example: I found a big (correct) / I found a dog (incorrect) sleeping under the tree.
Misplaced Modifiers:
- The girl quickly ran after her runaway puppy.
- I found a beautiful old painting in the attic.
- She only eats organic fruits and vegetables.
- They saw a group of tourists wearing colorful Hawaiian shirts.
- He carefully wrapped the delicate glass ornaments in bubble wrap.
Parallelism: Ensure that elements in a series or list are parallel in structure.
Example: She likes to read, write, (correct) / She likes to read, writing, (incorrect) and draw in her free time.
Parallelism:
- She enjoys reading, writing, and painting.
- The project requires dedication, perseverance, and hard work.
- He is known for his kindness, generosity, and humility.
- They visited Paris, Rome, and London during their European vacation.
- The team worked on designing, testing, and implementing the new software.
Double Negatives:Avoid using double negatives, as they can create confusion.
Example: He does not have (correct) / He does not have no (incorrect) time to finish the project.
Double Negatives:
- I do not have any doubts about his abilities.
- She cannot find her keys anywhere in the house.
- He will never say no to a delicious dessert.
- They have never been to that restaurant before.
- We should not ignore any warning signs of danger.
Incorrect Prepositions: Pay attention to prepositions and ensure they are used correctly.
Example: He is interested in (correct) / He is interested at (incorrect) learning new languages.
Incorrect Prepositions:
- She is interested in learning new languages.
- He is good at playing the guitar.
- They arrived at the airport on time for their flight.
- The book is about the history of ancient civilizations.
- We are excited about our upcoming vacation to the beach.
Confusing Words: Beware of words that sound similar but have different meanings (homophones) or words that are commonly confused.
Example: She bought their (correct) / She bought there (incorrect) new house.
Confusing Words:
- They’re going to their friend’s party tonight.
- He passed the test with flying colors.
- She bought a new pair of shoes at the mall.
- We’re going over there to visit our grandparents.
- I’ll lend you my umbrella if it starts raining.
Run-on Sentences and Sentence Fragments: Ensure that sentences are complete and correctly punctuated.
Example: The sun was shining, the birds were singing. (Run-on) / The sun was shining. The birds were singing. (Correct)
Run-on Sentences and Sentence Fragments:
- The sun was shining, and the birds were singing in the trees.
- He finished his homework, then he went out to play with his friends.
- She packed her bags, grabbed her passport, and headed to the airport.
- After dinner, they went for a walk along the beach, watching the sunset.
- They laughed and joked together, enjoying each other’s company.
Word Order: Ensure that the word order in a sentence follows the standard English structure.
Example: He usually goes (correct) / He goes usually (incorrect) to the gym in the morning.
Word Order:
- He usually goes to the gym in the morning.
- They always eat breakfast before leaving for school.
- She frequently visits her grandmother on weekends.
- We often go for picnics in the park during the summer.
- He rarely stays up late at night.
Quantifier Error:
- There are many books on the shelf.
- He has little experience in cooking.
- She has some money saved for a rainy day.
- They have a few friends coming over for dinner.
- We need a lot of volunteers for the event.
Idioms and Phrases:
- He hit the nail on the head with his explanation.
- She’s feeling under the weather today.
- They let the cat out of the bag about the surprise party.
- We need to face the music and deal with the consequences.
- He’s as cool as a cucumber under pressure.
Conditional Sentences:
- If it rains, we will stay indoors and play board games.
- She would travel the world if she had enough money.
- If you study hard, you will pass the exam with flying colors.
- They could have won the game if they had scored that goal.
- If I had known about the party, I would have attended.
Comparative and Superlative Forms:
- She is taller than her younger sister.
- This book is more interesting than the one I read yesterday.
- He is the fastest runner in his class.
- That movie was less exciting than I expected.
- The new restaurant is better than the one we used to go to.
Modal Auxiliaries:
- You should eat your vegetables before having dessert.
- They must finish their homework before watching TV.
- She can speak three languages fluently.
- We might go to the beach if the weather is nice.
- He ought to apologize for his rude behavior.
Negative Words:
- She doesn’t like to eat spicy food.
- They never arrive late for appointments.
- He hardly ever complains about anything.
- We rarely go to the movies on weekdays.
- I don’t have any doubts about his abilities
10 tips to detect errors and make corrections in English writing:
- Read Aloud: Reading your writing aloud can help you identify awkward phrasing, grammatical errors, and typos that might go unnoticed when reading silently.
- Use Online Tools: Take advantage of online grammar and spell-checking tools to quickly spot errors and receive suggestions for corrections.
- Check Subject-Verb Agreement: Ensure that the subject and verb in a sentence agree in number and person. Plural subjects take plural verbs, and singular subjects take singular verbs.
- Review Punctuation: Pay close attention to punctuation marks such as commas, periods, semicolons, and apostrophes. Incorrect punctuation can change the meaning of a sentence or make it unclear.
- Look for Misused Words: Watch out for commonly misused words such as “their” vs. “there,” “its” vs. “it’s,” and “your” vs. “you’re.” Using the wrong word can lead to confusion or alter the intended meaning of a sentence.
- Check Verb Forms: Ensure that verbs are used in the correct tense and form. Incorrect verb forms can disrupt the flow of a sentence and affect its clarity.
- Beware of Run-on Sentences and Fragments: Check for run-on sentences (sentences with multiple independent clauses joined without proper punctuation) and sentence fragments (incomplete sentences lacking a subject or verb).
- Verify Pronoun-Antecedent Agreement: Make sure that pronouns agree with their antecedents in number, gender, and person. Using the wrong pronoun can lead to ambiguity or confusion.
- Watch for Double Negatives: Avoid using double negatives in your writing, as they can create confusion and make sentences grammatically incorrect.
- Seek Feedback: After reviewing your writing, consider seeking feedback from peers, teachers, or professional editors. Fresh perspectives can help you identify errors that you might have overlooked.
By following these tips, you can improve your ability to detect errors and make effective corrections in your English writing.
50 multiple-choice questions (MCQs) along with their answers for Error Detection and Correction:
Which of the following sentences demonstrates correct subject-verb agreement?
a) The team are playing well.
b) The team is playing well.
c) The team am playing well.
d) The team have playing well.
Answer: b) The team is playing well.
Which sentence shows correct pronoun-antecedent agreement?
a) Each student have completed their assignment.
b) Each student has completed his assignment.
c) Each student have completed his assignment.
d) Each student has completed their assignment.
Answer: b) Each student has completed his assignment.
What is the correct verb form in the sentence:
She read a book yesterday?
a) read
b) reads
c) reading
d) has read
Answer: a) read
Which sentence has the correct placement of modifiers?
a) The child found a small toy in the store.
b) The child found a toy small in the store.
c) The small child found a toy in the store.
d) The child found a toy in the small store.
Answer: a) The child found a small toy in the store.
Which sentence demonstrates correct parallelism?
a) She likes to swim, reading, and playing tennis.
b) She likes swimming, read, and playing tennis.
c) She likes to swim, read, and play tennis.
d) She likes to swim, to read, and playing tennis.
Answer: c) She likes to swim, read, and play tennis.
What is the correct version of the sentence:
He did not have no time to finish the project?
a) He did not not have time to finish the project.
b) He did not have time to finish the project.
c) He did not not have time to finish the project.
d) He did not have no time to finish the project.
Answer: b) He did not have time to finish the project.
Choose the sentence with the correct preposition usage:
a) He is interested at learning new languages.
b) He is interested to learning new languages.
c) He is interested in learning new languages.
d) He is interested on learning new languages.
Answer: c) He is interested in learning new languages.
Which sentence demonstrates correct usage of confusing words?
a) She bought their new house.
b) She bought there new house.
c) She bought they’re new house.
d) She bought they new house.
Answer: a) She bought their new house.
Identify the sentence with correct word order:
a) Usually he goes to the gym in the morning.
b) He usually goes to the gym in the morning.
c) He goes to the gym in the morning usually.
d) He goes usually to the gym in the morning.
Answer: b) He usually goes to the gym in the morning.
What type of error is found in the sentence:
The sun was shining, the birds were singing?
a) Run-on sentence
b) Fragmented sentence
c) Subject-verb disagreement
d) Pronoun-antecedent disagreement
Answer: a) Run-on sentence
Which sentence demonstrates correct use of tense?
a) She will went to the store yesterday.
b) She has went to the store yesterday.
c) She went to the store yesterday.
d) She gone to the store yesterday.
Answer: c) She went to the store yesterday.
Choose the sentence with the correct use of the apostrophe:
a) Its important to proofread your work.
b) It’s important to proofread your work.
c) Its’ important to proofread your work.
d) It important to proofread your work.
Answer: b) It’s important to proofread your work.
Identify the sentence with correct punctuation:
a) The dog ran away, while I was, busy cooking dinner.
b) The dog ran away while I was busy cooking dinner.
c) The dog ran away; while I was busy cooking dinner.
d) The dog ran away while, I was busy cooking dinner.
Answer: b) The dog ran away while I was busy cooking dinner.
What is the correct version of the sentence:
They’re going to the store.
a) Their going to the store.
b) There going to the store.
c) Theyre going to the store.
d) They’re going to the store.
Answer: d) They’re going to the store.
Which sentence demonstrates correct subject-verb agreement?
a) The cat and the dog is playing in the garden.
b) The cat and the dog are playing in the garden.
c) The cat and the dog am playing in the garden.
d) The cat and the dog be playing in the garden.
Answer: b) The cat and the dog are playing in the garden.
Choose the sentence with the correct use of the comma:
a) I enjoy cooking eating and spending time with family.
b) I enjoy cooking, eating, and spending time with family.
c) I enjoy, cooking eating, and spending time with family.
d) I enjoy cooking eating, and spending time with family.
Answer: b) I enjoy cooking, eating, and spending time with family.
What type of error is found in the sentence:
She don’t like apples.
a) Subject-verb agreement error
b) Pronoun-antecedent disagreement
c) Incorrect tense
d) Run-on sentence
Answer: a) Subject-verb agreement error
Identify the sentence with correct use of articles:
a) I want to buy a new car.
b) I want to buy the new car.
c) I want to buy some new car.
d) I want to buy an new car.
Answer: a) I want to buy a new car.
Which sentence demonstrates correct use of comparative adjectives?
a) She is more tall than her sister.
b) She is taller than her sister.
c) She is tallest than her sister.
d) She is more taller than her sister.
Answer: b) She is taller than her sister.
What type of error is found in the sentence:
The book on the table are mine.
a) Subject-verb agreement error
b) Pronoun-antecedent disagreement
c) Incorrect tense
d) Fragmented sentence
Answer: a) Subject-verb agreement error
What is the error in the following sentence?
“The team members are waiting for his arrival.”
A) No error
B) Members
C) For
D) His
Identify the error in the sentence:
“She has been working hardly for the past week.”
A) No error
B) Working
C) Hardly
D) For
What is the error in this sentence?
“The company has announced to launch a new product next month.”
A) No error
B) Announced
C) To launch
D) Next month
Which part of the sentence contains an error?
“I have read a interesting book yesterday.”
A) No error
B) Read
C) A interesting
D) Yesterday
Identify the error in the sentence:
“He plays guitar since he was ten years old.”
A) No error
B) Plays
C) Since
D) Was
What is the error in the following sentence?
“Every of the students is required to submit their assignments by Friday.”
A) No error
B) Every
C) Of
D) Their
Which part of the sentence contains an error?
“She don’t like to eat spicy food.”
A) No error
B) She
C) Don’t
D) Like
Identify the error in this sentence:
“The dog wagged it’s tail happily.”
A) No error
B) Dog
C) It’s
D) Happily
What is the error in the following sentence?
“The teacher asked to the students to be quiet during the exam.”
A) No error
B) Asked
C) To
D) During
Which part of the sentence contains an error?
“The children played in the park all the afternoon.”
A) No error
B) Children
C) Played
D) All the afternoon
What is the error in the following sentence?
“She don’t like to eat spicy food.”
A) No error
B) She
C) Don’t
D) Like
Identify the error in this sentence:
“Every of the students is required to submit their assignments by Friday.”
A) No error
B) Every
C) Of
D) Their
Which part of the sentence contains an error?
“He plays guitar since he was ten years old.”
A) No error
B) Plays
C) Since
D) Was
What is the error in the following sentence?
“The company has announced to launch a new product next month.”
A) No error
B) Announced
C) To launch
D) Next month
Identify the error in the sentence:
“She has been working hardly for the past week.”
A) No error
B) Working
C) Hardly
D) For
Which part of the sentence contains an error?
“The children played in the park all the afternoon.”
A) No error
B) Children
C) Played
D) All the afternoon
What is the error in this sentence?
“The team members are waiting for his arrival.”
A) No error
B) Members
C) For
D) His
Identify the error in the sentence:
“I have read a interesting book yesterday.”
A) No error
B) Read
C) A interesting
D) Yesterday
What is the error in the following sentence?
“The teacher asked to the students to be quiet during the exam.”
A) No error
B) Asked
C) To
D) During
Which part of the sentence contains an error?
“The dog wagged it’s tail happily.”
A) No error
B) Dog
C) It’s
D) Happily
What is the error in the following sentence?
“The children is playing in the garden.”
A) No error
B) Children
C) Is playing
D) In
Identify the error in this sentence:
“She have been studying for the exam all day.”
A) No error
B) She
C) Have been
D) All day
Which part of the sentence contains an error?
“He write a letter to his friend yesterday.”
A) No error
B) He
C) Write
D) Yesterday
What is the error in the following sentence?
“The cat is laying on the couch.”
A) No error
B) Cat
C) Is laying
D) On
Identify the error in the sentence:
“The students were not allowed to used their phones during the test.”
A) No error
B) Were
C) Used
D) Their
Which part of the sentence contains an error?
“I can’t hardly wait to see the new movie.”
A) No error
B) Can’t
C) Hardly wait
D) To see
What is the error in this sentence?
“The flowers in the garden needs to be watered daily.”
A) No error
B) Flowers
C) Needs
D) To be watered
Identify the error in the sentence:
“The bus arrives at 9:00 AM every morning.”
A) No error
B) Bus
C) Arrives
D) Every morning
What is the error in the following sentence?
“He don’t like to go swimming.”
A) No error
B) He
C) Don’t
D) Swimming
Which part of the sentence contains an error?
“She wear a red dress to the party.”
A) No error
B) She
C) Wear
D) Red dress
Identify the error in the following sentence:
“She are going to the market to buy fruits.”
A) She
B) Are going
C) To the market
D) Fruits
What is the error in this sentence?
“The dog barks loudly when it sees strangers.”
A) No error
B) Dog
C) Barks loudly
D) Sees
Which part of the sentence contains an error?
“They goes to the gym every evening to work out.”
A) No error
B) They
C) Goes
D) To work out
What is the error in the following sentence?
“I am feeling good today.”
A) No error
B) Feeling
C) Good
D) Today
Identify the error in this sentence:
“My friend is knowing how to play the guitar.”
A) No error
B) My friend
C) Is knowing
D) How to play
Which part of the sentence contains an error?
“We have saw that movie already.”
A) No error
B) We
C) Have saw
D) Already
What is the error in the following sentence?
“She do not enjoy eating spicy food.”
A) No error
B) She
C) Do not
D) Eating
Identify the error in this sentence:
“The sun rises in the east every morning.”
A) No error
B) Sun
C) Rises
D) Every morning
What is the error in the sentence:
“He doesn’t went to school yesterday.”
A) No error
B) He
C) Doesn’t went
D) Yesterday
Which part of the sentence contains an error?
“They speaks English fluently.”
A) No error
B) They
C) Speaks
D) Fluently
