त्रुटि पहचान (सरल)

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Error Spotting (Basic) — Content

🔥 The Hook

In SSC GD, SSC MTS, RRB Group D and Police Constable exams, one small grammar mistake is worth one full mark — the same mark you earn by solving a long maths problem. The difference? A maths question takes 60 seconds. An error-spotting question takes 15 seconds — *if* you know the rules. This chapter gives you those rules. Master them, and error spotting becomes the fastest marks in your entire paper.

🎯 Learning Objectives

By the end of this chapter, you will be able to:

1. Spot the error in a sentence within 15–45 seconds using a fixed checking order.
2. Apply the 12 Golden Rules that cover most errors asked in foundation-level exams.
3. Recognise the examiner's favourite traps (intervening phrases, sound-right errors, Hindi-to-English translation errors).
4. Avoid mistakes that Hindi speakers naturally make in English.

📖 What is Error Spotting?

The examiner gives you a sentence divided into parts — usually (a), (b), (c) — and sometimes (d) "No error". One part contains a grammar mistake. Your job: find which part is wrong. You do NOT need to correct it (in most foundation exams) — only identify it.

Example:
> (a) One of my friend / (b) is coming / (c) to the party. / (d) No error

The error is in part (a): it should be "One of my friends". (Rule: "one of + plural noun".)

The 3-Step Checking Order (use this every time)

1. Step 1 — Subject & Verb: Find the real subject. Does the verb match it in number (singular/plural)?
2. Step 2 — Tense & Time words: Look for time markers (yesterday, since, already). Does the tense match?
3. Step 3 — Articles, Prepositions, Pronouns: Check a/an/the, in/on/at, he/him/they/them.

Most foundation-level errors are caught in Step 1 itself.

🧠 Active Recall: In "One of my friend is coming", which step catches the error? What is the correct form?

🏆 The 12 Golden Rules (Foundation Level)

Rule 1 — One of / Each of / Every one of + PLURAL noun + SINGULAR verb.
✅ One of the boys has come. ❌ One of the boy have come.

Rule 2 — Each, Every, Everyone, Everybody, Someone, Anyone, Nobody → SINGULAR verb.
✅ Everybody is ready. ❌ Everybody are ready.

Rule 3 — Two subjects joined by "and" → PLURAL verb.
✅ Ram and Shyam are friends.
⚠️ But if the two words name ONE thing/person: ✅ Bread and butter is my breakfast.

Rule 4 — Subjects joined by "either…or / neither…nor / not only…but also / or" → verb agrees with the NEARER subject.
✅ Neither the teacher nor the students were present.
✅ Neither the students nor the teacher was present.

Rule 5 — Intervening phrases do NOT change the subject.
Words like *along with, together with, as well as, in addition to, besides* are traps — ignore them for verb agreement.
✅ The captain, along with his players, was honoured. (Subject = captain, singular.)

Rule 6 — Collective nouns (team, committee, family, jury, audience) → usually SINGULAR.
✅ The team is playing well.
(Plural only when members act separately: The jury were divided in their opinion.)

Rule 7 — Uncountable nouns are always SINGULAR.
News, information, furniture, luggage, advice, work, scenery, bread, knowledge — no plural, no "a/an".

✅ The news is good. ❌ The news are good. ❌ an information

Rule 8 — Some nouns look plural but are singular: Mathematics, Physics, Economics, Politics, Athletics (as subjects of study).
✅ Mathematics is difficult. ❌ Mathematics are difficult.

Rule 9 — Some nouns are always plural (no singular form): scissors, trousers, spectacles, goods, earnings, premises, surroundings.

✅ The scissors are on the table. ❌ The scissor is…

Rule 10 — "Since" + point of time, "For" + period of time — with perfect/perfect continuous tense.
✅ He has been working here since 2015 / for nine years.
❌ He is working here since 2015.

Rule 11 — After "did / does / do" and modals (can, should, must, will), use the BASE form (V1) of the verb.
✅ He did not go. ❌ He did not went.
✅ She can sing. ❌ She can sang.

Rule 12 — Adjectives of number/quantity: "many + countable plural", "much + uncountable"; "fewer + countable", "less + uncountable".
✅ Many students, much water, fewer mistakes, less time.

🧠 Active Recall: Without looking — which rule covers "The news are shocking"? Which rule covers "Neither Ram nor his brothers ___ (is/are) coming"?

🧠 Mnemonic: "S-T-A-P" — your 15-second scan

• S — Subject-Verb agreement
• T — Tense & Time words
• A — Articles (a/an/the)
• P — Prepositions & Pronouns

Scan the sentence in this order, and the error almost always reveals itself.

⚠️ Examiner's Trap Box

Trap 1 — The Intervening Phrase. The examiner puts extra words between subject and verb so you match the verb with the wrong word.
> "The quality of the mangoes were not good." ❌
Subject = *quality* (singular) → was. "Of the mangoes" is just decoration.

Trap 2 — The Sound-Right Error. Some wrong sentences *sound* correct because we hear them in daily speech.
> "He is more smarter than me." ❌ (double comparative — "smarter" alone is enough)
> "Return back my book." ❌ ("return" already means "give back")

Trap 3 — The Hindi-Translation Error. The sentence is a word-for-word translation from Hindi and feels natural to us.
> "He is having a car." ❌ → "He has a car." (possession verbs don't take -ing)
> "I and Ram went." ❌ → "Ram and I went." (politeness: first person comes last)

🔁 Linguistic Bridge — Hindi से English

🧠 Active Recall: Translate into correct English — "वह मुझसे सहमत है" and "मेरे पास एक साइकिल है" (without using "am agree" or "is having").

📊 Summary Table — Quick Revision

🔁 Review after 2 Days

Come back after 48 hours and do this without re-reading the chapter:

1. Write the 12 Golden Rules from memory (just the rule, not examples).
2. Say the S-T-A-P scan order aloud.
3. Correct these three sentences: (i) "One of my friend are ill." (ii) "The news were good." (iii) "He did not went home."

Any rule you forgot — mark it, re-read only that rule, and review again after 2 more days. Spaced repetition is what moves these rules from "I read it" to "I can't get it wrong in the exam hall."