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English for AP Exams · Chapter 4

Error Spotting and Sentence Improvement

What to remember

  • In error spotting, read the whole sentence once, then test each part for subject-verb agreement, tense, articles, prepositions, pronouns and word choice.
  • In sentence improvement, the underlined part is the only part you can change; the best option fixes the error without adding a new one.
  • If the sentence is already correct, choose "No improvement" or "No error".

1. Question formats

Error spotting: the sentence is divided into parts marked (A), (B), (C) and (D). Choose the part with the error. If no part has an error, choose "No error" (E).

Example: "The team (A) are playing (B) well (C) today. (D)" The collective noun "team" is a single unit here, so "is playing" is correct; the error is in (B).

Sentence improvement: one part of the sentence is underlined. You choose the best replacement from the options, and the first option usually repeats the original. Choose it only if the sentence is already correct.

Sentence correction in a full sentence: you may be asked to find the correct version of a whole sentence.

2. A step-by-step strategy

  • 1. Read the whole sentence to get its meaning.
  • 2. Find the subject and the verb. Check that the verb agrees with the true subject.
  • 3. Check the tense against time words such as "yesterday", "since", "ago" and "by next week".
  • 4. Check each small word: articles, prepositions, conjunctions and pronouns.
  • 5. Check the parts of speech: adjective used for adverb (or the reverse), wrong form of the word.
  • 6. Check the sentence pattern: parallel structure, comparison, if-clauses, reported speech.
  • 7. Compare the options and pick the one that fixes the error and keeps the meaning.
  • 8. If nothing is wrong, mark "No error".

In the exam, most errors are in only a few areas. Learn these patterns thoroughly.

3. Common error patterns

3.1 Subject-verb agreement

ErrorCorrect
The list of items are long.The list of items is long.
Each of the boys have a pen.Each of the boys has a pen.
Neither of the answers are right.Neither of the answers is right.
One of my friends are ill.One of my friends is ill.
The news were shocking.The news was shocking.
A number of books is missing.A number of books are missing.

3.2 Tense and sequence

  • Wrong: "I have met him yesterday." Right: "I met him yesterday."
  • Wrong: "He is working here since 2010." Right: "He has been working here since 2010."
  • Wrong: "If I will go, I will call you." Right: "If I go, I will call you."
  • Wrong: "He said that he will come." Right: "He said that he would come."
  • Wrong: "When I reached, the train already left." Right: "When I reached the station, the train had already left."

3.3 Pronouns

  • Case: "Between you and me" (not "between you and I"). "It is I" or "It is me" in informal speech; exams prefer "It is I" in formal grammar.
  • Reflexive: "He hurt himself" (not "hisself", not "himself" for another person).
  • Agreement: "Each student must bring his or her book" (singular).
  • Who and whom: "Whom did you meet?" (object); "Who is at the door?" (subject).
  • Unclear reference: "Ravi told Raju that he was wrong" is ambiguous.
  • "Me and my friend went" is wrong; "My friend and I went" is right.

3.4 Adjectives and adverbs

  • "She sings sweet" is wrong; "She sings sweetly" is right (an adverb modifies a verb).
  • "He is a very fast runner" and "He runs fast": "fast" is both adjective and adverb.
  • "Hard" and "hardly" differ: "He works hard" (with effort); "He hardly works" (almost never).
  • Comparative and superlative: "better than", "the best of all". Wrong: "more better", "most best".
  • Wrong: "He is more clever than all the boys." Right: "He is cleverer than all the other boys."
  • Double comparatives and superlatives are errors: "more taller", "most cleverest".
  • "Elder" and "eldest" are for family; "older" and "oldest" are for general age.
  • "Little", "a little", "the little" and "few", "a few", "the few": "little" and "few" mean almost none; "a little" and "a few" mean some. "Little" is for uncountable nouns, "few" for countable.
  • "Much" is for uncountable nouns; "many" for countable. "Fewer" for countable; "less" for uncountable.

3.5 Articles and prepositions (see the previous chapter)

  • Wrong: "He is an European." Right: "He is a European."
  • Wrong: "She is the honest girl" when no specific girl is meant. Check the context.
  • Wrong: "He is good in English." Right: "He is good at English."
  • Wrong: "She is angry on me." Right: "She is angry with me."
  • Wrong: "I am looking forward to meet you." Right: "I am looking forward to meeting you."

3.6 Word order and parallel structure

  • Wrong: "She likes singing, to dance and painting." Right: "She likes singing, dancing and painting."
  • Wrong: "He is not only a poet but also paints." Right: "He is not only a poet but also a painter."
  • "Hardly" and "scarcely" take "when"; "no sooner" takes "than".
  • In indirect questions the word order is normal: "I wonder where he lives."

3.7 Redundancy and wrong words

  • Do not repeat the same idea: "return back", "repeat again", "reverse back", "free gift", "future plans" are wasteful.
  • Wrong: "The reason is because he was ill." Right: "The reason is that he was ill."
  • Confusing pairs: affect/effect, accept/except, principal/principle, stationary/stationery, advice/advise, lose/loose, later/latter, its/it's.

3.8 Conditionals, comparisons and modals

  • Type 1: If + present, will + V1. "If it rains, we will stay."
  • Type 2: If + past, would + V1. "If I had money, I would buy a car."
  • Type 3: If + past perfect, would have + V3. "If he had studied, he would have passed."
  • "Were" is used for all persons in unreal conditions: "If I were you, I would go."
  • Comparison with "than": "His house is bigger than mine" (not "than my").
  • "Prefer ... to": "I prefer walking to running."
  • Wrong: "He dare not to go." Right: "He dare not go."

4. Sentence improvement: worked examples

Format: choose the best replacement for the underlined part.

  • 1. "He do not like coffee." The subject "he" is third person singular. Replace with "does not like".
  • 2. "The committee have decided to meet on Monday." If the committee is taken as one body, replace with "has decided".
  • 3. "She is senior than me." Replace with "senior to".
  • 4. "I am knowing him for ten years." Replace with "have known".
  • 5. "Hardly he had left when the phone rang." Replace with "had he left".
  • 6. "He suggested me to take rest." Replace with "suggested that I take rest" or "advised me to".
  • 7. "One of the boy are absent." Replace with "boys is".
  • 8. "The sun rises in the east." No improvement is needed.

Tips for sentence improvement:

  • If three options keep the same error, the correct choice is probably the fourth.
  • Prefer the simplest, shortest correct option.
  • Reject options that change the meaning.
  • Reject options that keep the original error even if they look polished.

5. Error-spotting practice sentences

  • "Neither of the two girls (A) have (B) finished (C) the work. (D)" Error in (B): "has".
  • "He is (A) senior than (B) me (C) in service. (D)" Error in (B): "senior to".
  • "The furniture (A) in the room (B) are (C) old. (D)" Error in (C): "is".
  • "She asked me (A) that where (B) I was going. (C)" Error in (B): "where".
  • "I have (A) been living (B) here since (C) five years. (D)" Error in (C): "for".

6. Time management and habits

  • Spend about 30 to 40 seconds per question. If stuck, mark it and move on.
  • Do not change a correct answer without a clear reason.
  • Learn rules, not individual sentences. Examiners reuse the same rules in new sentences.
  • Read newspapers and short essays aloud; the ear often catches errors.
  • Keep an "error notebook": write each mistake with the rule next to it, and revise it weekly.

Exam traps

  • 1. Collective nouns: "The team is" (as one body) vs "The team are" (members acting separately); read the sentence for the sense.
  • 2. Since/for: "since 2020" but "for five years".
  • 3. Little / a little: "little" means almost none; "a little" means some.
  • 4. More + comparative: "more better" is wrong.
  • 5. Same preposition mistakes: "senior than", "angry on", "good in".
  • 6. Redundant words: "return back" and "repeat again".
  • 7. "No error": do not pick it if you did not check every part.
  • 8. Parallelism: the items in a list must have the same form.

One-liners

  • 1. "Each", "every" and "one of" take singular verbs.
  • 2. "I have seen him yesterday" is wrong.
  • 3. After "if" in Type 1, the present tense is used.
  • 4. "More better" is a double comparative and is wrong.
  • 5. "Senior to", "junior to" and "prefer to" use "to".
  • 6. "Hardly" is followed by "when", and "no sooner" by "than".
  • 7. "Between you and me" is the correct form.
  • 8. "Little" and "few" are negative in sense; "a little" and "a few" are positive.
  • 9. "Return back" is redundant.
  • 10. "Fewer" is for countable nouns and "less" for uncountable nouns.
  • 11. "Elder" is used only for family relations.
  • 12. If the sentence is correct, choose "No error".

Practice questions

  1. Choose the correct sentence.

    1. Each of the boy have a pen.
    2. Each of the boys have a pen.
    3. Each of the boys are having a pen.
    4. Each of the boys has a pen.
    Answer

    D. Each of the boys has a pen.

    "Each" takes a singular verb.

  2. Find the part with the error: "The list of items (A) are (B) very long (C) today. (D)"

    1. D
    2. B
    3. A
    4. C
    Answer

    B. B

    The subject "list" is singular, so "is" is needed.

  3. Find the part with the error: "She is (A) angry on (B) me (C) for being late. (D)"

    1. C
    2. A
    3. D
    4. B
    Answer

    D. B

    "Angry with" is correct for a person.

  4. Which phrase is redundant?

    1. Return back
    2. Come home
    3. Sit down
    4. Go ahead
    Answer

    A. Return back

    "Return" already means "go back".

  5. Which is correct?

    1. Between you and I
    2. Among you and I
    3. Between you and me
    4. Between me and you's
    Answer

    C. Between you and me

    After a preposition, the object form "me" is used.

  6. Find the part with the error: "I have (A) been living (B) here since (C) five years. (D)"

    1. D
    2. A
    3. C
    4. B
    Answer

    C. C

    "For" is used with a period of time.

  7. Find the part with the error: "Neither of the two girls (A) have (B) finished (C) the work. (D)"

    1. C
    2. A
    3. D
    4. B
    Answer

    D. B

    "Neither" is singular, so "has" is needed.

  8. Find the part with the error: "The furniture (A) in the room (B) are (C) very old. (D)"

    1. D
    2. C
    3. B
    4. A
    Answer

    B. C

    "Furniture" is singular, so "is" is needed.

  9. Find the part with the error: "He asked me (A) that where (B) I was going. (C)"

    1. B
    2. C
    3. A
    4. D
    Answer

    A. B

    A reported question does not use "that".

  10. Find the part with the error: "She prefers (A) walking than (B) running (C) every day. (D)"

    1. C
    2. D
    3. B
    4. A
    Answer

    C. B

    "Prefer ... to" is the correct form.

  11. Find the part with the error: "He is (A) more cleverer (B) than (C) his brother. (D)"

    1. A
    2. B
    3. C
    4. D
    Answer

    B. B

    "More cleverer" is a double comparative.

  12. Find the part with the error: "Hardly (A) he had (B) left (C) when the phone rang. (D)"

    1. C
    2. A
    3. D
    4. B
    Answer

    D. B

    After "hardly" the helping verb comes first: "had he left".

  13. Find the part with the error: "If I (A) was (B) you, I would (C) go. (D)"

    1. B
    2. D
    3. C
    4. A
    Answer

    A. B

    "Were" is used in unreal conditions.

  14. Find the part with the error: "She is (A) good in (B) English (C) and Maths. (D)"

    1. C
    2. D
    3. A
    4. B
    Answer

    D. B

    "Good at" is the fixed form.

  15. Find the part with the error: "He suggested (A) me (B) to take (C) rest. (D)"

    1. C
    2. D
    3. B
    4. A
    Answer

    C. B

    "Suggest" is followed by "that" clause; "suggested me to" is wrong.

  16. Find the part with the error: "She likes (A) singing, (B) to dance (C) and painting. (D)"

    1. C
    2. B
    3. D
    4. A
    Answer

    A. C

    The items in a list should have the same form: "dancing".

  17. Choose the best replacement for the underlined part: "He **do not like** coffee."

    1. does not likes
    2. does not like
    3. do not likes
    4. did not liked
    Answer

    B. does not like

    "He" takes "does", and the main verb stays in V1.

  18. Choose the best replacement for the underlined part: "I **am knowing** him for ten years."

    1. have known
    2. have knowing
    3. had know
    4. am known
    Answer

    A. have known

    "Know" is a stative verb; the present perfect is used with "for".

  19. Choose the best replacement for the underlined part: "One of the **boy are** absent."

    1. boys were
    2. boy is
    3. boys are
    4. boys is
    Answer

    D. boys is

    "One of" takes a plural noun and a singular verb.

  20. Choose the best replacement for the underlined part: "The sun **rises** in the east."

    1. is rising
    2. rises
    3. rose
    4. has risen
    Answer

    B. rises

    The sentence is correct; a general truth uses the simple present.

  21. Choose the best replacement for the underlined part: "**Each of the students** have a book."

    1. Each of students have
    2. Each of the student has
    3. Each of the students has
    4. Each students have
    Answer

    C. Each of the students has

    "Each" takes a singular verb.

  22. Choose the best replacement for the underlined part: "When I reached, the train **already left**."

    1. had already left
    2. has already left
    3. was already leaving
    4. already leave
    Answer

    A. had already left

    The earlier past action takes the past perfect.

  23. Choose the best replacement for the underlined part: "He is **not only a poet but also paints**."

    1. not only a poet but also a painter
    2. not only poet but also paints
    3. not only a poet but paints
    4. not a poet and also painter
    Answer

    A. not only a poet but also a painter

    The two parts must have the same structure.

  24. Consider these statements. 1. "Fewer" is used for countable nouns. 2. "Less" is used for countable nouns.

    1. 1 only
    2. 2 only
    3. Both 1 and 2
    4. Neither 1 nor 2
    Answer

    A. 1 only

    "Less" is for uncountable nouns.

  25. Consider these statements. 1. "Little" means almost none. 2. "A little" means some.

    1. 1 only
    2. 2 only
    3. Both 1 and 2
    4. Neither 1 nor 2
    Answer

    C. Both 1 and 2

    Both statements are correct.

  26. Consider these statements. 1. "Hardly" takes "when". 2. "No sooner" takes "when".

    1. 1 only
    2. 2 only
    3. Both 1 and 2
    4. Neither 1 nor 2
    Answer

    A. 1 only

    "No sooner" takes "than".

  27. Consider these statements. 1. In error spotting, if no part has an error, "No error" is chosen. 2. "No error" should be chosen without checking the parts.

    1. 1 only
    2. 2 only
    3. Both 1 and 2
    4. Neither 1 nor 2
    Answer

    A. 1 only

    Each part must be checked first.

  28. Consider these statements. 1. "Elder" is used for relations in a family. 2. "Older" is used for general age.

    1. 1 only
    2. 2 only
    3. Both 1 and 2
    4. Neither 1 nor 2
    Answer

    C. Both 1 and 2

    Both statements are correct.

  29. Match the confusing pair with the correct sense.

    1. effect - to influence
    2. affect - to influence
    3. accept - to leave out
    4. except - to receive
    Answer

    B. affect - to influence

    "Affect" is a verb meaning to influence.

  30. Match the sentence with the conditional type.

    1. If I were you, I would go - Type 3
    2. If I had money, I would buy it - Type 1
    3. If he had studied, he would have passed - Type 2
    4. If it rains, we will stay - Type 1
    Answer

    D. If it rains, we will stay - Type 1

    Present + will shows Type 1.

  31. Match the item with the error type.

    1. senior than - article error
    2. return back - redundancy
    3. more better - tense error
    4. good in - voice error
    Answer

    B. return back - redundancy

    "Return back" repeats the idea.

  32. Which sentence is correct?

    1. The committee are decided as a single body to meet.
    2. The committee were decide as a single body to meet.
    3. The committee have decided as a single body to meet.
    4. The committee has decided as a single body to meet.
    Answer

    D. The committee has decided as a single body to meet.

    A committee acting as one unit takes a singular verb.

  33. Find the part with the error: "She gave (A) me a good (B) advices (C) yesterday. (D)"

    1. A
    2. B
    3. D
    4. C
    Answer

    D. C

    "Advice" is uncountable and has no plural.

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