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English practice

Error Detection Questions with Answers

Error detection questions show a sentence split into parts, and you must find the part with a grammatical error or choose 'No error'. SSC CGL, CHSL and MTS ask this regularly, and bank prelims such as IBPS and SBI use the same pattern. The errors usually come from a small set of rules: agreement, tense, prepositions, articles and word choice. Tip: read the sentence once for meaning, then test each part against one rule at a time.

Rules to remember

  • Subject-verb agreement: 'the number of' takes a singular verb ('The number of students has increased'); 'a number of' takes a plural verb.
  • Each, every, either and neither take a singular verb.
  • With 'neither...nor' and 'either...or', the verb agrees with the subject nearer to it.
  • Prefer takes 'to', not 'than': 'She prefers tea to coffee'.
  • Hardly and scarcely are followed by 'when'; no sooner is followed by 'than'.
  • Uncountable nouns such as advice, furniture, information and luggage have no plural and take a singular verb.
  • Articles go by sound, not spelling: 'an hour', 'a university'.
  • A pronoun must agree with the noun it replaces in number and person, and a comparative is never doubled ('more better' is wrong).

Worked examples

Q1. Find the part with the error. (a) The number of students (b) in the class have increased (c) this year (d) No error

  1. The subject is 'the number', which is singular.
  2. A singular subject needs 'has', not 'have'.
  3. The error is in part (b).

Answer: (b) 'have increased' should be 'has increased'

Q2. Find the part with the error. (a) Neither the manager (b) nor his assistants was (c) aware of the changes (d) No error

  1. In 'neither...nor', the verb agrees with the nearer subject.
  2. The nearer subject is 'assistants', which is plural.
  3. So the verb should be 'were', not 'was'. The error is in part (b).

Answer: (b) 'was' should be 'were'

Q3. Find the part with the error. (a) Hardly had the meeting begun (b) than the power (c) went off (d) No error

  1. 'Hardly' belongs with 'when', not 'than'.
  2. 'No sooner...than' is the paired structure that uses 'than'.
  3. The error is in part (b): 'than' should be 'when'.

Answer: (b) 'than' should be 'when'

Shortcuts that save time

  • Scan for the common triggers first: verb agreement, prepositions, tense and the paired words (hardly...when, no sooner...than). Most errors in a sentence are caught within these.
  • Choose 'No error' only after you have tested every part against these rules; do not mark it simply because the sentence sounds natural.
  • If two parts seem wrong, find the one that breaks a fixed rule, not a style preference. When unsure, skip it, as one wrong answer loses marks.

Where this appears

SSC CGL Tier-1English Comprehension section
SSC CHSL Tier-1English Language section
SSC MTSEnglish Language and Comprehension section
IBPS/SBI PO PrelimsEnglish Language section
IBPS/SBI Clerk PrelimsEnglish Language section

Error Detection

Practice Set
Attempted: 0Correct: 0Incorrect: 0
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Which of the following sentences contains a grammatical error?

English · stress-free practice · answers reveal instantly

Error Detection questions with answers

10 sample questions from this topic with the correct option and the solution.

  1. Q1. Which of the following sentences contains a grammatical error?

    1. The police conducted a thorough investigation into the case.
    2. He is an European who has lived here for many years.
    3. The council approved the construction of a new hospital.
    4. The festival attracts thousands of visitors every year.

    Answer: (B) He is an European who has lived here for many years.

    Solution
    "He is an European who has lived here for many years." is incorrect; it should read "He is a European who has lived here for many years.".

  2. Q2. Read the sentence and identify which part contains a grammatical error. A) This is B) a honest C) and sincere D) worker.

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

    Answer: (B) Part B

    Solution
    Part B is wrong ("a honest"); it should read "an honest".

  3. Q3. Which of the following sentences contains a grammatical error?

    1. The manager reviewed the quarterly report carefully.
    2. Scientists discovered a new species in the remote forest.
    3. This is a honest and sincere worker.
    4. He always arrives at the office before nine o'clock.

    Answer: (C) This is a honest and sincere worker.

    Solution
    "This is a honest and sincere worker." is incorrect; it should read "This is an honest and sincere worker.".

  4. Q4. Which of the following sentences contains a grammatical error?

    1. The Ganga is longest river in India.
    2. The manager reviewed the quarterly report carefully.
    3. The library remains open until eight in the evening.
    4. The airline cancelled several flights due to bad weather.

    Answer: (A) The Ganga is longest river in India.

    Solution
    "The Ganga is longest river in India." is incorrect; it should read "The Ganga is the longest river in India.".

  5. Q5. Which of the following sentences contains a grammatical error?

    1. Farmers are struggling due to the irregular monsoon.
    2. The company plans to expand its operations next year.
    3. She wants to become an university professor someday.
    4. The committee will discuss the budget on Friday.

    Answer: (C) She wants to become an university professor someday.

    Solution
    "She wants to become an university professor someday." is incorrect; it should read "She wants to become a university professor someday.".

  6. Q6. Which of the following sentences contains a grammatical error?

    1. This is a honest and sincere worker.
    2. Volunteers distributed food to the flood-affected families.
    3. The company plans to expand its operations next year.
    4. He always arrives at the office before nine o'clock.

    Answer: (A) This is a honest and sincere worker.

    Solution
    "This is a honest and sincere worker." is incorrect; it should read "This is an honest and sincere worker.".

  7. Q7. Which of the following sentences contains a grammatical error?

    1. The library remains open until eight in the evening.
    2. She wants to become an university professor someday.
    3. The police conducted a thorough investigation into the case.
    4. Volunteers distributed food to the flood-affected families.

    Answer: (B) She wants to become an university professor someday.

    Solution
    "She wants to become an university professor someday." is incorrect; it should read "She wants to become a university professor someday.".

  8. Q8. Which of the following sentences contains a grammatical error?

    1. The committee rejected the proposal due to budget constraints.
    2. The airline cancelled several flights due to bad weather.
    3. The committee will discuss the budget on Friday.
    4. He gave me an one-rupee coin yesterday.

    Answer: (D) He gave me an one-rupee coin yesterday.

    Solution
    "He gave me an one-rupee coin yesterday." is incorrect; it should read "He gave me a one-rupee coin yesterday.".

  9. Q9. One part of the sentence below is grammatically incorrect. Identify it. A) He is an B) European C) who has lived here D) for many years.

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

    Answer: (A) Part A

    Solution
    Part A is wrong ("He is an"); it should read "He is a".

  10. Q10. Pick out the part of the sentence that has an error. A) He gave me B) an C) one-rupee coin D) yesterday.

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

    Answer: (B) Part B

    Solution
    Part B is wrong ("an"); it should read "a".