Error Identification Concepts

1. Finding the Error

Idea: A sentence may contain an error in grammar, tense, preposition, or subject-verb agreement.

Rule: Check each part of the sentence carefully. Pay special attention to the subject and verb, tense, and common grammar rules.

Example:

Problem: Find the error:

(A) Neither the manager nor his colleagues / (B) was aware of the impending audit / (C) scheduled for next Tuesday. / (D) No error

Solution:

• “Neither…nor” joins manager and colleagues.
• The verb agrees with the subject closer to it.
• “Colleagues” is plural, so were is required instead of “was”.

Answer: (B) — “was” should be “were”.

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2. No Error

Idea: Sometimes the sentence is completely correct, so the answer is “No error.”

Rule: Check subject-verb agreement, tense, prepositions, articles, and common expressions before deciding that an error exists.

Example:

Problem: Find the error:

(A) The committee has decided / (B) to postpone the meeting / (C) until further notice. / (D) No error

Solution:

• “Committee has decided” is correct.
• “Postpone the meeting” is correct.
• “Until further notice” is a correct expression.
• There is no grammatical error.

Answer: (D) No error

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3. Redundant Words

Idea: Some sentences contain unnecessary words that repeat the same meaning.

Rule: Remove words that add no new meaning. Common examples are:

• repeat again → repeat
• return back → return
• cooperate together → cooperate
• end result → result

Example:

Problem: Find the error:

“We must cooperate together to achieve the common shared goal of all.”

Solution:

• “Cooperate” already means to work together.
• “Common” and “shared” repeat the same idea.
• “Goal of all” is unnecessary after “common goal.”

Answer: “We must cooperate to achieve the common goal.”

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4. Checking Different Types of Errors

Idea: Error questions can test many grammar rules in the same sentence.

Rule: Check the sentence in this order:

1. Articles — a, an, the
2. Pronouns — correct case and agreement
3. Verbs — tense and subject-verb agreement
4. Modifiers — correct placement
5. Parallelism — same grammatical form
6. Prepositions — correct usage
7. Punctuation — commas, semicolons, etc.

Example:

Problem: Find the error:

“She enjoys to swim, biking, and to run on weekends.”

Solution:

• The three activities are to swim, biking, and to run.
• They do not have the same grammatical form.
• After “enjoys”, use gerunds consistently: swimming, biking, running.

Answer: “She enjoys swimming, biking, and running on weekends.”