Spotting Errors (Grammar)

Spotting Errors (Grammar)

🟢 Lite

Key Rule / Formula

Identify the part of the sentence that violates a grammar rule — no part is error-free if the sentence is grammatically wrong.

Memory Trick

SAND — Scan for: Subject-verb, Articles, Noun-pronoun agreement, Dangling modifiers.

1-Sentence Summary

SSC CGL Tier 2 tests your ability to identify which part of a sentence contains a grammatical error — usually subject-verb agreement, verb tense, articles, prepositions, or parallel structure.

Quick Example

Q: Neither the students nor the teacher was present in the class. A: was — error. When “neither…nor” or “either…or” connects two subjects, the verb agrees with the nearest subject. “Teacher” is singular → “were” should be used.

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Spotting Errors (Grammar) — Quick Reference

Quick Example

Q: Neither the students nor the teacher was present in the class. A: was — error. When “neither…nor” or “either…or” connects two subjects, the verb agrees with the nearest subject. “Teacher” is singular → “were” should be used.

🟡 Standard

Concept

Spotting Errors is one of the most high-frequency topics in SSC CGL Tier 2 English. A sentence is divided into four parts (marked as Option A, B, C, D). Your job is to find which part contains a grammatical or structural error. The error can be in subject-verb agreement, verb tense, article usage, preposition selection, pronoun-antecedent agreement, or parallel construction. Sometimes the entire sentence is correct — in that case, the answer is “No error.”

The key skill here is grammatical accuracy under time pressure. You need to develop the habit of scanning the entire sentence systematically rather than reading it once and guessing. Most errors in SSC questions fall into predictable patterns.

Key Points

• Subject-Verb Agreement: Watch for intervening phrases between subject and verb. “The box of the students were” — “box” is singular, so “was” is correct despite “students” being plural nearby.
• Tense Consistency: In complex sentences, the main clause and subordinate clause must have logically consistent tenses. “If I knew, I will help” → “would help.”
• Article Errors: “The” vs “a/an” misuse. “Honest” takes “an” because the sound matters, not the spelling. “A honest man” is wrong.
• Preposition Errors: Fixed prepositions are often tested with idioms — “independent of,” “afraid of,” “comprised of” (not “comprised from”).
• Pronoun-Antecedent Agreement: Collective nouns take singular verbs in formal English (“The team is playing well”) but plural in American usage.
• Parallel Structure: Items in a list must follow the same grammatical pattern. “She likes reading, to write, and dancing” → “reading, writing, and dancing.”

Worked Example

Q: The principal along with the teachers (A) / have requested (B) / the management to provide (C) / better facilities. (D) / No error (E)

Approach: The subject is “principal” (singular). The phrase “along with the teachers” is parenthetical — it does not change the number of the subject. The verb must be singular. “Have requested” is wrong — it should be “has requested.”

Answer: B

SSC Pattern / Tips

• The error is most commonly in the verb (subject-verb agreement or tense form).
• Watch for “along with,” “as well as,” “together with,” “not only…but also” — these do NOT make the subject plural.
• “Neither…nor” and “either…or” take the verb that agrees with the nearer subject.
• Always check if “no error” could be correct — but only 1-2 questions per paper have this answer.

🔴 Extended

Full Concept

Spotting Errors in SSC CGL Tier 2 is not merely about knowing grammar rules — it is about identifying the specific location of an error in a four-part sentence within seconds. The question typically presents a sentence broken into four parts labeled A, B, C, D (sometimes with a fifth “No error” option). The candidate must select the part that is incorrect. The errors tested are a curated subset of grammar rules that SSC considers essential for graduates appearing in government exams.

The question tests the following grammatical areas:

1. Subject-Verb Agreement: This is the single most tested category. The classic trap is an intervening phrase containing a plural noun that seduces you into using a plural verb. Example: “The quality of the mangoes were good” — “quality” is singular, so “was” is correct. Another common trap is nouns that look plural but are singular: “Mathematics is interesting,” “News is good,” “Politics is dirty.”

2. Tense and Verb Form Errors: These appear in complex sentences with multiple clauses. The error is often in the subordinate clause where the tense is inconsistent with the main clause. Watch for conditional sentences: “If I had money, I will travel” — correct form is “would travel.”

3. Article Errors: The a/an distinction is based on the sound of the following word, not its spelling. “A university” (yoo → consonant sound), “an hour” (silent h), “a one-way street” (w sound). Also “the” is used before superlative adjectives, unique entities, and names of seas/rivers/mountains.

4. Preposition Errors: These are highly formulaic. SSC tests fixed prepositional phrases: “afraid of,” “capable of,” “independent of,” “comprised of,” “prefer X to Y,” “interested in,” “different from” (not “different than”). Memorise common pairs.

5. Parallel Structure Errors: When a sentence lists items connected by “and,” “but,” or “or,” all items must be in the same grammatical form. “He likes reading, writing, and to write” — the last item breaks the pattern.

6. Pronoun-Antecedent Agreement: Pronouns must match their antecedents in number, gender, and person. “Each of the boys has taken his book” — correct. “Each of the boys have taken their book” — incorrect in formal English (though increasingly accepted in modern usage, SSC still expects the singular form).

7. Comparison Errors: “She is taller than me” vs “She is taller than I” — both can appear correct depending on whether the verb is implied. SSC often tests “between you and I” (wrong — should be “between you and me”).

8. Word Order Errors: Especially with adverbs — “He only wants to play” vs “He wants only to play” — position of “only” changes meaning entirely.

SSC CGL Deep Analysis

Based on analysis of SSC CGL Tier 2 papers from 2018–2024:

• Frequency: 3-5 questions per paper (Tier 2 — 200-mark English paper)
• Difficulty distribution: 40% easy, 45% moderate, 15% difficult
• Most common error type: Subject-verb agreement (50% of questions)
• Least tested: Dangling modifiers and comparison errors (5% each)
• New trend (2022-2024): Questions involving collective nouns with singular/plural ambiguity (“The team are” vs “The team is”) — 2-3 per paper
• Tricky pattern: Questions where the apparent subject looks plural but the grammatical subject is singular (e.g., “A set of rules have been laid down” — “set” is singular)
• No-error questions: Appear in 1-2 questions per paper — do not assume “no error” is always wrong, but also do not over-select it

High-Scoring Strategy

1. Read the entire sentence first at normal reading speed to get the meaning.
2. Apply the SAND checklist mentally: Subject-verb, Articles, Noun-pronoun, dangling modifiers.
3. Start with the verb — check tense and subject-verb agreement first (covers ~60% of errors).
4. Eliminate options: If B looks clearly correct, eliminate it. Trust your first instinct on obvious errors.
5. Watch for intervening phrases — “as well as,” “along with,” “together with,” “in addition to” never make a subject plural.
6. For “no error”: Only mark it when every single word in the sentence is correct — do not guess it unless you are certain.
7. Time allocation: Spend no more than 45 seconds per question. If you are unsure, make an educated guess and move on.

SSC-Level Practice

Q1: He as well as his brothers are (A) / fond of watching (B) / cricket matches (C) / on television. (D)

Answer: A — Working: “He” is the subject. “As well as his brothers” is an intervening phrase. The verb must agree with “He” (singular) → “is” not “are.”

Q2: The number of students appearing (A) / for the examination (B) / have (C) / been increasing every year. (D)

Answer: C — Working: “The number” is singular. “A number of students” would be plural. “The number of students…has been increasing” is correct. “Have” should be “has.”

Q3: Neither he nor his friends was (A) / aware of the (B) / sudden change (C) / in the schedule. (D)

Answer: A — Working: “Neither…nor” takes verb agreement with the nearer subject. “Friends” is plural → verb should be “were,” not “was.” The nearest subject (friends) is plural, so plural verb “were” is correct.

Common Traps

• Intervening plural noun trap: “The leader along with the followers were present” — students often mark this as correct because “followers” is plural, but “leader” (singular) is the actual subject.
• Collective noun trap: “The jury has reached its verdict” (formal/British English) vs “The jury have taken their seats” — SSC uses formal British English conventions where collective nouns take singular verbs. Do not apply American English rules.
• Each/Every trap: “Each of the chocolates were wrapped” — “Each” is always singular, so “was wrapped” is correct.
• Neither/Either of trap: “Either of the two roads lead to the station” — “Either of” takes a singular verb: “leads.”

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