# Spotting Error & Correction - Quick Revision Notes ## **Introduction** Error detection and correction is a crucial skill tested in various competitive exams. This involves identifying grammatical, syntactical, and contextual errors in sentences and providing correct alternatives. --- ## **Types of Errors** ### **1. Grammatical Errors** #### **Subject-Verb Agreement** * **Rule:** Singular subject takes singular verb, plural subject takes plural verb * **Examples:** * ❌ The team are playing well. → ✅ The team is playing well. * ❌ The students is studying. → ✅ The students are studying. #### **Tense Errors** * **Rule:** Maintain consistency in tense usage * **Examples:** * ❌ I went to the market and buy vegetables. → ✅ I went to the market and bought vegetables. * ❌ She will come if she has time. → ✅ She will come if she will have time. #### **Article Errors** * **Rule:** Use 'a' before consonant sounds, 'an' before vowel sounds * **Examples:** * ❌ He is a honest man. → ✅ He is an honest man. * ❌ She has an university degree. → ✅ She has a university degree. ### **2. Syntactical Errors** #### **Word Order** * **Rule:** Follow proper sentence structure (Subject + Verb + Object) * **Examples:** * ❌ Beautiful is she. → ✅ She is beautiful. * ❌ Yesterday I went to market. → ✅ I went to market yesterday. #### **Preposition Errors** * **Rule:** Use correct prepositions for specific contexts * **Examples:** * ❌ He is good in English. → ✅ He is good at English. * ❌ She is married with him. → ✅ She is married to him. ### **3. Contextual Errors** #### **Word Choice** * **Rule:** Use words that fit the context * **Examples:** * ❌ The weather is very hot, I need a warm sweater. → ✅ The weather is very cold, I need a warm sweater. * ❌ He is very tall, he can easily fit under the table. → ✅ He is very tall, he cannot easily fit under the table. --- ## **Common Error Patterns** ### **1. Parallel Structure Errors** * **Rule:** Maintain parallel structure in lists and comparisons * **Examples:** * ❌ She likes reading, writing, and to dance. → ✅ She likes reading, writing, and dancing. * ❌ He is not only intelligent but also works hard. → ✅ He is not only intelligent but also hardworking. ### **2. Dangling Modifiers** * **Rule:** Ensure modifiers clearly refer to the intended word * **Examples:** * ❌ Walking down the street, the trees looked beautiful. → ✅ Walking down the street, I saw beautiful trees. * ❌ After finishing the work, the computer was shut down. → ✅ After finishing the work, I shut down the computer. ### **3. Run-on Sentences** * **Rule:** Avoid joining independent clauses without proper punctuation * **Examples:** * ❌ I went to the market I bought vegetables. → ✅ I went to the market and bought vegetables. * ❌ She is tired she needs rest. → ✅ She is tired, so she needs rest. --- ## **Error Detection Strategies** ### **1. Read the Entire Sentence** * Don't focus on individual words in isolation * Understand the complete meaning * Look for logical flow and coherence ### **2. Check Subject-Verb Agreement** * Identify the subject and verb * Ensure they agree in number and person * Watch for collective nouns and compound subjects ### **3. Verify Tense Consistency** * Check if all verbs are in the same tense * Look for time indicators (yesterday, tomorrow, now) * Ensure logical sequence of events ### **4. Examine Word Choice** * Look for words that don't fit the context * Check for commonly confused words * Ensure proper collocations --- ## **Practice Examples** ### **Example 1:** **Sentence:** The children was playing in the garden when it start to rain. **Errors:** 1. "children was" → "children were" (subject-verb agreement) 2. "it start" → "it started" (tense consistency) **Corrected:** The children were playing in the garden when it started to rain. ### **Example 2:** **Sentence:** She is not only beautiful but also intelligent and works hard. **Error:** "works hard" breaks parallel structure **Corrected:** She is not only beautiful but also intelligent and hardworking. ### **Example 3:** **Sentence:** Walking in the park, the flowers smelled wonderful. **Error:** Dangling modifier - who was walking? **Corrected:** Walking in the park, I smelled wonderful flowers. --- ## **Common Error Categories** ### **1. Articles (a, an, the)** * Use 'a' before consonant sounds * Use 'an' before vowel sounds * Use 'the' for specific or previously mentioned nouns ### **2. Prepositions** * **At:** specific time or place (at 3 PM, at school) * **In:** enclosed spaces or time periods (in the room, in 2024) * **On:** surfaces or specific days (on the table, on Monday) ### **3. Conjunctions** * **And:** addition * **But:** contrast * **Or:** choice * **So:** result * **Because:** reason ### **4. Pronouns** * Ensure pronouns clearly refer to their antecedents * Use correct case (I/me, he/him, she/her) * Maintain consistency in pronoun usage --- ## **Exam Tips** ### **1. Time Management** * Read each sentence carefully * Don't spend too much time on one sentence * Mark obvious errors first ### **2. Elimination Method** * If you're unsure, eliminate clearly wrong options * Look for patterns in the remaining options * Choose the most logical answer ### **3. Context Clues** * Use surrounding words to understand meaning * Look for logical relationships * Consider the overall message --- ## **Practice Questions** ### **Question 1:** Identify the error in: "The team of players are ready for the match." * **Answer:** "are" should be "is" (team is singular) ### **Question 2:** Correct: "I have been working here since two years." * **Answer:** "since two years" should be "for two years" ### **Question 3:** Find the error: "She is not only beautiful but also works hard." * **Answer:** "works hard" should be "hardworking" (parallel structure) ### **Question 4:** Correct: "Walking to school, the bus passed by." * **Answer:** "Walking to school, I saw the bus pass by." ### **Question 5:** Identify: "He is good in playing cricket." * **Answer:** "in" should be "at" (good at + activity) --- ## **Quick Revision Checklist** * [ ] Subject-verb agreement * [ ] Tense consistency * [ ] Article usage * [ ] Preposition choice * [ ] Parallel structure * [ ] Dangling modifiers * [ ] Word order * [ ] Context appropriateness * [ ] Pronoun reference * [ ] Conjunction usage --- ## **Common Mistakes to Avoid** 1. **Rushing through sentences** - Take time to read carefully 2. **Focusing only on obvious errors** - Look for subtle mistakes 3. **Ignoring context** - Consider the overall meaning 4. **Forgetting parallel structure** - Maintain consistency in lists 5. **Overlooking subject-verb agreement** - Always check this first --- ## **Conclusion** Error detection and correction requires practice and attention to detail. Focus on understanding the rules, practicing regularly, and developing a systematic approach to identify and correct errors. **Remember:** The key is to read carefully, understand the context, and apply grammatical rules consistently. --- *This guide is designed for competitive exams like TET, CTET, WBTET, and other teaching eligibility tests.*
# Spotting Error & Correction - Quick Revision Notes ## **Introduction** Error detection and correction is a crucial skill tested in various competitive exams. This involves identifying grammatical, syntactical, and contextual errors in sentences and providing correct alternatives. --- ## **Types of Errors** ### **1. Grammatical Errors** #### **Subject-Verb Agreement** * **Rule:** Singular subject takes singular verb, plural subject takes plural verb * **Examples:** * ❌ The team are playing well. → ✅ The team is playing well. * ❌ The students is studying. → ✅ The students are studying. #### **Tense Errors** * **Rule:** Maintain consistency in tense usage * **Examples:** * ❌ I went to the market and buy vegetables. → ✅ I went to the market and bought vegetables. * ❌ She will come if she has time. → ✅ She will come if she will have time. #### **Article Errors** * **Rule:** Use 'a' before consonant sounds, 'an' before vowel sounds * **Examples:** * ❌ He is a honest man. → ✅ He is an honest man. * ❌ She has an university degree. → ✅ She has a university degree. ### **2. Syntactical Errors** #### **Word Order** * **Rule:** Follow proper sentence structure (Subject + Verb + Object) * **Examples:** * ❌ Beautiful is she. → ✅ She is beautiful. * ❌ Yesterday I went to market. → ✅ I went to market yesterday. #### **Preposition Errors** * **Rule:** Use correct prepositions for specific contexts * **Examples:** * ❌ He is good in English. → ✅ He is good at English. * ❌ She is married with him. → ✅ She is married to him. ### **3. Contextual Errors** #### **Word Choice** * **Rule:** Use words that fit the context * **Examples:** * ❌ The weather is very hot, I need a warm sweater. → ✅ The weather is very cold, I need a warm sweater. * ❌ He is very tall, he can easily fit under the table. → ✅ He is very tall, he cannot easily fit under the table. --- ## **Common Error Patterns** ### **1. Parallel Structure Errors** * **Rule:** Maintain parallel structure in lists and comparisons * **Examples:** * ❌ She likes reading, writing, and to dance. → ✅ She likes reading, writing, and dancing. * ❌ He is not only intelligent but also works hard. → ✅ He is not only intelligent but also hardworking. ### **2. Dangling Modifiers** * **Rule:** Ensure modifiers clearly refer to the intended word * **Examples:** * ❌ Walking down the street, the trees looked beautiful. → ✅ Walking down the street, I saw beautiful trees. * ❌ After finishing the work, the computer was shut down. → ✅ After finishing the work, I shut down the computer. ### **3. Run-on Sentences** * **Rule:** Avoid joining independent clauses without proper punctuation * **Examples:** * ❌ I went to the market I bought vegetables. → ✅ I went to the market and bought vegetables. * ❌ She is tired she needs rest. → ✅ She is tired, so she needs rest. --- ## **Error Detection Strategies** ### **1. Read the Entire Sentence** * Don't focus on individual words in isolation * Understand the complete meaning * Look for logical flow and coherence ### **2. Check Subject-Verb Agreement** * Identify the subject and verb * Ensure they agree in number and person * Watch for collective nouns and compound subjects ### **3. Verify Tense Consistency** * Check if all verbs are in the same tense * Look for time indicators (yesterday, tomorrow, now) * Ensure logical sequence of events ### **4. Examine Word Choice** * Look for words that don't fit the context * Check for commonly confused words * Ensure proper collocations --- ## **Practice Examples** ### **Example 1:** **Sentence:** The children was playing in the garden when it start to rain. **Errors:** 1. "children was" → "children were" (subject-verb agreement) 2. "it start" → "it started" (tense consistency) **Corrected:** The children were playing in the garden when it started to rain. ### **Example 2:** **Sentence:** She is not only beautiful but also intelligent and works hard. **Error:** "works hard" breaks parallel structure **Corrected:** She is not only beautiful but also intelligent and hardworking. ### **Example 3:** **Sentence:** Walking in the park, the flowers smelled wonderful. **Error:** Dangling modifier - who was walking? **Corrected:** Walking in the park, I smelled wonderful flowers. --- ## **Common Error Categories** ### **1. Articles (a, an, the)** * Use 'a' before consonant sounds * Use 'an' before vowel sounds * Use 'the' for specific or previously mentioned nouns ### **2. Prepositions** * **At:** specific time or place (at 3 PM, at school) * **In:** enclosed spaces or time periods (in the room, in 2024) * **On:** surfaces or specific days (on the table, on Monday) ### **3. Conjunctions** * **And:** addition * **But:** contrast * **Or:** choice * **So:** result * **Because:** reason ### **4. Pronouns** * Ensure pronouns clearly refer to their antecedents * Use correct case (I/me, he/him, she/her) * Maintain consistency in pronoun usage --- ## **Exam Tips** ### **1. Time Management** * Read each sentence carefully * Don't spend too much time on one sentence * Mark obvious errors first ### **2. Elimination Method** * If you're unsure, eliminate clearly wrong options * Look for patterns in the remaining options * Choose the most logical answer ### **3. Context Clues** * Use surrounding words to understand meaning * Look for logical relationships * Consider the overall message --- ## **Practice Questions** ### **Question 1:** Identify the error in: "The team of players are ready for the match." * **Answer:** "are" should be "is" (team is singular) ### **Question 2:** Correct: "I have been working here since two years." * **Answer:** "since two years" should be "for two years" ### **Question 3:** Find the error: "She is not only beautiful but also works hard." * **Answer:** "works hard" should be "hardworking" (parallel structure) ### **Question 4:** Correct: "Walking to school, the bus passed by." * **Answer:** "Walking to school, I saw the bus pass by." ### **Question 5:** Identify: "He is good in playing cricket." * **Answer:** "in" should be "at" (good at + activity) --- ## **Quick Revision Checklist** * [ ] Subject-verb agreement * [ ] Tense consistency * [ ] Article usage * [ ] Preposition choice * [ ] Parallel structure * [ ] Dangling modifiers * [ ] Word order * [ ] Context appropriateness * [ ] Pronoun reference * [ ] Conjunction usage --- ## **Common Mistakes to Avoid** 1. **Rushing through sentences** - Take time to read carefully 2. **Focusing only on obvious errors** - Look for subtle mistakes 3. **Ignoring context** - Consider the overall meaning 4. **Forgetting parallel structure** - Maintain consistency in lists 5. **Overlooking subject-verb agreement** - Always check this first --- ## **Conclusion** Error detection and correction requires practice and attention to detail. Focus on understanding the rules, practicing regularly, and developing a systematic approach to identify and correct errors. **Remember:** The key is to read carefully, understand the context, and apply grammatical rules consistently. --- *This guide is designed for competitive exams like TET, CTET, WBTET, and other teaching eligibility tests.*