English · Error Spotting for SSC Exams

Error Spotting

Find the grammatical mistake hiding in the sentence — with SSC-focused tricks and practice

Error spotting (also called "spotting the error" or "sentence correction") questions split a sentence into parts and ask you to identify which part — if any — contains a grammatical mistake. It's one of the highest-scoring English topics in SSC exams because it tests a fixed set of grammar rules, not vocabulary or comprehension speed. Once you know the common error categories, most questions can be solved in under 20 seconds.

Where This Topic Appears in SSC Exams

Error spotting is a recurring English section topic across almost every SSC exam

Exam	Typical Questions	Marks Each	Negative Marking
SSC CGL (Tier 1)	3–5	2	0.50
SSC CHSL (Tier 1)	3–5	2	0.50
SSC MTS	2–4	1	0.25
SSC CPO (Delhi Police SI)	4–6	1	0.25
SSC Stenographer	3–5	1	0.25

Note: Exact question counts and marking schemes can change with each exam cycle — always confirm against the latest official notification before your exam.

Common Error Categories

• Subject-verb agreement — the verb must match the subject in number (e.g., "He go" should be "He goes")
• Tense errors — mixing past and present incorrectly, or using the wrong tense for a time clue like "yesterday" or "since 2020"
• Preposition errors — using the wrong preposition with fixed idioms (e.g., "married with" instead of "married to")
• Article errors — misusing "a," "an," or "the," or leaving one out where it's required
• Pronoun errors — a pronoun not matching its noun in number or gender (e.g., "Everyone must bring their own book" in formal grammar wants "his or her")
• Redundancy — repeating a meaning unnecessarily (e.g., "return back," "free gift," "repeat again")
• Degree of comparison errors — wrong comparative/superlative forms (e.g., "more better," "senior than" instead of "senior to")
• Conjunction errors — broken correlative pairs (e.g., "not only... but" should be "not only... but also")
• Parallelism errors — mismatched verb forms in a list or comparison (e.g., "He likes reading, to write, and swimming")
• Countable/uncountable noun errors — using "much," "many," "less," or "fewer" with the wrong noun type

5 Quick Tips to Spot Errors Fast

1

Read the full sentence first. Don't jump on the first odd-looking phrase — context often reveals the real error.

2

Check the subject and verb first. This is the single most common SSC error type — scan for singular/plural mismatches before anything else.

3

Look at every preposition. Prepositions are tested constantly because they're idiom-based, not logic-based — memorize the common fixed pairs (married to, senior to, different from, angry with).

4

Match the tense to the time clue. Words like "yesterday," "last year," "since," and "for" each demand a specific tense — mismatches here are an easy trap.

5

Watch for repeated meaning. If two words in the same phrase mean the same thing, one of them is usually the error.

Worked Examples

Example 1: "Neither of the boys have completed their homework."

The error is in "have" — "Neither" is singular, so it should be "has."

Example 2: "She is married with a doctor."

The error is in "with" — the correct preposition is "married to."

Example 3: "He has been living in Delhi from five years."

The error is in "from" — the correct preposition with a duration of time is "for."

Example 4: "He is more smarter than his brother."

The error is in "more smarter" — "smarter" is already comparative, so "more" is redundant; it should just be "smarter."

Example 5: "Not only he was late but also he missed the meeting."

The error is in "but also he missed" — for correct correlative structure, it should be "but he also missed" or "but also missed."

Practice Questions

Tap a question to reveal the answer

1 Each of the students have submitted their assignment.

A. Each   B. have   C. submitted   D. their

Answer: B — have. Should be "has," since "Each" is singular.

2 He is senior than me in the department.

A. He is   B. senior than   C. me   D. in the department

Answer: B — senior than. Should be "senior to."

3 I have visited that museum last year.

A. I have visited   B. that museum   C. last year   D. No error

Answer: A — I have visited. Should be "I visited," since "last year" is a specific past time and needs simple past tense.

4 Please return the book back to the library.

A. Please return   B. the book   C. back   D. to the library

Answer: C — back. "Return" already implies going back, so "back" is redundant.

5 One of my friend are coming to the party.

A. One of   B. my friend   C. are   D. coming to the party

Answer: B — my friend. Should be "my friends," since "one of" always needs a plural noun after it.

6 She don't like to travel alone at night.

A. She   B. don't   C. like to travel   D. alone at night

Answer: B — don't. Should be "doesn't," to agree with the singular subject "She."

7 There is many problems with this plan.

A. There is   B. many   C. problems   D. with this plan

Answer: A — There is. Should be "There are," since "problems" is plural.

8 He is good in mathematics.

A. He is good   B. in   C. mathematics   D. No error

Answer: B — in. Should be "good at mathematics" — the correct fixed preposition is "at."

9 Neither the manager nor the employees was present at the meeting.

A. Neither   B. nor the employees   C. was   D. at the meeting

Answer: C — was. Should be "were" — with "neither...nor," the verb agrees with the noun closest to it ("employees," which is plural).

10 This is the most unique idea I have ever heard.

A. This is the   B. most unique   C. idea   D. I have ever heard

Answer: B — most unique. "Unique" means one-of-a-kind and can't be intensified — it should simply be "unique."

Frequently Asked Questions

Which SSC exams include error spotting questions?

Error spotting appears in the English Language section of almost every SSC exam, including SSC CGL, SSC CHSL, SSC MTS, SSC CPO, and SSC Stenographer. The number of questions and marks per question vary slightly by exam and year, so always check the latest official notification.

Is there negative marking for wrong answers?

Yes, most SSC exams deduct 0.25 to 0.50 marks for each incorrect answer. Because of this, it's usually safer to skip a question rather than guess blindly if you can't narrow it down to two options.

How can I improve my error spotting speed?

Learn the fixed error categories (subject-verb agreement, prepositions, tense, redundancy, etc.) so you know exactly what to scan for. Daily practice with timed sets, plus reviewing your mistakes to spot patterns, is the fastest way to build speed.

Do I need to memorize grammar rules, or is practice enough?

Both matter. Knowing the rules tells you what to look for; practice trains you to spot the pattern instantly under time pressure. Most successful candidates keep a short list of the most-repeated error types and drill practice questions against that list.

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