IBPS Clerk · Bite-size lessons
Error Spotting
About 6 min · English Language · English
Time worked out from the lesson's 441 words at 150 words a minute, plus a minute for each question.
The format is straightforward: a sentence is divided into 3–4 parts, and you must identify which part contains a grammatical error. One option is usually "No error."
Key ideas
- Subject-Verb Agreement: The verb must match the subject in number (singular/plural). Intervening phrases between subject and verb are designed to confuse you.
- Tense Consistency: A sentence should maintain the same tense throughout unless there's a clear reason to shift. Watch for sudden switches from past to present.
- Pronoun-Antecedent Agreement: Pronouns must match their antecedents in number and gender. "Each," "everyone," and "everybody" take singular pronouns.
- Correct Preposition Usage: Many verbs and adjectives pair with specific prepositions. "Interested in" (not "interested for"), "consists of" (= is made up of; "consists in" = lies in).
- Article Rules: Use "a" before consonant sounds, "an" before vowel sounds. Unique or superlative nouns take "the." Abstract/uncountable nouns often take no article.
Watch out for
- Ignoring phrases between subject and verb → Always identify the true subject by mentally removing intervening phrases. "The box of chocolates is empty" (not "are" — the subject is "box," not "chocolates").
- Treating "each/every/either/neither" as plural → These are always singular. "Each of the boys was present" (not "were"). Remember: Each = Each one = singular.
- Confusing "than" with "to" in comparisons → "He is taller than me" is correct. "Superior/inferior/senior/junior/prefer" are exceptions that use "to."
Quick reference
- Subject-verb rule: Ignore "along with/as well as/together with" — verb follows the main subject only.
- "One of the + plural noun + singular verb": One of the boys is absent.
- "One of those + plural noun + who + plural verb": One of those students who are brilliant.
- Neither/Either + nor/or: Verb agrees with the nearest subject.
- Preposition pairs to memorize: interested in, good at, consists of, different from, superior to, prefer X to Y.
Check yourself: 3 questions
1. Read the sentence carefully and identify which part contains a grammatical error. The manager (A) / asked his team members (B) / to complete their work (C) / before they leaves the office. (D)
2. Read the sentence carefully and identify which part contains a grammatical error. Neither the principal (A) / nor the teachers (B) / was aware of (C) / the sudden change in schedule. (D)
3. Read the sentence carefully and identify which part contains a grammatical error. The committee members (A) / discussed about the proposal (B) / for more than two hours (C) / before reaching a decision. (D)
This lesson is cut from the topic's note, not rewritten. Fact-checked on 17 Oct 2026: an AI-assisted check of this note against cited sources; the errors it found were corrected that day. Some errors may remain. The questions are from Shishya's validated question bank.
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