Spotting Errors For SBI PO : Set – 22
Spotting Errors For SBI PO : Set – 22
Directions Read each sentence to find out whether there is any error in it. The error, if any, will be in one part of the sentence. Mark the number f that part with error as your answer. If there is no error, mark (d). (Ignore errors of punctuation, if any.)
1. The child (a) / picked up a burned paper (b) / from the street. (c) / No error (d)
2. One of the drawbacks (a) / of modern education are (b) / that it does not encourage original thinking. (c) / No error (d)
3. When the dentist came in (a) / my tooth was stopped aching (b) / out of fear (c) / No error (d)
4. He won’t return the money (a) / that he borrowed, (b) / will he? (c) / No error (d)
5. If I knew (a) / that my friend had planned to visit the town that day, (b) / I would have made his stay comfortable. (c) / No error (d)
6. The committee chief warned the party members (a) / that if they persist (b) / in their obstructionist attitude (c) / they would be suspended. (d) / No error (e)
7. More widely popular (a) / than the hunting of deer or fox (b) / were the pursuit of the hare. (c) / No error (d)
8. I am sure that (a) / neither the house nor its contents (b) / is for sale. (c) / No error (d)
9. Not one of the hundreds (a) / of striking workers (b) / were allowed to go near the factory. (c) / No error (d)
10. If I was you (a) / I would not have (b) / committee this blunder. (c) / No error (d)
Answer Key With Explanations:
1. (d) The past tense and past participle of ‘burn’ is ‘burnt’ as well as ‘burned’. Other verbs that have two past tense and past participle forms are dream (dreamt/dreamed); smell (smelt/smelled); speed (sped/speeded; spell (spelt/spelled); spill (spilt/spilled) and spoil (spoilt/spoiled)
2. (b) As ‘one’ of the drawbacks is being referred to, the singular verb ‘is’ is to be used.
3. (b) Delete ‘was’. Use of ‘was stopped’ is incorrect in standard English. Both ‘was’ and ‘stopped’ indicate the past.
4. (d) No error
5. (a) ‘If I had known’ is the correct beginning. ‘I would have made his stay comfortable’ bears reference to some time that has gone; ‘If I had known’ goes farther back than that time (so past perfect tense is to be used).
6. (b) The past tense form of verb ‘persist’ should be used for uniformity of verb form.
7. (c) The sentence refers to the action of pursuit of the hare which was more popular than hunting of deer or fox. So the singular verb ‘was’ is correct..
8. (c) In a ‘neither … nor’ construction, the verb agrees with the nearest part of the subject; replace ‘is’ with ‘are’.
9. (c) ‘One of the hundreds of striking workers’ is an expression that requires a singular verb.
10. (a) It is more common to use ‘were’ instead of ‘was’ in such hypothetical statement with ‘I’. But here, if I had been you’ should be preferred in
