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English Grammar - Spotting Errors: 115 MCQs with Answers

Spotting Errors - English Grammar
English Grammar - Spotting Errors

English Grammar- Spotting Errors

Spotting Errors – practice multiple choice questions with detailed explanations, taken from previous year HTET, CTET and other teaching recruitment exam papers.

41 min read 115 Questions

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Q1. Choose the part of the sentence that is incorrect :

Keats is (A) / a quiet (B) / good poet (C) / among the romantic poets (D)

Right Answer: B

Explanation:

The sentence is divided as: Keats is (A) / a quiet (B) / good poet (C) / among the romantic poets (D). The error lies in part B. The word 'quiet' is an adjective meaning silent or making little noise, whereas the sense required here is 'fairly' or 'to a considerable degree', which is expressed by the adverb 'quite'. The correct sentence is therefore 'Keats is a quite good poet among the romantic poets.' Such pairs of similar looking words — quiet and quite, desert and dessert — are frequently tested. Hence the answer is B.

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Q2. Find the part of the sentence that contains an error: That the report failed to address the root causes (1)/ of the community unrest were surprising (2)/ given the exhaustive data (3)/ compiled over several months. (4)

Right Answer: (2)

Explanation:

The subject of this sentence is the whole noun clause beginning 'That the report failed to address the root causes of the community unrest'. A noun clause acting as a subject is always treated as singular, so it must take a singular verb. Part two uses the plural verb 'were surprising', which does not agree with the singular clause subject and should be 'was surprising'. The plural noun 'causes' standing close to the verb is a deliberate distractor. Parts one, three and four are all grammatically sound. Hence the error lies in part (2).
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Q3. Find the part of the sentence that contains an error.

What renders the draft legislation particularly contentious is not its proposed realignment of fiscal powers per se, (1)/ but that it presumes, without empirical substantiation, (2)/ a fiscal equivalence among states whose developmental baselines are (3)/ incommensurable by any normative metric. (4)

Right Answer: (2)

Explanation:

This sentence uses the correlative structure 'not ... but ...', which demands that the elements joined on either side be grammatically parallel. Part one places a noun phrase after 'not', namely 'its proposed realignment of fiscal powers'. Parallelism therefore requires another noun phrase after 'but', yet part two supplies a clause introduced by 'that it presumes'. This mismatch breaks the parallel structure and is the grammatical error. The construction could be corrected by writing 'but its presumption of'. Parts three and four are correctly framed. Hence the error lies in part (2).
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Q4. Find the part of the sentence that contains an error.

Much of what appears to be coordination (1)/ among the regulatory bodies and private stakeholders (2)/ are, in fact, coincidental overlaps (3)/ caused by differing mandates. (4)

Right Answer: (3)

Explanation:

The grammatical subject of this sentence is 'Much of what appears to be coordination'. When 'much of' introduces an uncountable idea, the whole phrase is treated as singular and requires a singular verb. Part three, however, uses the plural verb 'are', which does not agree with that singular subject and should be 'is'. The plural nouns 'bodies' and 'stakeholders' standing immediately before the verb act as deliberate distractors, a classic proximity trap. Parts one, two and four are all grammatically correct as written. Hence the error lies in part (3).
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Q5. Find the part of the sentence that contains an error.

That the framework lacks provisions for backward compatibility (1)/ is less problematic than the assumption (2)/ that all peripheral institutions will, without coercion, (3)/ adheres to the central directive as framed. (4)

Right Answer: (4)

Explanation:

Part three ends with the modal auxiliary 'will', and every modal auxiliary in English must be followed by the bare infinitive form of the verb. Part four, however, supplies 'adheres', which is the third person singular present form, so the structure 'will adheres' is ungrammatical and should read 'will adhere'. The intervening phrase 'without coercion', set off by commas, separates the modal from its verb and makes the error easy to miss. Parts one, two and three are correctly constructed, including the noun clause subject in part one. Hence the error lies in part (4).
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Q6. Find the part of the sentence that contains an error.

The more senior the position was (1)/ the more urgent became the need (2)/ for discretion, decorum, and (3)/ refraining from premature disclosure. (4)

Right Answer: (4)

Explanation:

The preposition 'for' in part three introduces a list, and every item in that list must share the same grammatical form. The first two items, 'discretion' and 'decorum', are plain nouns. Part four, however, supplies the gerund 'refraining', which breaks the parallel structure of the series. To correct it the writer would need a noun such as 'restraint', giving 'for discretion, decorum, and restraint'. Parts one and two are correctly built as a double comparative construction of the 'the more ... the more' type. Hence the error lies in part (4).
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Q7. Find the part of the sentence that contains an error.

The report's emphasis on techno-optimism, while commendable, (1)/ overlook the structural inequities (2)/ that persist in data accessibility and digital literacy (3)/ across demographic and regional divides. (4)

Right Answer: (2)

Explanation:

The grammatical subject of this sentence is 'The report's emphasis', which is singular. The phrase 'while commendable' is set off by commas and is merely parenthetical, so it does not affect agreement. The main verb must therefore be singular, yet part two supplies the plural form 'overlook' and should read 'overlooks'. The plural noun 'inequities' that follows is a distractor and does not govern the verb. Parts one, three and four are all correctly constructed, including the relative clause introduced by 'that'. Hence the error lies in part (2).
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Q8. Find the part of the sentence that contains an error: The more senior the position was (1)/ the more urgent became the need (2)/ for discretion, decorum, and (3)/ refraining from premature disclosure. (4)

Right Answer: (4)

Explanation:

The error lies in part four because the sentence breaks the rule of parallel structure. The preposition 'for' introduces a list of three items, and the first two, 'discretion' and 'decorum', are nouns. The third item, however, is the gerund phrase 'refraining from premature disclosure', which does not match the form of the earlier items. To make the list parallel, a noun such as 'restraint' should be used, giving 'for discretion, decorum, and restraint in premature disclosure'. Parts one, two and three are grammatically correct, as they follow the standard 'the more ... the more' comparative pattern. Hence part four contains the error.
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Q9. Find the part of the sentence that contains an error. (The sentence is given in the question description.)

The report's emphasis on techno-optimism, while commendable, (1)/ overlook the structural inequities (2)/ that persist in data accessibility and digital literacy (3)/ across demographic and regional divides. (4)

Right Answer: (2)

Explanation:

The error occurs in part two, where the verb does not agree with its subject. The subject of the sentence is 'the report's emphasis', which is singular, so the verb must take the singular form 'overlooks' instead of 'overlook'. Candidates are often misled by the intervening phrase 'on techno-optimism, while commendable', and they wrongly make the verb agree with the nearest noun. The rule is that a prepositional phrase or a parenthetical clause placed between the subject and the verb does not change the number of the subject. Hence part two contains the error.
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Q10. Find the part of the sentence that contains an error.

Find the part of the sentence that contains an error:

The reforms being recommended by the panel (1)/ are not only intended to streamline administrative functions (2)/ but also addressing the asymmetries in resource allocation (3)/ that have long plagued rural districts. (4)

Right Answer: (3)

Explanation:

The sentence uses the correlative pair 'not only ... but also', which demands grammatical parallelism: the elements following each half must share the same form. Part two gives 'not only intended to streamline administrative functions', an infinitive phrase. Part three, however, continues with 'but also addressing the asymmetries in resource allocation', a participial phrase. To restore the balance it should read 'but also to address the asymmetries'. Parts one and four are free of error, and part two is correct in itself. The fault therefore lies in part three. Hence option three is the answer.
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Q11. Find the part of the sentence that contains an error.

Find the part of the sentence that contains an error:

What the committee failed to deliberate on adequately (1)/ were not the policy's objectives themselves, (2)/ but the political ramifications it (3)/ might have had if implemented without broader consensus. (4)

Right Answer: (2)

Explanation:

The subject of this sentence is the noun clause 'What the committee failed to deliberate on adequately'. A noun clause functioning as a subject is always singular and therefore takes a singular verb. Part two uses the plural 'were not', which does not agree with that singular subject and should read 'was not'. The plural noun 'objectives' sitting immediately after the verb is a deliberate distractor that tempts candidates towards the plural form. Parts one, three and four are grammatically sound. Hence the error lies in part two.
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Q12. Find the part of the sentence that contains an error:

The regulator's decision to postpone the implementation (1) / was attributed partly to industry pressure (2) / and partly due to legal ambiguity (3) / surrounding the recent amendments. (4)

Right Answer: (3)

Explanation:

This sentence uses a correlative structure 'partly...partly...' to present two parallel reasons, and both parts following each 'partly' must be grammatically parallel. Part (2) correctly follows with 'partly to industry pressure', using the preposition 'to'. However, part (3) incorrectly uses 'partly due to legal ambiguity', inserting the phrase 'due to' which breaks the parallel structure since the first reason used only 'to' after 'partly'. The correct parallel form should be 'partly because of legal ambiguity' or simply 'partly to legal ambiguity' to match the first clause. Therefore, the error lies in part (3), making option 3 the correct answer.
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Q13. Find the part of the sentence that contains an error:

That there exists no recourse for citizens (1) / if environmental violations are condoned at the ministerial level (2) / underline a systemic erosion of (3) / constitutional accountability. (4)

Right Answer: (3)

Explanation:

The subject of this sentence is the entire noun clause 'That there exists no recourse for citizens if environmental violations are condoned at the ministerial level', which functions as a single singular subject. Since the subject is singular (a 'that' clause acting as one unit), the verb that follows must also be singular in agreement, i.e., 'underlines' rather than 'underline'. Part (3) incorrectly uses the plural verb form 'underline' instead of the correct singular form 'underlines', violating the rule of subject-verb agreement. Therefore, the error is found in part (3), making option 3 the correct answer.
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Q14. Find the part of the sentence that contains an error (see description for the full four-part sentence).

That none of the representatives found the proposal viable (1)/ is less surprising than the fact (2)/ that neither the chairperson nor the legal counsel (3)/ were briefed beforehand. (4)

Right Answer: (4)

Explanation:

This sentence contains a subject-verb agreement error in part (4). The subject phrase 'neither the chairperson nor the legal counsel' follows the 'neither...nor' construction, where the verb must agree with the noun closer to it, which here is 'the legal counsel', a singular noun. Therefore, the correct verb should be 'was briefed', not 'were briefed'. Parts (1), (2), and (3) are grammatically correct: part (1) correctly uses 'found' with 'none', part (2) is a correct comparative phrase, and part (3) correctly introduces the neither-nor subject. Recognizing the proximity rule for neither-nor agreement is essential to spotting this error. The correct answer is option 4, part (4).
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Q15. Find the part of the sentence that contains an error (see description for the full four-part sentence).

Neither the projection of growth nor the estimation of deficit trends (1)/ appear to have accounted for the liquidity constraints (2)/ that small-scale enterprises face (3)/ during cyclical downturns in demand. (4)

Right Answer: (2)

Explanation:

This sentence contains a subject-verb agreement error in part (2). Following the 'neither...nor' construction, the verb must agree with the noun phrase nearer to it, which is 'the estimation of deficit trends' — a singular subject (the head noun is 'estimation', singular). Therefore, the correct verb form should be 'appears', not 'appear'. Parts (1), (3), and (4) are grammatically sound: part (1) correctly sets up the neither-nor subject, part (3) uses the correct relative clause structure, and part (4) correctly describes the circumstances. This error tests the same proximity-agreement rule as many neither-nor constructions in competitive exams. The correct answer is option 2, part (2).
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Q16. Identify the sentence with a noun error.

Right Answer: He has many furnitures in his house.

Explanation:

'Furniture' is uncountable and has no plural form; 'furnitures' is incorrect.

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Q17. Choose the sentence with a noun error.

Right Answer: I need an advice from you.

Explanation:

'Advice' is uncountable and cannot take the article 'an'; correct as 'some advice'.

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Q18. Identify the sentence with a noun error.

Right Answer: The scissors is on the table.

Explanation:

'Scissors' is a plural-only noun and takes a plural verb 'are', not 'is'.

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Q19. Choose the sentence with a noun error.

Right Answer: He gave me two informations.

Explanation:

'Information' is uncountable and cannot be pluralized as 'informations'.

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Q20. Identify the sentence with a noun error.

Right Answer: The mathematics is difficult.

Explanation:

'Mathematics' as a subject name doesn't take the definite article 'the' before it in this general statement.

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Q21. Identify the sentence with a pronoun error.

Right Answer: Me and him went to the market.

Explanation:

Subject pronouns should be used as the subject: 'He and I', not 'Me and him'.

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Q22. Choose the sentence with a pronoun error.

Right Answer: Between you and I, this is a secret.

Explanation:

After the preposition 'between', the objective case 'me' should be used, not 'I'.

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Q23. Identify the sentence with a pronoun error.

Right Answer: This is a photo of my sister and I.

Explanation:

As the object of the preposition 'of', 'me' should be used, not 'I'.

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Q24. Choose the sentence with a pronoun error.

Right Answer: Him is my best friend.

Explanation:

'Him' should be 'He' since it functions as the subject of the sentence.

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Q25. Identify the sentence with a pronoun error.

Right Answer: Whom is calling please?

Explanation:

'Who' (subject) should be used instead of 'Whom' (object) since it's the subject of 'is calling'.

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Published: 27 July 2026 | Last Updated: 08 September 2026 |

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Deepak - Educational Content Creator

Written by Deepak

Educational Content Creator

I am an educational content creator dedicated to making learning simple, engaging, and accessible for students preparing for competitive exams. He specializes in creating high-quality study materials, including notes, multiple-choice questions (MCQs), previous year question papers, practice tests, and exam-oriented resources.

Experience: 10+ years in Education and Competitive Exam Content Creator

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