Rules on Spotting Error in English Grammar – Part 2

Dear Readers,

As you all know that Spotting Errors type of questions is the most important part of the SSC Exams. So we are providing you the Spotting Errors rules Part – II. These rules will be helpful for your upcoming SSC Exams 2016. If you like it let us know.

In our earlier article we have covered the first part of spotting the error rules. Now we will proceed with the second part of "Spotting the Errors rules".

26. Some nouns have one meaning in the singular and another in the plural:

Advice = counsel advice's = information

• Air = atmosphere, airs = proud
• Authority = command, authorities = persons in power
• Good = wise, goods = property
• Iron = metal, irons = fetters, chains
• Force = strength, forces = army
• Content = satisfaction, contents = things contained
• Physic = medicine, physics = physical sciences,
• Respect = regards, respects = compliments
• Work = job, works = compositions, factories,.
• Earning = income ,earnings = sowing
• Quarter = one – fourth ,quarters = houses

Examples

(A) Air is necessary for human life.

(B) It is bad to put on airs.

(A) I have eaten one quarter of the cake.

(B) I live in the government quarter

27. While using ‘everybody’ ‘everyone’, ‘anybody’, and ‘each’ the pronoun of the masculine or the feminine gender is used according to the content.

• Each of the six boys in the class has finished their tasks. Incorrect
• Each of the six boys in the class has finished his task. Correct

28. The pronoun ‘one’ must be followed by ‘one’s’.

• One must finish his task in time. Incorrect
• One must finish one’s task in time. Correct

29. Enjoy, apply, resign, acquit, drive, exert, avail, pride, absent, etc., when used as transitive verbs, always take a reflexive pronoun after them.

When ‘self’ is added to ‘my’, ‘your’, ‘him’, ‘her’, and ‘it’, and ‘selves’ to our and them – they are known as reflexive pronouns.

• He absented from the class. Incorrect
• He absented himself from the class. Correct

30. Who’ denotes the subject and ‘whom’ is used for the object?

• Whom do you think won the award? Incorrect
• Who do you think won the award? Correct
• Who are you talking to? Incorrect
• Whom are your talking to? Correct

31. ‘Whose’ is used for living persons and ‘which’ for lifeless objects.

• What book do you read? Incorrect
• Which book do you read? Correct

32. ‘When’ denotes a general sense and ‘while’ implies a time duration of doing something.

• When learning how to sing, technique is of utmost importance. Incorrect
• While learning how to sing, technique is of utmost importance. Correct

33. ‘Unless’ expresses a condition and is always used in the negative sense. Thus ‘not’ is never used with ‘unless’.

• Unless you do not work hard, you will not excel in the examination. Incorrect
• Unless you work hard, you will not excel in the examination. Correct

34. ‘Though’ is followed by ‘yet’ and not by ‘but’.

• Though he is poor but he is honest. Incorrect
• Though he is poor, yet he is honest. Correct

35. An infinitive verb should never be split.

• I request you to kindly tell me. Incorrect
• I request you kindly to tell me. Correct

36. ‘Some’ is used in affirmative sentences to express quantity or degree. ‘Any’ is used in negative or interrogative sentences.

• I shall buy some
• I shall not buy any
• Have you bought any apples?

But ‘some’ may be correctly used in interrogative sentences which are, in fact, requests.

• Will you please give me some milk? Correct
• I shall read any Incorrect
• I shall read some book. Correct
• Have you bought some apples? Incorrect
• Have you bought any apples? Correct

 37. Use of ‘less’ and ‘fewer’

‘Less’ denote quantity and ‘fewer’ denote number.

• No less than fifty persons were killed. Incorrect
• No fewer than fifty persons were killed. Correct
• There are no fewer than five liters of water in the jug. Incorrect
• There are no less than five liters of water in the jug. Correct

 38. Use of little, a little, the little.

‘Little’ means ‘hardly any’

• There is a little hope of his recovery. Incorrect
• There is little hope of his recovery. correct

‘A little’ means ‘some’, though not much.

• Little knowledge is a dangerous thing. Incorrect
• A little knowledge is a dangerous thing. Correct

‘The little means ‘not much but all there is’.

• The little milk that is in the pot may be used for the patient. Incorrect
• The little milk that is in the pot may be used for the patient. Correct

39. Use of elder, older.

‘Older’ refers to persons as well as things and is followed by ‘than’.

• Ram is elder than all other boys of this area. Incorrect
• Ram is older than all other boys of this area. Correct

‘Elder’ is used for members of the family.

• Suresh is my older brother. Incorrect
• Suresh is my elder brother. Correct

40. Normally ‘than’ is used in the comparative degree, but with words likesuperior, inferior, senior, junior, prior, anterior, posterior and prefer ‘to’ is used.

• Shelley is junior than Wordsworth. Incorrect
• Shelley is junior to Wordsworth. Correct
• I prefer reading than sleeping. Incorrect
• I prefer reading to sleeping. Correct