Error detection : (1) Principle of Grammar - Subject-Verb Agreement

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Error detection items are essentially a test of English grammar and usage (that has been discussed at length in the previous chapter), so the best preparation for this section is a review of the different grammar rules and their usage. I strongly advise you to pay attention to elements of grammar, diction (choice of words) and sentence construction.

This section contains a review of the principles of grammar, sentence structure and usage most often tested in the Error Detection section of various competitive exams.

(1) Principles of Grammar

Most of the grammar errors included on the various tests fall into one of four categories.

I. Subject-Verb Agreement

As we know, a subject must agree with its verb. For example,

The professor were 1)/ travelling in Europe 2)/ when she received notice 3)/ of her promotion. 4)/ No error 5)

Explanation :

The construction “ were travelling ” is an error. The subject is ‘ professor ’, a singular noun. The verb ‘ were travelling ’ should be ‘ was travelling ’. In this example choice (1) contains the error.

The error in the sentence above is too easy for the competitive exams. In order to make questions a bit more subtle, a question writer who wanted to test your ability to spot such errors might use one of three tricks: ( i ) separate the subject and verb ( ii ) use an inverted sentence structure ( iii ) or use a subject that you might not recognize as singular (or plural).

( i ) In order to disguise the failure of subject-verb agreement a question writer can separate the subject- matter from the verb by inserting a phrase or a clause.

For example,

( a ) The professor voted teacher of the year by the students were 1)/ travelling in Europe 2)/ when she received notice 3)/ of her promotion. 4)/ No error 5)

Explanation :

In the above example, the subject, ‘ the professor ’, is singular, yet the verb, ‘ were travelling ’, is plural. This is more difficult to spot in this version of the sentence because of the proximity of the noun ‘ students ’ which might be mistaken for the subject of the verb. The sentence sounds correct to the ear:..... students were ....

( b ) Most teacher s, unless they have 1) / an appointment to a prestigious university, earns

2)/ relatively less as a teacher 3)/ than they might in business. 4)/ No error 5)

Explanation :

The answer to the above example is (2). The subject of ‘ earns ’ is ‘ teachers ’. ‘ Teachers earns ’ is incorrect. The correct construction is ‘ teachers earn ’. But it is easy to mistake ‘ university ’ for the true subject of the sentence.

( c ) Many nutritionists now believe 1) / t hat a balanced diet 2)/ not large dose of vitamins 3)/ are the best guarantee of health. 4)/ No error 5)

Explanation :

The above sentence is incorrect because the true subject of the verb ‘ are ’ is ‘ diet ’. The phrase ‘ not large does ’ is not part of the subject. The correct construction is “ .....diet.....is...... ”. Therefore (4) is the correct choice.

( d ) Television comedies in which there is 1)/ at least one really detestable character 2)/ captures the interest 3)/ of viewers. 4)/ No error 5)

Explanation :

The answer to the above question is (3). The true subject of the verb ‘ captures ’ is ‘ comedies ’. The correct construction is “ .....comedies.....capture..... ”.

( ii ) The connection between the subject and verb may be obscured by an inverted structure. An inverted sentence is one in which the verb comes before the subject. (See the section “ Inversion ” in the previous chapter). For example,

( a ) Though this is the wealthiest 1)/ country in the world, within a few blocks 2)/ of the white house there is 3)/ scores of homeless people who live on the streets. 4)/ No error 5)

Explanation :

The answer to the above example is (3). The subject of the verb ‘ is ’ is not ‘ there ’ but ‘ scores ’, which is plural. The correct construction is ‘ there are scores ’.

( b ) Just a few miles from 1)/ the factories and skyscrappers stand 2)/ a medieval castle which looks 3)/ exactly as it did in the twelfth century. 4)/ No error 5)

Explanation :

The answer to the above example is (2). The subject of the verb ‘ stand ’ is ‘ castle ’. The correct construction is ‘ stands a medieval castle ’.

( iii )There are some subjects that are a bit tricky. For example,

( a ) Either the governor or one of 1)/ his close aides 2)/ prefer not to have 3)/ the senator at the head table, where he would be conspecuous. 4)/ No error 5)

Explanation :

The answer to the above example is (3). When a subject consists of two or more parts joined by ‘ or ’, the verb must agree with the element that follows the ‘ or ’. So, for the purpose of agreement, the subject of the sentence is ‘ one ’. The correct construction is ‘ one.....prefers ’.

( b ) Surrounded by layers of excelsior, 1)/ none of the crystal goblets 2)/ were broken when 3)/ the workers dropped the crate. 4)/ No error 5)

Explanation :

The answer to the above example is (3). The subject of the verb ‘ were broken ’ is ‘ none ’. And ‘ none ’ is singular here. The correct construction is ‘ ....none.....was broken...... ’.

( c ) Rajesh, his wife and the rest 1)/ of his family plans 2)/ to attend the awards dinner to be given by 3)/ the company for the employees with the most seniority. 4)/ No error 5)

Explanation :

The answer to the above example is (2). A subject consisting of two or more elements joined by ‘ and ’ is plural. The correct construction is “ Rajesh, his wife and the rest of his family plan ........ ”.