Error spotting is one of the most important topics in SSC and other government exams. Every year, questions are asked to test your understanding of grammar rules such as subject-verb agreement, tenses, prepositions, articles, and pronouns.
If you master the basic grammar rules and practice regularly, you can easily score full marks in this section.
In this blog, you will learn the most important error spotting rules with simple explanations and examples.
What is Error Spotting?
In error spotting questions, a sentence is divided into parts. You have to identify which part contains a grammatical mistake. Sometimes, there may be no error.
These questions test your basic grammar knowledge and attention to detail.
Important Error Spotting Rules for SSC Exams
1. Subject-Verb Agreement
A singular subject takes a singular verb, and a plural subject takes a plural verb.
❌ Incorrect: He go to school daily.
✅ Correct: He goes to school daily.
❌ Incorrect: The boys plays cricket.
✅ Correct: The boys play cricket.
Tip: Words like “everyone,” “each,” and “someone” are singular and take singular verbs.
2. Tense Errors
The tense must match the time mentioned in the sentence.
❌ Incorrect: She is studying here since 2022.
✅ Correct: She has been studying here since 2022.
❌ Incorrect: Yesterday, he goes to the market.
✅ Correct: Yesterday, he went to the market.
Tip: Words like yesterday, last year, ago → use past tense.
3. Article Errors (A, An, The)
Use “a” before consonant sounds and “an” before vowel sounds.
❌ Incorrect: He is a honest man.
✅ Correct: He is an honest man.
Use “the” for specific things.
❌ Incorrect: Sun rises in east.
✅ Correct: The sun rises in the east.
4. Preposition Errors
Prepositions are commonly asked in SSC exams.
❌ Incorrect: She is good in English.
✅ Correct: She is good at English.
❌ Incorrect: He is married with her.
✅ Correct: He is married to her.
Tip: Learn common preposition combinations.
5. Pronoun Errors
A pronoun must agree with its noun (antecedent).
❌ Incorrect: Everyone should bring their book.
✅ Correct: Everyone should bring his or her book.
❌ Incorrect: Me and Rahul went to school.
✅ Correct: Rahul and I went to school.
Quick Tricks to Identify Errors Fast
✔ First, find the subject and verb
✔ Check tense consistency
✔ Look for article usage
✔ Observe prepositions carefully
✔ Read the sentence twice slowly
Most errors are hidden in small grammar rules.
Practice Questions
Find the error in the following sentences:
- Each of the students have completed the assignment.
- She has been living here since five years.
- He is senior than me.
- The Ganga is longest river in India.
- Neither of the boys are present today.
(Answers: 1-have → has, 2-since → for, 3-senior than → senior to, 4-add “the” before longest, 5-are → is)
Conclusion
Error spotting is not difficult if your grammar basics are clear. Focus on important rules like subject-verb agreement, tenses, articles, prepositions, and pronouns.
Practice daily, revise regularly, and solve previous year questions. With consistency, you can easily score high marks in the English section of SSC and other government exams.