Showing posts with label spotting errors. Show all posts
Showing posts with label spotting errors. Show all posts
Friday, January 16, 2015
Friday, December 19, 2014
Spotting Errors Tips for Exams
- ►If the essay contains narrative, check all uses of then.
Sometimes then is used incorrectly to join two sentences (independent clauses) as if it were a conjunction like and or but.
- ►Check all sentences beginning with words like when, after, as, before, once, since, until, while, where, wherever, because, if, though, or unless. A comma should come at the end of a clause beginning with these words. If these words appear in the middle of a sentence, they are usually not preceded by a comma.
- ►Commas are needed before who, whom, whose or short phrases identifying a noun (appositives) when they limit (restrict) the noun. Commas are never used before that, or which when it can be replaced by that. Commas always come before which when it can't be replaced by that. When in doubt, leave the commas out. (That almost never takes a comma. Which usually does.)
Wrong: We hiked seven miles, then we pitched camp.
Right: We hiked seven miles then pitched camp.
Right: We hiked seven miles, and then we pitched camp.
►A comma should only come before then if a clause beginning with the word if comes first.
Right: If a sentence begins with the word if, then a comma comes before then.
Right: When I was seven, we moved to Missouri.
Right: We moved to Missouri when I was seven.
Right: A car that has a dead battery can't be driven.
Right: My new car, which has a dead battery, is causing me nothing but trouble.
Right: The man who is standing next to you is crazy.
Right: The man standing next to you is crazy.
Right: Charles, my brother, is crazy.
- ►Semicolons are rarely used.
The most common uses are to join a short sentence to another sentence and to join items in a series which use internal commas.
- ►If the subject of the sentence ends in s, the verb should not and vice versa. Don't be confused by words that come between the subject and verb.
Right: Red Bank, TN; Marietta, GA; Red Lion, PA; and Hancock, MD are small towns.
Right: The latest study of marriages and divorces shows the divorce rate is decreasing.
Right: The books about the man who invented the luxury car Porche are fascinating.
By following the above tips you can avoid some silly mistakes while finding out the errors in the given sentence. So that you wont loose the marks in the Spotting Errors Questions of the competitive exams.
Spotting Errors (in usage) Practice Exercises for Exams
►Like fill in the blank questions, these are individual questions. They require very good grammar check skills along with a good reading habit. You may need to find one or more errors in the given sentences.
►Some of the common ways in which these questions are asked are:
Types of Questions asked in Spotting Errors:
Type 1:
A sentence is divided into four underlined parts and the incorrect part is to be identified. If there is no error in the sentence, you need to select the underlined part called “No Error”. This is the most common type asked in bank exams. A feature of these questions is that the entire underlined part of the sentence may not be incorrect. There may be a single incorrect word in the entire underlined part. Also, while a part of the sentence may seem correct in isolation, it may be incorrect when seen in context of the entire sentence.
Type 2:
The sentence has four to five underlined parts but it is not divided like earlier. You simple need to identify the underlined part that is incorrect. The difference with the earlier question type is that here the entire underlined part is incorrect unlike the earlier case. So, you need to focus only on the specific underlined word/phrase.
Type 3:
Four or five sentences may be given. You may either need to identify the incorrect sentences or the correct ones. Also, the number of correct or incorrect sentences may exceed one. In that case, you can save time by eliminating answer options.
►You need to revise parts of speech, tenses, clause and phrases, prepositions, word usage and spelling to attempt these questions with good accuracy.
►Like all other questions in this section, good reading habits can help you eliminate incorrect/inappropriate options.
Here are Practice questions on Spotting Errors:
Spotting Errors Practice Exercise Paper-1
Spotting Errors Practice Exercise Paper-2
Spotting Errors Practice Exercise Paper-3
Spotting Errors Practice Exercise Paper-4
Spotting Errors Practice Exercise Paper-5
Spotting Errors Practice Exercise Paper-6
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