sentence correction

Sentence Correction for SSC and Banking Exams: In-depth Notes and Practice

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I. Introduction

Sentence correction is a crucial topic in SSC (Staff Selection Commission) and Banking exams. It tests your knowledge of grammar, sentence structure, and the appropriate usage of words. This section demands not only a solid grasp of grammar rules but also an ability to identify contextual and syntactical errors in a sentence.

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II. Common Error Types in Sentence Correction

1. Subject-Verb Agreement

Rule: The verb must agree with its subject in number and person.

• Example: The bouquet of flowers is on the table. (Not are)
• Error Tip: Prepositional phrases between the subject and verb often confuse.

2. Tense Consistency

Rule: Maintain the same tense unless the time frame changes.

• Example: She was cooking when he came in. (Both actions are in past tense.)

3. Pronoun Errors

Rule: A pronoun must agree with its antecedent in number and gender.

• Example: Each of the players has his own locker. (Not their)

4. Modifier Errors

Rule: Modifiers should be placed next to the word they modify.

• Example: Incorrect: Running down the street, the keys fell from my pocket.
• Correct: Running down the street, I dropped the keys from my pocket.

5. Parallelism

Rule: Items in a list or comparison should be in the same grammatical form.

• Example: She likes dancing, singing, and swimming. (Not to swim)

6. Articles and Determiners

Rule: Use appropriate articles (a, an, the) with countable nouns.

• Example: He is a university student. ("a" used before consonant sound)

7. Preposition Errors

Rule: Certain verbs, adjectives, and nouns take specific prepositions.

• Example: She is good at dancing. (Not in)

8. Conjunction and Sentence Connectors

Rule: Correlative conjunctions (either...or, neither...nor) must be correctly paired.

• Example: Neither the teacher nor the students were in the classroom.

9. Redundancy and Wordiness

Rule: Avoid unnecessary repetition and verbose structures.

• Example: Incorrect: The reason is because he was tired.
• Correct: The reason is that he was tired.

10. Idioms and Phrasal Verbs

Rule: Some expressions follow specific idiomatic usage.

• Example: He is accustomed to hard work. (Not accustomed for)

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III. Strategy for Sentence Correction

1. Read the sentence carefully.
2. Identify the part of the sentence that seems off.
3. Apply grammar rules and eliminate options.
4. Re-read the sentence after correction to ensure correctness and coherence.

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IV. 200 Practice Questions with Answers and Explanations

Note: The questions below are a mix of error-spotting and sentence improvement.

1. Each of the boys have done their homework.

• Correction: Each of the boys has done his homework.
• Explanation: "Each" is singular; thus, use "has" and "his."

2. Neither the manager nor his assistants was present.

• Correction: Neither the manager nor his assistants were present.
• Explanation: When subjects are joined by "neither...nor," the verb agrees with the nearer subject.

3. She is senior than me in experience.

• Correction: She is senior to me in experience.
• Explanation: The correct idiom is "senior to," not "senior than."

4. He is good in playing the guitar.

• Correction: He is good at playing the guitar.
• Explanation: "Good at" is the correct collocation.

5. I look forward to meet you.

• Correction: I look forward to meeting you.
• Explanation: The verb following "look forward to" is in the gerund form

·        1. He is senior than me in age.
Corrected: He is senior to me in age.
Explanation: The adjective "senior" is followed by "to," not "than."

·        2. The team have won the match.
Corrected: The team has won the match.
Explanation: "Team" is a collective noun and takes a singular verb.

·        3. She did not knew the answer.
Corrected: She did not know the answer.
Explanation: After "did," the base form of the verb is used.reddit.com+1gr8ambitionz.com+1

·        4. Each of the boys have a book.
Corrected: Each of the boys has a book.
Explanation: "Each" is singular and takes a singular verb.menlocoaching.com

·        5. The news are very depressing.
Corrected: The news is very depressing.
Explanation: "News" is an uncountable noun and takes a singular verb.menlocoaching.com

·        6. Neither the teacher nor the students was present.
Corrected: Neither the teacher nor the students were present.
Explanation: When subjects are joined by "neither...nor," the verb agrees with the subject closer to it.

·        7. I look forward to meet you.
Corrected: I look forward to meeting you.
Explanation: "Look forward to" is followed by a gerund (verb+ing).menlocoaching.com+9testbook.com+9leverageedu.com+9

·        8. He is one of the best player in the team.
Corrected: He is one of the best players in the team.
Explanation: "One of the best" is followed by a plural noun.

·        9. The furniture are new.
Corrected: The furniture is new.
Explanation: "Furniture" is an uncountable noun and takes a singular verb.geeksforgeeks.org

·        10. She is more intelligent than any girl in the class.
Corrected: She is more intelligent than any other girl in the class.
Explanation: To exclude the subject from the comparison, "any other" is used.

·        11. He is good in mathematics.
Corrected: He is good at mathematics.
Explanation: The correct preposition after "good" when referring to a subject is "at."

·        12. She prefers tea than coffee.
Corrected: She prefers tea to coffee.
Explanation: "Prefer" is followed by "to" when comparing two things.

·        13. The sceneries of Kashmir are beautiful.
Corrected: The scenery of Kashmir is beautiful.
Explanation: "Scenery" is an uncountable noun and doesn't have a plural form.

·        14. She is married with a doctor.
Corrected: She is married to a doctor.
Explanation: The correct preposition after "married" is "to."

·        15. I have visited the Taj Mahal last year.
Corrected: I visited the Taj Mahal last year.
Explanation: Specific past time expressions use the simple past tense.menlocoaching.com+1byjus.com+1

·        16. He is suffering with fever.
Corrected: He is suffering from fever.
Explanation: The correct preposition after "suffering" is "from."

·        17. She is senior than me.
Corrected: She is senior to me.
Explanation: "Senior" is followed by "to," not "than."testbook.com+1gr8ambitionz.com+1

·        18. The baby cried because it was hunger.
Corrected: The baby cried because it was hungry.
Explanation: "Hunger" is a noun; the correct adjective is "hungry."

·        19. He is one of the most talented student in the class.
Corrected: He is one of the most talented students in the class.
Explanation: "One of the most" is followed by a plural noun.

·        20. She is more taller than her sister.
Corrected: She is taller than her sister.
Explanation: "More taller" is incorrect; use either "more tall" or "taller," but not both.

·        1. He is senior than me in age.
Corrected: He is senior to me in age.
Explanation: The adjective "senior" is followed by "to," not "than."

·        2. The team have won the match.
Corrected: The team has won the match.
Explanation: "Team" is a collective noun and takes a singular verb.

·        3. She did not knew the answer.
Corrected: She did not know the answer.
Explanation: After "did," the base form of the verb is used.

·        4. Each of the boys have a book.
Corrected: Each of the boys has a book.
Explanation: "Each" is singular and takes a singular verb.

·        5. The news are very depressing.
Corrected: The news is very depressing.
Explanation: "News" is an uncountable noun and takes a singular verb.smartkeeda.com+1byjus.com+1

·        6. Neither the teacher nor the students was present.
Corrected: Neither the teacher nor the students were present.
Explanation: When subjects are joined by "neither...nor," the verb agrees with the subject closer to it.

·        7. I look forward to meet you.
Corrected: I look forward to meeting you.
Explanation: "Look forward to" is followed by a gerund (verb+ing).unacademy.com+10leverageedu.com+10gmatclub.com+10

·        8. He is one of the best player in the team.
Corrected: He is one of the best players in the team.
Explanation: "One of the best" is followed by a plural noun.

·        9. The furniture are new.
Corrected: The furniture is new.
Explanation: "Furniture" is an uncountable noun and takes a singular verb.

·        10. She is more intelligent than any girl in the class.
Corrected: She is more intelligent than any other girl in the class.
Explanation: To exclude the subject from the comparison, "any other" is used.

·        11. He is good in mathematics.
Corrected: He is good at mathematics.
Explanation: The correct preposition after "good" when referring to a subject is "at."

·        12. She prefers tea than coffee.
Corrected: She prefers tea to coffee.
Explanation: "Prefer" is followed by "to" when comparing two things.testbook.com+7testprepreview.com+7unacademy.com+7

·        13. The sceneries of Kashmir are beautiful.
Corrected: The scenery of Kashmir is beautiful.
Explanation: "Scenery" is an uncountable noun and doesn't have a plural form.

·        14. She is married with a doctor.
Corrected: She is married to a doctor.
Explanation: The correct preposition after "married" is "to."

·        15. I have visited the Taj Mahal last year.
Corrected: I visited the Taj Mahal last year.
Explanation: Specific past time expressions use the simple past tense.

·        16. He is suffering with fever.
Corrected: He is suffering from fever.
Explanation: The correct preposition after "suffering" is "from."

·        17. She is senior than me.
Corrected: She is senior to me.
Explanation: "Senior" is followed by "to," not "than."smartkeeda.comgmatclub.com+11leverageedu.com+11smartkeeda.com+11

·        18. The baby cried because it was hunger.
Corrected: The baby cried because it was hungry.
Explanation: "Hunger" is a noun; the correct adjective is "hungry."

·        19. He is one of the most talented student in the class.
Corrected: He is one of the most talented students in the class.
Explanation: "One of the most" is followed by a plural noun.

·        20. She is more taller than her sister.
Corrected: She is taller than her sister.
Explanation: "More taller" is incorrect; use either "more tall" or "taller," but not both.