Grammer Miscellaneous 1 Flashcards
1.(1) Magic realism is one/ (2) of the latest/ (3) addition to good literature / (4) published in recent times./ (5) No error
1.3;The usage one of takes a plural noun. You selectone from many. So, additions.
2.(1) Even though he found the subject / (2) rather interesting Manoj could not / (3) manage good marks / (4) in theexamination./ (5) No error
2.2;Why use rather? We are not making anycomparison here.
3.(1) I now understand why / (2) Sanjay did not told/ (3) me the reason why / (4) he was late. / (5) No error
3.2;Double past should not be used. Did is alreadythere, so the main verb should be tell.
4.(1) He got to the top / (2) and was very disappointed / (3) when he found that / (4) someone else has reached it first./ (5) Noerror
4.4;The action (reaching) has been completed beforeanother action in the past (found). So, usepast perfect (had reached).
5.(1) Our rich men, / (2) to say the least, / (3) did not advance the moral struggle / (4) of passive resistance as much the poor. /(5) No error
5.4;The actions of the rich men and the poor are beingcompared. So, use the conjunction as muchas.
6.(1) You are learning English / (2) for the last one year / (3) but you show / (4) no improvement whatsoever. / (5) No error
6.1;The action has been going on over a period of time.So use present perfect continuous (have been learning).
7.(1) My friend being unwilling to attend / (2) the court at an early hour / (3) of the morning, sent a letter explaining / (4) whycould he not obey. / (5) No error
7.4;Note that a question is not being asked. It is aclause. So, the auxiliary should not beseparated from the main verb. The correctform: why he could not obey.
8.(1) Such a life as this / (2) is far conducive to health / (3) than that of health / (3) than that of the man / (4) who rises late. / (5)No error
8.2;Far is an adverb and cannot be used for makingcomparative as a substitute for more.
9.(1) We had swam / (2) across / (3) the river before / (4)the sun set. / (5) No error
9.1;The V3 of swim is swum.
10.(1) I knew your college library / (2) was run chaotically/ (3) but only recently did I discover / (4) how bad thesituation is. / (5) No error
10.4;To agree with the rest of the sentence the verbshould be in the past (was).
11.(1) If you know what it is / (2) that you want out of life/ (3) it is easy to find out what / (4) different kinds ofjob offer this. / (5) No error
11.3;You are selecting particular jobs. So, use whichin place of what.
12.(1) Neither Prannoy nor his wife / (2) were aware / (3)of the arrangements made / (4) for their journey. / (5)No error
12.2;Two or more subjects connected by neither …nor take a verb, which is in accordancewith the nearer subject. So, replace were bywas.
13.(1) The man who I have often mentioned, / (2) is onewhose friendship I could / (3) wish to acquirebecause / (4) he possesses my esteem./ (5) No error
13.1;Man is the object of the verb mentioned. Whorefers to man and should therefore be in theobjective case (whom).
14.(1) After the Civil War Harriet Tubman, herself anescaped slave,/ (2) continued her efforts on behalf offormer slaves,/ (3) helping to educate freedmen,supporting children, / (4) and she was assistingimpoverished old people./ (5) No error
14.4;Delete she was so that a parallel construction ofparticiples (helping …, supporting …, andassisting …) may exist.
15.(1) Never before in the history of music / (2) havemusical superstars been able to command / (3) soextraordinary fees / (4) of the kind they do today. /(5) No error
15.4;The proper conjunction pair is so … as. So,replace of the kind by as.
16.(1) Researchers have demonstrated that homingpigeons / (2) can sense changes in the earth’smagnetic field, / (3) see light waves that peoplecannot see, / (4) and can detect low-frequency soundsfrom kilometres away. / (5) No error
16.4;Delete can. The can in (2) suffices for thesubsequent parts.
17.(1) The sale of government-surplus machinery / (2) willbegin at 9 a.m. / (3) and continue until / (4) thesupply lasts./ (5) No error
17.3;Lasts is a verb that denotes an action over aperiod while until refers to a point. So, useas long as.
18.(1) I am not / (2) one of those / (3) who believe / (4)everything I hear. / (5) No error
18.4;Replace I by they so that it agrees with those.
19.(1) There are many reasons / (2) that the wholecharacter of the twentieth century / (3) should be verydifferent / (4) from that of the nineteenth. / (5) Noerror
19.2;Reasons is followed by why, not that, when itrefers to an effect.
20.(1) Disregard for odds and complete confidence / (2) inone’s self / (3) have / (4) produced many of oursuccesses. / (5) No error
20.5;Have is correct because there are two subjects:disregard and confidence.
21.(1) No one / (2) who has seen him lecture in the class / (3) can deny that Mr Mehrotra has an interest and /(4) aptitude for teaching. / (5) No error
21.3;You have an interest in (not for) something.
22.(1) No less / (2) than fifty mariners / (3) were killed /(4) in the explosion./ (5) No error
22.1;Less is used for quantity. Its equivalent fornumber (here fifty) is fewer.
23.(1) No sooner the advertisement appeared / (2) in thenewspapers / (3) than there was a rush / (4) at thebooking window./ (5) No error
“23.1;You can either say ““No sooner had theadvertisement appeared”” or ““No sooner didthe advertisement appear””.”
24.(1) The house with all its / (2) furnitures and exoticplants / (3) was sold / (4) for `50,000. / (5) No error
24.2;Furniture itself is plural. Don’t add an s.
25.(1) He made a great fuss / (2) about having aninvestigation, / (3) but it all ended / (4) with smoke. /(5) No error
25.4;Replace with by in. A thing ends in smoke if itcomes to nothing.
26.(1) The crew were / (2) on board / (3) and they soonbusied themselves / (4) in preparing to meet thestorm. / (5) No error
26.4;[Note: This, in fact, is a vocabulary question.Some such questions have been includedbecause the directions only ask you to spotthe errors. The error may be other thangrammatical as well.]You meet a friend but you face (you are ready to dealwith) an unpleasant situation (here storm).
27.(1) The long-awaited moment at last came, / and we setout for the station, / (3) as merry a band of children /(4) as I have ever seen before or since. / (5) No error
“27.4;The same verb (have seen) cannot do for bothbefore and since. Why? The main event (setout) is in the past simple. That whichhappened before it should be in pastperfect. So, (4) should read ““as I had everseen before or have ever seen since””.”
28.(1) In these days of inflation / (2) a ten rupee’s note /(3) will not buy you / (4) even an ordinary meal. / (5)No error
28.2;The note belongs to its owner, not to ten rupees.So, you cannot use the possessive case. Thedenomination should be an adjective and acompound adjective drops the plural form.So, a ten-rupee note.
29.(1) Well, I spent six or seven years / (2) after highschool / (3) trying to find a job for me / (4) but couldnot succeed in it. / (5) No error
29.3;Since I is the subject and I the object, usereflexive myself, not objective me.
30.(1) I am pleased to sanction / (2) one special increment/ (3) to all the employees / (4) with this month. / (5)No error
30.4;Replace with by from. This month is a point ofbeginning.
31.(1) Our school would / (2) have won the match / (3) ifonly we / (4) would have concentrated. / (5) No error
31.4;Replace would have by had. Remember theconditional pairs well:If X were so/ had happened, Y would havehappened.
32.(1) Ajay asked the dealer / (2) what the price / (3) ofthat bicycle was and whether / (4) it is really made inGermany. / (5) No error
32.4;Replace is by was. See Q. 10 above.
33.(1) The other day / (2) I told you / (3) about this book; /(4) you may take. / (5) No error
33.4;Take is a transitive verb. It should be followedby an object (here it).
34.(1) Elders have said / (2) that we should not entertain /(3) a too high opinion / (4) of our wisdom. / (5) Noerror
“34.3;The proper structure is: too + adjective +indefinite article + noun. So, it should be”“too high an opinion””.”
35.(1) He copied the letter/ (2) word by word / (3) andkept it as a proof / (4) of his innocence. / (5) No error
35.2;If you write something in exactly the same words,you write it word for word.
36.(1) He is a MA / (2) of the Delhi University / (3) and isexpected / (4) to know his subject well. / (5) No error
“36.1;How do you pronounce M? It is ““em””. Since theword begins with a vowel sound (e), use anbefore it.”
37.(1) He is / (2) more liberal but / (3) not as competent as/ (4) his elder brother . / (5) No error
37.2;The comparative degree (more liberal) should befollowed by than.
38.(1) Prabhash is a tall gentleman / (2) and can therefore /(3) play basketball / (4) better than others. / (5) Noerror
38.1;Why do we need a gentleman to play basketballbetter? It should be a tall man.
39.(1) He orders for / (2) every new book / (3) that ispublished / (4) in Bihar./ (5) No error
39.1;Delete for. He orders the books for someone orsomething; otherwise it is simply orders.
40.(1) Since he has never kept his promise, / (2) Iconclude that / (3) he is nothing else / (4) than a liar ./ (5) No error
40.4;Nothing else is followed by but, not by than.
41.(1) The beggar stood / (2) without the gate / (3) in thehope of / (4) receiving alms. / (5) No error
41.5;Without has been used as the opposite of within.
42.(1) I sat in the office / (2) to welcome the visitors / (3)but nobody came / (4) for the whole day. / (5) Noerror
42.4;Replace for by during because what is being saidis that nobody came while I sat. The period ofa visitor’s stay is not being meant.
43.(1) We lived within the British / (2) beforeIndependence and (3) we are yet to get / (4) out of theslave mentality. / (5) No error
43.1;Replace within by under because we mean duringthe rule of.
44.(1) I was not there / (2) when the incident took place /(3) but the news came to me / (4) by a friend. / (5) Noerror
44.4;Replace by by through. The friend is a medium.
45.(1) The match could have been / (2) won in ease / (3)but Indian cricketers have mastered the art / (4) ofmaking easy things difficult. / (5) No error
45.2;If you win easily, you win with ease.
46.(1) The boy in grey hair / (2) looked a bit sad / (3)while the rest of the audience / (4) were in a gaymood. / (5) No error
“46.1;Replace in by with. In is used for the dress onewears: ““The boy in black (sweater)””.”
47.(1) You will not get / (2) a banana or two here;/ (3) thisfruitseller sells / (4) bananas in the dozen. / (5) Noerror
47.4;Replace in by by.
48.(1) On what I know / (2) of him, I can / (3) easilyaffirm that / (4) he is a good husband. / (5) No error
“48.1;Replace on by from. ““What I know of him”” is asource from which conclusions can be drawnout.”
49.(1) Kumble has not turned / (2) a word-class spinnerovernight ; / (3) his skill comes / (4) of practice. / (5)No error
49.4;Replace of by from. Practice is the source.
50.(1) If the work is / (2) without your capacity, / (3) whynot take / (4) the help of others? (5) No error
50.2;Replace without by beyond.
1.(1) Children visiting the / (2) park are amused /(3) by the monkeys’/ (4) play in the cages. / (5) No error
1.3;If something makes you laugh, you are amusedwith (not by) it.
2.(1) The enmity of the / (2) two groups has reached alevel / (3) where reconciliation has / (4) becomeimpossible. / (5) No error
“2.1;Replace of by between. ““Two groups”” means onegroup and the other.”
3.(1) To make him succeed, / (2) the correct thing to do /(3) is to punish him / (4) until he does not try. / (5)No error
“3.4;Double negative should not be used. It should be”“until he tries”” which means ““till he doesnot try””.”
4.(1) If he would not have / (2) confessed it himself / (3)the crime could scarcely have been / (4) known tohim. / (5) No error
4.1;It should be If he had not. See Ex. 1, Q. 31.
5.(1) The purpose of this book, / (2) however, is not todiscuss / (3) these basic issues / (4) in its variousaspects. / (5) No error
5.4;Replace its by their because it refers to pluralissues.
6.(1) My uncle / (2) forbade me not to / (3) go through /(4) the contents of his letter. / (5) No error
6.2;Delete not. If you forbid someone to dosomething, you ask him not to do so.
7.(1) How does he earn money / (2) is more importantthan / (3) how much / (4) he earns. / (5) No error
“7.1;It should be ““How he earns money””. See Ex. 1,Q. 7.”
8.(1) Manisha is / (2) more prettier / (3) than / (4) hersister. / (5) No error
8.2;Prettier itself is comparative; why add more?
9.(1) In the harbour great ships / (2) lay at anchor / (3)bearing the names of / (4) faraway places likeAberdeen and even Singapore. / (5) No error
9.5;Lay is the past tense of lie.
10.(1) School offers many opportunities of meeting / (2)helpful people, reading useful books, / (3) and obtaininformation about / (4) a variety of public careers. /(5) No error
10.3;Replace obtain by obtaining to get a parallelconstruction of gerunds (meeting …,reading, …, and obtaining ….).
11.(1) All one can gather / (2) from the children / (3) arethat there were / (4) a loud noise and smoke. / (5) Noerror
“11.3;Replace are by is. ““All one can gather”” gives theidea of one whole.”
12.(1) Politicians in particular / (2) get carried away / (3)by analogies and draw / (4) unwarranted conclusionsfrom them. / (5) No error
12.5;When you get carried away, you becomeslightly unreasonable.
13.(1) The percentage of the labour force / (2) that isunemployed / (3) has dropped sharply this month /(4) even though it may be only temporarily. / (5) Noerror
“13.4;It refers to a noun. But does it refer to ““Thepercentage …unemployed””? No. To make itclear, replace it by the noun the drop. Itsqualifier should be an adjective(temporary).”
14.(1) In ancient times, / (2) Nubia was the principalcorridor/ (3) where there were cultural influencestransmitted / (4) between Black Africa and theMediterranean Basin. / (5) No error
“14.3;The corridor serves as a medium. So, write”“through which cultural influences weretransmitted””.”
15.(1) Jayaprakash Narain was among the last of a generation / (2) of freedom fighters who led the nationthrough decades of change / (3) so profound manyyoung Indians are not able to imagine, / (4) much lessremember, what slavery was like. / (5) No error
“15.3;The result of being so profound is that manyyoung Indians …. Besides, cannot imaginewould make the sentence look better. So,”“so profound that many young Indianscannot imagine””.”
16.(1) I know that / (2) Jaigopal is more efficient / (3) than/ (4) any man in our organisation. / (5) No error
“16.4;It should be ““any other man””. ““Any man”“includes Jaigopal also.”
17.(1) The annual survey of chemistry published by theAmerican Chemical Society / (2) attributes the vastchange in warfare / (3) to the airplane and, above all,/ (4) to the motor fuel of today. / (5) No error
17.5;The preposition to has rightly been placedbefore both its objects.
18.(1) The successful self-employed man / (2) invariablyworks / (3) harder / (4) and worries most than theman on a salary. / (5) No error
18.4;Replace most by more because the comparativeis being used.
19.(1) Mr Churchill must be / (2) the first to rejoice that /(3) both Sir Samuel Hoare and the Premier / (4) hadvindicated so emphatically. / (5) No error
“19.4;Vindicate is a transitive verb which means ““freesomeone from blame””. Whom did Hoareand the Premier vindicate? Actually, theythemselves are the object.So, the structure should be passive: ““hadbeen vindicated””.”
20.(1) I am working / (2) on this job / (3) since / (4) lastMonday. / (5) No error
20.1;Replace am by have been. The action has beengoing on since a point of time. So, we usepresent perfect continuous.
21.(1) World affairs have surprises in store / (2) forwhomever tries / (3) to read the future from hisknowledge of the past / (4) and from the signs of thepresent. / (5) No error
“21.2;The object to the preposition for is not the wordwhoever in isolation but the entire clause”“whoever tries ….”” and so cannot bechanged to objective whomever.”
22.(1) Our neighbours are / (2) old-fashioned and / (3) arevery strictly / (4) with their children . / (5) No error
22.3;Replace strictly by adjective strict because itrefers to noun neighbours.
23.(1) Last year there was flood, / (2) the river wasoverflowing, / (3) and everyone run / (4) to save hislife. / (5) No error
23.3;Use past simple ran to agree with was in otherclauses.
24.(1) He was not only involved / (2) in her kidnapping /(3) but also / (4) in her murder. / (5) No error
24.1;Not only should come after involved becauseinvolved applies to both the parts joined bynot only …also.
25.(1) As he had taken / (2) only a few sips / (3) there wasstill little water / (4) left in the glass. / (5) No error
25.3;Replace little by a little because still indicatesthat the positive meaning is intended.
26.(1) One of the members / (2) expressed doubt if / (3)the minister / (4) was an atheist. / (5) No error
26.2;Replace if by that. Doubt itself contains themeaning if.
27.(1) In a report / (2) issued by Indian Statistical Institute,/ (3) the Iron and Steel Industry is spending morethan any other / (4) Indian industry on fightingpollution. / (5) No error
27.1;Replace in by according to.
28.(1) The retiring Principal / (2) asked his old pupils / (3) to take the interest in the school / (4) after hisretirement./ (5) No error
28.3;Delete the before interest because no particularinterest is being talked about.
29.(1) The mission provides /(2) able service to all / (3)the needy people in this area / (4) during last fewyears. / (5) No error
29.1;Replace provides by has provided. The presentperfect is used to refer to actions completedin the immediate past (during last fewyears).
30.(1) I missed the train / (2) which I usually catch / (3)and had to travel / (4) on the next. / (5) No error
30.4;Replace on by by. You travel by a train.
31.(1) A hammer, some nails, / (2) and a few other tools /(3) was all that he used / (4) for mending the boat./(5) No error
31.3;Replace was by were. There are many items.
32.(1) I am fed up / (2) of working from morning / (3) tillnight / (4) in this damp room. / (5) No error
32.5;If too much of something annoys you, you arefed up of/with it.
33.(1) This book resembles / (2) to that / (3) and I oftenget confused / (4) about which one I am pulling out. /(5) No error
33.2;Delete to. If one thing is like another, itresembles (not to) that.
34.(1) There are not / (2) some good restaurants / (3) inthis part / (4) of the town. / (5) No error
34.2;Any replaces some in negative sentences.
35.(1) Due to illness / (2) he was unable / (3) to go / (4) ona holiday./ (5) No error
35.1;Replace due by owing. Due to is used onlypredicatively.
36.(1) He only died / (2) a week ago / (3) but it appears asif / (4) it were ages./ (5) No error
36.1;Only should come before a week ago, the phrase it emphasises.
37.(1) This matter / (2) must be considered / (3) fromevery / (4) points of view./ (5) No error
37.4;Replace points by point because every refers to asingular noun.
38.(1) Before you / (2) enter the temple, / (3) you should /(4) take out your shoes. / (5) No error
38.4;When you remove your clothes, you take them off(not out).
39.(1) Since we have / (2) only one life / (3) to live, / (4)let us enjoy. / (5) No error
39.4;Enjoy is a transitive verb and should be followedby an object (here ourselves).
40.(1) Although I am living / (2) in Delhi for the / (3) lastseven years, I have / (4) not seen Purana Qila. / (5)No error
40.1;Replace am by have been. See Ex. 1, Q. 6.
“41.(1) That Lear was eager/ (2) to hear his own praise / (3)becomes evident when he tells Cordelia, / (4)”“Nothing will come from nothing.”” / (5) No error”
41.1;Replace from by of.
42.(1) I must start / (2) by dawn / (3) to reach the station /(4) in time./ (5) No error
42.2;Replace by by before. By is used to denote a timeby which an activity ends.
43.(1) I got the information / (2) just now / (3) that theKalka Express is / (4) due to 4 p.m. / (5) No error
43.4;Replace to by at. A thing is scheduled (due) at aparticular time.
44.(1) Sati was practised / (2) among the Hindus / (3) butwomen’s activists of today / (4) cannot tolerate suchnonsense anymore, / (5) No error
44.2;Replace among by by. It is a simple passivestructure.
45.(1) The fever has taken / (2) a turn for / (3) the better / (4) from yesterday. / (5) No error
45.4;In the perfect tense (has taken), since is used inplace of from.
46.(1) I agree that / (2) nobody besides you / (3) could haveborne / (4) so much burden. / (5) No error
46.2;Replace besides by but. But excludes whilebesides includes. See Q. 47 below.
47.(1) Beside Madan and Daman, / (2) there were five / (3)more boys / (4) present in the class. / (5) No error
47.1;Replace beside by besides.
48.(1) Rana Pratap, a true Rajput, (2) subsisted with grass /(3) but did not give up / (4) his independence. / (5) Noerror
48.2;If you keep alive when having only small amountsof money or food, you subsist on it.
49.(1) Divide the mango / (2) in four parts / (3) anddistribute them among your queens / (4) one each. / (5)No error
49.2;You divide a thing into parts.
50.(1) The old lady / (2) can hardly walk / (3) and is now /(4) confined within her house./ (5) No error
50.4;If you cannot go beyond a particular limit, you areconfined to that limit.
1.(1) The car flew off the road / (2) and fell into the valley /(3) because Amit / (4) was driving faster. / (5) No error
1.4;Since no comparison is being made, use positivefast.
2.(1) Anita was / (2) unhappy about the results / (3) of thediscussion she / (4) has with Rajani. / (5) No error
2.4;Replace has by had. See Ex. 1, Q. 10.
3.(1) Taking pity / (2) on the mouse, / (3) the sagetransformed it / (4) into a cat. / (5) No error
3.5;The sentence is correct.
4.(1) You have not care / (2) to see that your / (3)expenditure was more / (4) than your salary. / (5) Noerror
4.1;In the present perfect, we use V3 — cared.
5.(1) Jayesh had hardly / (2) started reading the magazine /(3) than the managing director / (4) came to see him. /(5) No error
“5.3;The correct conjunction pair is ““hardly/scarcely….when””. Replace than by when.”
6.(1) Unless I do not get / (2) some tea / (3) I shall not beable / (4) to do any more work. / (5) No error
6.1;Delete do not. See Ex. 2, Q. 3.
7.(1) Both of my / (2) children, a daughter and a son, / (3)always quarrel with / (4) one another. / (5) No error
7.4;When there are only two persons or groups, useeach other.
8.(1) Every man and woman / (2) should vote / (3) for thecandidate / (4) of their choice. / (5) No error
8.4;Every is singular. So, replace their by his or her.
9.(1) He had consulted not only the opposition parties / (2)but also accommodated their views / (3) while dropping/ (4) this controversial clause. / (5) No error
9.1;Put consulted after not only because but also isfollowed by another verb accommodated.
10.(1) The escape of David to France / (2) was successfully arranged, but no sooner / (3) was this donethan George / (4) was captured and held prisoner./ (5)No error
10.3;Replace was this done by had this been done.No sooner … than follows the followingstructures:No sooner had X happened, than Y happened.
11.(1) People are just likely / (2) to be failures through /(3) a lack of jobs / (4) as through sheer incompetence./ (5) No error
11.1;Insert as between just and likely to pair up withthe as in (4).
12.(1) Nowadays several / (2) plastic products are superior/ (3) than similar products / (4) made from rubber. /(5) No error
12.3;Superior is followed by to.
13.(1) Sorry for the inconvenience / (2) caused by ourdelayed delivery / (3) but the dispatcher is already /(4) reprimanded for this lapse./ (5) No error
“13.3;It should be ““but the dispatcher has alreadybeen””. See Ex. 2, Q. 29.”
14.(1) The patient admitted yesterday / (2) did notresponded / (3) to the treatment prescribed / (4) bythe doctor for him. / (5) No error
“14.2;It should be ““did not respond””. See Ex. 1, Q. 3.”
15.(1) Both the alternatives / (2) have their merits anddemerits / (3) when it comes to / (4) their actualimplementation. / (5) No error
“15.5;Do not be tempted to correct it as they. It doesnot refer to any noun here. It has been usedas an indefinite pronoun as in ““It is going torain.”””
16.(1) Luckily, the prisoner agreed / (2) to accompany thestranger and / (3) they slowly made their way down /(4) to the bottom of the cliff. / (5) No error
16.5;The sentence is correct.
17.(1) As more and more subjects take the Rorschach test,/ (2) the body of information tying styles of response/ (3) with specific problems or tendencies grows, / (4)and the predictive power of the test increases. / (5)No error
17.3;Replace with by to. The preposition is related toresponse, not to tying.
18.(1) It is a special feature of cell aggregation in thedeveloping nervous system / (2) that in most regionsof the brain / (3) the cells not only adhere to oneanother / (4) and also adopt some preferentialorientation. / (5) No error
“18.4;The conjunction pair is ““not only … but (notand) also””.”
19.(1) The residents’ opposition to the sprayingprogramme / (2) has rekindled an old debate / (3)among those who oppose the use of pesticides and /(4) those who feel that pesticides are necessary tosave the trees. / (5) No error
19.3;Replace among by between because there areonly two parties — one each mentioned in(3) and (4) respectively.
20.(1) He made it / (2) appear to the police / (3) as if hiscondition / (4) is very serious. / (5) No error
20.4;Replace is by were because of the presence of asif.
21.(1) Cannot one do / (4) what one / (3) likes to do / (4)with his own ? / (5) No error
21.4;The rest of the sentence uses the pronoun one.So, replace his by one’s.
22.(1) There’s Mr Shanu, / (2) whom they say / (3) is thebest singer / (4) in the country. / (5) No error
22.2;Replace whom by who. See Ex. 2, Q. 21.
23.(1) The Renaissance is one of the most / (2) interesting/ (3) period in the history of architecture, / (4) andindeed, of art in general. / (5) No error
23.3;Replace period by periods. See Ex. 1, Q. 1.
24.(1) By this time next week / (2) my child will / (3) notonly have learnt numbers / (4) but will also masterthe alphabet. / (5) No error
“24.4;The verb in (4) should agree in its tense with theone in (2) and (3). So, it should be ““but alsohave mastered…””.”
25.(1) It gives me / (2) great pleasure / (3) in calling on MrSmith / (4) to address you. / (5) No error
25.5;When you formally ask someone to dosomething, you call on him to do so.
26.(1) My brother has gone / (2) to Madras; / (3) he willreturn back / (4) in a week’s time. / (5) No error
26.3;Delete back. To return means to come back.
27.(1) A majority of the / (2) students / (3) believes that /(4) the terminal examination is unnecessary. / (5) Noerror
27.3;It should be believe. Like most of, the phrasemajority of is also plural.
28.(1) All history shows that nations active in internationalpolitics / (2) are continously preparing, / (3) activelyinvolved in, / (4) or recovering from organisedviolence in the form of war. / (5) No error
28.2;Preparing should be followed by for to bringout the proper meaning here.To prepare forsomething means to get ready for it.
29.(1) We invited applications / (2) for sixteen posts / (3)but we have receive / (4) 20,000 applications. / (5)No error
29.3;Have is followed by V3 — here received.
30.(1) It is the duty / (2) of every right-thinking citizen /(3) to try to make the whole world / (4) a happierplace to live. / (5) No error
30.4;You do not live the world; you live in it. So, liveshould be followed by in.
31.(1) Our laxity/ (2) in duty / (3) increases with our / (4)aversion for work. / (5) No error
31.4;If you have a strong dislike for something, youhave an aversion to it.
32.(1) Though he lives in Tamil Nadu, / (2) he speaks / (3)not only Tamil / (4) but Telugu as well./ (5) No error
“32.4;It should be ““but also Telugu””. See Q. 18 above.”
33.(1) It is / (2) difficult for / (3) anyone / (4) to past timethus. / (5) No error
33.4;Replace past participle past by verb pass.Infinitive = to + verb.
34.(1) I will put on / (2) a note in this regard / (3) for yourconsideration / (4) and necessary decision. / (5) Noerror
34.1;Replace on by up. If you put on something, youwear it.
35.(1) He wasn’t rich / (2) by any means, / (3) although henever turned away / (4) anyone who needed help./ (5)No error
35.3;Replace although by yet.If A happens in spite ofB; we say although/though B, yet A.
36.(1) Scarcely had I / (2) finished washing the car / (3)than the master came / (4) and asked me to clean thefloor of the house. / (5) No error
36.3;See Q. 5 above.
37.(1) Your scissor / (2) is blunt; / (3) my razor / (4) is sharp. / (5) No error
“37.1;Scissors is always used in the plural. So (1) iswrong. But then (2) should also be changedto are blunt. However, this confusion canbe done away with by making (1) singular— ““Your pair of scissors””.”
38.(1) Mr Sharma has set up / (2) another school with aview / (3) to compete / (4) against his rival. / (5) Noerror
38.3;Don’t confuse it for an infinitive. Here thephrase is with a view to. What follows willbe an object to the preposition to — inother words, gerund competing.
39.(1) Until you / (2) remain restless / (3) you cannot / (4)concentrate. / (5) No error
39.1;Replace until by if to get a logical connection.
40.(1) He can / (2) only be cured / (3) by a / (4) surgicaloperation. / (5) No error
“40.2;It should be ““be cured only”” because only hasbeen used here to modify the method ofcure (by a surgical operation).”
41.(1) Politicians who are wise / (2) profit from / (3) thedissensions / (4) of the bureaucrats. / (5) No error
41.5;If you learn or gain advantage from something,you profit by/from it.
42.(1) That Birbal was / (2) a contemporary with Akbar /(3) is well-established / (4) from the Akbar-Birbaljokes. / (5) No error
42.2;Note that contemporary here has been used as a noun (article a gives the clue). So, use ofinstead of with.
43.(1) The cat appears / (2) to have / (3) originated from /(4) the East. / (5) No error
43.3;The East is not its source of origin, but the placein which it originated. So, use in instead offrom.
44.(1) The solution / (2) does not hint / (3) the possibilityof / (4) an alternative answer./ (5) No error
44.2;If you suggest or mention something indirectly,you hint at it.
45.(1) As far as I think, / (2) the dress he wore / (3) wasnot appropriate / (4) to the occasion./ (5) No error
45.5;Appropriate may be followed by either to or for.
46.(1) The ideas / (2) he propagates / (3) are subversive /(4) to discipline. / (5) No error
46.4;If something is dangerous because it tries todestroy esablished ideas (like discipline), it issubversive of those ideas.
47.(1) A mother, of whichever species / (2) she may be, /(3) can never lose / (4) affection to her son. / (5) Noerror
47.4;If you have a gentle lasting love for someone, youhave affection for him.
48.(1) Your capacity of / (2) facing difficult situations / (3)will be tested / (4) when you have to live on yourown. / (5) No error
48.1;If you can do a thing, you have a capacity fordoing it.
49.(1) India can / (2) hardly stand / (3) any comparison /(4) to the US. / (5) No error
49.4;Hardly stand any comparison points to the factthat if you compare India and the US, you getmore differences than similarities. So, usewith instead of to.
50.(1) She has an experience / (2) for three years / (3) andis therefore eligible / (4) for the scholarship./ (5) Noerror
50.2;Replace for by of.
1.(1) Piyush was the one person / (2) who could somehowmanage / (3) to working in that section / (4) for such along time. / (5) No error
1.3;It should be to work because manage is followed bythe infinitive.
2.(1) He was driving slowly / (2) down the highway / (3)when a cat ran / (4) across and he had to brake all of asudden. / (5) No error
2.5;The sentence is correct.
3.(1) Watch how careful / (2) the sparrow knits / (3) thestraws into one another / (4) to form a nest./ (5) No error
3.1;Replace adjective careful by adverb carefullybecause it modifies the verb knits.
4.(1) Most of the third world / (2) country areexperiencing / (3) the ethnic or communal problemsin various degrees. / (5) No error
4.2;Most of implies a selection from many; so,countries.
5.(1) The manager asked the worker / (2) why was he / (3)again disturbing / (4) the schedule of production./ (5)No error
5.2;It should be why he was. See Ex. 1, Q. 7.
6.(1) It is necessary to check every passenger for security /(2) and do not load his luggage / (3) on to the aircraft/ (4) unless he identifies it./ (5) No error
“6.2;It should be ““and not load”” to maintain the parallelconstruction of the infinitive. The to beforecheck applies here also.”
7.(1) The Secretary-and-Treasurer / (2) were / (3) not/ (4)present at today’s meeting./ (5) No error
7.2;Replace were by was. The hyphenated worddenotes one person.
8.(1) He used/ (2) very inaccurate language / (3) for heknew / (4) no better. / (5) No error
8.5;The sentence is correct.
9.(1) I cannot understand that / (2) how you can think/ (3)of going to Kashmir / (4) without woollen clothes. /(5) No error
9.1;Delete that. That is not used when there is anotherclause-beginner — what, why, how, etc.
10.(1) With a lot of persuasion / (2) Mrinal was able to get/ (3) the Professor to agree / (4) to review his article. /(5) No error
10.4;When agree means giving one’s consent(different from sharing the same opinion),it is followed by the preposition to, not bythe infinitive. The object of preposition toshould be reviewing (gerund).
“11.(1) No slogan was so popular / (2) in the poorerpopulation / (3) as ““Garibi Hatao””, / (4) whichreflected the government policies. / (5) No error”
“11.1;Replace so by as. So … as is generally used innegative sentences. For example, ““it wasnot so popular … as””.”
12.(1) The programme is / (2) being telecasted / (3) fromone of / (4) the Doordarshan Kendras./ (5) No error
12.2;Telecast has the same form in V1, V2 and V3.
13.(1) Unlike the Second World War, when long voyageshome aboard troopships gave soldiers / (2) a chanceto talk out their experiences / (3) and time to absorbthem, Vietnamese returnees / (4) often came home byjet, singly or in small groups./ (5) No error
“13.1;It should be ““Unlike the soldiers in the SecondWorld War”” because you cannot comparewar and men (returnees).”
14.(1) Since 1965 there are four times as many Blackcollege students enrolled, / (2) and the one millionBlack people / (3) in college today represent / (4) 11per cent of all college students. / (5) No error
“14.1;It should be ““Since 1965, the number of Blackcollege students enrolled has quadrupledtoday””.”
15.(1) In cold-water habitats, certain invertebrates / (2)and fish convert starches into / (3) complexcarbohydrates called glycerols, / (4) in effectmanufacturing its own antifreeze. / (5) No error
15.4;Replace its by their because it refers to pluralinvertebrates and fish.
16.(1) The two first rows / (2) in the auditorium / (3) werereserved for / (4) the press. / (5) No error
16.1;Replace two first by first two (first and second).
17.(1) Each of the students / (2) have done / (3) well / (4)in the internal examination. / (5) No error
17.2;Replace have by has. Each takes a singular verb.
18.(1) Men, women and children — in a word, the wholepopulation / (2) of the parish / (3) had turned out / (4)to welcome the new Vicar. / (5) No error
18.5;When crowds come out or gather for a publicevent, they turn out for it.
19.(1) He has not undergone / (2) any technical training inthe games / (3) but he plays good / (4) than mostprofessionals. /(5) No error
19.3;The comparative of good/well is better.
20.(1) My sermon on the meaning of manna / (2) in thewilderness / (3) can be adapted on / (4) almost anyoccasion, joyful or distressing./ (5) No error
20.3;When you make a thing suitable for a new need,you adapt the thing to the need.
21.(1) It is the first time / (2) in the history of India that /(3) people from all over India / (4) flocked to see anaked fakir. / (5) No error
21.1;Replace is by was. A past event is being referredto.
22.(1) The money-minded people believe / (2) that it isfoolish to exert themselves for such study / (3) andbrainwork / (4) which cannot be converted into cash./ (5) No error
22.4;Replace which by as so that it goes along withsuch.
23.(1) They talked to Ajit / (2) and tried to / (3) convincehe about / (4) their point of view./ (5) No error
23.3;The object of convince should be objective him.
24.(1) The lovers had great fun / (2) and then walked / (3)besides each other / (4) in silence. / (5) No error
24.3;Replace besides by beside, which means by theside of.
25.(1) He won’t / (2) return the money / (3) that heborrowed, / (4) will he ? / (5) No error
25.4;Won’t is would not; so the question-tag shouldbe would he?
26.(1) A large-scale exchange of / (2) nuclear weaponswill produce / (3) unprecedented amounts of radiation/ (4) that can penetrate into the biological tissue. / (5)No error
26.5;The sentence is correct.
27.(1) Troy was taken by Greeks; / (2) this formed thebasis / (3) of a story / (4) which has become famous./(5) No error
27.1;Insert the before Greeks.
28.(1) I have had to work / (2) at the fountain for almost /(3) ten hours before it could / (4) start functioningwell. / (5) No error
28.1;Delete have.
29.(1) If the teacher / (2) is good the students/ (3) willrespond / (4) positively to them. / (5) No error
29.4;The students will respond to the teacher(singular). So, replace them by him.
30.(1) The teaching staff had taken / (2) lectures regularly/ (3) had they known that / (4) the Principal wouldknow about it. / (5) No error
30.1;Replace had by would have. See Ex. 1, Q. 31.
31.(1) One learns / (2) to respect / (3) oneself / (4) in thearmy. / (5) No error
“31.4;This part should come at the beginning of thesentence. In the army is an adverb phrasequalifying the verb learns. But, as it standsnow, one may confuse it to be ““oneself inthe army””, that is, one’s position or being inthe army.”
32.(1) The Governor will preside / (2) at the meeting / (3)in which a decision regarding the statehood / (4) ofUttarakhand will be taken. / (5) No error
32.5;If you are the leader at a meeting, you presideat/over it.
33.(1) You cannot / (2) believe / (3) his words because /(4) he is untruthful man. / (5) No error
“33.4;It should be ““an untruthful man””. He is one ofthe class of untruthful men.”
34.(1) While trying / (2) to swim, / (3) the mouth must bekept / (4) above water. / (5) No error
“34.3;As it stands now, ““trying to swim”” refers to ““themouth”” whereas it should refer to theswimmer (person). So, correct it as ““onemust keep one’s mouth””.”
35.(1) The captain as well as / (2) five other members / (3)of the team / (4) were present. / (5) No error
35.4;Replace were by was. When joined by with or aswell as, the number of the verb depends onthe main subject (here captain).
36.(1) Please specify / (2) in your letter / (3) what kind ofa camera / (4) you want. / (5) No error
36.3;Delete a. The article is not used before a nounfollowed by kind/type/sort of.
37.(1) It was a / (2) major earthquake / (3) and the house’sroof / (4) fell down. / (5) No error
“37.3;It should be ““and the roof of the house”” becausehouse is a non-living thing.”
38.(1) When she / (2) could not / (3) answer his question, /(4) he called her as a fool. / (5) No error
38.4;Delete as. What did he call her? A fool.
39.(1) Ram as well as Shyam / (2) was invited / (3) butboth men / (4) have not come./ (5) No error
39.3;Insert the before men.
40.(1) Let you and I / (2) come to an agreement / (3) thatwe will share the space / (4) adjoining the building. /(5) No error
“40.1;Let is followed by the objective case. So, itshould be ““Let you and me”” or ““let us””.”
41.(1) Being courteous, / (2) I accepted / (3) the invitation/ (4) for the dinner./ (5) No error
41.4;If someone asks you to come to a socialoccasion, you have an invitation to it.
42.(1) Is there any / (2) exemption of income tax / (3) ifyou invest / (4) in mutual funds ? (5) No error
42.2;If you are freed from a payment, you have anexemption from it.
43.(1) This is nothing new; / (2) we have become / (3)accustomed with / (4) instances of corruption./ (5) Noerror
43.3;If you are used to something, you areaccustomed to it.
44.(1) Being accomplished with / (2) the art of dancing, /(3) she must not let / (4) her talent go waste./ (5) Noerror
44.1;If you are good at something artistic, you areaccomplished in it.
45.(1) He pleaded for some more time / (2) to prove hisinnocence / (3) but the court was deaf / (4) before allhis pleas./ (5) No error
45.4;If you are unwilling to hear something or listen toit, you are deaf to it.
46.(1) He became so infatuated / (2) of her charm / (3) thathe was ready / (4) to do anything for her sake./ (5) Noerror
46.2;If you are filled with a strong, unreasonablefeeling of love for something, you areinfatuated with it.
47.(1) He said that / (2) he was not / (3) liable to / (4) hiswife’s debts./ (5) No error
47.3;If you are legally responsible for payingsomething, you are liable for it.
48.(1) Are you so sure / (2) about your success / (3) thatyou are not/ (4) taking the examination again? / (5)No error
48.2;I’m sure of your having understood this one.
49.(1) It was evident from / (2) the umpire’s controversialdecisions / (2) that he was partial / (4) with his owncountry. / (5) No error
49.4;If you have a strong liking for something, you arepartial to it.
50.(1) I am/ (2) anxious of / (3) the outcome / (4) of thisgame./ (5) No error
50.2;If you are worried for something, you are anxiousfor/about it.
1.(1) In spite of the late hour / (2) and the bad weather /(3) Naveen decided to brave it out / (4) and drink atthe bar./ (5) No error
1.5;The sentence is correct.
2.(1) It being rainy day / (2) most of the people / (3) out onthe street were / (4) carrying umbrellas./ (5) No error
“2.1;It should be ““It being a rainy day.”” See Ex. 4, Q.33.”
3.(1) As a rule / (2) each of the boy / (3) cleans up thehostel / (4) twice a month./ (5) No error
3.2;Replace boy by boys. See Ex. 1, Q. 1.
4.(1) The police accused him / (2) for setting fire to thebuilding / (3) but he denied having been / (4) in thearea on the night of the fire. / (5) No error
4.2;If you blame someone for doing something, youaccuse him of doing it.
5.(1) No pluralist society / (2) which is undergoing change/ (3) can be free with / (4) communal or ethnictensions./ (5) No error
5.3;A society is free from/of an evil.
6.(1) Why you are / (2) not following my advice / (3) tojoin / (4) any technical course?/ (5) No error
“6.1;It should be ““Why are you …?”” Unlike Ex. 1, Q. 7,here we have a question.”
7.(1) In my / (2) youth I used / (3) to visit / (4) Sharma’sand Chawla’s company./ (5) No error
“7.4;Since only one company is being talked about, useapostrophe only once at the end: ““Sharmaand Chawla’s company””.”
8.(1) In case you apologise/ (2) for having / (3) broke yourpromise / (4) I shall forgive you./ (5) No error
8.3;The V3 of break is broken.
9.(1) Neither Kundan / (2) nor I/ (3) are leaving/ (4) forHyderabad./ (5) No error
9.3;Replace are by am. See Ex. 1, Q. 12.
10.(1) The manager of the bank/ (2) together with his / (3)whole staff/ (4) have resigned./ (5) No error
10.4;Replace have by has. See Ex. 4, Q. 35.
11.(1) After toiling very hard/ (2) over a long period / (3)he found he had hardly/ (4) made no profit at all./ (5)No error
11.4;Replace no by any because hardly itself containsthe negative meaning.
12.(1) The discourse reflects the speaker’s insight / (2)into the subject / (3) which stems out from / (4) theexperience and original thinking./ (5) No error
12.4;Delete the. No particular experience is beingtalked about.
13.(1) A common disability in test pilots/ (2) is hearingimpairment,/ (3) damaged from sitting too close tolarge jet engines / (4) for long periods of time./ (5)No error
13.3;Impairment itself is damage, so why use damagedagain? Replace it by caused.
14.(1) Like Byron’s death at Missolonghi, / (2) JackLondon was slowly killed / (3) by the mistakes of the medical men / (4) who treated him./ (5) Noerror
“14.1;It should be ““Like Byron at Missolonghi””. Jack London cannot be compared toByron’s death.”
15.(1) Slips of the tongue do not / (2) necessarily revealconcealed beliefs or intentions / (3) but rather are theresult from / (4) the competition between variousprocessing mechanisms in the brain./ (5) No error
15.3;Replace from by of. The relationship is one ofpossession: The competition has a result.
16.(1) South Korea has witnessed the world’s mostdramatic growth of Christian congregations;/ (2)church membership is expanding by 6.6 per cent ayear, / (3) fully two-thirds of the growth coming fromconversions / (4) rather than the populationincreasing./ (5) No error
“16.4;The comparison is to conversions (a noun). So,correct it to ““rather than increase in thepopulation””.”
17.(1) Kalpana told her father / (2) that she was anxious /(3) to complete her studies / (4) as soon as possible./(5) No error
17.5;Both the verbs agree and the infinitive has beencorrectly used.
18.(1) We must have a common language / (2) that wouldenable the different linguistic regions / (3) tocommunicate with each other in / (4) matters of inter-regional and national life./ (5) No error
18.3;Replace each other by one another becausethere are more than two regions.
19.(1) After having passed the M.A. examination, / (2)that big industrialist provided me / (3) with amanagerial post/ (4) in one of his concerns./ (5) Noerror
“19.1;To whom does having passed refer? Not to thebig industrialist. So, correct it as ““After Ihad passed ….”””
20.(1) May I know/ (2) whom / (3) I am/ (4) talking to?/(5) No error
20.5;The sentence is correct. Whom is the object tothe preposition to. However, who is beingpreferred to whom in such sentences thesedays.
21.(1) I enjoy visiting tribals in their homes / (2) andtalking to them about their customs, / (3) which hasproved to be extremely / (4) beneficial./ (5) No error
21.3;Replace has by have. It has been used for twoactions — visiting and talking —, andshould therefore be plural.
22.(1) This set of books / (2) has been / (3) speciallyprepared / (4) for rural students./ (5) No error
22.5;The sentence is correct.
23.(1) I pleaded with him / (2) with a view / (3) toconvincing him / (5) of my innocence in the matter./(5) No error
23.5;You plead with an authority for or against acase.
24.(1) Many a profound thinker / (2) believe that themarch / (3) of civilisation has not coincided / (4) withreal human progress./ (5) No error
24.2;Replace believe by believes. Many a takes asingular verb.
25.(1) The party chief made it a point / (2) to state that thePrime Minister / (3) and the Union Home Ministershould also come / (4) and they see what his partymen had seen./ (5) No error
“25.4;Delete they because ““the Prime Minister….should”” applies to both come and see.”
26.(1) Our conception of / (2) what should a science of mental life be / (3) has changed considerably /(4) since James’ time./ (5) No error
“26.2;Replace a by the. A particular science is beingtalked about — that of mental life. Besidesthe structure should also be changed to”“what the science of mental life should be””.”
27.(1) Whatever work / (2) that which you undertake / (3)put your best / (4) efforts in it./ (5) No error
27.2;Delete that which. It is contained in whatever.
28.(1) Being that the committee / (2) lacked neededpower,/ (3) it could not deliver / (4) expected result./(5) No error
28.1;Being that should be replaced by since.
29.(1) I am trying to finish / (2) this letter for the last onehour;/ (3) I wish you would / (4) go away or stopdisturbing me./ (5) No error
29.1;Replace are by have been. See Ex. 1, Q. 6.
30.(1) As I prefer coffee than tea, / (2) my friends alwaystake the trouble /(3) to get me a cup of coffee,/ (4)whenever I visit them./ (5) No error
30.1;With prefer we use to (not than).
31.(1) The king was / (2) embarrassed to find / (3)evidences against / (4) his own queen./ (5) No error
31.4;Delete own. It is superfluous (morethan what is necessary).
32.(1) They cook meals,/ (2) lay the table and wash up,/(3) clean the house / (4) and mend the clothes./ (5)No error
32.5;All the verbs agree in their tense — presentsimple.
33.(1) He was angry upon me / (2) because I did notinform him / (3) that our tickets / (4) had beencancelled./ (5) No error
33.1;You are angry with a person.
34.(1) My friend / (2) went to live/ (3) in Bombay / (4)three years before./ (5) No error
34.4;When you are given the duration (here threeyears) back in time, we use ago in place ofbefore.
35.(1) I do not like / (2) those sort of jokes / (3) beingplayed / (4) upon me./ (5) No error
35.2;It should be that sort of joke or those sorts ofjoke.
36.(1) Whenever we felt tired,/ (2) we relaxed ourselves/(3) in the shade / (4) of the tree./ (5) No error
36.2;Delete ourselves. Relax is not used reflexively.
37.(1) You can easily / (2) make him out / (3) because hedoes his work / (4) very slovenly./ (5) No error
“37.4;Slovenly is an adjective which means verycarelessly done. It cannot be used as anadverb. So, correct it as ““in a very slovenlymanner””.”
38.(1) On being found/ (2) guilty of rape,/ (3) he hangedhis head / (4) in shame./ (5) no error
38.3;V2 hanged is used when it means to execute (killby hanging). Otherwise, the V2 is hung.
39.(1) The warriors are often told / (2) that they never fall/(3) who die/ (4) in great cause./ (5) No error
“39.4;It should be ““in a great cause”” because it is aparticular cause but you do not know which— it may be any cause.”
40.(1) He gave me / (2) a five rupees note / (3) and askedme to get him / (4) a few cigarettes./ (5) No error
“40.2;It should be ““a five-rupee note””. See Ex. 1, Q.28.”
41.(1) I have been / (2) waiting for you / (3) since twohours,/ (4) and I am quite fed up./ (5) No error
41.3;Replace since by for. Two hours is a period.
42.(1) With due respect / (2) to your age, (3) I differ fromyou / (4) on this issue./ (5) No error
42.3;When two persons have different opinions, onediffers with the other.
43.(1) Good boys are told / (2) not to meddle / (3) into other/ (4) people’s affairs./ (5) No error
43.3;If you take too much interest in other people’sprivate affairs, you meddle in/with them.
44.(1) I am sure / (2) she will repent / (3) for what / (4) shehas said./ (5) No error
44.3;If you are sorry for something, you repent (notfor) it.
45.(1) He dabbles with / (2) all branches of learning / (3)that mankind / (4) has so far devised./ (5) No error
45.1;If you work at or study something withoutserious intentions, you dabble in it.
46.(1) It is difficult for him/ (2) to leave the town / (3)because he has got / (4) involved with many cases./ (5)No error
46.4;Generally, you get involved with a person butyou get involved in a thing.
47.(1) She is a sensitive woman;/ (2) you can’t just / (3)trample her feelings / (4) like that./ (5) No error
47.3;If you crush something under your feet, youtrample on it.
48.(1) I asked him / (2) to come to my home / (3) and hereadily complied / (4) to my request./ (5) No error
48.4;If I agree to your request, I comply with it.
49.(1) The trial soon ended / (2) and he was / (3) foundguilty/ (4) with murder./ (5) No error
49.4;You are guilty of a crime.
50.(1) It has been proved / (2) time and again that / (3) he isincapable / (4) to do good work./ (5) No error
“50.4;Incapable is followed by preposition of, not by the infinitive. So, it should be ““of doing good work””.”
1.(1) Sooner than he had arrived / (2) his friends arranged areception / (3) in his honour in / (4) the best hotel in thetown./ (5) No error
“1.1;The correct conjunction pair is ““No sooner …than””. So, it should be ““No sooner had hearrived than””.”
2.(1) The need to set up / (2) a good library in the locality /(3) has been in the minds of people / (4) for some timenow./ (5) No error
2.3;If you think of a thing repeatedly, it is on yourmind.
3.(1) Had we been alone,/ (2) we would have contentedourselves / (3) with any plain food / (4) that give usstrength./ (5) No error
3.4;Replace give by gives. Food is singular.
4.(1) The paper displays / (2) the author’s grasp of thesubject / (3) which not only stems from his experience /(4) but also from his original thinking./ (5) No error
4.3;Not only should come after stems. See Ex. 2, Q.24.
5.(1) The regaining of freedom,/ (2) as we well know,/ (3)has given rise for / (4) many dormant issues andconflicts in our society./ (5) No error
5;3;If A is the cause of B, A gives rise to B.
6.(1) It is a fact / (2) that most of the people / (3) desire towork less / (4) but earn more./ (5) No error
6.2;Delete of the.
7.(1) The doctor said that patient / (2) should not havewasted / (3) a whole week / (4) before coming for help./(5) No error
7.1;Insert the before patient. It is obvious that aparticular patient is being talked about.
8.(1) Unlike most animals / (2) the crocodile can liveeffortlessly / (3) both in water / (4) and land./ (5) Noerror
“8.4;It should be ““and on land””.”
9.(1) Death / (2) is / (3) preferable / (4) than life./ (5) Noerror
9.4;Preferable is followed by to, not by than.
10.(1) When Gayatri said that / (2) she is coming to seeme the next day / (3) I wondered / (4) what problemsshe would bring./ (5) No error
10.2;Replace is by was. See Ex. 1, Q. 10.
11.(1) It is a view of the beautifully decorated / (2)window displayed by the organisers / (3) of anexhibition of indoor plants / (4) at the scouts’pavilion./ (5) No error
11.5;The sentence is correct.
12.(1) It would be a great advantage / (2) if industrialmanagement took long / (3) hard look / (4) at theinformation provided./ (5) No error
12.2;Insert a before long. What kind of look? Aparticular kind, but it may be any of suchkind.
13.(1) One of my good friend / (2) is both an artist / (3)and physician / (4) of repute./ (5) No error
13.1;Replace friend by friends. See Ex. 1, Q. 1.
14.(1) All the girls of the school/ (2) stayed away theentertainment programme / (3) arranged on the eve of/ (4) the Independence Day./ (5) No error
14.2;If you do not go somewhere, you stay awayfrom there.
15.(1) In August 1883, Krakatoa erupted / (2) and sentclouds of dust, ash and sulphate to a height of 50miles, / (3) blotted out the sun for more than two days/ (4) within a 50-mile radius./ (5) No error
15.3;Replace blotted by blotting. Note that the actionof blotting out is not attributed to Krakatoadirectly. So, unlike erupted and sent, itshould not be a verb. It accompanies theverb sent and is therefore a participle.
16.(1) Europe’s travel industry is suffering / (2) as a resultof a sluggish economy, / (3) a stretch of bad weather,/(4) as well as the chilling effects of persistent terroristactivity./ (5) No error
16.4;Replace as well as by and. And joins elementswith equal weightage, whereas as well asmeans in addition to and carries lesserweight.
17.(1) One of / (2) every two new / (3) businesses fail/ (4)within two years./ (5) No error
17.3;Replace fail by fails because the subject is one.
18.(1) There is ample evidence,/ (2) derived from the loreof traditional folk medicine,/ (3) that naturallyoccurring antibiotics are usually able to be modified/(4) to make them more effective drugs./ (5) No error
“18.3;Able is used only ““actively””. In a passive structure, it should be ““that … antibiotics canusually be modified””.”
19.(1) His father inquired / (2) as to whether / (3) he was /(4) joining the army./ (5) No error
“19.2;Delete as to. The clause beginning ““whether …"”is the object of the verb enquired.”
20.(1) None of us / (2) were comfortable / (3) with what /(4) was happening. / (5) No error
20.5;Not being comfortable applies to all of us; hencethe plural use.
21.(1) It is elemental / (2) that the greater the developmentof man / (3) greater the problems / (4) that concernhim./ (5) No error
“21.3;Greater should be preceded by the according tothe structure ““The more …the better …””.”
22.(1) If he had heard of / (2) your marriage,/ (3)he had been / (4) surprised./ (5) No error
22.3;Replace had by would have. See Ex. 1, Q. 31.
23.(1) Our past history and our present position in theworld / (2) demands / (3) that we should be cautiousand vigilant / (4) about our freedom and security./ (5)No error
23.2;Change demands to plural demand. There aretwo subjects — history and position.
24.(1) I cannot agree / (2) to write / (3) the essay/ (4) foryou./ (5) No error
24.2;Replace write by writing. See Ex. 4, Q. 10.
25.(1) His wife had told him/ (2) of all that had happened,/(3) and the insulting manner / (4) in which heremployer had spoken to her./ (5) No error
25.3;Insert of before the. You cannot do with usingthe preposition only once when applying atsuch a distance.
26.(1) In future whenever/ (2) I face such a problem / (3) Iget in touch / (4) with you./ (5) No error
“26.3;It should be ““I shall get ….”” When two actionstake place in the future, the earlier one is inpresent simple while the later one is infuture simple.”
27.(1) There are much inconveniences / (2) that have to be/ (3) put up with / (4) when you are camping./ (5) Noerror
27.1;Inconveniences means things of inconvenience,which means it is countable. So, replacemuch by many.
28.(1) I was unable to get / (2) a house suitable for mywife and me / (3) due to me / (4) being a newcomer./(5) No error
28.3;Replace me by my. The pronoun governing agerund is in the possessive case. Also,replace due to by because of because due isan adjective.
29.(1) The thief broke / (2) in the house / (3) at the dead /(4) of night./ (5) No error
29.2;If you enter a house by force, you break into it.
30.(1) We have helped them not only/ (2) with money butalso / (3) with new machinery / (4) and raw material./(5) No error
30.5;The sentence is correct.
31.(1) By June next year,/ (2) Ajay will be working / (3) inthe office / (4) for twenty years./ (5) No error
31.2;Replace be working by have worked. The actionof working will have been completed infuture (by June next); so use future perfect.
32.(1) I offered him part-time work / (2) but he turned itover / (3) saying that he would / (4) rather wait for afull-time job./ (5) No error
32.2;If you decline an offer, you turn it down.
33.(1) No sooner did/ (2) the doctor enter / (3) the housethen / (4) the patient died./ (5) No error
33.3;Replace then by than.The correct pair ofconjunctions is: No sooner … than.
34.(1) No sooner/ (2) he saw his father / (3) than he began/ (4) to cry./ (5) No error
“34.2;It should be ““did he see his father””.”
35.(1) I request you not to cut / (2) jokes in class / (3)because doing so / (4) harms the students./ (5) Noerror
35.2;Insert the before class. The particular group — notany group — of students assembled is beingtalked about.
36.(1) From all / (2) the hill stations / (3) I like Nainital /(4) the most./ (5) No error
36.1;When a superlative (here the most) is thus chosenfrom a group, we use of (not from).
37.(1) I congratulate you / (2) for your success / (3) in thecivil services / (4) entrance examination./ (5) Noerror
37.2;If you express pleasure for someone because ofhis success, you congratulate him on it.
38.(1) The two friends / (2) struck one another / (3)even as others / (4) pacified them./ (5) No error
38.2;Replace one another by each other. See Ex. 3, Q.7.
39.(1) While playing cricket / (2) his both hands / (3) wereinjured / (4) and he was unable to write the test./ (5) Noerror
39.2;Both should come before the determiner (herehis).
40.(1) The mother as well as/ (2) her three children / (3)were taken/ (4) to hospital./ (5) No error
40.3;See Ex. 4, Q. 35.
41.(1) He is married / (2) with my cousin / (3) and is thereby/ (4) related to me./ (5) No error
41.2;You are married to your spouse (husband/wife).
42.(1) All balls / (2) are round;/ (3) there is no exception /(4) of this rule./ (5) No error
42.4;There are exceptions to a rule.
43.(1) He promised not / (2) to do anything / (3) repugnantwith what/ (4) his mother wants./ (5) No error
43.3;If something causes a feeling of strong dislike inyou, it is repugnant to you.
44.(1) You have a right / (2) to live according to your ownwishes / (3) but not when it / (4) encroaches others’lives. / (5) No error
44.4;If you take more of something than is your rightshare, you encroach on/upon someone else’sshare.
45.(1) I desire / (2) to be contented / (3) becausecontentment is / (4) essential for happiness./ (5) Noerror
45.5;If A cannot exist without B, B is essential to/forA.
46.(1) A lack of experience / (2) does not matter / (3) butonly postgraduates / (4) are eligible to the post./ (5) Noerror
46.4;If you fulfil the conditions necessary forsomething, you are eligible for it.
47.(1) It is not proper / (2) to infer / (3) this conclusion / (4)by the passage./ (5) No error
“47.4;Replace by by from. ““The passage”” is a source.”
48.(1) He died / (2) without imparting anyone / (3) thesecret/ (4) of his process./ (5) No error
48.2;If you make known something to someone, youimpart it to him.
49.(1) His friend / (2) prevailed with him/ (3) to accept / (4)the post./ (5) No error
49.2;If you persuade someone, you prevail on/uponhim.
50.(1) You must know / (2) who Akbar was / (3) even if youhave no / (4) special liking to history./ (5) No error
50.4;If you like something, you have a liking for it.
1.(1) The number of people / (2) applying were so large / (3)that the college had to / (4) stop issuing applicationforms./ (5) No error
1.2;Replace were by was. Number is singular.
2.(1) Have you/ (2) carefully read and / (3) clearlyunderstood the guidelines/ (4) given above?/ (5) Noerror
2.5;It follows the standard question-format: Auxiliary +Subject + Adverb + Verb + Object +Complement?
3.(1) She asked me to look/ (2) at the dreadful letter she hasgot/ (3) and asked/ (4) how she should answer it./ (5)No error
3.2;Replace has by had. See Ex. 1, Q. 10.
4.(1) I have worked / (2) in this office for six years,/ (3) but Inow work / (4) in a different office./ (5) No error
4.1;Replace have by had. The action of working hadbeen completed in the past. Hence, pastperfect.
5.(1) Mr Mehta prefers to go / (2) to his office every day /(3) with the local train/ (4) which leaves Andheri by8.30 a.m./ (5) No error
5.3;Relace with by by. See Ex. 2, Q. 30.
6.(1) The apples / (2) he gave me / (3) are too expensive /(4) to be had./ (5) No error
6.2;The relative word that should be inserted beforehe. However, it has become acceptablethese days to do without it.
7.(1) Ramu closely / (2) resembles to his father / (3) notonly in physical features / (4) but also in habits./ (5)No error
7.2;See Ex. 2, Q. 33.
8.(1) All I know is that / (2) I would not be at peace / (3)with myself/ (4) unless I do not go there./ (5) Noerror
8.4;See Ex. 2, Q. 3.
9.(1) Hardly had I reached / (2) the bus stop I / (3) was hitby / (4) a very thick metal rod./ (5) No error
9.2;Insert when before I. The correct conjunction pairis hardly … when.
10.(1) Each of these managers / (2) helped thesecompanies/ (3) in attaining / (4) Olympian heights. /(5) No error
10.3;Replace in attaining by (to) attain. Help isfollowed by the infinitive.
11.(1) I could hardly believe it/ (2) but I found their tallestplayer/ (3) was shorter / (4) than I./ (5) No error
11.5;Than is a conjunction and therefore correctlyfollowed by the nominative case (I).
12.(1) It was in the context of / (2) this policy and also as afollow-up / (3) of the recommendations of thecommittee / (4) that this workshop was organised./(5) No error
12.5;The sentence is correct.
13.(1) Added to the increase/ (2) in hourly wagesrequested last July, / (3) the railroad employees arenow seeking / (4) an expanded programme ofretirement benefits./ (5) No error
13.1;As it stands now, added to refers to the railroademployees, which makes no sense. Replaceit by in addition to.
14.(1) Opening with tributes to jazz-age divas like BessieSmith/ (2) and closing with Koko Taylor’s electrifiedgravel-and-thunder songs,/ (3) the programme shalltrace the blues’ vigorous/ (4) matriarchal line overmore than 50 years./ (5) No error
14.3;Replace shall by will. The emphasis is unaskedfor.
15.(1) Even today, a century after Pasteur developed / (2)the first vaccine, rabies almost / (3) always kills itsvictims unless inoculated / (4) in the earliest stages ofthe disease./ (5) No error
15.3;Whom does inoculated refer to? The givensentence gives the impression that it refersto rabies. To make it clear that it refers tovictims, insert they are before inoculated.
16.(1) Many investors base their choice / (2) betweenbonds and stocks / (3) on comparing bond yields to /(4) the dividends available on common stocks./ (5)No error
“16.3;The choice is based not on the process —comparing —, but on the outcome —comparison. Moreover, a choice will bemade on the basis of differences (see Ex. 3,Q. 49). So, correct it as ““on thecomparisons of bond yields with””.”
17.(1) No less than / (2) twenty persons / (3) were killedin/ (4) the air crash./ (5) No error
17.1;Replace less by fewer. Persons can be counted.
18.(1) Though Hindi has been given the status of nationallanguage / (2) still there are certain parts of thecountry / (3) where it has yet to win its rightful place/(4) in the hearts of the people./ (5) No error
18.2;Replace still by yet. See Ex. 3, Q. 35.
19.(1) The criminal / (2) dared not to go out / (3) becausehe was afraid of / (4) being recognised by the police./(5) No error
19.2;Delete to. Without do, dare is followed by aninfinitive without to.
20.(1) The world we live / (2) presents an endless variety /(3) of fascinating problems / (4) which excite ourwonder and curiosity./ (5) No error
20.1;Live should be followed by in. See Ex. 3, Q. 30.
21.(1) I objected to him scolding me / (2) for my good,/(3) especially when he said it hurt him/ (4) more thanme./ (5) No error
21.1;Replace him by his. See Ex. 6, Q. 28.
22.(1) After their marriage / (2) the two brothers / (3) donot see / (4) eye to eye on any issue./ (5) No error
22.1;Replace marriage by marriages. You do notexpect the two brothers to get involved in asingle marriage. Or do you?
23.(1) Many a student / (2) are frustrated / (3) because /(4) of unemployment./ (5) No error
23.2;Replace are by is. Many a takes a singular verb.
24.(1) The reason why / (2) he was rejected / (3) wasbecause / (4) he was too young./ (5) No error
24.3;Replace because by that. You are not giving thecause of the reason. You are stating thereason.
25.(1) My father / (2) goes to / (3) the office / (4) five dayweek./ (5) No error
“25.4;The given sentence makes no sense. (4) shouldbe ““five days a week””, that is, five daysevery week.”
26.(1) Of all the men / (2) known to me none is / (3) lessinclined than he / (4) to think ill to others./ (5) Noerror
26.4;You think ill of others.
27.(1) We have keep / (2) our promise and / (3) you canexpect / (4) a lot from us in future./ (5) No error
27.1;V3 of keep is kept.
28.(1) No sooner will / (2) the holidays begin / (3) thisbeach will / (4) become very crowded./ (5) No error
28.3;Insert than before this to get the properconjunction pair: No sooner … than.
29.(1) He fixed a metal ladder / (2) for the wall below hiswindow / (3) so as to be able to escape / (4) if therewas a fire./ (5) No error
29.2;The ladder was fixed to the wall for himself.
30.(1) If neither of them/ (2) are to be trusted,/ (3) it is notat all/ (4) advisable to invest further./ (5) No error
30.2;Replace are by is. Neither is singular.
31.(1) Don’t touch/ (2) that door/ (3) as it/ (4) just hasbeen painted. (5) No error
31.4;Place just after has, the first word of the verb.
32.(1) The District Collector / (2) gave up the prizes / (3)to the winners / (4) at the end of the function./ (5) Noerror
32.2;You give away prizes when you distribute them.
33.(1) We can/ (2) have a party / (3) some time the next week,/ (4) can’t we?/ (5) No error
33.3;Delete the.
34.(1) One day you / (2) will repent over / (3) what you /(4) have done./ (5) No error
34.2;Delete over. See Ex. 5, Q. 44.
35.(1) He would have / (2) lent me a pen,/ (3) if he wasknowing / (4) that I didn’t have one./ (5) No error
35.3;Replace was knowing by had known. See Ex. 1,Q. 31.
36.(1) The newly-elected Janata Party in Delhi / (2)unceremoniously removed JRD / (3) from thechairmanship of Air India, (4) a company true dear tohis heart. / (5) No error
36.4;Replace true by truly, an adverb because itqualifies dear, an adjective.
37.(1) It is the most / (2) suitable building/ (3) for you;/ (4)it comprises of five rooms./ (5) No error
37.4;A whole consists of parts. In other words, itcomprises (not of) those parts.
38.(1) You can / (2) rely / (3) on us to do / (4) our utmost./(5) No error
“38.3;To do abruptly follows us. The error may becorrected by using the gerund (doing) inplace of the infinitive. Us will be convertedto our as it governs the gerund. Instead ofthe pronoun, the gerund will now be theobject of the preposition on. So, (3) willbecome ““on our doing””.”
39.(1) I was / (2) surprised / (3) that he let out/ (4) thesecret./ (5) No error
39.5;The sentence is correct.
40.(1) Unlike the children of a century ago,/ (2)compulsory education today / (3) caters to everychild/ (4) up to the age of fifteen./ (5) No error
40.1;Children cannot be compared to education. So,replace children by education.
41.(1) The managing director said that / (2) the firm hadordered the goods / (3) and will have to pay/ (4) forthem./ (5) No error
41.3;Replace will by would. See Ex. 1, Q. 10.
42.(1) The soldiers of the fort / (2) were provided / (3)with provisions/ (4) to last them six months./ (5) Noerror
42.1;A fort does not possess soldiers; it is the place inwhich soldiers stay. So, replace of by in.
43.(1) Do not / (2) agitate him/ (3) because he suffers / (4)with nerves./ (5) No error
43.4;You suffer from a disorder.
44.(1) Even after his divorce,/ (2) Prince Charlescontinues / (3) to be the heir/ (4) of the throne./ (5)No error
44.4;If you have a legal right to succession for aproperty, you are the heir to it.
45.(1) In spite of being intimidated,/ (2) Iraq refuses / (3)to acquiesce with / (4) the US arrangement./ (5) Noerror
45.3;If you agree to something unwillingly, but withoutcomplaining or arguing, you acquiesce in it.
46.(1) He cannot get the work done;/ (2) he does not have/ (3) any influence over / (4) the powers-that-be./ (5)No error
46.3;You have influence with those in power.
47.(1) He laboured for / (2) his book for / (3) eight longyears / (4) before it went for publication./ (5) Noerror
47.1;If you work hard at something, you labour at it.
48.(1) There are many ways / (2) in which / (3) you candistinguish / (4) the rich and the poor./ (5) No error
48.4;You either distinguish one from the other ordistinguish between one and the other.
49.(1) In India / (2) malnutrition is /(3) the cause / (4) formany diseases./ (5) No error
49.4;Replace for by of.
50.(1) True charity/ (2) does not / (3) consist of / (4) indiscriminate alms-giving./ (5) No error
50.3;If A depends on B, A consists in B
1.(1) Surekha was trying for admission/ (2) in theEngineering college/ (3) even though her parentswanted / (4) her to take up medicine./ (5) No error
1.2;When you are allowed to enter or join a place, youget an admission to it.
2.(1) The interviewer asked me/ (2) if I knew that / (3)Kalidas was the greater / (4) than any other poet./ (5)No error
2.3;Delete the. The comparative is usually not precededby the.
3.(1) All the doctors were / (2) puzzled on the / (3) strangesymptoms / (4) reported by the patient./ (5) No error
3.2;When you are not able to find any solution to aproblem, you are puzzled at/by it.
4.(1) I would have / (2) enjoyed the journey more /(3) ifthe man in the berth below mine / (4) would not havesnored all the time./ (5) No error
4.4;Replace would not have by had not. See Ex. 1, Q.31.
5.(1) The leader along with his wife / (2) and two sons was/ (3) received at the entrance of the hall/ (4) by dueceremony./ (5) No error
5.4;If an occasion is marked by a formal behaviour, it iscelebrated/observed with ceremony.
6.(1) As a student of / (2) English literature he often reads/ (3) novels written by/ (4) famous English novelists./(5) No error
“6.5;As means ““in the capacity of””.”
7.(1) I laid down / (2) on the smooth ground / (3) and wentto sleep / (4) at once./ (5) No error
7.1;V2 of lie is lay.
8.(1) No river in the world / (2) evokes such awe andreverence / (3) as the Ganga / (4) which is like themother to seven hundred million Hindus of India./ (5)No error
8.4;Replace the by a. No particular mother is beingtalked about. Each of the Hindus has amother.
9.(1) I cautioned him/ (2) against making any / (3)statement until he / (4) had not seen his lawyers./ (5)No error
9.4;Delete not. See Ex. 2, Q. 3.
10.(1) Among those in power / (2) nobody behaved / (3)kindlier than / (4) he./ (5) No error
10.3;The comparative of kindly is more kindly.
11.(1) One of the representatives / (2) are knowledgeable /(3) and good at / (4) handling people./ (5) No error
11.2;Replace are by is. One is singular.
12.(1) The accelerating pace of life / (2) in ourmetropolitan cities / (3) has had the tremendouseffect / (4) on the culture and lifestyle of the people./(5) No error
12.3;Replace the by a. We are not being told aboutany particular tremendous effect. It may beany of those effects.
13.(1) Child prodigies are marked / (2) not so much bytheir skills / (3) but instead by the fact that theseskills / (4) are fully developed at a very early age./ (5)No error
13.3;Replace but instead by as to get the conjunctionpair so … as.
14.(1) In 1929 relatively small declines in the market / (2) ruined many speculators having bought onmargin; / (3) they had to sell,/ (4) and their sellingpushed other investors to the brink./ (5) No error
“14.2;The perfect participle could have been used ifthe sentence were as follows: ““Havingbought on margin, many speculators wereruined ….”” But, as it stands, for a clearmeaning, replace having by who had.”
“15.(1) The commission has directed advertisers to restrict /(2) the use of the word ““natural”” to foods / (3) that donot contain colour or flavour additives, chemicalpreservatives,/ (4) or nothing that has beensynthesised./ (5) No error”
“15.4;The sentence is ““…that do not contain …nothing””. Replace nothing by anything. SeeEx. 2, Q. 3.”
16.(1) Over thirty years / (2) have passed / (3) since thedawn of freedom and the position / (4) of English ischanging a great deal during this period./ (5) No error
16.4;Replace is changing by has changed. Duringindicates completion of action. Also, seeEx. 2, Q. 29.
17.(1) Even if it / (2) takes me six months, / (3) I amdetermined / (4) for finishing the job./ (5) No error
17.4;Replace for finishing by to finish. Determined isfollowed by the infinitive.
18.(1) Someone has rightly said / (2) that a speech is like abicycle wheel — (3) longer the spoke / (4) the biggerthe ‘tyre’. (5) No error
18.3;Longer should be preceded by the. Remember:The more the better.
19.(1) If you do not agree/ (2) to my request / (3) then Ishall be forced / (4) to take drastic measures./ (5) Noerror
19.3;Delete then. Remember: Then is not aconjunction. If is not used in a pair.
20.(1) When one starts a quarrel, / (2) there is noguarantee sure that he will win / (3) and cause theopponent / (4) to yield./ (5) No error
“20.2;Guarantee means promise. But who is the onewho is promising here? Also, sure is anadjective, not a noun. So, the part shouldbe: ““it is not sure that one (not he) willwin””.”
21.(1) I have / (2) to usually reach / (3) the office / (4) by9.30 a.m./ (5) No error
21.2;It should be usually to reach because nothingshould come between to and the verb in theinfinitive. However, split infinitive has nownot only become acceptable, but is alsopreferred.
22.(1) The scientist must follow / (2) his hunches / (3) andhis data / (4) wherever it may lead./ (5) No error
22.4;Replace it by they. The subject is plural —hunches and data.
23.(1) In an English paper / (2) examiners should give /(3) as much weightage to language / (4) as they giveto contents./ (5) No error
23.4;Replace give by do to avoid repetition.
24.(1) I had read such a lot / (2) about him that I am / (3)looking forward to seeing / (4) him very much./ (5)No error
24.1;Replace had by have. The effect continues in thepresent (am looking), so the action(reading) must have been performed in the immediate past. Hence, presentperfect.
25.(1) The foremost criteria of selection we adopted / (2)was the number of years of training / (3) a dancer hadreceived / (4) under a particular guru./ (5) No error
25.1;Criteria is plural. The singular is criterion.
26.(1) The gap between / (2) what he preaches / (3) andwhat he practises is too wide / (4) to accept by anysensible person./ (5) No error
26.4;Gap is the object of the verb accept. So, theinfinitive should be passive — to beaccepted.
27.(1) The train / (2) was late / (3) for / (4) fifty minutes./ (5) No error
27.3;If you are supposed to come at 6 p.m. and youcome at 7 p.m., you are late by an hour.
28.(1) Theirs is / (2) the nicest / (3) house I have / (4) everseen./ (5) No error
28.3;Insert that before I. See Ex. 7, Q. 6.
29.(1) The road was / (2) lined with trees / (3) just likeFrance / (4) and in many other European countries./(5) No error
29.3;The road is being compared to countries in thesentence as it stands now. The error may becorrected by replacing like by as in.
30.(1) He didn’t ought / (2) to have done it / (3) if he had /(4) a little of common sense./ (5) No error
“30.1;Ought is an auxiliary itself. So, delete did. Thenot will shift to the place between oughtand the infinitive. Thus we get ““Heoughtn’t””.”
31.(1) Misfortunes become / (2) less troublesome / (3)when faced bravely / (4) and manly./ (5) No error
31.4;Replace manly by in a manly manner. Manly isan adjective meaning having qualitiestypical of or suitable to a man.
32.(1) My friend / (2) accompanied with me / (3) to therailway station / (4) to see me off./ (5) No error
32.2;If you go with your friend, you accompany (notwith) him.
33.(1) How happy I felt / (2) when I scored / (3) mymaiden century / (4) in an university match!/ (5) Noerror
“33.4;University is pronounced ““Yu-niversity””. That is,it begins with a consonant sound. So,replace an by a.”
34.(1) He has succeeded / (4) to get an appointment / (3)with the prime minister / (4) after repeated efforts./(5) No error
34.2;Replace to get by in getting. You succeed in anendeavour.
35.(1) Ramesh works hard / (2) as I do / (3) but successhas somehow / (4) eluded him uptil now./ (5) Noerror
35.1;Insert as before hard. The correct conjunctionpair is as … as.
36.(1) Supposing if he fails / (2) in the examination / (3)this year / (4) what will he do?/ (5) No error
36.1;Delete supposing. If itself means supposing.
37.(1) It is / (2) the time / (3) to go / (4) to bed./ (5) Noerror
37.2;Delete the.
38.(1) She is / (2) the prettiest / (3) of the / (4) two sisters./(5) No error
38.2;Replace prettiest by prettier. When only twopersons or things are compared, usecomparative degree.
39.(1) We work / (2) with zeal / (3) because we may / (4)earn a living./ (5) No error
39.3;Replace because by so that. We are told aboutthe purpose, not about the cause.
40.(1) I was not knowing / (2) that you / (3) were here / (4)along with your family./ (5) No error
40.1;Replace was not knowing by did not know.Know is not used in the continuous tense.
41.(1) I am not much concerned / (2) to his affairs / (3)because I know he has the ability / (4) to handlethings efficiently./ (5) No error
41.2;If you are worried about something, you areconcerned about/for it.
42.(1) When I was being sent / (2) to a residential school /(3) I parted with my father / (4) with tearful eyes./ (5)No error
42.3;You part from a person.
43.(1) He acted only from compulsion; / (2) if it were notfor the robbery in his neighbour’s house, / (3) hewould never have bothered / (4) to put the jewelleryin the locker./ (5) No error
43.1;Replace from by out of.
44.(1) Rahul and Sachin / (2) both play well / (3) but Sachin / (4) is the best./ (5) No error
44.4;Replace the best by better. See Q. 38 above. Wedelete the here because unlike Q. 38, we arenot making a selection but only comparing.See the following:1. Both play well but he is better. (comparing) 2. Both play well but he is the better of the two.(selecting)
45.(1) I am more intelligent / (2) than he / (3) yet he prevailsupon me / (4) in a dispute./ (5) No error
45.3;If you win a fight against me or are in acomfortable position, you prevailagainst/over me.
46.(1) Concerning about your absence /(2) you are requested/ (3) to produce / (4) a medical certificate./ (5) No error
46.1;Delete about. Concerning means about or withregard to.
47.(1) Many Hindi plays are / (2) being adapted to English /(3) to enrich the Hindi audience / (4) with a largervariety./ (5) No error
47.2;If the movement (of adaptation) is from Hindi toEnglish, how does it benefit the Hindiaudience? It must be the other way round —from English to Hindi. So, in (2), replace toby from.
48.(1) Slaves to convention / (2) that we are,/ (3) we canhardly / (4) call ourselves free./ (5) No error
48.1;We are slaves of habit or convention.
49.(1) He took exception / (2) at the presence / (3) of anoutsider / (4) in the General Body Meeting./ (5) Noerror
49.2;If you are offended or made angry by something,you take exception to it.
50.(1) He has / (2) the reputation / (3) for being / (4) a goodteacher./ (5) No error
“50.3;Replace for by of. We are talking about the state(being …). Otherwise, we say ““He has areputation for teaching well.”””
1.(1) I should be glad /(2) if you will / (3) call at/ (4) myhouse./ (5) No error
1.2;The tone is obviously that of a request. So, replacewill by would.
2.(1) She counted the books / (2) to make sure that / (3) noneof them/ (4) were missing./ (5) No error
2.4;Replace were by was. We take care of each book.
3.(1) No source of energy/ (2) is so cheap/ (3) as solarenergy/ (4) in the present age of energy crisis./ (5) Noerror
3.2;It is better to use as (not so) … as in positivesentences.
4.(1) We must not complain / (2) that roses have thorns / (3)but rather grateful/ (4) that thorns bear flowers./ (5) Noerror
4.3;Where is the verb in the clause after but? Insert bebefore grateful.
5.(1) If / (2) it snowed tomorrow,/ (3) we’ll go/ (4) skiing./(5) No error
5.2;Replace snowed by snows. See Ex. 6, Q. 26.
6.(1) I used to visit her / (2) and I always wondered / (3)why she has / (4) those dreadful pictures on the wall./(5) No error
6.3;Replace has by had. See Ex. 1, Q.10
7.(1) Neither his mother nor his father / (2) were aware / (3)that he was suffering / (4) from tuberculosis./ (5) Noerror
7.2;Replace were by was. In a neither … nor sentencethe verb agrees with the subject placed nearto it.
8.(1) The five-party coalition cabinet announced/ (2) earliertoday that it was resigning / (3) after one of the partnerspulled out of the government / (4) in protest against theeducation policy./ (5) No error
8.3;Replace after by as. The relation between the twoactions is not merely chronological, butalso causal (though not so strong that weuse because).
9.(1) Left to himself, / (2) Inder prefers / (3) travelling by hiscar / (4) than travelling by train./ (5) No error
“9.4;Prefers is followed by to (not than). Travellingshould not be repeated. So, (4) should be”“to that by train””.”
10.(1) John is one / (2) of the richest men / (3) that has ever lived/ (4) in this part of the country./ (5) No error
10.3;Replace has by have because its subject is that(which refers to plural men).
11.(1) Urban officials want the census / (2) to be asaccurate and complete as possible / (3) for the reasonthat the amount of low-income people in a given area/ (4) affects the distribution of about $ 50 billion ayear in federal funds./ (5) No error
11.3;People is countable. So, replace amount bynumber.
12.(1) The mistakes children make in learning to speak /(2) tell linguists more about / (3) how children learnlanguage / (4) than the correct forms they use./ (5) Noerror
“12.4;The given sentence creates the impression of (3)and (4) being compared. Actually, it is”“The mistakes tell more … than the correctforms tell””. However, since we want toavoid a repetition of the verb, (4) should be”“than do the correct forms they use””.”
13.(1) Bringing the Ford Motor Company back / (2) fromthe verge of bankruptcy shortly after the SecondWorld War / (3) was a special governmentally-sanctioned price increase / (4) during a period ofwage and price controls./ (5) No error
“13.1;The sentence is of the form ““S was P””. Using agerund (bringing) as S lays the emphasison S and makes it appear as if we weredefining S. Actually, we are emphasising P.So, replace bringing by what brought.”
14.(1) In the US, trade unions encountered far moreintense opposition / (2) against their struggle forsocial legitimacy / (3) than did the organised labourmovements / (4) of most other democratic nations./(5) No error
14.2;Replace against by in because the against aspectis taken care of by encountered …opposition.
15.(1) His actions / (2) were commended / (3) neither byhis friends / (4) or by his enemies./ (5) No error
15.4;Neither goes with nor (not or).
16.(1) The state of his affairs / (2) was such as / (3) tocause anxiety / (4) to his creditors./ (5) No error
16.5;Was is correct because the subject is singularstate.
17.(1) One of the avowed principle of the scientific creed /(2) is that the ownership of capital and land and themeans of production and distribution / (3) should betaken out of the hands of the individual / (4) andvested in the state./ (5) No error
17.1;Replace principle by principles. See Ex. 1, Q. 1.
18.(1) As she was / (2) tired off / (3) after her long walk,/(4) she went to bed early./ (5) No error
18.2;Delete off.
19.(1) The three civilisations / (2) which showed greattenacity / (3) were the Egyptian, the Sumerian andthe Chinese;/ (4) the two last absorbed their nomadenemies./ (5) No error
“19.4;It should be ““the last two ….”””
20.(1) The wound / (2) will kill him/ (3) were it not for his/ (4) great strength./ (5) No error
20.2;Replace will kill by would have killed. See Ex.1, Q. 31.
21.(1) As an artist, / (3) he is as good if / (3) not better /(4) than Ramesh / (5) No error
21.2;Insert as after good so that we get as good as.
22.(1) No words can describe the / (2) happiness andbeatitude / (3) that the pursuit of knowledge /(4) confers on its votaries. / (5) No error
22.5;If you are given a title, an honour or a favour, it is conferred on you.
23.(1) I have full trust with you / (2) and hope that / (3)you will be able to complete / (4) our work in time ./(5) No error
23.1;You have trust in me.
24.(1) Should the sporting spirit be / (2) confined to gamesonly, / (3) or it should be taken into / (4) the largerconcerns of life ? (5) No error
24.3;To maintain the question format replace itshould by should it.
25.(1) Firstly you should / (2) think over the meaning / (3)of the words / (4) and then use them./ (5) No error
25.1;Replace Firstly you should by You should first.See Ex. 7, Q. 31. Firstly may be used onlywhen you are enumerating a set of things.
26.(1) The President had hardly spoken / (2) a few words /(3) when the microphone / (4) stopped functioning./(5) No error
26.5;Hardly …when is a correct conjunction pair.
27.(1) The teacher promised / (2) that he will explain it /(3) if they came / (4) before school the followingday./ (5) No error
27.2;Replace will by would. See Ex. 1, Q. 10.
28.(1) The students have / (2) assembled on the ground /(3) and are waiting for / (4) the Principal to come./(5) No error
28.5;The sentence is correct.
29.(1) While flying over India/ (2) we had glimpses of /(3) the two sources of her culture —/ (4) Ganges andHimalayas./ (5) No error
“29.4;It should be ““the Ganges and the Himalayas”“.They are the names of physical features.”
30.(1) When I return back / (2) from Patna / (3) I will start/ (4) teaching you./ (5) No error
30.1;Delete back. Return itself means come back.
31.(1) It is (2) no use / (3) finding fault / (4) at everything./ (5) No error
31.4;You find fault with things.
32.(1) If I fail / (2) this examination / (3) I will take / (4)the next one./ (5) No error
32.3;Replace will by shall.
33.(1) If it / (2) will rain / (3) the ground / (4) will getwet./ (5) No error
33.2;It should be rains. See Ex. 6, Q. 26.
34.(1) He and / (2) his brothers / (3) love each other / (4)very much./ (5) No error
34.3;Replace each other by one another. There aremore than two persons.
35.(1) I think/ (2) she sang / (3) very well,/ (4) isn’t it?/ (3)No error
“35.4;The question-tag is to ““she sang””. Sang = did +sing. So, the auxiliary is did and thepronoun she.We thus get ““didn’t she?”” asthe correct tag.”
36.(1) Never I have seen / (2) such an interesting match;/(3) it is evening / (4) and I haven’t left the place evenonce./ (5) No error
“36.1;When you thus emphasise (putting never first),the auxiliary comes before the subject. So,(1) should be ““Never have I seen””.”
37.(1) Not only the bandit / (2) robbed the person / (3) ofhis purse / (4) but also wounded him./ (5) No error
“37.1;The verbs are being joined by ““not only … butalso””. So, it should be ““The bandit notonly””.”
38.(1) I asked him / (2) to give my book / (3) but he / (4)did not give me./ (5) No error
38.4;Replace give me by do so and avoid repetition.
39.(1) He wanted / (2) to tease him, / (3) so he laughed /(4) with him./ (5) No error
39.4;When you laugh with someone, both of you arein the same party. If you tease someone, hebecomes an outsider (so far laughing isconcerned). You then laugh at him.
40.(1) Make a man / (2) of him like / (3) ourselves that hasseen / (4) men and cities./ (5) No error
40.3;Replace ourselves by objective us. Since us isplural, change has to have.
41.(1) She was greatly / (2) afflicted with / (3) the loss of /(4) her only child./ (5) No error
41.5;If you suffer from a problem, you are afflicted with it.
42.(1) The operation was / (2) accompanied by / (3) little or/ (4) no pain./ (5) No error
42.2;An event is accompanied with its side-effects.
43.(1) Studying for the / (2) PO exam is /(3) allied withstudying / (4) for the clerical exam./ (5) No error
43.3;If A is linked to B, we say A is allied to B.
44.(1) He lives / (2) in a style / (3) suitable for / (4) hisposition./ (5) No error
44.3;Replace for by to.
45.(1) In accordance to / (2) the rules / (3) you cannot /(4)stand for election./ (5) No error
45.1;The correct phrase is In accordance with.
46.(1) He is ambitious / (2) for money / (3) and it littlematters / (4) whether it comes from honest means./ (5)No error
46.2;If you have an ambition for something, you areambitious of it.
47.(1) The pitch at Lord’s / (2) is a contrast / (3) with theone / (4) at Wankhede./ (5) No error
47.3;If A is noticeably different from B, A is a contrastto B.
48.(1) You need not bother / (2) yourself about it / (3)because it has / (4) no foundation on fact./ (5) No error
48.5;You may also use in in place of on.
49.(1) It has long / (2) been established that / (3) casteism isa great / (4) hindrance from progress./ (5) No error
49.4;If A halts B, A is a hindrance to B.
50.(1) His infatuation / (2) for that girl / (3) led him / (4)astray./ (5) No error
50.5;The sentence is correct.
1.(1) Like the Commission / (2) has recommended in itsreport, / (3) the rules need to be / (4) enforced morestrictly./ (5) No error
1.1;Replace like by as. Like is used to show similarity.
2.(1) Should these measures / (2) fail to restore order/ (3)harsher restrictions / (4) will have to be imposed./ (5)No error
2.5;Here should has been used as if.
3.(1) One of the issues / (2) specifically discussed were / (3)the new grant-in-aid policy of the State Government,/(4) especially in relation to universities./ (5) No error
3.2;Replace were by was. The subject-word is one.
4.(1) One of the world’s / (2) smallest coins is/ (3) found inthe museum,/ (4) which is quite near from the old fort./(5) No error
4.4;If a place is not far from your house, it is near toyour house.
5.(1) This girl wrote an essay / (2) so well / (3) that herteacher was exceedingly / (4) pleased at her./ (5) Noerror
5.4;You are pleased with a person.
6.(1) The speeches which he made / (2) concerning the current political affairs / (3) have stirred the commonpublic / (4) to a great extent./ (5) No error
6.3;Delete common. Public means common people.
7.(1) A quarrel arose between the members / (2) and for atime / (3) it appeared as if the party / (4) wereheading for a split./ (5) No error
7.1;Replace between by among. There may be morethan two groups.
8.(1) He spoke for two hours / (2) but the audience werenot tired;/ (3) indeed, they gave him / (4) an ovationat the end./ (5) No error
8.2;The audience is one group. So, use singular was.
9.(1) Jane is prettier / (2) than any other / (3) womanmember / (4) of the family./ (5) No error
9.3;Delete member.
10.(1) Why does he not / (2) let you and I / (3) help him /(4) do this work?/ (5) No error
10.2;See Ex. 4, Q. 40.
11.(1) How to solve the problem / (2) is the main concern /(3) of the organisers / (4) at the moment./ (5) Noerror
11.5;The noun clause correctly begins with how.
12.(1) I was just going / (2) to start my car / (3) when Ifound that / (4) there is no petrol in it./ (5) No error
12.4;Replace is by was. See Ex. 1. Q. 10.
13.(1) The department defines a private passenger vehicle/ (2) as one that is registered to an individual / (3)with a gross weight of / (4) less than 8,000 pounds./(5) No error
“13.3;In the given sentence is appears as if ““with a grossweight of …”” referred to individual. Actually,it refers to vehicle. So, (3) should be ““and hasa gross weight of””.”
14.(1) Freedom’s survey showed that people living / (2) insmall towns and rural areas consider themselves / (3)no happier than are people / (4) living in big cities./(5) No error
14.3;Replace are by do. See Ex. 9, Q. 12.
15.(1) Climatic shifts are so gradual / (2) they can beindistinguishable / (3) at first from ordinary / (4)fluctuations in the weather./ (5) No error
“15.2;It should be ““that they cannot be distinguished.”””
16.(1) As has Haydn,/ (2) Schubert wrote a great deal forthe stage,/ (3) but he is remembered principally / (4)for his chamber and concert-hall music./ (5) No error
16.1;Replace as has by like. See Q. 1 above.
17.(1) For many people, /(2) household labour remainsdemanding / (3) even if able to afford householdappliances / (4) their grandparents would have foundmiraculous./ (5) No error
“17.3;It should be ““even if they are able to afford …”” or”“even if they can afford …””.”
18.(1) Ultimately, the box/ (2) was given to/ (3) a seniorpolice officer / (4) who open it./ (5) No error
18.4;Replace open by opened. See Ex. 1, Q. 10.
19.(1) Being a / (2) very hot day / (3) I remained / (4)indoors./ (5) No error
19.1;As it stands, being refers to I. This is incorrect. So,add it at the beginning.
20.(1) Scarcely had / (2) I arrived than / (3) the train / (4)left./ (5) No error
20.2;Replace than by when.
21.(1) Hindi and Marathi are / (2) different forms of Sanskrit language,/ (3) which were once spoken / (4) inalmost every part of India./ (5) No error
“21.3;Replace were by was. The subject is ““Sanskritlanguage””, not ““Hindi and Marathi””.”
22.(1) This picture / (2) is / (3) the best / (4) of the two./(5) No error
22.3;Replace best by better. Only two pictures arebeing compared.
23.(1) Before I could / (2) stop him / (3) the boy wasthrowing / (4) the box down the stairs./ (5) No error
23.3;When two actions take place in the past, we usepast perfect for the earlier one and pastsimple for the later. So, replace was throwingby had thrown.
24.(1) I cannot,/ (2) of course,/ (3) dispute with anopponent / (4) who reads what I write with so littleattention./ (5) No error
24.4;Place with so little attention just after reads, theverb it qualifies.
25.(1) My friend is more skilful / (2) than me / (3) indealing with / (4) this type of the problem./ (5) Noerror
25.2;Replace me by I. Than is a conjunction.
26.(1) In spite of / (2) all his faults / (3) I cannot / (4) helpbut like him./ (5) No error
26.4;But is unnecessary. Help must be followed by anobject. So, replace but like by liking.
27.(1) Swift was more savage / (2) than any satirist / (3)though he was a very great / (4) writer of prose./ (5)No error
27.2;Insert other after any so that Swift himself is excluded from those he is compared to.
28.(1) None of these men / (2) was there / (3) when I hadreached / (4) the place./ (5) No error
28.3;Delete had. Unlike Q. 23 above, here the actionsare simultaneous.
29.(1) Our next-door neighbours / (2) are extremely noisy/(3) and even more are they / (4) quarrelsome./ (5)None of these
29.3;Delete are they. It is superfluous.
30.(1) He hadn’t ought / (2) to do it/ (3) even if / (4) he isforced to do./ (5) No error
“30.1;It should be ““He oughtn’t””. See Ex. 8, Q. 30.”
31.(1) None of / (2) these boys / (3) reads so well/ (4) ashe./ (5) No error
31.5;The sentence is correct.
32.(1) They saw the church /(2) coming round/ (3) thecorner / (4) of the well-known street./ (5) No error
32.2;Is the church coming round? To avoid thisconfusion, insert while between church andcoming round.
33.(1) He enquired / (2) had we / (3) taken / (4) our food./(5) No error
33.2;Replace had we by if we had. It is obvious that theobject of enquired is a clause. Now, theclause cannot begin abruptly. So, we use if.
34.(1) We travel / (2) on the train / (3) when we go / (4) toPatna./ (5) No error
34.2;Replace on by by.
35.(1) Ten ships sank / (2) in Arabian Sea,/ (3) drowningthousands of people / (4) aboard them./ (5) No error
35.2;See Ex. 9, Q. 29.
36.(1) I saw / (2) him / (3) to enter the garden / (4) on histiptoes./ (5) No error
36.3;Delete to. When the infinitive follows verbs likesee and know and their object, it comeswithout to.
37.(1) There have been / (2) many a better / (3) poets / (4)than Tennyson./ (5) No error
37.2;Delete a.
38.(1) How many hours / (2) you require / (3) to finish /(4) this work? / (5) No error
38.2;Insert do before you to get the question format.
39.(1) In spite of / (2) instructions to the contrary,/(3) he came down / (4) at once./ (5) No error
39.2;Delete to the contrary because in spite of carriesthis sense.
40.(1) He wasted much time / (2) in trifles / (3) and is now /(4) facing the consequences./ (5) No error
40.2;Replace in by on.
41.(1) He seized the opportunity / (2) offered to him / (3)with an / (4) unusual alacrity./ (5) No error
41.5;You may also say seize on/upon.
42.(1) His appeal / (2) for funds / (3) met a/ (4) poorresponse./ (5) No error
42.3;Your speech meets with a negative response.
43.(1) While at home,/ (2) he assisted me / (3) to cook / (4)the food./ (5) No error
43.3;Replace to cook by in cooking. If you help me doa work, you assist me in it.
44.(1) We lost /(2) the chance/ (3) to win / (4) the match./ (5)No error
44.3;Replace to win by of winning. You have a chanceof success.
45.(1) I insisted / (2) to get/ (3) a reply / (4) from theinvitees./ (5) No error
45.2;Replace to get by on getting. If you ask forsomething again and again, you insist on it.
46.(1) He succeeded / (2) to get / (3) the Bill passed / (4) inthe Lok Sabha./ (5) No error
46.2;Replace to get by in getting. See Ex. 8, Q. 34.
47.(1) Ignorance is / (2) highly detrimental for / (3) thesuccessful working / (4) of a democracy./ (5) No error
47.2;If A harms B, A is detrimental to B.
48.(1) The Principal was / (2) convinced with / (3) hisinnocence / (4) in the act./ (5) No error
48.2;I am convinced of your devotion.
49.(1) I begged him/ (2) of some money / (3) for a charitable/ (4) cause./ (5) No error
49.2;Replace of by for.
50.(1) The train / (4) is bound / (3) for Howrah / (4) 5viaKharagpur./ (5) No error
50.5;You are bound for the place you are going to.
