Sentence Based Errors with Shortcut tricks Set A

Sentence-based error detection questions are one of the most challenging aspects of competitive exams like IBPS, SBI, SSC, and other banking and government exams. These questions test a candidate’s ability to identify complex grammatical and structural errors within lengthy sentences. To help aspirants tackle this section effectively, we provide a step-by-step strategy, shortcut tricks, and a detailed point-wise analysis of the 20 types of long sentence-based errors with examples.

Shortcut Tricks to Solve Sentence-Based Errors Efficiently

1. Break the Sentence into Smaller Parts – Divide the long sentence into meaningful sections for better clarity.
2. Identify the Core Subject and Verb – Ensure subject-verb agreement across different sentence clauses.
3. Check for Parallelism – Ensure all listed elements in a sentence follow the same grammatical structure.
4. Focus on Modifier Placement – Incorrect placement of modifiers can alter the sentence meaning.
5. Analyze Pronoun Consistency – Pronouns should clearly refer to the correct antecedent.
6. Look for Tense Consistency – Ensure that tenses are correctly used and consistent throughout.
7. Detect Redundancies – Eliminate unnecessary words or phrases that do not add value.
8. Check for Incorrect Conjunctions – Ensure that appropriate connectors are used between clauses.
9. Spot Misused Prepositions – Incorrect prepositions can distort meaning.
10. Verify Sentence Flow – Read the sentence aloud to check for natural flow and logical correctness.
20 Types of Sentence-Based Errors with Examples

1. Subject-Verb Agreement Errors
- Incorrect: The committee, along with the members, were planning the event.
- Correct: The committee, along with the members, was planning the event.

2. Tense Consistency Errors
- Incorrect: He said that he will complete the work by tomorrow.
- Correct: He said that he would complete the work by tomorrow.

3. Pronoun Reference Errors
- Incorrect: If the manager talks to the employees, he should be polite.
- Correct: If the manager talks to the employees, he or she should be polite.

4. Incorrect Prepositions
- Incorrect: She is interested for learning new languages.
- Correct: She is interested in learning new languages.

5. Article Errors
- Incorrect: She is the honest person in the group.
- Correct: She is an honest person in the group.

6. Redundancy Errors
- Incorrect: The reason why he left was because he was unwell.
- Correct: The reason he left was that he was unwell.

7. Parallelism Errors
- Incorrect: She enjoys reading, writing, and to paint.
- Correct: She enjoys reading, writing, and painting.

8. Modifier Placement Errors
- Incorrect: Walking in the park, the birds chirped loudly.
- Correct: Walking in the park, she heard the birds chirping loudly.

9. Double Negative Errors
- Incorrect: She didn’t say nothing about the plan.
- Correct: She didn’t say anything about the plan.

10. Incorrect Use of Conjunctions
- Incorrect: No sooner we reached the station than the train left.
- Correct: No sooner had we reached the station than the train left.

11. Incorrect Comparisons
- Incorrect: This house is bigger than any house in the neighborhood.
- Correct: This house is bigger than any other house in the neighborhood.

12. Incorrect Word Usage
- Incorrect: The affect of the speech was inspiring.
- Correct: The effect of the speech was inspiring.

13. Conditional Sentence Errors
Incorrect: If I was you, I would accept the offer.
- Correct: If I were you, I would accept the offer.

14. Determiner Errors
- Incorrect: There were less students in the class today.
- Correct: There were fewer students in the class today.

15. Relative Pronoun Errors
- Incorrect: This is the place where I was born in.
- Correct: This is the place where I was born.

16. Idiomatic Expression Errors
- Incorrect: She is good in mathematics.
- Correct: She is good at mathematics.

17. Misplaced Adverbs
- Incorrect: She almost spoke to everyone at the party.
- Correct: She spoke to almost everyone at the party.

18. Incorrect Word Order
- Incorrect: She suggested me to apply for the job.
- Correct: She suggested that I apply for the job.

19. Faulty Comparison Structures
- Incorrect: The climate of India is hotter than America.
- Correct: The climate of India is hotter than that of America.

20. Gerunds vs. Infinitives Errors
- Incorrect: She prefers to reading novels.
- Correct: She prefers reading novels.

Final Tips to Master Sentence-Based Errors in Competitive Exams

- Break long sentences into segments – Identify different clauses and analyze them individually.
- Practice error spotting daily – The more you practice, the better your accuracy.
- Master grammar rules – A strong foundation in grammar helps identify errors quickly.
- Read newspapers & books regularly – Exposure to correct sentence structures improves error-spotting skills.
- Use the elimination method – If unsure, eliminate incorrect options to find the most appropriate answer.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Question: How can I quickly identify errors in sentences?
Answer: Break the sentence into smaller parts, identify the core subject and verb, and check for common grammatical errors like subject-verb agreement, tense inconsistency, and misplaced modifiers.

Question: What are the most common types of errors in sentences?
Answer: Some of the most common errors include subject-verb agreement issues, tense inconsistency, pronoun errors, misplaced modifiers, redundancy, and incorrect conjunction usage.

Question: How can I improve my error-spotting skills?
Answer: Regular practice, reading quality English material, understanding grammar rules, and attempting mock tests will significantly enhance your error-spotting skills.

Question: What is the best strategy to solve sentence-based errors in exams?
Answer: Start by reading the sentence carefully, identify key grammatical structures, and eliminate incorrect answer choices using the elimination method.

Question: Are there any specific books to study for sentence-based errors?
Answer: Yes, books like "Wren & Martin’s High School English Grammar & Composition," "Objective General English" by S.P. Bakshi, and "Word Power Made Easy" by Norman Lewis are great resources.

By applying these techniques and practicing regularly, candidates can improve their accuracy and speed in solving long sentence-based error questions. Good luck!
Below is a collection of 100 high‐difficulty, long sentence “error detection” multiple‑choice questions (MCQs) designed for IBPS/SBI Bank competitive exams. Each question is followed by four options and a detailed explanation of the correct answer. You can work through these questions to sharpen your ability to spot subtle errors in long and complex sentences. (Note: In the following, “No error” means the sentence is correct as written.)

Question: 
Sentence: “The committee, which consists of experts in economics, politics, and literature, were invited to the conference.”
Options:
a) The subject “committee” is incorrectly paired with “were”.
b) The relative clause “which consists” should be “that consist”.
c) The list items are not parallel.
d) No error.
Answer: a 

Question: 
Sentence: “Not only did the manager, who has been known for his punctuality, make a mistake in the report, but he also failed to correct it.”
Options:
a) The “Not only … but also” construction is misused.
b) The relative clause placement is wrong.
c) There is no error.
d) The pronoun “his” should be “their”.
Answer: c 

Question: 
Sentence: “Despite the fact that the market had experienced significant fluctuations, the company is determined to increase its revenue and expanding its operations.”
Options:
a) “Expanding” should be “expand” to maintain parallelism.
b) “Despite the fact” should be replaced with “Although”.
c) The subject-verb agreement is incorrect.
d) No error.
Answer: a 

Question: 
Sentence: “Although the board members had initially disagreed on the proposal, they eventually reached an agreement that satisfied all stakeholders.”
Options:
a) “Initially disagreed” should be “initially disagrees”.
b) “Reached an agreement” is not parallel to “disagreed”.
c) There is no error.
d) The relative clause “that satisfied all stakeholders” is misplaced.
Answer: c 

Question: 
Sentence: “Every candidate who applies for the position of senior manager must submit a resume, a cover letter, and references that clearly outline their previous achievements.”

Options:
a) “Their” should be “his or her” for number agreement.
b) The list of requirements is not parallel.
c) “References that clearly outline” should be “references clearly outlining”.
d) No error.
Answer: a 

Question: 
Sentence: “The research, which spanned over several years and involved multiple institutions, have produced findings that challenge conventional theories.”
Options:
a) “Have produced” should be “has produced” to agree with “research”.
b) “Which spanned” should be “that spanned”.
c) The modifiers are not parallel.
d) No error.
Answer: a 

Question: 
Sentence: “In order to reduce expenses and to maximize productivity, the company introduced a new system that automated tasks, streamlined processes, and reducing overhead costs.”
Options:
a) “Reducing” should be “reduce” for parallelism with the earlier verbs.
b) “In order to” is redundant and should be removed.
c) The relative clause “that automated tasks…” is misplaced.
d) No error.
Answer: a

Question: 
Sentence: “Neither the finance team nor the marketing department were able to explain the sudden decline in quarterly profits.”
Options:
a) “Were able” should be “was able” because the subject closest to the verb is singular.
b) “Neither … nor” construction is misused.
c) “Sudden decline” should be “sudden declines”.
d) No error.
Answer: a 

Question: 
Sentence: “After the merger, the companies’ policies were harmonized to reflect a common set of values and to create an environment that promotes both innovation and collaboration.”
Options:
a) “The companies’ policies” should be singular.
b) “To reflect” should be “reflecting”.
c) “And to create” disrupts the parallelism; both infinitives should match.
d) No error.
Answer: d 

Question: 
Sentence: “Not only has the new policy increased employee satisfaction, but it have also boosted productivity levels significantly across all departments.”
Options:
a) “Has increased” should be “have increased”.
b) “Have also boosted” should be “has also boosted” to maintain subject-verb agreement.
c) “Across all departments” should come before “significantly”.
d) No error.
Answer: b 

Question: 
Sentence: “Despite their continuous efforts to secure additional funding, the research team’s proposal, which they had meticulously prepared over months, still did not receive the approval it deserved.”
Options:
a) “Their continuous efforts” should be “its continuous effort”.
b) “Which they had meticulously prepared” should be “which had been meticulously prepared”.
c) “Did not receive” should be “has not received”.
d) No error.
Answer: b 

Question: 
Sentence: “The manager, along with his assistants, are responsible for organizing the annual meeting and preparing the subsequent report.”
Options:
a) “Are responsible” should be “is responsible” because the main subject is “manager”.
b) “Along with his assistants” is extraneous and should be removed.
c) “Preparing” should be “to prepare” to match the form of “organizing”.
d) No error.
Answer: a

Question: 
Sentence: “The new software update, which promised improved security features, user-friendliness, and faster performance, have been installed on all company computers.”
Options:
a) “Have been installed” should be “has been installed” to agree with “update”.
b) “User-friendliness” should be “user friendliness” without a hyphen.
c) The list is not parallel.
d) No error.
Answer: a

Question: 
Sentence: “Both the CEO and the CFO, along with their respective teams, were invited to the international business summit held in Singapore last autumn.”
Options:
a) “Were invited” should be “was invited” since the subject is singular.
b) “Along with their respective teams” should be placed immediately after the names.
c) There is no error.
d) “Last autumn” should be “in last autumn.”
Answer: c 

Question: 
Sentence: “Having completed the preliminary analysis, the data was forwarded to the research department for further investigation.”
Options:
a) “Having completed” is misplaced.
b) “The data was forwarded” should be “the data were forwarded” because data is plural.
c) “For further investigation” should be “for further investigating.”
d) No error.
Answer: b

Question:
Sentence: “The proposal, which included a detailed plan of action, cost estimates, and a timeline that was both ambitious and realistic, received overwhelming support from the board.”
Options:
a) “That was both ambitious and realistic” should be “which were both ambitious and realistic.”
b) “Received overwhelming support” should be “receive overwhelming support.”
c) The list of items within the proposal is not parallel.
d) No error.
Answer: d

Question:
Sentence: “Each of the employees, along with their immediate supervisors, have been asked to review the updated compliance guidelines before the next quarter begins.”
Options:
a) “Have been asked” should be “has been asked” because “each” is singular.
b) “Along with their immediate supervisors” creates a number mismatch.
c) “Review the updated compliance guidelines” is misstructured.
d) No error.
Answer: a 

Question:
Sentence: “Although the conference was scheduled to begin at 9:00 AM, several attendees arrived late, and many found that the initial presentations lacked clarity.”
Options:
a) “Arrived late” should be “arrives late.”
b) “And many found that” should be “but many found that” for better contrast.
c) The sentence is correctly constructed.
d) “Scheduled to begin” is misused.
Answer: c 

Question:
Sentence: “Despite the company’s commitment to innovation, its approach to research and development has often been criticized for lacking both vision and execution.”
Options:
a) “Both vision and execution” should be “both a vision and an execution.”
b) “Has often been criticized” should be “have often been criticized” for subject-verb agreement.
c) There is no error.
d) “Despite the company’s commitment” is incorrectly used.
Answer: c 

Question:
Sentence: “By integrating cutting-edge technology with traditional business practices, the organization not only improved its operational efficiency but also fostered an environment that nurtures creativity and collaboration.”
Options:
a) “Fosters an environment” should be “fostered an environment” to match the tense.
b) “Not only … but also” is misused here.
c) There is no error.
d) “Integrating” should be “integrates.”
Answer: c

Question:
Sentence: “The executive’s strategy, which was designed to reduce redundancy, improve communication, and streamlining workflow, has received mixed reviews from industry experts.”
Options:
a) “Streamlining workflow” should be “streamline workflow” to match the previous verbs.
b) “Which was designed” is incorrect.
c) “Has received” should be “have received.”
d) No error.
Answer: a

Question:
Sentence: “Each proposal that is submitted by the department must include a rationale, objectives, and a timeline that outlines key milestones.”
Options:
a) “Objectives” should be singular to match “a rationale” and “a timeline.”
b) “That outlines” should be “that outline” for subject-verb agreement with “milestones.”
c) The sentence is free from error.
d) “Each proposal” is misused.
Answer: b

Question:
Sentence: “Not only did the marketing team launch an innovative campaign, but they also managed to secure partnerships with several leading international brands.”
Options:
a) The pronoun “they” should be replaced with “it” to match the singular “team.”
b) “Launch an innovative campaign” should be “launched an innovative campaign.”
c) “Managed to secure” is incorrect.
d) No error.
Answer: a 

Question:
Sentence: “Following the announcement of the new policy, employees across all levels of the organization have expressed both concern and optimism about its potential impact on the work environment.”
Options:
a) “Expressed both concern and optimism” should be “expressed concern and optimism.”
b) “Across all levels” is misused.
c) There is no error.
d) “Following the announcement” should be “After announcing.”
Answer: c 

Question:
Sentence: “Although the financial report was comprehensive and detailed, it failed to address the issues regarding budget allocation, cost overruns, and the effective utilization of resources.”
Options:
a) “Budget allocation, cost overruns, and the effective utilization of resources” should be made fully parallel by removing “the.”
b) “Failed to address” should be “fails to address.”
c) The sentence is correct as written.
d) “Although the financial report was comprehensive” is misconstructed.
Answer: a 

Question:
Sentence: “The proposal, which had been drafted meticulously by the research team over several months, and reviewed by external experts, were finally approved by the board.”
Options:
a) “Were finally approved” should be “was finally approved” because the subject “proposal” is singular.
b) “Drafted meticulously” is misused.
c) “Reviewed by external experts” should be moved earlier in the sentence.
d) No error.
Answer: a

Question:
Sentence: “Despite the new regulations, which have been implemented to ensure greater transparency, many companies continue to operate in ways that are reminiscent of outdated practices.”
Options:
a) “Which have been implemented” should be “which has been implemented.”
b) “Are reminiscent of outdated practices” should be “reminisce outdated practices.”
c) There is no error.
d) “Continue to operate” should be “continues to operate.”
Answer: c 

Question:
Sentence: “Having reviewed the quarterly figures and compared them with the projections, the finance department identified several trends that were unexpected and are challenging to explain.”
Options:
a) “Compared them with the projections” should be “compared them to the projections.”
b) “Were unexpected and are challenging” lacks parallelism.
c) The introductory participial phrase is misplaced.
d) No error.
Answer: b 

Question:
Sentence: “Not only did the seminar cover the basics of international finance, but it also explored the complexities of global trade regulations, examined recent market trends, and discussing emerging economic challenges.”
Options:
a) “Discussing emerging economic challenges” should be “discussed emerging economic challenges.”
b) “Explored the complexities” is out of place.
c) “Not only … but also” is incorrectly used.
d) No error.
Answer: a 

Question:
Sentence: “The new manager, who has a reputation for being both innovative and results-oriented, insists that the team adheres to protocols that ensure quality, efficiency, and a high level of accountability.”
Options:
a) “Adheres to protocols” should be “adhere to protocols.”
b) “Both innovative and results-oriented” should be “both innovative and result oriented.”
c) There is no error.
d) “A high level of accountability” should be “high accountability.”
Answer: c 

Question:
Sentence: “In the wake of the economic downturn, many organizations, including those that were once industry leaders, are revising their strategies to address market uncertainties and to maintain competitiveness.”
Options:
a) “Are revising their strategies” should be “is revising its strategy.”
b) “Including those that were once industry leaders” should be set off with dashes.
c) The list “to address market uncertainties and to maintain competitiveness” is not parallel.
d) No error.
Answer: d 

Question:
Sentence: “Although the study, which involved hundreds of participants from various regions, aimed to determine the effects of climate change on agricultural productivity, its methodology remain questionable to many experts.”
Options:
a) “Involved hundreds of participants” is incorrect.
b) “Its methodology remain” should be “its methodology remains.”
c) “To determine the effects” should be “determining the effects.”
d) No error.
Answer: b

Question:
Sentence: “By combining traditional marketing techniques with modern digital strategies, the firm has not only increased its brand awareness but also establishing a robust online presence.”
Options:
a) “But also establishing” should be “but also established” or “to establish.”
b) “Traditional marketing techniques” should be “traditional marketing technique.”
c) The sentence is grammatically correct.
d) “Modern digital strategies” is redundant.
Answer: a

Question:
Sentence: “Neither the candidate’s qualifications nor his experience, which span over two decades in the industry, appears to be sufficient for the high-level position offered by the bank.”
Options:
a) “Appears” should be “appear” to agree with the compound subject.
b) “Span over two decades” should be “spans over two decades.”
c) “Neither … nor” is misapplied here.
d) No error.
Answer: a

Question:
Sentence: “The team’s efforts to innovate, streamline processes, and reducing costs have been commended by industry experts at the annual conference.”
Options:
a) “Reducing costs” should be “reduce costs” to maintain parallelism.
b) “Streamline processes” should be “streamlined processes.”
c) The placement of “have been commended” is incorrect.
d) No error.
Answer: a

Question:
Sentence: “Despite the impressive turnout at the seminar, the organizers, who had planned every detail meticulously, was disappointed by the lack of engagement from the audience.”
Options:
a) “Was disappointed” should be “were disappointed” to agree with “organizers.”
b) “Who had planned every detail meticulously” is in the wrong position.
c) “Lack of engagement” should be “lack of engaging.”
d) No error.
Answer: a 

Question:
Sentence: “Having studied the trends in consumer behavior and analyzed market data from multiple sources, the research report provides insights that are both profound and actionable for business leaders.”
Options:
a) “Having studied” is misplaced.
b) “Provides insights” should be “provide insights.”
c) There is no error.
d) “Both profound and actionable” should be “both profoundly and actionably.”
Answer: c 

Question:
Sentence: “Although many experts advocate for increased regulation, some critics argue that imposing too many restrictions might stifle innovation and limit the growth of emerging industries.”
Options:
a) “Advocate for increased regulation” should be “advocates for increased regulation.”
b) “Might stifle innovation” should be “might be stifling innovation.”
c) The structure of the sentence is balanced.
d) “Limit the growth” should be “limits the growth.”
Answer: c 

Question:
Sentence: “Following extensive consultations with various stakeholders, the board decided to revise the company’s strategic plan, thereby aiming to foster sustainable growth and enhancing overall competitiveness.”
Options:
a) “Enhancing overall competitiveness” should be “enhance overall competitiveness” to parallel “to revise” and “to foster.”
b) “Following extensive consultations” is ambiguous.
c) “The board decided” should be “the board has decided.”
d) No error.
Answer: a

Question:
Sentence: “The analyst’s report, which provided a detailed assessment of market risks, opportunities, and the potential for future growth, were distributed to all key stakeholders.”
Options:
a) “Were distributed” should be “was distributed” to agree with “report.”
b) “Provided a detailed assessment” should be “providing a detailed assessment.”
c) The items in the list are not parallel.
d) No error.
Answer: a

Question:
Sentence: “While the technology sector continues to expand rapidly, the financial services industry, which has been slower to adopt new innovations, face challenges in modernizing its legacy systems.”
Options:
a) “Face challenges” should be “faces challenges” to agree with “industry.”
b) “Which has been slower” is incorrect.
c) “Modernizing its legacy systems” should be “to modernize its legacy systems.”
d) No error.
Answer: a 

Question:
Sentence: “Not only was the project completed ahead of schedule, but it also exceed the quality standards established by the regulatory authorities.”
Options:
a) “Exceed” should be “exceeded” to maintain the past tense.
b) “Not only was the project completed” should be “Not only did the project complete.”
c) The order of phrases is incorrect.
d) No error.
Answer: a

Question:
Sentence: “The professor, whose lectures are known for being both insightful and engaging, always insist on interactive sessions that encourage student participation.”
Options:
a) “Always insist” should be “always insists” to agree with “professor.”
b) “Known for being both insightful and engaging” is misplaced.
c) “Interactive sessions” should be “interactively sessions.”
d) No error.
Answer: a 

Question:
Sentence: “Despite the numerous benefits that were anticipated from the merger, several unforeseen complications, including cultural clashes and operational misalignments, emerged during the integration process.”
Options:
a) “Were anticipated” should be “was anticipated.”
b) The items in the list should be introduced by a colon.
c) There is no error.
d) “Emerged during the integration process” should be “emerge during the integration process.”
 Answer: c

Question:
Sentence: “By employing advanced analytics, the firm has been able to predict market trends, optimize resource allocation, and reducing operational costs in the process.”
Options:
a) “Reducing operational costs” should be “reduce operational costs” for parallelism.
b) “Has been able to predict” is misused.
c) “By employing advanced analytics” should be “employing advanced analytics.”
d) No error.
Answer: a 

Question: Identify the part of the sentence that contains an error:
a) The management had hardly taken a decision
b) regarding the expansion plans
c) when the market conditions have started
d) deteriorating rapidly.
e) No error
Answer: c 

Question: Find the incorrect part in the sentence:
a) Neither of the candidates
b) who were interviewed yesterday
c) is eligible for the position
d) as per the company’s hiring policies.
e) No error
Answer: b

Question: Spot the grammatical error in the sentence:
a) The committee, after much deliberation,
b) have decided to implement
c) the new policies
d) from the next quarter.
e) No error
Answer: b

Question: Choose the incorrect part:
a) The research team discovered
b) that one of the factors
c) were responsible for
d) the decline in sales.
e) No error
Answer: c

Question: Identify the erroneous part:
a) The number of students
b) attending the workshop
c) have increased significantly
d) over the last few months.
e) No error
Answer: c