Rules for Spotting Errors-
Question on ‘spotting the Errors’ can be answered on the basis of candidate’s knowledge of grammar especially parts of speech. The important rules of parts of speech can be mentioned categorically in the following manner.
1. Certain nouns always take a singular verb.
Scenery, advice, information, machinery, stationery, furniture, abuse, fuel, gram, issue, bedding, repair, news, poetry, business, economics, physics, mathematics, classics, ethics, innings. Examples: (a) The scenery of Shimla is enchanting. (b) She has given advice.
2. Some nouns are used as plural nouns and always take a plural verb.
Cattle, gentry, peasantry, artillery, people, clergy, company, police. Examples: (a) The people are watching us. (b) The police are in the house.
3. Some nouns are used in a plural form and take a plural verb.
Trousers, scissors, spectacles, shorts, measles, goods, premises, thanks, tidings, annals, chattels, etc. Examples: (a) Where are my spectacles? (b) Trousers are also available at cheaper prices.
4. Certain nouns that indicate length, measure, money, weight or number, if they are preceded by a numeral, they remain unchanged in form.
Foot, metre, pair, score, dozen, year, hundred, thousand, million. Examples: (a) It is a two-year post-graduation diploma course. (b) I have bought twelve dozen of apples.
5. Collective nouns like jury, public, team, committee, government, orchestra, company, etc. are used both as singular and plural depending on the meaning. When these words indicate a unit, the verb is singular, otherwise the verb will be plural.
Examples: (a) The public were furious over the issue. (b) The orchestra has not started yet.
6. Certain nouns have one meaning in the singular and another in the plural:
advice = counsel, advices = information, authority = command, authorities = persons in good = wise, goods = property iron = metal, irons = fetters, chains, force = strength, forces = army, content = satisfaction, contents = things contained, physic = medicine, physics = physical sciences, respect = regards, respects = compliments work = job, works = compositions, factories, quarter = one-fourth, quarters = houses. Examples: (a) I have the authority to correct it. (b) The authorities will be arriving tomorrow.
7. While using ‘everybody’, ‘anyone’, ‘anybody', and ‘each’ the pronoun is used according to the content.
Examples: (a) Anyone can do this work if he tries with all the effort (b) Each of the five men in the car has carried his laptop.
