Editing: Practice MCQ

The Ultimate Grammar Editing Challenge

In each sentence, one word is grammatically incorrect. Click on it to correct it. You have 30 minutes!

1.Thelistofitemsareonthedesk.

Error: Subject-Verb Agreement. The subject is 'list' (singular), not 'items'.

Correction: The incorrect word is are. It should be is.

2.Eachofthestudentsshouldsubmittheirassignment.

Error: Pronoun-Antecedent Agreement. The pronoun 'Each' is singular and requires a singular pronoun.

Correction: The incorrect word is their. It should be his or her.

3.Heperformedthetaskverygoodandefficiently.

Error: Adjective/Adverb Confusion. The verb 'performed' should be modified by an adverb, not an adjective.

Correction: The incorrect word is good. It should be well.

4.Ihavelesscandiesinmypocketthenyou.

Error: Commonly Confused Words. 'Then' refers to time. For comparisons, 'than' should be used. (Also, 'less' should be 'fewer' for countable nouns, but 'then' is the primary error).

Correction: The incorrect word is then. It should be than.

5.Thesceneryofthesemountainsaretrulybreathtaking.

Error: Subject-Verb Agreement. 'Scenery' is an uncountable, singular noun. The verb must be singular.

Correction: The incorrect word is are. It should be is.

6.Yesterday,wegotothemuseumforatour.

Error: Incorrect Verb Tense. The adverb 'Yesterday' indicates the past, so the past tense of the verb is required.

Correction: The incorrect word is go. It should be went.

7.HeisoneofthebravestmanthatIhaveeverseen.

Error: Incorrect Noun Form. The phrase 'one of the' is followed by a plural noun. (Also, 'that' should be 'whom' or 'who', but the noun error is more fundamental).

7.HeisoneofthebravestmanIhaveeverseen.

Error: Incorrect Noun Form. The phrase 'one of the' must be followed by a plural noun.

Correction: The incorrect word is man. It should be men.

8.Theaffectofthenewlawwillbeseensoon.

Error: Commonly Confused Words. 'Affect' is a verb meaning 'to influence'. 'Effect' is a noun meaning 'a result'.

Correction: The incorrect word is affect. It should be effect.

9.BetweenyouandI,thisplanwillnotwork.

Error: Pronoun Case. Pronouns that are objects of a preposition (like 'Between') must be in the objective case.

Correction: The incorrect word is I. It should be me.

10.Neitherofthetwocandidatesweresuitableforthejob.

Error: Subject-Verb Agreement. The indefinite pronoun 'Neither' is singular and takes a singular verb.

Correction: The incorrect word is were. It should be was.

11.Iamnotusedtodriveontheleftsideoftheroad.

Error: Incorrect Verb Form. The phrase 'used to' is followed by a gerund (-ing form) when it means 'accustomed to'.

Correction: The incorrect word is drive. It should be driving.

12.Thenumberofattendeesweremuchhigherthanexpected.

Error: Subject-Verb Agreement. The phrase 'The number of' is a singular subject and takes a singular verb.

Correction: The incorrect word is were. It should be was.

13.Heisahonestmanwithalotofintegrity.

Error: Incorrect Article. Words beginning with a vowel sound (like 'honest', where 'h' is silent) must be preceded by 'an'.

Correction: The incorrect word is a. It should be an.

14.Sheisthetallerofthethreesisters.

Error: Incorrect Degree of Comparison. The superlative degree ('tallest') should be used when comparing more than two things or people.

Correction: The incorrect word is taller. It should be tallest.

15.Thedogwaggedit'stailexcitedlywhenitsawitsowner.

Error: Apostrophe Usage. 'It's' is a contraction for 'it is'. The possessive pronoun is 'its' (without an apostrophe).

Correction: The incorrect word is it's. It should be its.

16.Despiteoftherain,thematchcontinuedon.

Error: Omission. 'Despite' is not followed by 'of'. The main error here is the redundant 'on'. 'Continued' is sufficient.

16.IfIwasyou,Iwouldnotacceptthatoffer.

Error: Subjunctive Mood. For hypothetical or contrary-to-fact situations, 'were' is used instead of 'was'.

Correction: The incorrect word is was. It should be were.

17.Thecommitteearemeetingtomorrowtofinalizeitsdecision.

Error: Subject-Verb Agreement. The collective noun 'committee' is acting as a single unit (as indicated by the possessive pronoun 'its'), so it requires a singular verb.

Correction: The incorrect word is are. It should be is.

18.Thereismanyreasonsforwhyhedecidedtoleave.

Error: Redundancy. The phrase 'reasons for why' is redundant. It should be 'reasons why' or 'reasons for his decision'. Omit 'for'.

18.Thereismanyreasonswhyhedecidedtoleave.

Error: Subject-Verb Agreement. In sentences beginning with 'There is/are', the verb agrees with the subject that follows. The subject is 'many reasons' (plural).

Correction: The incorrect word is is. It should be are.

19.Hewasaccusedfortheftbutwaslateracquitted.

Error: Incorrect Preposition. The verb 'accuse' is followed by the preposition 'of', not 'for'.

Correction: The incorrect word is for. It should be of.

20.Shenotonlysingswellbutdancesalsobeautifully.

Error: Correlative Conjunction Placement. The correct structure is 'not only... but also...'. The 'also' is misplaced.

Correction: The incorrect word is dances. It should be also dances.

21.Thequalityoftheseproductshavedeterioratedovertime.

Error: Subject-Verb Agreement. The subject is 'quality' (singular), so the verb must be singular.

Correction: The incorrect word is have. It should be has.

22.Ipreferteathancoffeeinthemorning.

Error: Incorrect Preposition. The verb 'prefer' is followed by 'to', not 'than', when making a comparison.

Correction: The incorrect word is than. It should be to.

23.Hehasbeenworkingheresincefiveyears.

Error: Incorrect Preposition. 'Since' is used for a point in time (e.g., since 2018). 'For' is used for a duration of time (e.g., for five years).

Correction: The incorrect word is since. It should be for.

24.Unlessyoudonotapologize,youwillbepunished.

Error: Double Negative. 'Unless' already means 'if... not'. The second 'not' is incorrect.

Correction: The incorrect word is not. It should be omitted.

25.Thisisamorepreferableoptionforeveryone.

Error: Double Comparative. 'Preferable' itself implies a comparison. It does not need 'more' or 'most'.

Correction: The incorrect word is more. It should be omitted.

26.Heisverygoodinplayingtheguitar.

Error: Incorrect Preposition. The correct idiom is 'good at' a skill or activity.

Correction: The incorrect word is in. It should be at.

27.Thecaptain,alongwithhisteam,werepraisedfortheirperformance.

Error: Subject-Verb Agreement. Phrases like 'along with' are parenthetical. The verb agrees with the main subject, 'The captain' (singular).

Correction: The incorrect word is were. It should be was.

28.Herexplainofthesituationwasveryclear.

Error: Incorrect Part of Speech. A noun is needed as the subject of the sentence, not a verb.

Correction: The incorrect word is explain. It should be explanation.

29.Icouldnotfinditno whereintheroom.

Error: Double Negative. 'Could not' is already negative. 'Nowhere' should be 'anywhere' in a negative sentence. The single word error is 'nowhere'.

29.Icouldnotfinditnowhereintheroom.

Error: Double Negative. The sentence already contains 'not'. Therefore, 'nowhere' should be 'anywhere'.

Correction: The incorrect word is nowhere. It should be anywhere.

30.Thetwosistersarequarrellingwithoneanotheragain.

Error: Reciprocal Pronoun. 'Each other' is used for two people. 'One another' is used for more than two.

Correction: The incorrect word is another. The phrase should be each other.

31.HeisthesamemanwhichIsawyesterday.

Error: Incorrect Relative Pronoun. 'That' or 'who' should be used to refer to people. 'Which' is used for things.

Correction: The incorrect word is which. It should be that.

32.Hehasnoknowledgeandexperienceoftohandlethissituation.

Error: Incorrect Structure. The preposition 'of' should be followed by a noun or gerund. The sentence needs rephrasing.

32.Hehasnoobjectiontogototheparty.

Error: Incorrect Verb Form. Phrases like 'objection to', 'look forward to', and 'accustomed to' are followed by a gerund (-ing form), not an infinitive.

Correction: The incorrect word is go. It should be going.

33.Theteachermadethestudentstowritetheessayagain.

Error: Incorrect Infinitive. After causative verbs like 'make', 'let', and 'have', the bare infinitive (verb without 'to') is used.

Correction: The incorrect word is to. It should be omitted.

34.Manyastudentshavepassedtheexamthisyear.

Error: Subject-Verb Agreement. The phrase 'Many a' is followed by a singular noun ('student') and takes a singular verb.

Correction: The incorrect word is have. It should be has.

35.Iamlookingforwardtomeetyousoon.

Error: Incorrect Verb Form. The phrasal verb 'look forward to' is followed by a gerund (-ing form).

Correction: The incorrect word is meet. It should be meeting.

36.Thepolicehasarrestedthreesuspectsinconnectionwiththerobbery.

Error: Subject-Verb Agreement. The noun 'police' is a collective noun that is always treated as plural.

Correction: The incorrect word is has. It should be have.

37.Heismyolderbrother,butIammoretallerthanhim.

Error: Double Comparative. 'Taller' is already the comparative form of 'tall'. 'More' is redundant.

Correction: The incorrect word is more. It should be omitted.

38.Hardlyhehadreachedthestationwhenthetrainleft.

Error: Incorrect Inversion. When a sentence begins with a negative adverb like 'Hardly', the word order must be inverted (auxiliary verb + subject).

Correction: The incorrect word is reached. The structure should be Hardly had he reached...

39.Theydiscussedaboutthepoliticalsituationinthecountry.

Error: Redundant Preposition. The verb 'discuss' is transitive and does not take a preposition.

Correction: The incorrect word is about. It should be omitted.

40.Theinformationsprovidedtomewasnotaccurate.

Error: Incorrect Noun Form. 'Information' is an uncountable noun and does not have a plural form.

Correction: The incorrect word is informations. It should be information.

41.HisknowledgeofIndianlanguagesarefarbeyondthecommon.

Error: Subject-Verb Agreement. The subject is 'knowledge' (singular), not 'languages'.

Correction: The incorrect word is are. It should be is.

42.ItoldhimthatIwillnotbeabletocome.

Error: Tense Sequence in Reported Speech. Since the reporting verb 'told' is in the past, the modal 'will' should also be in its past form.

Correction: The incorrect word is will. It should be would.

43.Heissotiredthathecannothardlywalkanyfurther.

Error: Double Negative. 'Cannot' and 'hardly' are both negative in sense. Only one should be used.

Correction: The incorrect word is walk. The phrase should be can hardly walk (omitting 'not').

44.Hecomplainedofhavingbeenill-treatedbythepolice.

Error: Tense. The simple passive gerund 'being ill-treated' is sufficient here. 'Having been' implies an action completed before the complaining, which is unnecessarily complex.

44.Theship,withallitspassengers,werelostinthestorm.

Error: Subject-Verb Agreement. The phrase 'with all its passengers' is parenthetical. The subject is 'ship' (singular).

Correction: The incorrect word is were. It should be was.

45.Allhisfamilymembersarelivingindifferentcities.

Error: Redundant Word. The phrase 'family members' is a common but technically incorrect expression. The correct phrase is 'members of his family' or simply 'his family'.

Correction: The incorrect word is members. It should be omitted (e.g., 'All his family are...').

46.Thereasonhewaslatewasduetoheavytraffic.

Error: Redundancy. The phrase 'The reason... was due to' is redundant. It should be 'The reason... was that...' or simply 'He was late due to...'.

Correction: The incorrect word is due. It should be that.

47.Hedeniedthathehadnotstolenthemoney.

Error: Double Negative. 'Denied' is a negative verb. Using 'not' after it creates a double negative, implying he *did* steal the money.

Correction: The incorrect word is not. It should be omitted.

48.Sheismorewisernowthanshewaslastyear.

Error: Double Comparative. 'Wiser' is already a comparative adjective.

Correction: The incorrect word is more. It should be omitted.

49.Alotofpeoplehasalreadyarrivedfortheevent.

Error: Subject-Verb Agreement. 'A lot of people' is a plural subject and requires a plural verb.

Correction: The incorrect word is has. It should be have.

50.Theboxwastoomuchheavyformetoliftit.

Error: Redundant Pronoun. In a 'too... to...' construction, the object pronoun ('it') at the end is redundant because it refers back to the subject ('The box').

Correction: The incorrect word is it. It should be omitted.

Score: 0

Attempts: 0/50

Time Left: 30:00

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