LibraryCommon Grammatical Errors and Corrections

Common Grammatical Errors and Corrections

Learn about Common Grammatical Errors and Corrections as part of CLAT Preparation - Common Law Admission Test

Mastering Common Grammatical Errors for CLAT

Competitive exams like the CLAT place a significant emphasis on English Language and Comprehension. A strong grasp of grammar is fundamental to both understanding complex passages and constructing clear, accurate answers. This module will focus on identifying and correcting common grammatical errors that frequently appear in competitive exams.

Subject-Verb Agreement

One of the most frequent errors involves the agreement between the subject of a sentence and its verb. The verb must agree in number (singular or plural) with its subject. This can become tricky with compound subjects, intervening phrases, and indefinite pronouns.

Which sentence demonstrates correct subject-verb agreement?

The team of scientists is presenting their findings. (Subject 'team' is singular, so verb 'is' is correct.)

Pronoun Agreement and Reference

Pronouns must agree in number and gender with the nouns they replace (antecedents). Additionally, the antecedent must be clear; a pronoun should not have an ambiguous reference.

Identify the error in: 'The students submitted their assignments, and the teacher graded them.'

Ambiguous pronoun reference: 'them' could refer to 'students' or 'assignments'.

Misplaced and Dangling Modifiers

Modifiers are words or phrases that describe or qualify other words. When misplaced, they can create confusion or unintended meanings. Dangling modifiers occur when the word being modified is not clearly stated in the sentence.

A misplaced modifier is a word or phrase that is separated from the word it modifies, leading to awkward phrasing or unintended meaning. For example, 'I saw a dog running down the street with a long tail.' (Does the street have a long tail?). The correct version would be: 'Running down the street, I saw a dog with a long tail.' A dangling modifier is a phrase that doesn't logically modify any word in the sentence. For example, 'Having finished the exam, the bell rang.' (The bell didn't finish the exam). The correct version: 'Having finished the exam, the student heard the bell ring.'

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Correct the misplaced modifier: 'He served sandwiches to the children on paper plates.'

He served sandwiches on paper plates to the children.

Parallel Structure (Parallelism)

Parallel structure means using the same pattern of words to show that two or more ideas have the same level of importance. This applies to lists, comparisons, and clauses joined by conjunctions.

Which sentence uses parallel structure correctly?

The politician promised to lower taxes, create jobs, and improve education. (All infinitives)

Commonly Confused Words

Many words sound alike but have different meanings and spellings. Confusing these can lead to significant errors in meaning and comprehension.

Word PairMeaning 1Meaning 2
Affect/EffectTo influence (verb)A result or consequence (noun)
Than/ThenUsed for comparison (conjunction)Indicates time or sequence (adverb)
Its/It'sPossessive pronoun (belonging to it)Contraction of 'it is' or 'it has'
There/Their/They'reIndicates a place or existencePossessive pronoun (belonging to them)Contraction of 'they are'
To/Too/TwoPreposition or infinitive markerAlso or excessivelyThe number 2
Choose the correct word: The new policy will have a significant (affect/effect) on the economy.

effect (as it refers to the result/consequence)

Tense Consistency

Maintaining a consistent verb tense throughout a sentence or paragraph is crucial for clarity. Abrupt shifts in tense can confuse the reader about the timeline of events.

Identify the tense inconsistency: 'He opened the door and saw a cat that was sleeping on the mat.'

No inconsistency; 'opened' and 'saw' are past tense, and 'was sleeping' describes an ongoing action in the past.

Punctuation Errors

Incorrect use of punctuation, such as commas, apostrophes, semicolons, and colons, can alter the meaning of a sentence or make it grammatically incorrect.

A common punctuation error is the comma splice: joining two independent clauses with only a comma. For example, 'The weather was bad, we stayed inside.' This should be corrected with a period, semicolon, or conjunction: 'The weather was bad. We stayed inside.' or 'The weather was bad; we stayed inside.' or 'The weather was bad, so we stayed inside.'

Correct the comma splice: 'The book was long, it took me weeks to finish it.'

The book was long; it took me weeks to finish it. (or 'The book was long. It took me weeks to finish it.' or 'The book was long, so it took me weeks to finish it.')

Learning Resources

Grammar Bytes! - Common Errors(documentation)

A comprehensive and interactive resource covering a wide range of common grammatical errors with clear explanations and exercises.

Purdue OWL: Subject-Verb Agreement(documentation)

Detailed explanation and examples of subject-verb agreement rules, including tricky cases, from a highly reputable academic source.

Grammarly Blog: Common Grammatical Errors(blog)

A collection of articles from Grammarly's blog that break down various grammatical errors in an accessible and practical way.

Khan Academy: Pronoun-Antecedent Agreement(video)

A clear video tutorial explaining the principles of pronoun-antecedent agreement and how to avoid common mistakes.

The Writing Center - University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill: Modifiers(documentation)

An in-depth guide to understanding and correcting misplaced and dangling modifiers, with illustrative examples.

EnglishClub: Parallel Structure(documentation)

Explains the concept of parallel structure with numerous examples and exercises to help learners practice this important skill.

Merriam-Webster: Commonly Confused Words(blog)

A curated list of frequently confused words with clear definitions and usage examples from a trusted dictionary source.

BBC Learning English: Tense Consistency(video)

A short video lesson focusing on the importance of maintaining consistent verb tenses in English writing.

Grammar Monster: Punctuation(documentation)

A comprehensive guide to punctuation rules, including detailed explanations of commas, semicolons, colons, and apostrophes.

CLAT Essentials: English Comprehension Tips(blog)

Tips and strategies specifically tailored for CLAT English comprehension, often touching upon grammatical accuracy as a foundation.