About Sentence Correction
A sentence correction question prints a sentence containing one error and asks which of four versions of it is correct. The four options are deliberately similar, since they differ only in the part that carries the error, so the work is to find the fault rather than to compare the sentences as a whole.
What you need to understand
- There is exactly one fault in the printed sentence, and it belongs to one of a small number of kinds: agreement, article, verb form, or preposition.
- Each wrong option carries a fault of its own, and usually a different one from the printed sentence, so an option is rejected by finding its fault and not by a feeling about how it reads.
- The option with no fault is the answer, and it is the version of the sentence that the rules of English produce.
- A fault of form is wrong whatever the tense is, which is what makes these options safe to judge without knowing the writer intention.
- Agreement runs in both directions: a plural doer must not be given a singular verb, and a singular doer must not be given a plural one.
- The article before a noun depends on the noun: a before a consonant sound, an before a vowel sound, and the before a plural.
How to work through these questions
- Read the printed sentence and the four options once, without analysing anything. The difference between them is small and it helps to see where it lies.
- Check the doer first: is it singular or plural, and does the verb agree with it?
- Check the verb form next: is a helper verb followed by a participle, a modal by the base form, and does the form suit the tense?
- Check the article before each noun: a, an or the, according to the sound that follows and the number of the noun.
- Check the preposition against the noun it goes with. Prepositions are fixed by usage, so an unusual pairing is usually the fault.
- The option that survives all of those checks is the answer. If two survive, one of the checks has been applied carelessly.
Mistakes that cost marks
- Choosing the option that reads most smoothly rather than the one that is free of faults.
- Missing a second fault because the first one was found and the search stopped there.
- Accepting the printed sentence as the answer because it looks familiar after being read twice.
- Judging the verb form without checking it against the number of the doer.
- Correcting the fault but introducing another one in the same option, which is exactly what the wrong options do.
Worked example
The students has painted a bridge on the table. Which version of this sentence is correct?
- Find the doer: the students, which is plural.
- Look at the verb phrase: has painted. The helper verb has is singular and does not agree with a plural doer.
- The helper verb must agree with the doer, so has becomes have.
- The main verb is already the past participle painted, which is what a helper verb requires, so it stays as it is.
- Check the rest of the sentence: the article before bridge is correct, and on the table is the right preposition with table.
- The corrected sentence is: The students have painted a bridge on the table.
Answer: The students have painted a bridge on the table.
Practice questions with answers
A few Sentence Correction questions with the full solution shown, so you can see
how the method is applied before you attempt the timed set.
Question 1
The sentence below contains one error. Choose the option that is correct: The children have found a letters at the market.
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A
The children have found the letters of the market.
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B
The children have found the letters at the market.
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C
The children has found the letters at the market.
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D
A children have found the letters at the market.
Answer: Option B — with explanation
In the sentence as printed, the article 'a' is used with a plural noun.\nThe correct form is: The children have found the letters at the market.\nEach of the other three options carries a different fault of its own, so none of them can be the correction.
Common mistakes
- the preposition does not belong with this noun: The children have found the letters of the market.
- the article 'a' is used with a plural doer: A children have found the letters at the market.
- the verb agrees with the wrong number, so a plural doer is given a singular verb: The children has found the letters at the market.
Question 2
The sentence below contains one error. Choose the option that is correct: The children are finding a thief of the river.
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A
The children are finding a thief along the river.
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B
A children are finding a thief along the river.
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C
The children are finding an thief along the river.
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D
The children is finding a thief along the river.
Answer: Option A — with explanation
In the sentence as printed, the preposition does not belong with this noun.\nThe correct form is: The children are finding a thief along the river.\nEach of the other three options carries a different fault of its own, so none of them can be the correction.
Common mistakes
- 'an' is used before a word that begins with a consonant sound: The children are finding an thief along the river.
- the verb agrees with the wrong number, so a plural doer is given a singular verb: The children is finding a thief along the river.
- the article 'a' is used with a plural doer: A children are finding a thief along the river.
Question 3
The sentence below contains one error. Choose the option that is correct: The farmers fixes a bicycle in the garden.
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A
The farmers fix a bicycle of the garden.
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B
A farmers fix a bicycle in the garden.
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C
The farmers fix a bicycle in the garden.
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D
The farmers fix an bicycle in the garden.
Answer: Option C — with explanation
In the sentence as printed, the verb agrees with the wrong number, so a plural doer is given a singular verb.\nThe correct form is: The farmers fix a bicycle in the garden.\nEach of the other three options carries a different fault of its own, so none of them can be the correction.
Common mistakes
- 'an' is used before a word that begins with a consonant sound: The farmers fix an bicycle in the garden.
- the article 'a' is used with a plural doer: A farmers fix a bicycle in the garden.
- the preposition does not belong with this noun: The farmers fix a bicycle of the garden.
Question 4
One error is present in the sentence below. Choose the correct form: The farmers are teaching an lesson outside the school.
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A
The farmers are teaching a lesson outside the school.
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B
A farmers are teaching a lesson outside the school.
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C
The farmers are teaching a lesson of the school.
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D
The farmers is teaching a lesson outside the school.
Answer: Option A — with explanation
In the sentence as printed, 'an' is used before a word that begins with a consonant sound.\nThe correct form is: The farmers are teaching a lesson outside the school.\nEach of the other three options carries a different fault of its own, so none of them can be the correction.
Common mistakes
- the verb agrees with the wrong number, so a plural doer is given a singular verb: The farmers is teaching a lesson outside the school.
- the preposition does not belong with this noun: The farmers are teaching a lesson of the school.
- the article 'a' is used with a plural doer: A farmers are teaching a lesson outside the school.
Question 5
The sentence below contains one error. Choose the option that is correct: The farmers sells the bicycles along the river.
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A
The farmers sell the bicycles of the river.
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B
A farmers sell the bicycles along the river.
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C
The farmers sell the bicycles along the river.
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D
The farmers sell a bicycles along the river.
Answer: Option C — with explanation
In the sentence as printed, the verb agrees with the wrong number, so a plural doer is given a singular verb.\nThe correct form is: The farmers sell the bicycles along the river.\nEach of the other three options carries a different fault of its own, so none of them can be the correction.
Common mistakes
- the preposition does not belong with this noun: The farmers sell the bicycles of the river.
- the article 'a' is used with a plural noun: The farmers sell a bicycles along the river.
- the article 'a' is used with a plural doer: A farmers sell the bicycles along the river.
Frequently asked questions
Is the error always in the verb?
No. Agreement is the commonest, but articles and prepositions are also used, and the wrong options usually carry one kind each so that an option can be rejected for a definite reason.
How do I check four similar sentences without reading each one three times?
Check one thing at a time across all four options. Compare the doers, then the verb forms, then the articles, then the prepositions. Each pass eliminates something.
What if an option is different in a way that looks like a matter of style?
It is not. In this question type every difference is either right or wrong by rule. If a difference looks stylistic, look at it again for agreement or article use.
Should I pick the option that sounds most natural?
Only as a last resort. Sound is a good guide to usage, but these options are built to sound plausible, and the fault is meant to be found by rule.
