Identifying Sentence Errors

Each consecutive underlined section corresponds with an answer choice. Select the choice that has an
error, or select choice E for no error.

1. A Because of the Internet, B working at jobs C at home D have become much more common. E No
error.

A. A

B. B

C. C

D. D

E. E

Answer: D. The error is “have become,” which should be “has become.” The plural form of the
auxiliary verb “have” is incorrect because the subject of the independent clause is “working,”
which is singular and thus takes a singular verb.

2. “Pull it out A by B its plug, not by the C cord,” said D dad. E No error.

A. A

B. B

C. C

D. D

E. E

Answer: D. “Dad” is a name or proper noun and should be capitalized.

3. Symptoms of this illness A that warrant a doctor visit B includes fever, C vomiting, and diarrhea, as
well as the D loss of appetite. E No error.

A. A

B. B

C. C

D. D

E. E
Answer: B. “Includes” is incorrect because it is the singular form of the verb, but the subject,
“symptoms,” is plural.

4. A Either Lisa or Karen B will always volunteer C their valuable D time to serve on our board. E No
error.

A. A

B. B

C. C

D. D

E. E

Answer: C. “Their” is incorrect because it is a plural third-person possessive pronoun, but the use of
“either (A)…or” indicates a singular form. It should be “her.”

5. The conversation with her A mother had a more profound B affect on her C than D she expected. E No
error.

A. A

B. B

C. C

D. D

E. E

Answer: B. The correct noun for this meaning is spelled “effect.” “Affect” when it is a noun means
mood or emotional state.

6. The A President and the B Speaker of the House found the C Congressional Republicans’ filibusters
to be D all together specious. E No error.

A. A

B. B

C. C

D. D

E. E
Answer: D. This is incorrectly spelled as two words. In this sentence, it should be “altogether,” a one-
word adverb modifying the adjective “specious” and meaning “entirely” or “completely.” “All
together” would be used for a different meaning.

7. A Professor Lane, our B Computer Science teacher, was excited when he had the opportunity to meet
C Bill Gates, the D president of Microsoft, Inc.E No error.

A. A

B. B

C. C

D. D

E. E

Answer: E. There is no error in this sentence. Titles and proper names are capitalized. Academic subjects
or departments are lower-case unless they are adjectives or proper nouns.

8. Do you think A they B will C except our plan D without an argument? E No error.

A. A

B. B

C. C

D. D

E. E

Answer: C. The verb is misspelled here. For the correct meaning, it should be “accept”. “Except”
means other than, besides, but, etc.

9. “They A had went to the lake B without me C by the time D I got there,” said Jacques. E No error.

A. A

B. B

C. C

D. D

E. E
Answer: A. The correct form for the past perfect tense of the irregular verb “to go” is “had gone,”
not “had went.” “Went” is only used as the past tense, without the auxiliary “had.”

10. Work A as quick B as you C can but D as carefully as possible when you take the test. E No error.

A. A

B. B

C. C

D. D

E. E

Answer: A. The error is “quick,” which is an adjective; here it should be the adverb “quickly”
instead, describing manner (how) to modify the verb “Work.”