Instructions for Testing

For each error-induced sentence, determine what errors it contains.

• If it contains one target error, and no other errors, select "Target error only".
• If it contains one target error as well as one or more other errors, select "Target error + others". Also
select this annotation if the sentence contains more than one target error (with or without other errors).
• If it contains zero target errors, select "No target error" regardless of whether it contains other
errors.

0 other errors 1 other error >1 other error

0 target errors No target error No target error No target error
1 target error Target error only Target error + others Target error + others
>1 target error Target error + others Target error + others Target error + others

In determining whether something counts as an error, the criterias are below:

Target error for this test: SUBJECT-VERB AGREEMENT

The "target error" is a subject-verb agreement error: a verb (main or auxiliary) that does not agree in person and
number with its subject. Note that this excludes verbs that are improperly inflected to go with a modal or auxiliary
(e.g., I will goes; He will goes; Does he goes).

• Examples of target error:

I goes to the store.
You never sleeps late.
Are it here yet?
He do not have time.
She says that she want to help.

What counts as an "other error"?

Something that is always an error -- i.e., grammatically incorrect – in the given context in generally accepted
varieties of English.
Examples of common types of errors are below, but the types shown below are not comprehensive.

• He got in a accident. (Should be an "an")

• They watched Gone With The Wind Yesterday. (Should be lowercase)
• I wanted to work, I didn't want to go to school. (Comma splice, should be semicolon or have a
conjunction)

What does NOT count as an error?

• Something that may or may not be incorrect, where context is insufficient to be sure.
Example: This march seemed long.
"march" is an error if referring to the month, but correct if referring to an instance of marching.
• Something that is correct in some countries' varieties of English but incorrect or dispreferred in others.
Example: She is in hospital.
"the" is needed in the US but not in the UK.
• Something that isn't stylistically ideal but isn't grammatically incorrect.
Example: He is really, really, really happy.
This is wordy, repetitive, and arguably lacks creativity, but it is grammatically correct.
• Something that is unacceptable in formal varieties but acceptable in somewhat informal (written)
varieties.
Example: Let's all hang out later.
Colloquial wording and use of a contraction are informal but not incorrect.
• Something that is factually incorrect, semantically strange, or potentially offensive.
Example: The dog said he was an idea.
Semantically strange but grammatically correct.