- Each of the boys in the class are doing their homework.
- She have a lot of work to finish before the deadline.
- Neither the teacher nor the students was happy with the result.
- The committee has agreed to share their findings with the public.
- He was so tired that he cannot finish the assignment on time.
- One of the girl in the class is planning to study abroad.
- They have been working in this project since two months.
- I don’t like the sceneries in the countryside.
- The principal, along with the teachers, are attending the conference.
- She gave me many advices on how to prepare for the interview.
Answers with a simple explanation:
the explanations for each error location question:
- Each of the boys in the class are doing their homework.
- Error: “are”
- Explanation: The subject “Each of the boys” is singular, so the verb should be “is.” The correct sentence is: Each of the boys in the class is doing their homework.
- She have a lot of work to finish before the deadline.
- Error: “have”
- Explanation: The subject “She” is singular, so the verb should be “has.” The correct sentence is: She has a lot of work to finish before the deadline.
- Neither the teacher nor the students was happy with the result.
- Error: “was”
- Explanation: When using “neither…nor,” the verb agrees with the subject closest to it. “students” is plural, so the verb should be “were.” The correct sentence is: Neither the teacher nor the students were happy with the result.
- The committee has agreed to share their findings with the public.
- Error: “their”
- Explanation: “Committee” is a collective noun, and in formal English, it is treated as singular, so the pronoun should be “its.” The correct sentence is: The committee has agreed to share its findings with the public.
- He was so tired that he cannot finish the assignment on time.
- Error: “cannot”
- Explanation: Since the sentence is in the past tense (“was”), “cannot” should be “could not” to maintain the past tense consistency.
- The correct sentence is: He was so tired that he could not finish the assignment on time.
- One of the girl in the class is planning to study abroad.
- Error: “girl”
- Explanation: “One of the” refers to one among many, so the noun should be plural.
- The correct sentence is: One of the girls in the class plans to study abroad.
- They have been working in this project since two months.
- Error: “since”
- Explanation: “Since” is used for specific points in time. For a period, “for” should be used. The correct sentence is: They have been working on this project for two months.
- I don’t like the sceneries in the countryside.
- Error: “sceneries”
- Explanation: “Scenery” is an uncountable noun, so it doesn’t have a plural form. The correct sentence is: I don’t like the scenery in the countryside.
- The principal, along with the teachers, are attending the conference.
- Error: “are”
- Explanation: The subject “The principal” is singular, and “along with the teachers” is additional information, so the verb should be “is.” The correct sentence is: The principal, along with the teachers, is attending the conference.
- She gave me many advices on how to prepare for the interview.
- Error: “advices”
- Explanation: “Advice” is an uncountable noun, so it does not have a plural form. The correct sentence is: She gave me much advice on how to prepare for the interview.
The detailed concepts involved in each error location question.
1. Subject-Verb Agreement
Incorrect: Each of the boys in the class are doing their homework.
Correct: Each of the boys in the class is doing their homework.
Concept:
In subject-verb agreement, the verb must agree in number with the subject. “Each” is a singular pronoun, so it requires a singular verb. Although “boys” is plural, “each of the boys” is treated as singular.
Rule: When using “each,” “everyone,” “every,” or “either,” a singular verb is required.
Example: Each of the books is on the shelf.
2. Singular and Plural Verbs
Incorrect: She have a lot of work to finish before the deadline.
Correct: She has a lot of work to finish before the deadline.
Concept:
The subject “She” is singular, and the verb must match in number. In this case, the singular verb “has” is correct. “Have” is used for plural subjects or with “I” and “you.”
Rule: Use “has” with third-person singular subjects (he, she, it).
Example: He has a new car.
3. Neither/Nor and Subject-Verb Agreement
Incorrect: Neither the teacher nor the students was happy with the result.
Correct: Neither the teacher nor the students were happy with the result.
Concept:
When using “neither…nor” or “either…or,” the verb agrees with the subject closest to it. In this case, “students” is plural, so the verb “were” is needed.
Rule: In a “neither…nor” or “either…or” construction, the verb agrees with the subject nearest to it.
Example: Neither the manager nor the employees were present.
4. Collective Nouns
Incorrect: The committee has agreed to share their findings with the public.
Correct: The committee has agreed to share its findings with the public.
Concept:
Collective nouns (like committee, team, or family) are singular when referring to the group as a whole. In formal English, singular pronouns like “its” should be used.
Rule: Treat collective nouns as singular if they refer to the group as a unit.
Example: The jury has reached its decision.
5. Tense Consistency
Incorrect: He was so tired that he cannot finish the assignment on time.
Correct: He was so tired that he could not finish the assignment on time.
Concept:
Tense consistency requires the verbs in a sentence to be in the same tense when referring to the same time period. Since “was” is past tense, “cannot” should be “could not” to match.
Rule: Maintain consistent tenses when referring to actions in the same time period.
Example: She was late because she could not find her keys.
6. One of + Plural Noun
Incorrect: One of the girl in the class is planning to study abroad.
Correct: One of the girls in the class is planning to study abroad.
Concept:
“One of” refers to a single individual from a group, so the noun after “one of” must be plural.
Rule: After “one of,” always use a plural noun.
Example: One of the books is missing.
7. For vs. Since
Incorrect: They have been working in this project since two months.
Correct: They have been working on this project for two months.
Concept:
“Since” is used to indicate a specific point in time, while “for” is used to indicate a period of time. In this case, “two months” is a period of time, so “for” is correct.
Rule: Use “for” with durations and “since” with specific points in time.
Example: I have been studying for three hours.
I have been studying since 9 AM.
8. Uncountable Nouns
Incorrect: I don’t like the sceneries in the countryside.
Correct: I don’t like the scenery in the countryside.
Concept:
“Scenery” is an uncountable noun, so it doesn’t have a plural form. Many uncountable nouns like “advice,” “furniture,” and “information” cannot be pluralized.
Rule: Do not add “s” to uncountable nouns. Use modifiers like “a lot of,” “some,” or “much” to express quantity.
Example: The furniture in this room is beautiful.
9. Parenthetical Expressions and Verb Agreement
Incorrect: The principal, along with the teachers, are attending the conference.
Correct: The principal, along with the teachers, is attending the conference.
Concept:
Expressions like “along with,” “together with,” and “as well as” are not part of the main subject. The verb should agree with the main subject only (“The principal” in this case).
Rule: Parenthetical expressions do not affect subject-verb agreement.
Example: The CEO, along with the board members, is attending the meeting.
10. Uncountable Nouns (Advice)
Incorrect: She gave me many advices on how to prepare for the interview.
Correct: She gave me a lot of advice on how to prepare for the interview.
Concept:
“Advice” is an uncountable noun and does not take a plural form. Uncountable nouns typically refer to things that cannot be counted individually (like “water” or “information”).
Rule: Use “much” or “a lot of” with uncountable nouns, not “many.”
Example: She gave me some good advice.