Error Spotting
🔒 Log in to trackArticle and preposition errors
🔒 Log in to trackArticles are a sound decision. Use a or an by the first sound of the next word, not its first letter. Use the for a known, unique or superlative noun. Prepositions are fixed partners: find the word the preposition depends on, and recall its usual partner.
A or an
Decide by the first sound, not the letter.
| Sound | Article | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| vowel sound | an | an hour, an honest man, an MLA, an X-ray |
| consonant sound | a | a university, a European, a one-rupee coin |
University, Euro and one begin with a y or w sound, which is a consonant sound.
Tip: Say the phrase aloud. An university fails the ear at once.
The, or no article
Use the when the noun is:
- already known or made clear by a phrase (the girl in blue)
- one of its kind (the sun, the Ganga)
- a superlative or an ordinal (the best, the holiest, the first)
Watch: A best and a most are always wrong. A superlative needs the.
Use no article in these cases:
- Plural or uncountable nouns in a general sense: Women are running hostels now.
- Abstract ideas: Honesty is the best policy.
- Meals, languages, games: have dinner, speak Tamil, play cricket.
- School, college or hospital in their purpose sense: go to school.
Prepositions: fixed pairs win
Most questions test fixed pairs, not direction or place. Find the word the preposition hangs on and recall its partner.
Verbs
- abide by, accuse of, approve of, consist of, depend on
- insist on, interfere with, comply with, deal with, jump to conclusions
- apologise to (person) for (act), apply to (office) for (post)
- prefer X to Y
Adjectives
- afraid of, capable of, fond of, devoid of, good at
- angry with (person) at (thing), married to, different from
- senior to, junior to
Nouns
- cause of, reason for, solution to, comparison with
Some pairs have two forms. Let the noun after the blank choose: apply to an office, apply for a post.
Accompany takes no preposition.
Example: He is married with a doctor. The fixed pair is married to. Correct: He is married to a doctor.
Some pairs change meaning with the preposition. Look at means glance. Look for means search. Look after means take care of. Learn the pair with its meaning.
Time and place words
- in for long periods: in June, in 2026, in the morning.
- on for days and dates: on Monday, on 15 August.
- at for clock points: at 9 a.m., at night, at dawn.
- since + starting point. for + length. during + a period inside which something happens. within + a limit.
- between two things. among more than two: The land was divided between the two brothers. The sweets were shared among the children.
Method
- If the blank follows a verb, adjective or noun, recall its fixed partner. Meaning rarely helps.
- If it is time or place, sort by size: at, then on, then in.
- Read each preposition on its own. It often hides at the end of a long part.
Question types you will see
Each type: how to recognise it, the method step by step, and one question to try.
A vs an by sound
The suspect part has a or an before a word. The word's first letter and its first sound may disagree.
Say the next word aloud.
Vowel sound: an (an hour, an MLA).
Consonant sound: a (a university, a one-day match).
Ignore the spelling.
The rule follows speech, and words like university or hour break the letter rule.
Find the part with the error. (a) She reached the hall (b) an hour late (c) because of a MLA's convoy. (d) No error
Show solutionHide solution
MLA is said 'em-el-ay'.
It starts with a vowel sound.
Correct: 'an MLA's convoy'.
(c) because of a MLA's convoy
The with superlatives and unique nouns
A superlative (best, holiest) or a one-of-a-kind noun (sun, Ganga) has a or no article instead of the.
Spot the superlative or the unique noun.
A superlative always takes the.
A one-of-a-kind noun takes the.
'The' picks out one item from its group. A superlative and a unique noun both do that.
Find the part with the error. (a) The Ganga is considered (b) a holiest of (c) the rivers in India. (d) No error
Show solutionHide solution
'Holiest' is a superlative.
A superlative takes 'the'.
Correct: 'the holiest'.
(b) a holiest of
Adjective + fixed preposition
An adjective (capable, afraid, angry, fond) is followed by a suspect preposition.
Find the adjective before the preposition.
Recall its partner: capable of, angry with (person), fond of, good at.
Do not choose by sense.
Adjective and preposition pairs are frozen by usage.
Find the part with the error. (a) The new recruit (b) is quite capable to (c) handling this (d) difficult client.
Show solutionHide solution
The adjective is 'capable'.
Its fixed partner is 'of'.
Correct: 'capable of handling'.
(b) is quite capable to
Verb + fixed preposition
A verb (insist, comply, accuse, jump) is followed by a preposition, and one option breaks the pair.
Find the verb before the preposition.
Recall the pair: insist on, comply with, accuse of, jump to conclusions.
For two-way pairs, let the noun after the blank choose.
These pairs are memorised chunks. The wrong option is a look-alike from another pair.
Find the part with the error. (a) The coach did not agree with the umpire, (b) but he complied (c) by the rules (d) of the match.
Show solutionHide solution
The verb is 'comply'.
Its partner is 'with'.
'Comply by' mixes it up with 'abide by'.
(c) by the rules
Time, place and between / among
The suspect part has in, on, at, between or among with a time, a place or a group.
Name the time or place: a long period, a day, a clock point.
Long period: in. Day or date: on. Clock point: at.
Two things: between. More than two: among.
Each word covers a fixed size of time or place.
Find the part with the error. (a) The sweets were shared (b) between the (c) forty children (d) of the school.
Show solutionHide solution
'Between' is for two.
Forty children is more than two.
Correct: 'among the forty children'.
(b) between the
Extra article before a language, meal or game
An article stands before a language, a meal, a game or a general plural noun.
Spot the noun: language, meal, game or general idea.
General use takes no article.
Delete the article.
Zero article is the rule for general use, and an added article breaks it.
Find the part with the error. (a) She speaks (b) the Tamil (c) very fluently (d) and plays cricket.
Show solutionHide solution
'Tamil' is a language name in general use.
It takes no article.
Correct: 'speaks Tamil'.
(b) the Tamil
Shortcuts that save time
Articles are sound decisions. Say the phrase. 'An university' fails the ear because of the 'yu' sound. 'A honest man' fails too.
The children / were playing / in a garden / near an university.
Show solutionHide solution
'University' starts with a 'yu' consonant sound.
So the article is 'a'.
Part 4 (an university, should be a university)
Underline the word the preposition depends on. Recite its partner: insist on, angry with (person), prefer to, married to. A wrong partner is the answer.
Superlatives and ordinals need the: 'the most intelligent girl', 'the first attempt'. A bare superlative hides an article error.
Mistakes to avoid
Where most students lose marks on this subtopic.
Choosing 'an' for words that start with a vowel letter but a consonant sound (university, union, one).
Go by sound: a university, a union, a one-rupee coin.
Using 'than' after senior, junior, superior, inferior or prefer.
These words take 'to'.
Writing 'angry on him' or 'consists in students' by literal translation.
Learn the fixed pair: angry with him, consists of students.
Adding 'the' before school, hospital or home in the purpose sense.
Say 'go to school' when you mean attend.
Using 'a best' or 'a most'.
A superlative takes 'the'.
Quick revision
Read this the night before the exam.
an hour, an MLA. a university, a European. Sound, not spelling.
Superlative: the. First mention: a / an. General plurals and meals: no article.
insist on, accuse of, capable of, prefer to, comply with, jump to conclusions.
in June, on Monday, at nine. since a point, for a length, during a period.
angry with a person, at a thing. apply to an office, for a post.
between two, among more than two.
Practice: 12 questions
Sets of 10, mixed across the question types above. Every answer has a step-by-step explanation.
Topic test · 12 questions
Suggested time 6 min · wrong answers go to your mistake notebook automatically.