Error Spotting
🔒 Log in to trackComparison, redundancy and confusable-word errors
🔒 Log in to trackComparison errors are double forms (more bigger), broken logic (bigger than any city) and a wrong than after Latin words like superior. Word-choice errors are repeated ideas (return back) and look-alike words (advice, advise). Learn the short lists below and the errors show up at once.
Degrees of comparison
- Use one shape only: bigger, never more bigger. Most beautiful, never beautifullest.
- Two things: comparative. The shorter of the two routes.
- More than two: superlative. The shortest of the five routes.
- A superlative takes the. A best is wrong.
- Latin comparatives take to, not than: superior to, inferior to, senior to, junior to, prior to, preferable to.
- Prefer X to Y. I prefer tea to coffee. Never prefer than.
- Elder is for family and takes no than. Use older than everywhere else.
Compare like with like
- A member compared with its own group needs other.
- Right: Nagpur is hotter than any other city in Maharashtra.
- Wrong: ... than any city in Maharashtra. Nagpur would be hotter than itself.
- Repeat the noun or use that of / those of when you compare qualities.
- Right: The climate of Ooty is cooler than that of Bengaluru.
- Wrong: ... cooler than Bengaluru. That compares a climate with a city.
Watch: The sooner, the better is a legal double comparative. More better never is.
Redundancy: one idea, one word
Cut the second word: return back, repeat again, revert back, final conclusion, close proximity, sufficient enough, cooperate together, adequate enough, couple together.
Also cut: both of you two (say both of you), discuss about (say discuss), enter into a room (say enter a room). Each and every is not needed: choose one in formal writing.
Some verbs need no preposition: discuss the plan, attack the fort, resemble his father, marry her.
Few, little, less, elder
| Pair | Rule | Example |
|---|---|---|
| few / a few | few = almost none. a few = some | Few men are wise. A few students stayed. |
| little / a little | little = hardly any. a little = some | There is a little water left. |
| much / many | much + uncountable. many + countable | much help, many friends |
| fewer / less | fewer + countable. less + uncountable | fewer books, less sugar |
| farther / further | farther = distance. further = additional | further details |
| lie / lay | lie: lay, lain. lay (put): laid | He lay down. He laid the pen down. |
Confusable pairs
| Pair | Meaning |
|---|---|
| advice / advise | advice = suggestion (noun). advise = to suggest (verb) |
| effect / affect | effect = result (noun). affect = to influence (verb) |
| lose / loose | lose = misplace. loose = not tight |
| principal / principle | principal = head, main. principle = a rule of conduct |
| stationary / stationery | stationary = not moving. stationery = paper, pens |
| quite / quiet | quite = rather. quiet = silent |
Method
- See a comparison? Check the shape, the number of items, the to words, and the any other / that of logic.
- No comparison? Look for a repeated idea or a wrong twin. Ask: does the word's job (noun or verb) match its form?
Word order also lands here. Adverbs of frequency come before the main verb but after be: He always is is wrong. Say He is always.
Question types you will see
Each type: how to recognise it, the method step by step, and one question to try.
Double or mixed comparative forms
The part has more + -er, most + -est, or a superlative used for exactly two items.
Circle the adjective and its marker.
Use one shape only: -er or more.
Count the items. Two: comparative. Three or more: superlative with the.
'More better' sounds strong, which is why setters plant it.
Find the part with the error. (a) Of the two routes, (b) this one is the most shortest (c) and also the safer (d) for heavy trucks.
Show solutionHide solution
There are two routes, so a comparative is needed.
'Most shortest' doubles the marker.
Correct: 'the shorter'.
(b) this one is the most shortest
Redundant word pairs
One idea is said twice: return back, repeat again, revert back, both of you two.
Ask of each word: does a neighbour already say this?
'Back' after return, 'again' after repeat: cut one.
The part with the doubled word is the error.
These doubles are common in daily speech, so they feel normal.
Find the part with the error. (a) Please repeat again (b) what you said (c) about the revised (d) reporting time.
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'Repeat' already means say again.
'Again' adds nothing.
Correct: 'Please repeat what you said'.
(a) Please repeat again
Confusable word swap
A near-twin word sits in the wrong job: a noun where a verb is needed, or the wrong member of a sound-alike pair.
Decide the job: noun or verb?
advice = noun, advise = verb. effect = noun, affect = verb. lose = misplace, loose = not tight.
Read for sense. The wrong twin makes the sentence silly.
The pairs differ by one letter, and both exist in English, so spell-check cannot help.
Find the part with the error. (a) Be careful, (b) or you might loose (c) the documents (d) you collected today.
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The meaning needed is 'misplace'.
'Loose' means not tight.
Correct: 'lose'.
(b) or you might loose
Comparison logic: any other, that of, to
The comparison is well formed but broken in logic: a member against its own group, or two unlike things, or than after a Latin word.
Name the two things compared.
Same group: add other / any other.
Different kinds (climate vs city): use that of / those of.
superior, senior, junior, prior: use to.
The ear accepts 'than any city'. Only the logic check catches it.
Find the part with the error. (a) This model is (b) more superior than (c) the one we bought (d) last year.
Show solutionHide solution
'Superior' is a Latin comparative, so it takes 'to'.
'More' also doubles it.
Correct: 'superior to'.
(b) more superior than
Few, little, fewer, less and elder
The part has few, little, less, fewer, much, many or elder, and the noun is countable or not.
Is the noun countable? Countable: few, fewer, many. Uncountable: little, less, much.
Family only and no than: elder.
Few and little are negative. A few and a little are positive.
Countable and uncountable words are easy to swap under time pressure.
Find the part with the error. (a) There were (b) less people (c) at the meeting (d) this year.
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'People' is countable.
A countable noun takes 'fewer'.
Correct: 'fewer people'.
(b) less people
Verbs that need no preposition
A verb like discuss, attack, resemble or marry is followed by an extra preposition.
Spot the verb and the word after it.
Discuss, attack, resemble, marry take no preposition.
Delete the extra word.
These verbs already carry the meaning of the preposition.
Find the part with the error. (a) The committee will (b) discuss about (c) the new rules (d) on Monday.
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'Discuss' needs no preposition.
'About' is extra.
Correct: 'discuss the new rules'.
(b) discuss about
Shortcuts that save time
Look for more before a comparative (more bigger) or most before a superlative. That is an error at once.
Delhi is / more bigger / than Agra / in area.
Show solutionHide solution
'Bigger' is already a comparative.
'More' doubles it.
Correct: 'bigger than Agra'.
Part 2 (more bigger)
In pairs like return back, repeat again and revert back, the second word repeats the first. These are planted answers.
When two nouns' qualities are compared, the second noun needs that of or those of: 'The roads of Delhi are wider than those of Patna.'
Mistakes to avoid
Where most students lose marks on this subtopic.
Writing 'Mumbai is bigger than any city in India'.
Add 'other': bigger than any other city in India.
Using 'than' after prefer, senior, junior, superior or inferior.
These take 'to' only.
Treating 'a little' and 'a few' as errors.
They are positive forms. Only 'little' and 'few' alone are negative.
Marking a long phrase as redundant just because it is wordy.
SSC items mark echo pairs like return back, not every long phrase.
Comparing a quality with a place ('cooler than Bengaluru').
Use that of / those of: cooler than that of Bengaluru.
Quick revision
Read this the night before the exam.
Never more bigger, most shortest or a best.
superior, senior, junior, prior, preferable: to, not than.
A thing compared with its own group: any other.
Climate against city: use that of / those of.
Kill echoes: return back, repeat again, discuss about.
advice (noun) / advise (verb). effect (noun) / affect (verb). lose / loose.
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 7 min · wrong answers go to your mistake notebook automatically.