RULES OF ERROR DETECTION
| Rule | Example |
|---|---|
| 1. Check subject-verb agreement first in every sentence. | X She go to school. / She goes to school. |
| 2. Singular subjects take singular verbs; plural subjects take plural verbs. | He plays football. / They play football. |
| 3. "Each," "every," "everyone," "someone" always take singular verbs. | Everyone loves music. |
| 4. Collective nouns take singular verbs when acting as one unit. | The team is winning the match. |
| 5. Use plural verbs when individuals act separately. | The team are arguing among themselves. |
| 6. Avoid double negatives. | X I don't know nothing. I don't know anything. |
| 7. Articles must match the noun sound, not spelling. | a university / an honest man |
| 8. Use "the" with unique nouns. | the Earth, the Sun, the Internet |
| 9. Don't use "the" with proper names. | x The Ram is here. i v/ Ram is here. |
| 10. Ensure correct use of prepositions. | afraid of, good at, interested in |
| 11. Avoid redundant prepositions. | X Where are you at? + ./ Where are you? |
| 12. Use correct tense for time reference. | I saw him yesterday. / I will see him tomorrow. |
| 13. Avoid tense mismatch in sentences. | X He worked and is leaving now. -+ v/ He worked and left. |
| 14. Use simple present for habits or facts. | The sun rises in the east. |
| 15. Use simple past for completed actions. | I watched a movie yesterday. |
| 16. Use present perfect for past actions with results now. | I have finished my homework. |
| 17. Avoid unnecessary auxiliaries. | X He does not knows me. v/ He does not know me. |
| 18. Avoid double comparatives. | X More better * ../ Better |
| 19. Avoid double superlatives. | X Most easiest -+ .../ Easiest |
| 20. Don't mix degrees of comparison. | x More preferable s/ Preferable |
| 21. Use "than" with comparatives, not "to." | He is taller than me. |
| 22. Use "to" with words like "superior, inferior, junior, senior." | She is senior to me. |
| 23. Use correct conditional forms. | If I were rich, I would travel. |
| 24. Don't mix "if" and "unless" incorrectly. | X Unless you don't come v/ Unless you come |
| 25. Avoid incorrect conjunction pairs. | X Either he or his friends is wrong. Either he is wrong or his friends are. |
| 26. "Neither.nor" takes singular or plural verb based on nearest subject. | Neither he nor his friends are ready. |
| 27. Avoid misplaced modifiers (wrongly placed words). | X She almost drove her kids to school every day. She drove her kids to school almost every day. |
| 28. Parallel structure must be maintained. | X He likes reading, to swim, and jog. ./ He likes reading, swimming, and jogging. |
| 29. Use "fewer" with countable, "less" with uncountable. | Fewer apples, less sugar |
| 30. Use correct quantifiers: much (uncountable), many (countable). | Much money / Many people |
| 31. Avoid mixing adverb and adjective forms. | X She sings beautiful. She sings beautifully. |
| 32. Don't confuse "good" (adj) and "well" (adv). | He is a good singer. / He sings well. |
| 33. Avoid confusing "lay" (put) and "lie" (rest). | Lay the book on the table. / Lie down and rest. |
| 34. Don't confuse "borrow" and "lend." | Can I borrow your pen? / I will lend you mine. |
| 35. Don't confuse "since" and "for." | I have lived here since 2010. / I have lived here for 10 years. |
| 36. Avoid wrong prepositions after verbs. | depend on, insist on, listen to |
| 37. Use correct pair: "between" (two), "among" (more than two). | Between two friends / Among many people |
| 38. Use "who" for subjects, "whom" for objects. | Who broke it? / Whom did you meet? |
| 39. Avoid wrong tense after "wish." | I wish I were rich. |
| 40. Use correct article with superlatives. | the best, the oldest, the biggest |
| 41. Avoid unnecessary words. | X Repeat again Repeat |
| 42. Use "not only...but also" correctly. | She is not only smart but also hardworking. |
| 43. Use "no sooner...than," not "no sooner...when." | No sooner had he come than it rained. |
| 44. Avoid confusing "each other" and "one another." | Two = each other / Many = one another |
| 45. Don't confuse "who's" (who is) and "whose" (possession). | Who's there? / Whose pen is this? |
| 46. Avoid using "double subjects." | X My brother he is tall. + ../ My brother is tall. |
| 47. Avoid using wrong word order. | X I only love you. y v/ I love only you. |
| 48. Avoid ambiguous pronoun reference. | X When Mary met Susan, she was late. (Who?) |
| 49. Every sentence must end with correct punctuation. | Use . ? ! correctly. |
| 50. Mastering error detection means recognizing patterns practice daily to perfect them. | He don't know -+ He doesn't know. |