Spot the error

The following sentence may contain an error. You have to find that part of the sentence which contains the error. If there are no errors, choose E as your answer.

1. I have been living in this city since last several years but have never experienced any discrimination.

a) have been living

b) in this city

c) since last several years

d) have never experienced

e) No error

2. There was a big argument about if we should move to a bigger house.

a) There was

b) argument about

c) if we should

d) move to

e) No error

3. I found this bangle while digging in the backyard. I don’t know who it belonged to.

a) I found

b) while digging in

c) in the backyard

d) who it belonged to

e) No error

4. The judge paid a lot of attention to that the master had abused the boy both physically and emotionally.

a) The judge paid

b) a lot of attention

c) attention to that

d) master had abused

e) No error

5. By next Christmas, we will have been here for eight years.

a) By next Christmas

b) will have been

c) here

d) for eight years

e) No error


1. c) since last several years

It should be ‘for the last several years’. To indicate duration, we use ‘for’. ‘Since’ is used to indicate the starting point of actions and situations.

2. c) if we should

It should be ‘whether we should’. After a preposition, we cannot use an if-clause. Instead, we use ‘whether’.

3. d) who it belonged to

It should be ‘to whom it belonged’. The sentence should read: I don’t know to whom it belonged. When the relative pronoun is the object of the relative clause, we use whom instead of who. Note that, in this case, the preposition normally goes before whom.

4. c) attention to that

It should be ‘attention to the fact that’. We cannot put a that-clause immediately after a preposition. In this case, we use the expression ‘the fact’ between the preposition and the that-clause.

5. No error