In the NDA English paper you are given four sentences and asked to choose the one that is grammatically correct. Three of them hide a small error − a wrong verb, a missing article, a clumsy preposition. This Cavalier guide trains your eye to spot the trap fast and tick the clean sentence with confidence.
What This Question Type Really Tests
In an Identifying Correct Sentences question, all four options say roughly the same thing. Your job is not to judge the meaning but to find the one version that breaks no grammar rule. The other three contain a deliberate mistake.
The examiner reuses a small set of rules − subject-verb agreement, tense, articles, prepositions, pronouns and word order. Once you know these rules, the question becomes a quick checklist rather than a guess.
You are hunting for the error-free sentence. So in three of the four options, you only need to find ONE mistake to reject them. The remaining clean sentence is your answer.
This topic carries reliable marks every year because the rules are fixed. With practice from Wren & Martin and the Oxford Guide, students at The Cavalier learn to clear these in well under a minute.
There is one more reason to love this question type: it is self-checking. Unlike comprehension or sentence ordering, where two options can feel equally good, here only one option is truly free of error. Once you train your eye, the correct answer almost jumps out. The trick is to stop reading for meaning and start reading for structure − first the subject and verb, then the small connecting words like articles and prepositions that carry most of the traps.
Subject-Verb Agreement
The verb must match its subject in number (singular or plural) and person. This is the single most tested rule.
- Singular subject → singular verb: The boy runs.
- Plural subject → plural verb: The boys run.
- Two subjects joined by and → plural verb.
- Subjects joined by or / nor → verb agrees with the nearer subject.
Tricky subjects to watch
- Each, every, everyone, neither, either take a singular verb: Each of the boys was present.
- Uncountable nouns (news, furniture, information, advice) are singular: The news is good.
- Collective nouns (team, jury, family) usually take a singular verb when acting as one unit.
- A phrase between subject and verb does not change the number: The box of pens is here.
Students match the verb to the nearest noun instead of the real subject. In The quality of the apples was poor, the subject is quality (singular), not apples.
A few more agreement traps
Some words look plural but are singular, and some look singular but are plural. Mathematics, physics, economics, news end in -s yet take a singular verb: Physics is my favourite subject. On the other hand, scissors, trousers, spectacles, scissors, cattle, police take a plural verb: The police have arrived.
When two singular nouns joined by and refer to the same person or thing, the verb stays singular: The poet and statesman is dead (one person). But The poet and the statesman are dead means two people. The repeated the is your clue.
Tense and Sequence of Tenses
A correct sentence keeps its tenses consistent. A common trap is mixing past and present without reason.
- If the main clause is in the past, the subordinate clause is usually past too: He said that he was ill.
- A universal truth stays in the present even after a past verb: The teacher said the earth is round.
- After since and for (duration up to now), use the present perfect: I have lived here since 2010.
Conditional sentences
- Type 2 (unreal present): If I were rich, I would travel.
- Type 3 (unreal past): If he had studied, he would have passed.
If you see If ... would in the same clause (e.g. If I would have known), reject it. The if-clause never takes would in standard NDA English.
Other tense traps
After had better, would rather and it is time, use the base or past form, not the present: You had better go now; It is time we left. Watch for the wrong use of the perfect tense too − I have seen him yesterday is wrong because yesterday is a finished past time, so it must be the simple past: I saw him yesterday. The present perfect goes with just, already, ever, never, so far, not with a fixed past moment.
Articles - A, An, The
Wrong or missing articles are a favourite trap because the error is easy to overlook.
- Use a before a consonant sound: a university, a one-rupee coin.
- Use an before a vowel sound: an hour, an MLA, an honest man.
- Use the for something specific or already mentioned, and before rivers, seas, mountain ranges and unique objects (the sun, the Ganga, the Himalayas).
When NOT to use an article
- Before plural or uncountable nouns used in a general sense: Honesty is the best policy (not The honesty).
- Before names of meals, languages, and most countries: We had lunch; She speaks French.
It is the sound, not the letter, that decides a or an. An university is wrong because university begins with a y sound; the correct form is a university.
The other half of article errors is a missing the. Use the before superlatives (the best, the tallest), before ordinals (the first, the second), and before an adjective used as a noun for a whole class (the rich, the poor, the blind). A sentence like He is best student in class is wrong; it must read He is the best student in the class.
Pronoun Agreement and Case
A pronoun must agree with its noun in number and gender, and must be in the correct case.
- Subject case (I, he, she, we, they) does the action; object case (me, him, her, us, them) receives it.
- After a preposition, use the object form: between you and me (never between you and I).
- Each, everyone, anybody are singular → use his/her, not their, in formal grammar: Everyone must do his duty.
Order of pronouns
The polite order is second person, third person, first person (231): You, he and I are friends. But when confessing a fault, put I first: I and Ram broke the glass.
To test pronoun case, drop the other person. He gave it to John and (I/me) → say He gave it to me, so me is correct.
Prepositions and Word Order
Many sentences look fine but use the wrong preposition or place an adverb badly.
- Fixed pairs: married to, composed of, different from, good at, afraid of, superior to, capable of.
- Place adverbs like only, almost, even right before the word they modify. He only failed once differs from Only he failed once.
Common confusions
- Since (point of time) vs for (length of time): since Monday, for two days.
- Avoid double comparatives: more better is wrong; say better.
- Comprised of is non-standard; use comprises or is composed of.
Verbs that drop the preposition
A few common verbs are transitive and take their object directly − adding a preposition makes the sentence wrong. We discuss a matter (not discuss about), request something (not request for), and reach a place (not reach at). A sentence such as They discussed about the plan is a classic trap and should be rejected at once.
Adjectives ending in -ior (superior, inferior, senior, junior, prior) take to, never than: He is senior to me.
Modifiers, Parallelism and Double Negatives
Beyond the big rules, the examiner sets a few neat traps that reward careful reading.
Misplaced and dangling modifiers
A describing phrase must clearly attach to the right noun. Walking down the road, the trees looked lovely is wrong − the trees were not walking. Correct: Walking down the road, I found the trees lovely.
Parallel structure
Items in a list should share the same grammatical form. She likes reading, to write and dancing is wrong; make all gerunds: reading, writing and dancing.
Double negatives
Two negatives in one clause are wrong in standard English. I don't want nothing should be I don't want anything. Words like hardly, scarcely, barely are already negative − do not add another not.
Comparison errors
When you compare two things, both sides must be of the same kind. The climate of Delhi is hotter than Shimla is wrong because it compares a climate with a city; it should read hotter than that of Shimla. Also remember to use other after a comparison within the same group: He is taller than any other boy in the class − dropping other would absurdly make him taller than himself.
A 5-Step Method to Check Each Option
Speed comes from a fixed routine. Run every option through this checklist instead of reading by feel.
- Find the subject and verb − do they agree in number?
- Check the tense − is the sequence logical and consistent?
- Scan the articles − is each a / an / the correct, and none missing?
- Check pronouns and prepositions − right case, right pairing?
- Read once for sense − any misplaced modifier, double negative or faulty parallelism?
If an option survives all five checks, it is your answer. Mark it and move on − do not over-think a clean sentence.
A useful habit is to eliminate rather than confirm. Read each wrong option only until you find its first mistake, then strike it out and move to the next. You usually do not need to finish reading a faulty sentence at all. This elimination approach saves precious seconds in an exam where every question carries the same mark and time is tight.
Worked Example
Choose the grammatically correct sentence:
Apply the checklist:
Option (c) passes every rule cleanly, so the answer is (c).
Notice how options (a) and (b) both fail the very first check − subject-verb agreement − so you can reject them in seconds.
Previous-Year Style Question
Q. Select the grammatically correct sentence:
(a) He is one of the best player in the team.
(b) He is one of the best players in the team.
(c) He is one of the best players in the team who deserve praise.
(d) He is the most best player in the team.
Answer: (b). The phrase one of the is always followed by a plural noun, so players is needed − this rules out (a). Option (d) has a double superlative (most best), which is wrong. Option (c) adds a clause that breaks agreement. Only (b) is fully correct.
One of the + plural noun is a guaranteed pattern. If you see one of the best player, it is wrong every single time.
Quick Revision
- Find the one error-free sentence; reject the other three on a single mistake.
- Subject-verb agreement is tested most − watch each, one of, neither, the quality of.
- Keep tenses consistent; never use would in the if-clause.
- Articles depend on sound; -ior words take to; avoid double negatives.
- Run every option through the 5-step checklist for speed and accuracy.
Practise 10 mixed sentences daily from Wren & Martin and past NDA papers, and this question type will become a guaranteed scorer for you.
Frequently asked questions
How many marks does Identifying Correct Sentences carry in NDA English?
It usually appears as a small set of questions worth a few marks each year. Because the rules are fixed and repeatable, it is one of the most reliable scoring areas in the English paper.
What is the most common error tested in these questions?
Subject-verb agreement is by far the most frequent. Look closely at subjects like 'each of', 'one of the', 'neither', uncountable nouns and phrases placed between the subject and verb.
Should I rely on how a sentence sounds?
No. Sound can mislead you because incorrect forms are often familiar from casual speech. Always apply the grammar checklist instead of trusting your ear alone.
How do I decide between 'a' and 'an' quickly?
Listen to the first sound, not the first letter. Use 'an' before vowel sounds (an hour, an MLA) and 'a' before consonant sounds (a university, a one-rupee note).
Which books should I use to practise this topic?
Wren and Martin's High School English Grammar and the Oxford Guide cover every rule with examples. Pair them with year-wise NDA previous papers to learn the exact question pattern.
Related NDA English topics
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