STEP Error Identification 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Identify the error: 'He is more taller than his brother.'
- 'He' should be 'Him'
- 'more taller' should be 'taller' — don't use 'more' with -er comparatives (Correct answer)
- 'than' should be 'then'
- 'brother' should be 'brothers'
Correct answer: 'more taller' should be 'taller' — don't use 'more' with -er comparatives
Double comparative error: 'taller' already contains the comparative suffix '-er,' so adding 'more' is redundant and incorrect. Use either 'more + adjective' (for longer words) OR 'adjective + -er' (for shorter words), never both.
Question 2: What is wrong with: 'Everyone should bring their own lunch. They has to be responsible.'
- 'Everyone' should be 'Every one'
- 'They has' should be 'They have' — 'they' takes a plural verb (Correct answer)
- 'own' should be 'owns'
- 'lunch' should be 'lunchs'
Correct answer: 'They has' should be 'They have' — 'they' takes a plural verb
'They' is a plural pronoun and requires a plural verb: 'They have.' Even when 'they' is used as a singular pronoun (referring to 'everyone'), the verb form remains 'have,' not 'has.'
Question 3: Find the mistake: 'I am agree with your opinion.'
- 'your' should be 'you're'
- 'am agree' should be 'agree' — 'agree' is not used with 'am/is/are' in simple present (Correct answer)
- 'opinion' should be 'opinions'
- 'with' should be 'to'
Correct answer: 'am agree' should be 'agree' — 'agree' is not used with 'am/is/are' in simple present
'Agree' is a verb, not an adjective, so it doesn't use 'am/is/are.' Correct: 'I agree with your opinion.' Compare with adjectives that do use 'be': 'I am happy,' 'I am sure.' This error often occurs in learners whose first language uses 'be' + verb.
Question 4: Identify the error: 'I look forward to hear from you soon.'
- 'soon' should be 'soonly'
- 'to hear' should be 'to hearing' — 'look forward to' requires a gerund (Correct answer)
- 'from' should be 'of'
- There is no error
Correct answer: 'to hear' should be 'to hearing' — 'look forward to' requires a gerund
In 'look forward to,' the 'to' is a preposition (not part of an infinitive), so it must be followed by a gerund: 'look forward to hearing from you.' This is one of the most common errors because 'to' is usually followed by a base verb.
Question 5: What is wrong: 'Neither the students nor the teacher were prepared for the test.'
- 'the teacher' should come before 'the students'
- With 'neither...nor,' the verb should agree with the nearest subject: 'teacher' is singular, so 'was' is correct (Correct answer)
- 'prepared' should be 'prepare'
- There is no error
Correct answer: With 'neither...nor,' the verb should agree with the nearest subject: 'teacher' is singular, so 'was' is correct
With 'neither...nor' and 'either...or,' the verb agrees with the nearest subject. 'Teacher' (singular) is nearest to the verb, so 'was' is correct: 'Neither the students nor the teacher was prepared.' If reversed: 'Neither the teacher nor the students were prepared.'
Question 6: Find the error: 'She insisted on to pay the bill.'
- 'She' should be 'Her'
- 'on to pay' should be 'on paying' — prepositions are followed by gerunds, not infinitives (Correct answer)
- 'the bill' should be 'a bill'
- There is no error
Correct answer: 'on to pay' should be 'on paying' — prepositions are followed by gerunds, not infinitives
Prepositions (on, in, at, about, for) are followed by gerunds (-ing form), not infinitives: 'insisted on paying.' This rule applies to all preposition + verb combinations: 'interested in learning,' 'afraid of failing,' 'good at cooking.'
STEP Error Identification 2
Identify the error: 'He is more taller than his brother.'