Chapter 2 of 9

✏️ Editing Skills

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3 min+10 XP

The Editing section tests your ability to identify and correct grammatical, vocabulary, spelling, and punctuation errors in a short passage. There are typically 10 errors to spot.

Grammar Errors

Subject-verb agreement
Tense consistency
Wrong word forms
Pronoun reference errors

Vocabulary & Spelling

Commonly confused words
Wrong prepositions
Spelling mistakes
Inappropriate register

Common Editing Errors (52 examples)

Common Mistake	Correct Form	Tip
✗My father bring me to school everyday.	✓My father brings me to school every day.	Third-person singular subjects require "-s" on the verb. "Everyday" (adjective) vs "every day" (adverb of frequency).
✗The team of players were tired after the match.	✓The team of players was tired after the match.	The subject is "team" (singular collective noun), not "players". The verb must agree with the subject.
✗Neither the teacher nor the students was present.	✓Neither the teacher nor the students were present.	With "neither...nor", the verb agrees with the nearer subject ("students" is plural).
✗Each of the students have completed their assignment.	✓Each of the students has completed his or her assignment.	"Each" is singular and requires a singular verb and pronoun.
✗The news are shocking to everyone in the school.	✓The news is shocking to everyone in the school.	"News" is an uncountable noun and takes a singular verb.
✗Mathematics are my favourite subject.	✓Mathematics is my favourite subject.	Subject names ending in "-s" (Mathematics, Physics, Economics) take a singular verb.
✗She has finish her homework before dinner yesterday.	✓She had finished her homework before dinner yesterday.	Use past perfect ("had + past participle") for an action completed before another past event. "Yesterday" signals past tense.
✗I am living in Singapore since 2010.	✓I have been living in Singapore since 2010.	Use present perfect continuous for an action that started in the past and continues to the present.
✗The students discuss the topic during the lesson yesterday.	✓The students discussed the topic during the lesson yesterday.	"Yesterday" signals past tense; the verb must be in simple past.
✗By the time we reach the stadium, the match has started.	✓By the time we reached the stadium, the match had started.	Both actions are in the past; use past perfect for the earlier action.
✗When I was young, I will always go to the playground.	✓When I was young, I would always go to the playground.	Use "would" (not "will") to describe habitual actions in the past.
✗She is good in Mathematics and Science.	✓She is good at Mathematics and Science.	The correct preposition is "good at" (not "good in") when referring to skills or subjects.

Showing 12 of 52 examples

Editing Strategy

Read the entire passage once for meaning before looking for errors. Then go line by line. Each line has at most one error. Focus on verbs, articles, and prepositions — these account for most mistakes.

💡Teacher's Tip

The 10-Mark Gift

I call editing the "gift" section because the error types repeat every year. Master the top 5 categories below and you'll score 8-10 marks easily. That's the best marks-per-minute ratio in the whole exam!

🧠Quick Check

Which sentence has a subject-verb agreement error?

AThe students in the class were excited.

BEach of the boys have completed their work.

CNeither the teacher nor the students were absent.

🎯Key Takeaway

Editing is 10 free marks — master the top 5 error types (SVA, tenses, articles, prepositions, spelling) and you'll score 8-10 every time.