I remember when I was in school, I lost many a mark for my spelling mistakes. I guess all of us have misspelled words, with varying degrees. The IBPS RRB exam takes you back to those days! In the English language section IBPS RRB Mains, you might get questions that give you misspelled words and ask you to correct it. If you think that’s easy, then you are right, albeit to a certain extent. Questions like these can get tricky at times and if you don’t know the right techniques, then you might end up making mistakes. This would cause you to lose marks, which is something that you don’t want. So, how to solve IBPS RRB Spelling Mistakes Questions in a fast, simple and easy way? Let’s find out.
Understanding IBPS RRB Spelling Mistakes Questions
What Would be Asked?
In a typical spelling mistake question in IBPS RRB exam, you would be asked to detect whether there is any mistake in the spelling of the given words. In some cases, you might be asked whether the given words are used appropriately or not.
What is the Structure of the Questions?
The structure is quite simple. You would be given a sentence, in which one or more words would be emboldened. You would be asked if any of the words are spelled wrong or used inappropriately.
Example: Read the following sentence and choose the word that is spelled incorrectly (if any)
Software makers in India are facing a huge presure.
A. Software
B. Huge
C. Presure
D. All correct
This sounds easy!
Well, the above example is easy to solve without a doubt. But sometimes, the questions are not this easy. For example, in some questions you there might be a misspelled word as well as an inappropriate word. In such cases, you have to spot both the errors. Miss one and your answer is wrong!
How many questions come on an average?
If you look at previous year question papers of IBPS RRB PO and IBPS RRB office assistants exam, you would find that on an average, 1-3 questions come from this section. However, in recent years, the number of questions from this topic has dropped. Still, you can at least expect a couple of questions from this section in IBPS RRB 2021.
How Should I prepare?
You should start by building your vocabulary and learning the right spelling of words. We have given a list of commonly misspelled words in IBPS RRB exam. You can check them out.
The next thing that you should do is practice mock tests. This would train you in spotting all the errors flawlessly. Sometimes, there are multiple errors as said before. You really have to be calm and composed when it comes to solving the questions
How much should I practice?
Well, it would be great if you could go through the list of misspelled words (given at the bottom of the page) at least once every day. This would build your vocabulary, which can also be used for solving other types of questions in the English language section of IBPS RRB mains.
As far as the practicing questions go, you don’t need to put too much an effort. Just make sure that you are able to spot all the errors. If you are not being able to do that, then practice 5-10 questions once every three days and you would be good to go.
Solving IBPS RRB Spelling Mistakes Questions
Let us take a typical example and see how can solve such questions in a fast and simple way.
Question: Read the following sentence and find the misspelled and/or inappropriately used words (if any)
It normaly doesn’t rains much in the barren lands of Western Rajasthan
A. rains
B. Western
C. normaly
D. barren
Options:
a) A and D
b) A and C
c) C and B
d) B and D
Solution: The solution could be arrived at in two parts. The first part is looking for any possible spelling mistakes and the second part is looking for grammatical errors.
Looking for spelling mistakes – Only one word is spelled wrong here – normaly. Normally is the right spelling.
Looking for inappropriate words – If you know the rules of English grammar correctly, you would know that the word ‘rains’ would not go in the sentennce. The correct word that should be ‘rain’.
By the way, did you notice that the word ‘sentence’ was spelled wrong in the one before the previous sentence? Oh, you missed that? You really need practice, my friend! If you didn’t, then good job!
Anyways, the words A and C are wrong.
Answer: Option (b)
The Rules for Doubling Letters
Is it runing or running? Cancelled or canceled? When should you double letters and when you shouldn’t? This is something you should learn when solving IBPS RRB spelling mistakes questions. Most of the questions asked in the RRB exam tend to confuse you with double letter words.
When it comes to doubling of letters, the following rules would apply.
- If the word is short and contains only one syllable, and ends with a single consonant, then the last letter is doubled when adding a suffix
For example – Run is a small word with only one syllable. When you are adding the suffix -ing, you should use double ‘n’ i.e. the word becomes ‘running’.
However, if the word is ended by more than one consonant, then the letters should not be doubled.
For example – When you are looking to add the suffix -ed to pump, it becomes ‘pumped’ not ‘pumpped’.
- For longer words that end in l, you need to use double ‘l’.
For example – Cancelled, instead of ‘canceled’. Likewise, travelling instead of ‘traveling’. Please note that in American English, ‘traveling’ is the accepted spelling and not ‘travelling’. But in IBPS RRB English exam, we are going to use British English.
- If both the root word ends and the suffix starts with a constant, then the letter should not be doubled.
For example – when you add the suffix -ment to enrol, it becomes ‘enrolment’ and not ‘enrollment’.
- If the word has more than one syllable and stresses on the last syllable and ends with a single consonant, then you should double the last letter.
For example – Begin + ing= Beginning, not ‘begining’
- If the word has more than one syllable but doesn’t stress on the last syllable and ends with a single consonant, then you should not double the last letter.
For example – Offer + ing = offering, not ‘offerring’
Some Commonly Misspelled Words in IBPS RRB Exam
Following are some of the most commonly misspelled words that come in the exam. This would help you in your IBPS RRB English Preparation. Most of these words have come in previous year papers. We suggest you bookmark this page and revise it every day.
Correct spelling | Spelling advice | Common misspelling |
accommodate, accommodation | two cs, two ms | accomodate, accomodation |
achieve | i before e | acheive |
across | one c | accross |
aggressive, aggression | two gs | agressive, agression |
apparently | -ent not -ant | apparantly |
appearance | ends with -ance | appearence |
argument | no e after the u | arguement |
assassination | two double s’s | assasination |
basically | ends with -ally | basicly |
beginning | double n before the -ing | begining |
believe | i before e | beleive, belive |
bizarre | one z, double -r | bizzare |
business | begins with busi- | buisness |
calendar | -ar not -er | calender |
Caribbean | one r, two bs | Carribean |
cemetery | ends with -ery | cemetary |
chauffeur | ends with -eur | chauffer |
colleague | -ea- in the middle | collegue |
coming | one m | comming |
committee | double m, double t, double e | commitee |
completely | ends with -ely | completly |
conscious | -sc- in the middle | concious |
curiosity | -os- in the middle | curiousity |
definitely | -ite- not –ate- | definately |
dilemma | -mm- not -mn- | dilemna |
disappear | one s, two ps | dissapear |
disappoint | one s, two ps | dissapoint |
ecstasy | ends with –sy | ecstacy |
embarrass | two rs, two s’s | embarass |
environment | n before the m | enviroment |
existence | ends with -ence | existance |
Fahrenheit | begins with Fahr- | Farenheit |
familiar | ends with -iar | familar |
finally | two ls | finaly |
fluorescent | begins with fluor- | florescent |
foreign | e before i | foriegn |
foreseeable | begins with fore- | forseeable |
forty | begins with for- | fourty |
forward | begins with for- | foward |
friend | i before e | freind |
further | begins with fur- | futher |
gist | begins with g- | jist |
glamorous | -mor- in the middle | glamourous |
government | n before the m | goverment |
guard | begins with gua- | gaurd |
happened | ends with -ened | happend |
harass, harassment | one r, two s’s | harrass, harrassment |
honorary | -nor- in the middle | honourary |
humorous | -mor- in the middle | humourous |
idiosyncrasy | ends with -asy | idiosyncracy |
immediately | ends with -ely | immediatly |
incidentally | ends with -ally | incidently |
independent | ends with -ent | independant |
interrupt | two rs | interupt |
irresistible | ends with -ible | irresistable |
knowledge | remember the d | knowlege |
liaise, liaison | remember the second i: liais- | liase, liason |
lollipop | i in the middle | lollypop |
millennium, millennia | double l, double n | millenium, millenia |
Neanderthal | ends with -thal | Neandertal |
necessary | one c, two s’s | neccessary |
noticeable | remember the middle e | noticable |
occasion | two cs, one s | ocassion, occassion |
occurred, occurring | two cs, two rs | occured, occuring |
occurrence | two cs, two rs, -ence not -ance | occurance, occurence |
pavilion | one l | pavillion |
persistent | ends with -ent | persistant |
pharaoh | ends with -aoh | pharoah |
piece | i before e | peice |
politician | ends with -cian | politican |
Portuguese | ends with –guese | Portugese |
possession | two s’s in the middle and two at the end | posession |
preferred, preferring | two rs | prefered, prefering |
propaganda | begins with propa- | propoganda |
publicly | ends with –cly | publically |
really | two ls | realy |
receive | e before i | recieve |
referred, referring | two rs | refered, refering |
religious | ends with -gious | religous |
remember | -mem- in the middle | rember, remeber |
resistance | ends with -ance | resistence |
sense | ends with -se | sence |
separate | -par- in the middle | seperate |
siege | i before e | seige |
successful | two cs, two s’s | succesful |
supersede | ends with -sede | supercede |
surprise | begins with sur- | suprise |
tattoo | two ts, two os | tatoo |
tendency | ends with -ency | tendancy |
therefore | ends with -fore | therefor |
threshold | one h in the middle | threshhold |
tomorrow | one m, two rs | tommorow, tommorrow |
tongue | begins with ton-, ends with -gue | tounge |
truly | no e | truely |
unforeseen | remember the e after the r | unforseen |
unfortunately | ends with -ely | unfortunatly |
until | one l at the end | untill |
weird | e before i | wierd |
wherever | one e in the middle | whereever |
which | begins with wh- | wich |
So, these were some of the tips and techniques that you can use to solve IBPS RRB spelling mistakes questions. For more such useful articles, keep browsing Topprnotes.
Happy Studying,
Team Topprnotes.