TOEIC Error Recognition 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Identify the error: "The team have worked hardly to meet the project deadline on time."
- "hardly" should be "hard" (Correct answer)
- "have worked" should be "has worked"
- "meet" should be "met"
- "on time" should be "in time"
Correct answer: "hardly" should be "hard"
'Hard' is the correct adverb meaning with great effort. 'Hardly' means almost not/barely, which changes the meaning entirely and creates an error.
'Hardly' means scarcely or barely (e.g., 'I hardly slept'). The sentence intends to say the team worked with great effort, requiring 'hard' (the adverb meaning with effort). 'Worked hard' is the correct phrase. 'Have worked' (collective noun) and 'on time' are both acceptable in British English usage.
Question 2: Find the grammatical error: "She suggested that he should to review the contract before signing it."
- "should to review" should be "should review" (Correct answer)
- "suggested that" should be "suggested"
- "before signing" should be "before to sign"
- "the contract" should be "a contract"
Correct answer: "should to review" should be "should review"
Modal verbs like 'should' are followed by the bare infinitive (base form without 'to'). 'Should to review' is incorrect — 'to' must be omitted.
Modal auxiliaries (should, could, would, must, can, will, etc.) are always followed by the bare infinitive (without 'to'). 'Should review' is correct. 'Should to review' is a common non-native speaker error. 'Before signing' is a correct gerund construction. 'Suggested that' is correct with reported speech.
Question 3: Identify the error: "Despite of the increased costs, the project was completed within budget."
- "Despite of" should be "Despite" (Correct answer)
- "increased costs" should be "increasing costs"
- "was completed" should be "has been completed"
- "within budget" should be "in budget"
Correct answer: "Despite of" should be "Despite"
'Despite' is a preposition that does not require 'of.' The incorrect form 'despite of' is a common error — use 'despite' alone before noun phrases.
'Despite' is a preposition that directly precedes a noun phrase: 'despite the costs.' 'In spite of' is the equivalent expression that uses 'of.' 'Despite of' is a hybrid error combining both forms incorrectly. 'Within budget' is a correct business English phrase.
Question 4: Find the error: "All of the staffs are required to attend the mandatory safety briefing."
- "staffs" should be "staff" (Correct answer)
- "All of the" should be "All the"
- "are required" should be "is required"
- "mandatory" should be "mandatorily"
Correct answer: "staffs" should be "staff"
'Staff' is a collective noun that is uncountable in this context — it does not form a plural with '-s.' The correct form is simply 'staff.'
'Staff' when referring to a workforce is typically uncountable in British and formal English — you say 'staff' not 'staffs.' 'Staffs' as a plural is sometimes acceptable when referring to multiple organizations' workforces, but 'all of the staffs' in reference to one company's employees is incorrect.
Question 5: Identify the grammatical error: "The meeting was postponed due to the manager did not have the necessary documents."
- "due to the manager did not have" should be "due to the manager not having" or "because the manager did not have" (Correct answer)
- "was postponed" should be "had been postponed"
- "necessary documents" should be "the necessary document"
- "The meeting" should be "A meeting"
Correct answer: "due to the manager did not have" should be "due to the manager not having" or "because the manager did not have"
'Due to' is a preposition and must be followed by a noun phrase, not a full clause. Either use 'because' (conjunction + clause) or 'due to + noun phrase' ('due to the manager's lack of documents').
'Due to' is a prepositional phrase requiring a noun phrase: 'due to heavy rain,' 'due to the manager not having' (gerund phrase). A full clause (subject + verb) cannot follow 'due to.' Use 'because' for clauses: 'because the manager did not have.' This is a common grammatical error in formal writing.
Question 6: Find the error: "The number of applications for the position have increased significantly this year."
- "have increased" should be "has increased" (Correct answer)
- "The number" should be "A number"
- "for the position" should be "to the position"
- "significantly" should be "significant"
Correct answer: "have increased" should be "has increased"
'The number' is a singular subject and requires the singular verb 'has.' Note: 'A number of' (meaning several) takes a plural verb, but 'the number of' takes a singular verb.
'The number of [plural noun]' is always treated as singular (the number is/has). 'A number of [plural noun]' is treated as plural (a number are/have). 'The number of applications has increased' is correct. 'Have increased' after 'the number' is a grammatical error.
TOEIC Error Recognition 2
Identify the error: "The team have worked hardly to meet the project deadline on time."