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SSC CGL English · Spotting Errors

Connectors and Word Order

Joining words that come in fixed pairs, the parallel halves those pairs join, and the sentences that change the usual word order.

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Why this matters

Thirty-six questions in the bank, 23 of them from the 2025 shifts, which set long formal sentences built on pairs such as not only ... but also and on openers such as no sooner, little and it was not until. Five of the 36 are HARD, more than on any other page here.

Concept 1 of 2: Paired connectors and parallel halves

Some joining words come in fixed pairs: no sooner ... than, hardly ... when, not only ... but also, neither ... nor. And the two halves a pair joins must have the same form: a noun with a noun, a verb with a verb, a phrase with a phrase.

Definition

  • Fixed pairs: no sooner ... than; hardly or scarcely ... when; not only ... but also; either ... or; neither ... nor; both ... and; whether ... or; so ... that; such ... that.
  • Lest means "so that ... not": it takes should or the base form, and never not or may: "lest he should fall".
  • Parallel halves: "not only sings but also dances"; "partly to X and partly to Y".
  • Place the first word right: it stands just before the first of the two matching parts.
  • Adverbs cannot join clauses: nevertheless, however and therefore need a full stop, a semicolon or a conjunction before them.
  • When and while: when for a single moment, while for an action going on.

Worked example

Find the part with the error: (a) She not only (b) sings well (c) but also a good dancer. (d) No error
Practice this conceptself-check · 4 quick reps

The same idea in a real exam question:

SSC CGL · 2024 · Tier I, 19 Sep 2024, Shift 3 · Q87Easy

Example 1 · Spotting Errors · Connectors and Word Order

Select the most appropriate option that can substitute the underlined segment in the given sentence. No sooner did Mr. Piyahri Mishra finish his chemistry lecture that the students began to leave.

The wrong partner for no sooner

No sooner always takes than; hardly and scarcely take when. "No sooner ... when" and "no sooner ... that" are errors.

Unbalanced halves

"He likes not only to sing but also dancing" joins an infinitive to an -ing form. Make both halves the same: to sing and to dance.
Drill 20 more on paired connectors and parallel halves

Concept 2 of 2: Word order: indirect questions, inversion and negatives

Some sentences break the usual order. An indirect question keeps statement order (where she lives, not where does she live). A sentence that opens with a negative word (rarely, little, seldom) puts the helping verb before the subject. And one negative is enough: hardly anything, not hardly nothing.

Definition

  • Indirect questions: after know, tell me, asked or wonder, the subject comes before the verb and do or did drops out: "Can you tell me when the bank opens?"
  • Negative openers invert: hardly, scarcely, rarely, seldom, little, never and no sooner: "Little did he know", "Rarely have I seen".
  • One negative only: hardly, scarcely, rarely and no one are already negative, so "hardly anything", not "hardly nothing".
  • Cleft sentences use that: "It was in Delhi that we met", "It was not until he left that I knew".
  • No matter how + adverb + subject + verb: "no matter how hard you try".
  • Question tags use the sentence's helping verb and a pronoun: "She has a car, doesn't she?"
  • Describing clauses sit next to the noun they describe.

Worked example

Find the part with the error: (a) Seldom we have seen (b) such heavy rain (c) in this town. (d) No error
Practice this conceptself-check · 4 quick reps

The same idea in a real exam question:

SSC CGL · 2025 · Tier I, 12 Sep 2025, Shift 3 · Q96Easy

Example 2 · Spotting Errors · Connectors and Word Order

Choose the most suitable option to replace the highlighted part of the sentence: No one knows *where is he hiding*.

Inverting an indirect question

"Do you know where does she live?" turns a reported question back into a direct one. Inside another sentence it is "where she lives".

Not inverting after a negative opener

"Never I have seen" and "Little he knew" are wrong; the helping verb moves in front: "Never have I seen", "Little did he know".
Drill 14 more on word order: indirect questions, inversion and negatives

Summary — formulas & gotchas at a glance

A revision cheat-sheet for the formulas and gotchas above. Click any concept name to jump back to its full explanation.

Watch out for (4)

Test yourself on Spotting Errors

20 past SSC CGL questions from this chapter, timed at 12 minutes and marked the way the exam marks it. You see your score and every answer the moment you finish. Free to start.

Take the Spotting Errors chapter testDrill all 36 questions