Select the sentence that contains a spelling error.

Correct — A. The misspelt word is accomodation. The spelling is accommodation — a double c and a double m, taken straight from the verb accommodate.

The other three sentences are clean: parallel (one r, then a double l), addressed (double d, double s) and occurrence (double c, double r, ending -ence).

Only option (a) contains a wrong spelling, so it is the sentence the item asks for.

Why the others are wrong

• (b)
  Rail lines go parallel. — 'Rail lines go parallel.' — parallel is spelt correctly, with one r in the middle and the double l after it. The sentence is short, but nothing in it is misspelt.
• (c)
  The boss addressed the meeting. — 'The boss addressed the meeting.' — addressed keeps the double d and double s of address, and the past tense simply adds -ed.
• (d)
  The occurrence of the lunar eclipse is often a mystery for children. — Occurrence is spelt correctly here, with a double c, a double r and the ending -ence, so this sentence carries no error either.

This item type hides one wrong spelling among four otherwise ordinary sentences, so it has to be read word by word rather than for sense.

The word tested belongs to the double-letter set — accommodate, occurrence, embarrass, possession, millennium — words whose whole difficulty is how many letters double.

Accommodation carries two doubled letters, and 'accomodation' with a single m is what this sentence prints. Saying it in syllables, ac-com-mo-da-tion, exposes the missing letter.

Key facts

• Accommodation is spelt with a double c and a double m.
• Parallel has one r and a double l before its final single l.
• Occurrence is spelt with a double c, a double r and the ending -ence.

Common traps

• Reading the four sentences for meaning, which is exactly what a spelling item defeats.
• Suspecting 'subsidised' for its s, though both subsidised and subsidized are accepted spellings.

No directly related past PYQ was found.