Collocations for error - noun
ADJECTIVE
egregious (esp. AmE),
fundamental,
glaring,
grave,
great,
grievous,
major,
serious
The report contained some glaring errors.
The report contained some glaring errors.
fatal
He made the fatal error of borrowing more than he could pay back.
He made the fatal error of borrowing more than he could pay back.
minor,
small
careless
embarrassing, unfortunate
past
The ability to learn from past errors is vital in business.
careless
embarrassing, unfortunate
past
The ability to learn from past errors is vital in business.
common
grammar (esp. AmE), grammatical, spelling, typing, typographical
factual
experimental, statistical
standard (statistics)
random, systematic
measurement (esp. AmE), sampling
His research interests include measurement error in survey research.
grammar (esp. AmE), grammatical, spelling, typing, typographical
factual
experimental, statistical
standard (statistics)
random, systematic
measurement (esp. AmE), sampling
His research interests include measurement error in survey research.
rounding
(esp. AmE)
The difference is due to a rounding error in the first calculation.
The difference is due to a rounding error in the first calculation.
unforced
(sports)
The American produced five double faults and 35 unforced errors.
The American produced five double faults and 35 unforced errors.
tactical
The Kenyan athlete made a tactical error in starting too fast.
The Kenyan athlete made a tactical error in starting too fast.
administrative,
clerical,
medical
human, pilot
The plane crash was caused by human error, not mechanical failure.
human, pilot
The plane crash was caused by human error, not mechanical failure.
VERB + error
commit,
make
He had committed a grave error in letting them see the document.
She made several serious errors during the race.
He had committed a grave error in letting them see the document.
She made several serious errors during the race.
cause
errors caused by illegibly written orders
errors caused by illegibly written orders
contain
The document contained a lot of typing errors.
The document contained a lot of typing errors.
introduce
An editorial error was introduced into the copy.
An editorial error was introduced into the copy.
catch (esp. AmE),
detect,
discover,
find,
identify,
spot
Thank you for catching that silly error on my part.
I found several factual errors in the report.
Thank you for catching that silly error on my part.
I found several factual errors in the report.
point out
The error was pointed out to her by one of her colleagues.
The error was pointed out to her by one of her colleagues.
report
realize, recognize
I only realized my error when it was too late.
realize, recognize
I only realized my error when it was too late.
acknowledge,
admit
Have the courage to admit your error.
Have the courage to admit your error.
avoid
She has avoided the common error of writing too much.
She has avoided the common error of writing too much.
prevent
repeat
Do not repeat the errors of your parents and grandparents.
repeat
Do not repeat the errors of your parents and grandparents.
correct,
eliminate,
fix (esp. AmE),
rectify
Glasses can correct most errors in your vision.
Glasses can correct most errors in your vision.
minimize (esp. AmE),
reduce
the use of computer systems to reduce hospital errors
the use of computer systems to reduce hospital errors
regret
(esp. AmE)
We regret the clerical error made in the letter sent to Mr Finlay.
We regret the clerical error made in the letter sent to Mr Finlay.
compound
The paper accidentally printed the victim's address, then compounded their error by printing her name the next day.
The paper accidentally printed the victim's address, then compounded their error by printing her name the next day.
error + VERB
arise (from sth),
occur,
result (from sth)
errors arising from inadequate information
errors arising from inadequate information
error + NOUN
detection
correction
message
An error message comes up when I try to open the program.
correction
message
An error message comes up when I try to open the program.
rate
machines with relatively high error rates
machines with relatively high error rates
PREPOSITION
in error
(= by mistake)
The machine had been switched off in error.
The machine had been switched off in error.
error in
He checked his letter for errors in spelling.
He realized his error in not attending the funeral.
He checked his letter for errors in spelling.
He realized his error in not attending the funeral.
PHRASES
a comedy of errors
His attempts to arrange a party ended up as a comedy of errors.
His attempts to arrange a party ended up as a comedy of errors.
an error in judgement/judgment (esp. AmE),
an error of judgement/judgment
(esp. BrE)
The president had made an amazing error of judgement.
The president had made an amazing error of judgement.
an error of fact
The speech contained many errors of fact.
The speech contained many errors of fact.
a margin of error
The margin of error for a racing driver is tiny.
The margin of error for a racing driver is tiny.
the error of one's ways
Will they realize the error of their ways before it is too late?
Will they realize the error of their ways before it is too late?