English: Grammar, Vocabulary and Comprehension
Core concepts
The English section tests grammar (tense and aspect, subject-verb agreement, articles, prepositions, conditionals, voice, narration), vocabulary (synonyms, antonyms, one-word substitution, idioms), and reading comprehension. Accuracy in grammar often depends on identifying the sentence's time frame and the subject's number, not on memorising isolated rules.
Traps to watch
Common traps include distractors that are grammatically plausible but wrong in context, collective nouns that look plural but take singular verbs, and prepositions that change meaning (e.g., 'agree with a person' versus 'agree to a proposal'). In comprehension, an option may repeat words from the passage yet distort the meaning; always check whether the option answers the actual question. Watch for double negatives, misplaced modifiers, and inconsistent tense within one sentence.
Worked example
Choose the correct verb: 'Neither the manager nor the employees ___ present.' Rule of thumb: with 'neither...nor', the verb agrees with the nearer subject. The nearer subject is 'employees' (plural), so the answer is 'were'. If the order were reversed ('Neither the employees nor the manager'), the nearer subject would be singular and the answer would be 'was'.
Strategy
Read the whole sentence before choosing; eliminate options that break agreement or tense consistency. For vocabulary, use word roots and context clues rather than guessing. In comprehension, skim the questions first, then locate the relevant lines and paraphrase them in your own words before matching an option.