English Language
Core concepts
The paper tests grammar accuracy, vocabulary in context, sentence structure, and comprehension. Focus areas: parts of speech, tense and aspect, subject-verb agreement, articles and prepositions, voice change, narration (direct/indirect), transformation of sentences, degrees of comparison, conditionals, and common phrasal verbs and idioms. Reading comprehension rewards careful scanning for stated facts and inference.
Build a small toolkit: correct use of 'since/for', 'much/many', 'few/a few/little/a little', 'each/every', and 'one of the + plural noun + singular verb'. Practise spotting dangling modifiers and misplaced clauses. For vocabulary, learn word families (derive, derivative, derivation) and collocations rather than isolated words.
Traps
- 'One of my friends is' - singular verb despite the plural noun.
- 'Since' with a point in time, 'for' with a duration.
- Passive voice changes the verb form; do not leave the auxiliary out.
- In indirect speech, backshift the tense and adjust pronouns and time words.
- Double negatives and 'hardly/scarcely ... when' constructions.
Worked example
Question: Choose the correct sentence. Options include 'He has been living here since five years.' The rule: 'since' takes a point in time, 'for' takes a duration. 'Five years' is a duration, so the correct form is 'He has been living here for five years.' Rule of thumb: ask whether the time expression is a clock/date (since) or a length (for).