Inglês: Reading, Grammar and Vocabulary
What to master
EFOMM English questions test reading comprehension of short texts (often maritime, technical or current-affairs themed), grammar in context and vocabulary. Focus on verb tenses and aspect (present perfect vs. simple past, past perfect), conditionals, passive voice, modal verbs (must, should, might), relative clauses, prepositions, phrasal verbs and connectors (however, therefore, although, unless). Also practise word formation and guessing meaning from context.
Common traps
- Present perfect vs. simple past: use the present perfect for unfinished time or present relevance ("I have worked here since 2019"); use the simple past with finished time markers (yesterday, last year, in 2010). 2) Conditionals: first conditional uses present + will; second uses past + would. Do not mix them. 3) Passive voice: the object becomes the subject, and the verb becomes be + past participle; keep the tense. 4) False friends: "actually" means "in fact", not "currently"; "eventually" means "finally"; "pretend" means "fingir". 5) Connectors: "although" contrasts, "therefore" concludes, "unless" means "if not". 6) Reading questions often paraphrase the text; match meaning, not identical words.
Rule of thumb
For grammar items, read the whole sentence and identify the time reference before choosing a tense. For reading items, find the sentence that supports the answer and check whether the option distorts it.
Worked example
"The crew ___ the vessel since early morning when the storm hit." The action was in progress before another past event, so use the past perfect continuous: "had been repairing". If the sentence were "The crew ___ the vessel yesterday", the simple past "repaired" would be correct, because "yesterday" closes the time frame.
Exam strategy
Skim the questions first, then read the passage. Eliminate options with grammar errors even before checking meaning, and be careful with absolute words such as "always" and "never", which are rarely correct in comprehension items.