Grammar and Usage
What this domain tests
The Grammar and Usage domain measures whether you can apply standard written English grammar in connected prose, not just isolated rules. Questions typically ask you to choose the form that makes a sentence grammatically complete and consistent with formal usage.
Core rules
- Subject–verb agreement: Find the true subject. Phrases between subject and verb do not change number. Compound subjects joined by and take a plural verb unless they express a single idea; with or/nor, the verb agrees with the nearer subject. Indefinite pronouns such as each, either, neither, and everyone are singular in formal usage; both, few, many, and several are plural.
- Tense and aspect: Keep time frames coherent. Use past perfect only for an earlier past event when sequence matters; use present perfect for a past action with present relevance.
- Pronoun case and reference: Use subject case for subjects (he and I), object case after prepositions (between you and me). Every pronoun needs one clear antecedent.
- Articles and countability: Singular countable nouns need a/an/the or another determiner; abstract nouns usually take no article when used generally.
- Modals and conditionals: Match the modal to meaning; use were in unreal past conditionals (If she were...).
Worked example
The committee of senior analysts, after reviewing the quarterly reports, have decided to revise its recommendations. The subject is committee, not reports. In formal Canadian and American usage, a collective noun acting as one body takes a singular verb: has decided. The possessive its is correct because the committee is singular. The opening phrase after reviewing... is participial, but its implied subject is the committee, which performs the reviewing, so it is not dangling.
Traps that cost marks
- Matching the verb to the nearest noun: The list of items are... should be is.
- Shifting tense without a time signal: She argues that the policy was fair and is working well.
- Using they with a singular antecedent when the exam expects formal number agreement; recast as plural or repeat the noun.
- Choosing I because it sounds formal: between you and I is wrong.
- Forgetting that one of the analysts who... takes a plural verb inside the relative clause (who have), while the main clause remains singular.