English Language and Comprehension
English Language and Comprehension tests standard written English through error spotting, sentence improvement, fillers, cloze, idioms, synonyms and antonyms, and unseen passages. HCS expects editorial-level comprehension and grammar that survives speed.
Core rules
- Subject-verb agreement: one of + plural noun takes a singular verb; each, every, either and neither are singular.
- Tense: use past perfect for the earlier of two past actions; keep conditionals consistent.
- Prepositions and articles: learn fixed collocations (comply with, prefer to, capable of) rather than translating.
- Modifiers: a participial phrase must modify the noun next to it.
- Comprehension: read the question stem, locate the keyword, then paraphrase; do not import outside facts.
Worked example
Sentence: One of the boys who were playing in the field have broken the window. Reasoning: The true subject is One, singular. The relative clause who were playing correctly refers to boys, plural. The main verb must agree with One, so have becomes has. Answer: have → has.
Traps
- Collective nouns: singular when acting as a unit, plural when members act individually.
- None can be singular or plural by sense; do not apply a blind rule.
- Idioms judged literally (to bite the dust means to fail, not to eat dust).
- Double negatives and redundant comparisons.
- In passages, extreme options (always, never) usually distort the text.