English Language and Comprehension
English Language and Comprehension in AIIMS CRE checks functional grammar, vocabulary and reading speed. Typical items are error spotting, sentence improvement, fill in the blanks, synonyms and antonyms, idioms, spelling, cloze passages and a reading-comprehension passage.
Core rules
- Subject–verb agreement: “one of + plural noun” takes a singular verb; each, every, either and neither are singular; collective nouns are singular when acting as one unit.
- Tenses: use present perfect with since/for; keep tense sequences consistent in reported speech.
- Prepositions and articles: learn fixed collocations (comply with, insist on, capable of, a university, an hour).
- Error spotting: scan in order - verb form, pronoun, article, preposition, parallelism, comparison.
- Reading comprehension: read the passage once for the main idea, then locate each answer in the text. Choose the option supported by the passage, not by your general knowledge.
- Cloze: read the whole sentence; test collocation and tone before grammar.
Worked example
“One of the boys ___ absent yesterday.” Options: was / were. The subject is “one”, not “boys”, so the verb is singular. “Yesterday” fixes the past tense, giving “was”. The plural noun next to the blank is the trap.
Traps that cost marks
Matching the verb to the nearest noun rather than the real subject; confusing affect/effect and lie/lay; double negatives; choosing synonyms that do not fit the sentence’s tone; and answering RC questions from memory instead of the passage.