General English
What is tested
General English in this exam checks practical control of grammar and usage rather than literary criticism. Recurring areas are subject-verb agreement, tenses, articles, prepositions, pronouns, sentence correction, error spotting, synonyms and antonyms, idioms, comprehension, active and passive voice, and direct and indirect speech.
Rules worth drilling
- A singular subject takes a singular verb: The list of items is on the table. The phrase after of does not change the subject.
- With either...or and neither...nor, the verb agrees with the nearer subject: Neither the clerk nor the officers were present.
- One of takes a plural noun but a singular verb: One of the files is missing.
- Use the past perfect for the earlier of two past actions: The order had been issued before the petition arrived.
- In reported speech, shift tense back when the reporting verb is past: She said that the register was ready.
Worked example
Sentence: The number of pending cases have risen sharply. Correct it. Reason: the subject is number, which is singular; of pending cases is a prepositional phrase. The verb must be has. Correct sentence: The number of pending cases has risen sharply. If the sentence began A number of cases, the verb would be plural because a number of means many.
Traps that cost marks
Do not confuse number of with a number of; do not apply a past tense after did; do not use double negatives; and do not choose a synonym that changes the register of the sentence. In comprehension, answer from the passage, not from general knowledge.