English Language
Syllabus
English Language tests grammar, vocabulary, comprehension, error spotting, sentence improvement, fill in the blanks, synonyms/antonyms, idioms and voice/narration. Accuracy in grammar matters more than rare vocabulary.
Core rules
- Subject–verb agreement: the verb agrees with the subject, not with a phrase in between. 'One of the boys is absent.'
- Articles: 'a' before consonant sounds, 'an' before vowel sounds; 'the' for specific or unique things.
- Prepositions: learn fixed combinations (depend on, capable of, prefer to).
- Tense: use present perfect for past actions with present relevance; past simple for finished past time.
- Voice: identify object and subject before converting; keep tense consistent.
Worked example
Choose the correct sentence: 'One of the boy is absent' or 'One of the boys is absent.' The subject is 'one', which is singular, so the verb is 'is'. The noun after 'of' is plural ('boys'). The correct sentence is 'One of the boys is absent.' The reasoning: the prepositional phrase 'of the boys' does not change the number of the headword 'one'.
Traps
- Matching the verb to the nearest noun instead of the subject.
- Using 'an' before 'university' (a university) or 'a' before 'hour' (an hour).
- Confusing 'affect' (verb) and 'effect' (noun).
- Mixing direct and indirect speech punctuation.
- Choosing a synonym that fits the dictionary but not the sentence context.