English Language: Precision Grammar and Controlled Vocabulary
Section A of the C-CAT pairs English with quantitative aptitude, and the English half rewards precision rather than literary flair. Expect error spotting and sentence correction, vocabulary items (synonyms, antonyms, one-word substitution), idioms, spelling, cloze or sentence completion, para jumbles, and one or two short reading passages. The passages are rarely long; most marks are lost on small usage decisions inside single sentences.
Rules that decide most questions
- Subject–verb agreement follows the true subject, not the nearest noun: the number of applicants has risen (singular) but a number of applicants have risen (plural).
- The frame one of the + plural noun + singular verb: "One of the boys is absent."
- Tense with since and for: present perfect for an action continuing to now, past perfect for the earlier of two past actions.
- Parallelism: items joined by and, or, but must share grammatical form (all nouns, all infinitives, all clauses).
- Fixed usage: "discuss the issue" (no about), "comprise the parts" (never comprise of), "prefer X to Y".
Worked example
"The number of candidates who have applied for the PG Diploma programmes have increased sharply this year." The relative clause "who have applied" attaches to candidates and its plural verb is correct. The main verb, however, belongs to the number, which is singular, so "have increased" must become "has increased". Judging the verb only by the words immediately before it is exactly the error this item is built to catch.
Traps that cost marks
- Picking a synonym when the instruction asks for an antonym; read the direction word first.
- Redundancy pairs: "return back", "repeat again", "more better", "discuss about".
- In para jumbles, fix order using pronouns (it, they) and connectors (however, therefore) before judging which version "sounds" smoother.
- Spelling confusions: -able versus -ible, -ance versus -ence, doubled consonants in occurrence, recommend, committee.
- Idioms answered literally rather than by established meaning.