English Language and Comprehension: Grammar, Vocabulary and Reading
English Language and Comprehension tests grammar control, vocabulary range and reading accuracy through error spotting, sentence improvement, fill in the blanks, synonyms and antonyms, idioms, one-word substitution, spelling and a comprehension passage.
Rules to hold
- Subject–verb agreement: "one of + plural noun" takes a singular verb; "the number of" is singular while "a number of" is plural; neither, either, each and every are singular.
- Tenses: a fixed past time marker (yesterday, in 1990) forces simple past; since and for pair with present perfect or perfect continuous.
- Prepositions: senior, junior, superior and inferior take "to"; "prefer X to Y"; "comprise" takes no "of".
- Voice and narration: backshift the tense when the reporting verb is in the past.
- Vocabulary: learn idioms as whole units; one-word substitutions such as philanthropist, misanthrope and optimist recur.
Worked example
Spot the error: "The number of applicants have increased this year." "The number of" is the subject and is singular, so the verb must be "has increased". Had the sentence begun "A number of applicants", the plural "have" would be correct. The whole question turns on identifying which noun governs the verb.
Traps
- Confusing "affect" (verb) with "effect" (noun), "principal" with "principle".
- Missing comparative structures: "senior than" is wrong, "senior to" is right.
- Double comparatives ("more better") and double negatives.
- Answering comprehension items from general knowledge instead of the passage.
- In para jumbles, ignoring pronoun and connector clues that fix the opening sentence.