English Language and Comprehension
English Language and Comprehension checks reading plus control of grammar: a comprehension passage, error spotting, sentence improvement, fill in the blanks and cloze, synonyms and antonyms, idioms, one-word substitution, active-passive and direct-indirect speech.
Rules that decide most questions
- One of + plural noun + singular verb: One of my friends is coming.
- Each, every, either, neither, nobody take a singular verb.
- Since marks a point of time; for marks a duration.
- Comparatives pair with than; superlatives take the.
- Comprise, discuss, reach take no preposition; married to, composed of, deprived of do.
- In reported speech, shift the tense back one step and change time words accordingly.
Worked example
Spot the error: One of my friend / is going / to Delhi / No error. Reasoning: the phrase one of must be followed by a plural noun, while the verb agrees with one and stays singular. So the verb is fine but the noun must be friends. Answer: the first part is wrong; it should read One of my friends.
Traps
Reading an idiom literally - to bite the bullet means to endure, not to eat; picking a synonym that fits the dictionary but not the sentence; answering a comprehension question from general knowledge instead of the passage; forgetting to change tomorrow into the next day in reported speech; missing a wrong article before a vowel sound.