English Language for ESIC MTS
What this domain tests
English Language checks grammar, vocabulary, and comprehension through error spotting, sentence improvement, fill-in-the-blanks, cloze tests, synonyms and antonyms, one-word substitutions, idioms, and reading comprehension. The section rewards close reading of the sentence structure rather than memorised long lists.
Core rules
- Subject-verb agreement: the verb agrees with the subject, not with the nearest noun.
- “One of + plural noun” takes a singular verb.
- In “not only … but also”, the verb agrees with the second subject.
- Use “a” before consonant sounds, “an” before vowel sounds, and “the” for unique or specified things.
- Prepositions are fixed with certain verbs: “complies with”, “depends on”, “consists of”.
- For reading comprehension, read the question first, then locate the relevant sentence; do not import outside knowledge.
Worked example
“One of the boys ___ absent.” The subject is “one”, which is singular, so the verb is is, not “are”. The plural “boys” sits inside the prepositional phrase “of the boys” and does not control the verb.
Traps that cost marks
Collective nouns may take a singular or plural verb depending on whether the group acts as one unit; “each, every, either, neither” are singular; misplaced modifiers can change meaning; do not confuse “affect/effect” or “principal/principle”; and reject options that are grammatical but alter the original meaning.