English Language: Grammar, Vocabulary and Comprehension
What the domain tests
Standard competitive English - error spotting, sentence correction, fill in the blanks, synonyms and antonyms, idioms, one-word substitution, para jumbles and reading comprehension, often with scientific or administrative passages. Marks come from recognising rule patterns quickly rather than from translation.
Core rules to hold
- Subject–verb agreement: the verb agrees with the subject, not with an intervening phrase; one of + plural noun takes a singular verb; the number of takes a singular verb while a number of takes a plural verb.
- Articles and prepositions: a before consonant sounds, an before vowel sounds; fixed collocations such as comply with, superior to, prefer to, consist of, discuss (no preposition), and accustomed to.
- Tenses and conditionals: present perfect with since and for; third conditional takes had + past participle with would have.
- Modifiers: a dangling participle must refer to the subject of the main clause.
- Vocabulary: learn words in pairs - affect (verb) versus effect (noun), principal versus principle, complement versus compliment.
- Comprehension: read the questions first, locate the relevant sentence, and reject options that are true but not stated in the passage.
Worked example
Spot the error: One of the tablets were found broken. The subject is one, not tablets, so the verb must be singular: One of the tablets was found broken. The prepositional phrase of the tablets cannot change the number of the head word. The same pattern applies to each of, neither of and either of.
Traps that cost marks
Choosing the most impressive-sounding option in comprehension instead of the one supported by the text; missing the singular subject when a plural noun follows; confusing principle (rule) with principal (main or head); forgetting that discuss and resemble take direct objects.