English Grammar and Language
English Grammar and Language tests accuracy in standard written English: tenses, subject-verb agreement, articles, prepositions, active and passive voice, direct and indirect speech, synonyms, antonyms, idioms and comprehension. The paper favours short rule-based items and error spotting.
Core rules
- A singular subject takes a singular verb; 'each', 'every', 'either', 'neither' and 'one of' are singular.
- With 'either...or' and 'neither...nor', the verb agrees with the nearer subject.
- Use 'since' with a point of time and 'for' with a duration.
- In reported speech, shift tense back when the reporting verb is past, and change pronouns and time words.
- Passive voice needs a transitive verb: the object becomes subject, and the past participle follows a form of 'be'.
Worked example
'Each of the boys ___ present.' The subject is 'each', not 'boys', so the verb is 'was'. Reasoning: the phrase 'of the boys' is a prepositional modifier; the headword 'each' controls agreement. If the sentence were 'The boys ___ present', the answer would be 'were'.
Traps
Do not let a phrase between subject and verb change agreement. Do not use 'since' for a duration ('since two years' is wrong; use 'for two years'). In comprehension, choose the option supported by the passage, not by general knowledge. In idioms, learn the whole expression rather than translating word by word.