English Language: Grammar Anchors, RC Strategy and Error Spotting
What is tested
The English Language paper carries reading comprehension, grammar and usage, and vocabulary. The standard question mix is an RC passage with 8–10 questions, a cloze test or fillers, error detection or sentence improvement, para jumbles, and word usage/word swap items. Almost every grammar question is testing agreement, tense, preposition or article - not obscure rules.
Rules worth memorising
- Subject–verb agreement: in "one of the + plural noun + who/that", the verb after "one of" is singular ("One of the officers who was present"). With "a number of" the verb is plural; with "the number of" it is singular.
- Correlatives: in "neither … nor" and "either … or", the verb agrees with the nearer subject ("Neither the staff nor the manager was informed").
- Tense: "since" and "for" with present perfect ("He has worked here since 2019"); past perfect for the earlier of two past actions.
- Prepositions: comprise (no "of"), discuss (no "about"), investigate (no "into"), married to, prefer to.
- RC discipline: every answer must be supported by the passage; the correct option is usually a paraphrase, not a copy of a sentence.
Worked example
Spot the error: "One of the major reason for low yields in the region are the erratic rainfall." Two faults sit in one sentence. "One of the major reason" must become "one of the major reasons" (plural noun after "one of"). The true subject is "one", so "are" must become "is". Reading: One of the major reasons for low yields in the region is the erratic rainfall.
Traps that cost marks
Do not carry outside knowledge into RC answers. In cloze tests, check collocation and preposition before meaning. In para jumbles, hunt for the opening sentence (no pronoun back-reference) and mandatory pairs. And check whether "No error" is on the option list before hunting for a fault that is not there.