English Language
English questions test functional grammar and vocabulary, not literary analysis: error spotting, articles, prepositions, subject–verb agreement, tense, voice, reported speech, idioms, synonyms and antonyms, one-word substitution, cloze passages and comprehension.
Rules that decide most answers
- 'One of the + plural noun' takes a singular verb; each, either, neither, everyone are singular.
- Uncountables - information, advice, furniture, luggage, news - take singular verbs and no plural -s.
- 'Since' marks a point of time; 'for' marks duration.
- Passive voice: object becomes subject, verb becomes be + past participle, agent takes 'by'.
- Reported speech: present shifts to past, 'now' becomes 'then', 'tomorrow' becomes 'the next day'.
- With 'either … or', the verb agrees with the nearer subject.
Worked example
'One of the boys ___ absent yesterday.' (was / were) The subject of the verb is 'one', not 'boys'; 'of the boys' is only a prepositional phrase. The singular 'was' is correct, and the time marker 'yesterday' fixes simple past tense.
Traps
- Proximity error: letting the noun nearest the verb decide agreement.
- Adding 'the' before abstract nouns used generally, as in 'Honesty is the best policy'.
- Confusing affect (verb) with effect (noun), and principal with principle.
- Double comparatives such as 'more better'.