Verbal Ability
Verbal Ability
KMAT's verbal ability domain tests vocabulary in context, grammar, sentence construction, idioms, analogies and para jumbles. Questions are short, so precision matters more than speed-reading: one wrong grammatical cue or one ignored context clue can eliminate the correct option.
Core rules and concepts
- Subject-verb agreement: each, every, either, neither and one of the are singular. In neither...nor, the verb agrees with the nearer subject.
- Parallelism: items joined by and, or, not only...but also must share the same grammatical form.
- Modifiers attach to the nearest logical noun. A dangling modifier usually appears at the start of a sentence.
- Para jumbles: find the opening sentence with no pronoun or backward connector, then lock mandatory pairs through pronouns, chronology and cause-effect links.
- Analogies require a precise relationship, such as tool to user, cause to effect, or degree of intensity.
Worked example
Sentence: Neither the manager nor the employees was aware of the change.
The verb should be were, because in a neither...nor construction it agrees with the nearer subject, employees. The singular was would be correct only if the nearer subject were singular, as in Neither the employees nor the manager was aware.
Traps that cost marks
Do not choose a difficult word merely because it sounds impressive; context decides. Watch sound-alike pairs such as affect/effect and principal/principle. In error-spotting, avoid overcorrecting a sentence that is already grammatical. In para jumbles, a sentence beginning with this or however cannot be the opener. Idiomatic prepositions are fixed, so rely on usage rather than literal translation.