English Language: Evidence-Based Grammar and Comprehension
English Language tests reading comprehension, grammar, vocabulary, error detection, sentence improvement, cloze test and para jumbles. The aim is not literary interpretation but precise use of evidence from the sentence or passage.
Core rules
- Subject-verb agreement: the verb agrees with the head noun, not with a nearby plural noun.
- Maintain parallelism after constructions such as 'not only ... but also', 'either ... or' and 'both ... and'.
- Place modifiers next to the word they modify; a dangling modifier changes meaning.
- In reading comprehension, locate the line supporting an option; the main idea must cover the whole passage, not one detail.
- In para jumbles, use pronouns, linkers, chronology and repeated nouns to establish the opening sentence.
Worked example
Sentence: 'The number of new policies have increased sharply.' Reasoning: the subject is 'the number', which is singular; 'of new policies' is a prepositional phrase and does not control the verb. The correct verb is 'has'. By contrast, 'A number of policies have increased' takes a plural verb because 'a number of' means 'many'.
Traps that cost marks
Applying 'one of the + plural noun + singular verb' incorrectly; treating collective nouns as always plural; choosing an RC option that repeats passage words but does not answer the question; and selecting extreme words such as 'always' or 'never' without support. In cloze tests, check collocation and tense, not only meaning.