Grammar and Vocabulary in Context
Grammar and Vocabulary in Context tests control of structure and word choice inside sentences, not isolated definitions. Expect subject-verb agreement, tense, voice, reported speech, conditionals, prepositions, phrasal verbs, word formation, synonyms and idioms.
Agreement
Find the real subject. 'The number of applicants has risen' takes a singular verb because the subject is number. 'One of the + plural noun' also takes a singular verb: 'One of the boys is absent.'
Fixed pairs
Learn the frames: hardly/scarcely ... when; no sooner ... than; not only ... but also; would rather ... than. These are tested because they are easy to confuse.
Voice and speech
When changing to passive, keep the tense and make the object the subject. In reported speech, shift tense and pronouns only when the reporting verb is past.
Worked example
Question: 'Hardly ___ the bell rung when the students rushed out.' Options: than, when, then, that. Reasoning: hardly pairs with when; no sooner pairs with than. The sentence is inverted, but the conjunction is fixed. Answer: when.
Vocabulary in context
Use collocation: make a decision, heavy rain, not strong rain. For word formation, check the part of speech required-noun, adjective or adverb-before adding a suffix.
Traps
Matching the verb to the nearest noun; using than after hardly; shifting tense twice in reported speech; choosing a synonym with the wrong register.
Exam habit
Read the whole sentence before choosing; test the fixed frame first.