PERA CET: English Language and Verbal Ability

Domain overview

PERA CET English Language and Verbal Ability checks standard written English: grammar and usage, sentence correction, fillers, synonyms/antonyms, idioms, para jumbles, and reading comprehension.

Core rules

• Subject-verb agreement: the verb agrees with the grammatical subject, not with a phrase between subject and verb: 'The manager, along with his assistants, was present.'
• Tense sequence: use past perfect for the earlier of two past actions; keep conditional structures consistent ('If he had studied, he would have passed').
• Parallelism: items in a list or comparison must share form: 'reading, writing, and speaking,' not 'reading, writing, and to speak.'
• Modifiers: place a modifier next to the word it describes; a dangling modifier at the start must refer to the subject.
• Reading comprehension: separate main idea from supporting detail; reject options that are true but not answering the question.

Worked example

'Each of the students have submitted their assignment.' The subject is 'Each,' which is singular; 'of the students' is a prepositional phrase. Correct: 'Each of the students has submitted his or her assignment.' In formal exam English, 'their' after 'each' is often marked wrong.

Traps

'One of the + plural noun + singular verb'; confusing 'since' (point in time) with 'for' (duration); misplaced 'only'; and RC options that use strong words like 'always' or 'never' without textual support.