English Language: Grammar Rules Tested Through Error Spotting and Cloze
The English Language section tests grammar through error spotting, sentence improvement, fill in the blanks and cloze, and vocabulary through synonyms, antonyms, idioms, one-word substitutions, spelling and a short comprehension passage. Grammar carries more marks than vocabulary, and most grammar items reuse a small set of rules.
Subject-verb agreement
'One of + plural noun' takes a singular verb: One of the pharmacists is on leave. 'The number of' is singular, 'a number of' is plural. Each, every, either, neither and everybody take a singular verb. Two subjects joined by 'as well as', 'along with' or 'besides' take the verb of the first subject.
Tenses and conditionals
After 'since' and 'for' in a present perfect sentence, use the present perfect in the main clause and simple past in the since-clause. Conditionals: if + present, will; if + past, would; if + had + past participle, would have + past participle. Do not mix them.
Prepositions, articles and confusables
Learn fixed pairs: comply with, insist on, deprive of, capable of, prefer to, superior to, married to. Use 'a' before consonant sounds and 'an' before vowel sounds. Keep confusable pairs straight: affect (verb) and effect (noun), lie and lay, its and it's, principal and principle.
Vocabulary building
Group words by root - 'bene' good, 'mal' bad, 'anti' against, 'phil' love - and learn idioms as whole units rather than word by word.
Worked example: 'One of the students who (A)/ were selected for the scholarship (B)/ have not submitted the form (C).' The subject of the main verb is 'One', which is singular, so the error is in C: it should read 'has not submitted'. The relative clause 'who were selected' correctly agrees with the plural 'students'.
Traps that cost marks
Pairing 'hardly' with 'than' and 'no sooner' with 'then'; using double comparatives such as 'more better'; mismatching tense inside a single sentence.