English Language and Comprehension
The English Language and Comprehension section tests standard written English: grammar, vocabulary, sentence structure and reading comprehension. Typical items are error spotting, fill in the blanks, synonyms and antonyms, idioms, one-word substitution, sentence rearrangement (para jumbles), and a short passage with direct questions.
Rules that decide marks
- Subject–verb agreement: the verb agrees with the subject, not the nearest noun. In 'One of the engineers has...', the subject is 'one'.
- Tenses: use present perfect (has/have + past participle) for past actions with present relevance; use 'since' with a point of time and 'for' with a duration.
- Articles: 'a' before consonant sounds, 'an' before vowel sounds; 'the' for unique or already specified nouns.
- Prepositions: 'between' for two, 'among' for more than two; 'comprise' takes no 'of'.
- Comprehension: read the questions first, then locate the relevant lines; answer from the passage, not from general knowledge.
Worked example
Spot the error: 'One of the engineers have submitted the report yesterday.' The true subject is 'one' (singular), so the verb must be 'has'. Also, 'yesterday' clashes with the present perfect 'has submitted'. The corrected sentence is 'One of the engineers submitted the report yesterday' or, without 'yesterday', 'One of the engineers has submitted the report.'
Traps
Being misled by the plural noun next to the verb; using 'less' with countable nouns instead of 'fewer'; confusing 'affect' (verb) and 'effect' (noun); and choosing a synonym that fits the dictionary but not the sentence's tone.