General English: Grammar Accuracy, Vocabulary and Comprehension
What is tested
The English section rewards accuracy over range: error spotting, sentence improvement, fill in the blanks, synonyms and antonyms, idioms and phrases, one-word substitution, active–passive voice, direct–indirect speech, and a comprehension passage. Because options differ by a single word, the tested point is almost always a rule, not a feeling.
Rules that recur
- Subject–verb agreement: the verb follows the real subject, not the nearest noun. "One of the boys was absent." With either/or and neither/nor, the verb agrees with the nearer subject - "Neither the clerk nor the officers were informed."
- Articles follow sound, not spelling: an MLA, an hour, an honest man; a university, a European, a one-rupee note.
- Fixed prepositions: abide by, comply with, consist of, differ from (a person) / with (an opinion), prefer to, jealous of, capable of.
- Reported speech: present becomes past, will becomes would, this becomes that, here becomes there, now becomes then; questions lose the question mark and invert to statement order.
Worked example
Spot the error: "The number of applications have increased this year." Reasoning: the subject is 'the number' - singular; 'applications' is the object of the preposition 'of' and cannot control the verb. So the verb must be 'has'. Correct: "The number of applications has increased." Contrast: "A number of applications have increased," where 'a number of' means 'many' and takes a plural verb.
Traps that cost marks
- 'The number of' (singular) vs 'a number of' (plural).
- Each, every, either, neither, everyone are singular.
- Idioms must be learnt whole: 'to bell the cat' means to take the risk, not to make noise.
- In comprehension, answer from the passage, not from general knowledge.