General English
General English in PET tests functional grammar and vocabulary: subject–verb agreement, tense, articles, prepositions, sentence correction, synonyms and antonyms, idioms, and voice/narration. The items are usually single-sentence, so identify the tested rule quickly.
Core rules
- A singular subject takes a singular verb; compound subjects joined by “and” usually take a plural verb, but “each,” “every,” and “either” take singular verbs.
- Present perfect (has/have + past participle) links past action to present; simple past is for a finished past time.
- Use “a” before consonant sounds, “an” before vowel sounds, and “the” for specific nouns.
- In passive voice, the object becomes subject: “The clerk issued the certificate” → “The certificate was issued by the clerk.”
- Idioms must be learnt as units: “break the ice” means start a conversation, not destroy ice.
Worked example
Choose the correct sentence: “Each of the candidates have submitted the form” or “Each of the candidates has submitted the form.” Reasoning: The subject is “Each,” which is singular. “Of the candidates” is a prepositional phrase and does not change the verb. Therefore the singular verb “has” is correct. Answer: “Each of the candidates has submitted the form.”
Traps
Do not match the verb to the nearest noun in phrases like “one of the boys.” Do not use present perfect with a finished time marker such as “yesterday.” Do not choose a synonym that changes the part of speech. In voice questions, keep the tense: “is writing” becomes “is being written,” not “was written.”