Grammar and Vocabulary
Grammar and Vocabulary in ORT English checks controlled accuracy and appropriate word choice. Questions may test tense and aspect, subject-verb agreement, articles, prepositions, comparatives, conditionals, collocation, word formation, and register. The safest method is to identify the grammatical slot first, then eliminate options that fail agreement, meaning, or collocation.
Core rules
- Match tense to time markers and viewpoint: since, already, by the time, and next week constrain aspect.
- Check the subject before the verb. Phrases between them, such as 'the list of items', do not change agreement.
- Use articles by noun type and context: a first mention, a unique referent, or a general plural.
- Learn vocabulary in chunks. Depend on, interested in, and a rise in are collocations, not free choices.
- Keep register consistent: informal phrasal verbs suit conversation; formal verbs suit reports.
Worked example
Sentence: 'By the time the manager arrived, the team ___ the report.' A finishes B has finished C had finished D will finish Reasoning: 'By the time' plus the past verb 'arrived' establishes an earlier past action. The report was complete before the manager arrived, so the past perfect is needed. A is simple present, B is present perfect, and D is future. Answer C.
Traps
- Choosing an option that sounds familiar but breaks agreement.
- Ignoring the second clause, which may fix the time frame.
- Confusing similar forms such as affect/effect or economic/economical.
- Translating a preposition from your first language instead of using the English collocation.