English: Grammar, Vocabulary and Comprehension
What the English paper checks
The English section of a cadet entrance exam usually combines a grammar MCQ block with vocabulary, sentence correction, and a short comprehension passage. Grammar questions target parts of speech, tenses, articles, prepositions, subject–verb agreement, active and passive voice, direct and indirect speech, and common confusions such as lie/lay and its/it's. Vocabulary items ask for synonyms, antonyms, one-word substitutions, idiom meanings, and correct spelling. Comprehension asks you to locate stated detail, infer tone, and identify the main idea; answers must be supported by the passage, not by outside knowledge.
Rules that decide marks
- A verb agrees with its subject, not with a phrase between them: The list of items is long.
- Two singular subjects joined by and take a plural verb; joined by or/nor, the verb agrees with the nearer subject.
- One of + plural noun takes a singular verb: One of the boys is absent.
- Use since with a point in time and for with a duration.
- Comparatives compare two; superlatives compare three or more.
Worked example
Choose the correct verb: Neither the teacher nor the students ___ ready. The subject nearer the verb is students (plural), so the answer is are. Many candidates pick is because they see neither and assume singular; the proximity rule controls here.
Traps
Dangling modifiers, double negatives, and missing articles cost easy marks. In comprehension, an option that repeats a passage word is not automatically correct. In idioms, translate the whole phrase, not each word.