English Grammar and Usage
English Grammar and Usage tests whether you can identify and correct errors in standard written English. Expect sentence-completion and error-identification items covering subject-verb agreement, pronoun reference, punctuation, modifiers, parallelism, tense, and commonly confused words.
Core rules
- Find the grammatical subject before checking the verb; ignore prepositional phrases and parenthetical phrases.
- A pronoun must agree with its antecedent in number and person, and must refer clearly to one noun.
- Join two independent clauses with a period, semicolon, or comma plus coordinating conjunction, not a comma alone.
- Place modifiers next to the word they describe.
- Keep lists and comparisons parallel, as in 'to file, to review, and to submit.'
Worked example
Sentence: 'The officer, along with two deputies, were dispatched to the intersection.' Error: The subject is 'officer' (singular); 'along with two deputies' is parenthetical. Correct verb: 'was.' Revised: 'The officer, along with two deputies, was dispatched to the intersection.' If the sentence read 'The officer and two deputies were dispatched,' the plural verb would be correct because 'and' creates a compound subject.
Traps
- Letting a phrase between subject and verb change the verb number.
- Accepting a comma splice because the sentence sounds natural.
- Using 'they' for a singular antecedent in a formal item when the exam expects a singular pronoun.
- Misplacing 'only' or a descriptive phrase so that it modifies the wrong word.
- Confusing contractions with possessives, such as it's and its.