English: Grammar, Vocabulary, and Comprehension
What to master
ECAT English tests grammar and usage (subject-verb agreement, tense consistency, pronoun reference, articles, prepositions), vocabulary in context (synonyms, antonyms, word forms), sentence structure (identifying fragments, run-ons, and misplaced modifiers), and reading comprehension (main idea, inference, tone, and vocabulary from context).
Traps that catch candidates
- Ignoring intervening phrases between subject and verb (e.g., "The box of pens is heavy").
- Confusing who/whom, its/it's, and their/there/they're.
- Choosing a synonym that is close in meaning but wrong in register or context.
- Answering comprehension questions from personal opinion rather than the passage.
- Misreading inference questions as literal-detail questions.
- Overlooking parallel structure in lists and comparisons.
Rule of thumb
For grammar, locate the true subject and match the verb to it. For comprehension, answer only from what the passage states or clearly implies - never from outside knowledge.
Worked example
"Neither of the students ___ submitted the assignment." The subject is neither, which is singular, so the verb is has, not have. Intervening phrases like "of the students" do not change agreement.