Grammar Rules Tryou observe the previous question papers you can conclude that Grammar is tested through the following question typest x Sentence Completion. (Fill inthe blanks) Sentence Corteetion. (Spotting errors) » Sentence Fillers. x Sentence Improvement. All the areas mentioned above deal with only one point that is accuracy in using English. one mows afew Grammarrules, whatever be the question type, one can solve the questions easily. ‘Those Grammar rules cover: Nouns, Pronouns, Verb and tense, Modifiers (Adjectives and Adverts), Prepositions, Conjunctions, Articles, Concord (Subject and verb agreement), Parallelism. Before going any further, lets pay a glance at how a single grammar rule can be asked in above mentioned varieties. Let's take up sentence completion. 1. We did the job ‘we could; however, it did not turnout to be satisfactory. A)Better B)asgoodas Cas betteras =D) aswellas_—-E) worse. The same question can be asked as a sentence correction, what we call, spotting 2. We did the job (A)/as good as (B) /we could, however, it did not (C)/ turn out to be satisfactory (D)/ No error(E). Let's have a look at the same question as a sentence filler. 3. The jab did not tum aut to be satisfactory, though we did it . A)as good as we could, B) as well as we could ) better we could D) as better as we could E) worse we could Let's observe the same question in the remaining variety- sentence improvement. In this question type the sentence, a part of the sentenes is underlined and asked whether it needs any improvement, Finally, after the instruetions the question looks like this:4. We did the job as good as we could; however, it did not turnout to be satisfactory. A)as better as we could B)aswellas we could (C)as worse as we could D) better we could. E) No improvement ‘Whatever may be the question type the grammar rule tested in the above questions is the same one. If you Inow the usage as given below, it is easy to answer the above ones. Usages: It is an adverb that we use to describe an action. Here, in this sentence, the verb did is described and used as a positive degree, Its very clear if you observe as x as. The proper forms are: Positive Comparative Superlative good Detter dest well better best il ‘worse ‘worst bad ‘worse worst ‘If you observe comparative and superlative, you can see the same word as comparative for Doth good and well. Like wise, the same word as superlative for those two words. But, infact ‘good’ is an adjective and used to describe a noun whereas ‘well’ is an adverb and used to describe a verb, In the given question it is an adverb that we need so ‘as well as’ goes with the sentence as a proper answer. Finally, if you know the usage of adjective and adverb including their degrees, you candeal with the question without any hesitation. ‘Therefore, the answersare: 1D, 2B, 3.3, 4B In conclusion, we can say that, one should know a few grammar rules that frequently ‘appear on the tests so that one can succeed. Let's turn to these grammar rules: As mentioned above, Grammar rules related to nouns, pronouns, verb and tense ete...are tested most frequently, So lets tearup one by one,‘Nouns: This ‘Nouns’ area has been tested on umpteen number of tests. The basic problems in ‘Noun usage are: A) Noun and its form B) Noun and number ©) Noun and article D) Noun and verb agreement ) Noun and pronoun agreement ‘How to erack these areas: Ifyou have a good command of the following words, it will be a cake walk for you. » A few nouns are always singular xc A few nouns are always plural » A few nouns look like singular but plural in their usage uA few nouns look like plural but singular in fact x Some nouns are used both as singulars and plurals without changing their form (Structure). A few Nouns which are always singular. x The below given nouns do not give plural meaning. x They do not become plurals even by changing their form, x They do not take plural verbs after them. xThey do not take plural pronouns. ‘Examples: Scenery, advice, information, machinery, stationery, furniture, rice, gram, repair, poetry, business, luggage, mischief, bread, land, hair, issue. ‘How do questions appear on these words: e.g.1: Ihave sold all my furnitures which have become waste. Ans: I have sold all my furniture which has become waste. e.g.2: Her hairs indicate that she has become old. Ans: Her hair indicates that she has become old. A few Nouns which are always plural. These nouns do not get singular form. x These do not take singular verb after them, x These do not take singular pronoun. Examples: Trousers, scissors, spectacles, ashes, goods, thanks, annals, tidings, shorts, alms, proceeds, remains, riches, tongs, pantaloons, credentials, premises.Example questions: e.g.a: Where is my trouser? Ans: Where are my trousers? e.g. 2: The proceeds of the magic show is to be given to the fund for the soldiers’ welfare. Ans: The proceeds of the magic show are to be given to the fund for the soldiers’ welfare. A few ‘Nouns look like singular but plural in their usage: Examples: Cattle, gentry, vermin, peasantry, people, artillery, clergy, company, police, poultry, Example questions: ‘e.g.a: The latest poultry is ready for sale. Ans: The latest pouliryare ready for sale. e.g.2: All the gentries are invited to the party. Ans: All the gentry are invited to the party A few Nouns looks like plural but singular in meanings: ‘Examples: Innings, athleties, eeanomies, mathematics, summons, gallows, gymnastics, ‘wages, news, physics, dynamics, civies, linguistics, tactics, polities, electronics. Example questions: e.g. 1. Through the electronic media the news are travelling faster than ever before. Ans: Through the electronic media the news is travelling faster than ever before. e.g. 2. The police have been unable to serve a summon on the minister. [Ans: The police have been unable to serve a summons on the minister. A few Nouns which function both as singu and plurals without changing their form (structure). Examples: Sheep, species, deer, aiteraft, offspring, space cra, salmon, yoke Example questions e.g. 1. sheeps live in flocks Ans: sheep lve in flocks e.g. 2:1 saw four deersin the 200. Ans: I saw four deer in the zoo. Besides the above mentioned, the following areas have been tested in many an examinations. Let's learn these error prone areas through the question pattern itselt1. She gave mea cheque for five thousands rupees, Ams: She gave me a cheque for five thousand rupees. 2. Last month I attended a 1wo-weeks programme on personality development Ans: Last month I attended a two-week programme on personality development. Note: Some nouns which indicate a specific amount, length, weight, quantity, measure, or number ete... remain unchanged in form especially when they are preceded by a numeral. (Those nouns include - foot, metre, score, dozen, year, hundred, thousand, million, week, pair, month, KM, Rgete...) '3: This was one of the reason why the industry flourished. Ams: This was one of the reasons why the industry flourished. 4: He got demotion and one of the reasons are his carelessness. Ans: He got demotion and one of the reasons is his carelessness, Note: 1) ‘One of always takes a plural noun after it. 2) One of + Plural noun takes only singular verb. 5: The number of orders still to be executed are growing up day by day. Ams: The number of orders still to be executed is growing up day by day. 6: Arnumber of students is absent from the class today. Ans: A number of students are absent from the class today. Note: The number of is considered singular and ‘A number of is treated plural. So the verb needs to be used accordingly. 7: Today, [have got many works to do. Ams: Today, [have got much work to do (or) Today I have got many tasks to do. ‘Note: ‘WORK’ is always in singular as a noun, 8: Two-thirds of the mailing list have been typed. Ans: Two-thirds of the mailings list has been typed. ‘9: Two-thirds of our employees lives in the suburbs. Aus: Two-thirds of our employees live in the suburbs. ‘Note: After such expressions as-One half of, two-thirds of, a part of, a majority of, - we use singular verb it the noun is singular and a plural verb if the noun is plural. 10: Rupa and Prabha are my family members. Ans: Rupa and Prabha are the members of my family.4; Pranava and Manya are the Parliament Members. Ans: Pranava and Manya are the members of the Parliament. ‘Note: Member of Something’ is the proper expression. a2: Uma is my cousin sister. “Ans: Uma is my cousin. ‘Note: Cousin is enough in the place of cousin brother or consin sister. 13: He has four sister-in-laws. “Ans; He has four sisters-in-law ‘Note: The proper expressions as plurals are: Sisters-in-Iaw, brothers-in-law, commanders- inchief, men-servant, step mothers, arm chairs, advocates general, passers by, officers-incharge (ie, only bead words become plurals) SYNONYMS ‘Synonyms are the words that are similar or nescly similar in meaning. A smmonym, thus, has = literal meaning while its implied meaning may be different, Defining » synonym, the Concise Oxford Dictionary of Current English montions ~ A synonym is a “word or phrase identical and coextensive in sense and usage with another of the same language’. Osford Advanced Leamers Dictionary of Current English writes ~ A synonym is a “word denoting the same thing as another but suitable to different emphasis ‘As such, a synonym is a word or expression accepted as a figurative or symbolie substitute for another word or expression. In other words, we ean say that a synonym is a word which has the same cor almost the same meaning as that of another word in the same language. Tt may, however, be noted that, except in rare cases, no two words are exact synonyms that are interchangeable in all the contexts in which either might appear. However, within a given contest, there are often close synonyms. For example: reach, edueate and instruet eonvey more or less same ‘meanings and can be called synonyms though they slightly differ from one another, principally in degrees of abstraction, Hence words which are synonymous in one of their meanings may differ considerably in their other meanings. COMMIT TO MEMORY ‘There are certain points which we should remember while choosing a synonym. They ane: ¥ A synonym shonld be in the same Part of Speech in which the given word is. x Asynonym, as mentioned above, may have a literal meaning and another an implied meaning. So, ‘we should not ehoose a synonym blindly but be careful whether we have chosen the right word on the basis of the information given in the context. x Sometimes, the examiners include an antonym in the altemative choices given for the answer of that synonym, Hence, we must be very eautious in choosing a synonym.MIND MAP OF CHOOSING A SYNONYM We come to know the brain storming scene of choosing a synonym if we observe the following mind map. The word ‘question’ is the entry for choosing a synonym in the context. The detailed explanation in regard to the selection of the right synonym in the context is offered there under the mind map. ming pon propos propos ot ma CASE1 Dain Entry: question Past of Speech noun Definition: issue, point at issue Synonyms: discussion, motion, point, problem, propos, proposition, subject, theme, topic ‘Antonyms: agreement CASE 2, ‘Main Enty: question Part of Speech: verb Definition: ask for answer Synonyms: ask about, catechize, challenge, cross-examine, enquire, examine, give the third degree, go over, grill, hit up, hit’, hold out for, inquire, interrogate, interview, investigate, knock”, make inquiry, petition, pick one’s brains, probe, pry, pump, put through the wringer, put to the question, query, quest, quiz, raise question, roast, search, seek, show curiosity, solicit, sound out, sweat it out of, work over Antonyms: answer, reply Note: usage informal non-formal CASE 3 Moin Entry: question Partof Speceh: verb Definition: doubt ‘Symouvias call into question, cast doubt upon, challenge, contovert, disbelieve, dispute, distrust, Irestate, impeach, impugn, mistrust, oppose, puzzle over, query suspect, suspicion, wonder about “Antonyms: certainty, daublleseness, sireness, suretyFORMATS OF QUESTIONS ON SYNONYMS Note: The number of answer options is discretionary in accordance with the recruitment exam. FORMAT 1 (meant for IBPS: Bank POs) x Choose the word/group of words which is most nearly the SAME in meaning as the word/group of words given in bold as used in the passage. (In this case, a word for choosing the synonym is taken from the passage meant for Reading Comprehension.) eg. tore out 1. came out gently 2. pushed out 3. walked out 4. mashed out forcefully 5. destroyed angrily “Ans, tore out : (4) sushed out forcefully FORMAT 2 «5 In each of the following questions, out of the given alternatives, choose the one which best expresses ‘the meaning of the given word, ‘eg. ABNEGATION a self denial b. self-sacrifice elf praise 4. self-criticism, Ans. ABNEGATION: (2) self-denial FORMAT 3 = In each of the following questions, here are three words which are mennings of a certain ‘word. Select that word from the answer choiees provided in each question, ag. everlasting, endless, unending @) living (b) etemal (©) increased (@) darable Ans, everlasting, ondless, unending: (b) eternalFORMAT 4 = In each of the following questions, there are four words marked a-d. While three of them are synonymous or have more or less same meaning, one is altogether different from the rest. Select from the answer choices the word whieh is different from the rest. 2g. (a) witty (b) pleasant (c) comical (4) humerous ‘Ans. (b) pleasant FORMATS In each of the following questions, four pairs of words are given, marked a-d. Each pair eonsists of ‘no words which have more or lass similar menning. However, one pair consists af two words which are different in meaning, which you have te select as your answer. ‘2g. (a) authontic/genuine (b) genius/aptitude (c) ghastly/erime (4) gruecome/grim Ans. (e) ghastly/erime FORMAT 6 In each of the following questions, a sontonce is given in which one word is printed in bold type. Under each sentence four altematives, marked a-d are given, Your task is to select the word or ‘expression from the alternatives which convey more of less same meaning as the word printed in bold pe. ‘eg. The UN, coalition forees immediately wont into aetion. (a) most powerful (b) faithful (e) ‘temporary alliance (d) selective Ans, (c) temporary alliane= CLOZE TEST Indruetion: English holds some features unique to it besides being the core part of testing, the biggest problem with objective General English part is it doesn't follow a fixed svllabus.tt also changes the pattern of questions from time to time. Even if it focuses on a particular area of testing, the level of question varies a lot much, wien it is compared to any other part of evaluation. In clearer terms, the basic syllabus can be categorized like Vocabulai Functional Grammar. These areas are very vast and they demand much time to have a clear understanding, One of sueh areas and a must-question type is cloze test’ x What is a Cloze Test? ‘The word cloze means to complete a pattern. A cloze test consists of a portion of text with certain words removed (cloze text), where the candidate is asked to replace the missing words. It is also called a cloze deletion test. It requires the ability to understand the context and vocabulary in order to identify the correct words or type of words that belong in the deleted passages of a text. Just like the name suggests, the test taker is provided a passage with blanks which are serially numbered to ;, Reading comprehension andbe filled in. Below the passage five answer choices are supplied for each numbered blank to be opted out of which only one fits the best. x How to crack these questions? ‘This question type is common on many competitive examinations. So every aspirant of a job needs to have a good shill to ace this zone of the test. It is recommended that one should learn what to look for in the cloze reading passage and how to supply the missing words. Once you earn what to look for, right answers will just pop into your head. If you ant to learn what to look. for, you must understand the expectation of the examiner from the examinee. The cloze test evaluates the candidate's ability to use a variety of items including grammar, vocabulary, word arder, eallacations, verb forms, connectors ete. ‘These items are basically tested in two different ways. The first type aims at the sentence structure level and the other type covers the discourse level which means organization of the composition. In the first level of questions, the expected answer is a word or phrase that suits to the context based on 4) Collocation (word combination) 2) Part of a verb form (tenses) 3) Word form (Parts of speech) etc In the other type of questions, the candidate's over all understanding of the passage is the primary concern, Here, it is very important to note a point which is dissimilar to the first type. (One cannot identify the answer to a blank just by considering the immediately after or before support. It should also be more prominent to go through the text entirely for the gist concept of the passage. In other words it tests the ability to use discourse markers such as first, firstly, however, later, ete. ‘The answers for these kinds of questions demand the candidate's vocabulary power and ability to use discourse markers and connectors which refer to the sequencing of the idea. x STRATEGY ‘There are a few Dos and Don'ts to remember while solving these questions. These will definitely help you build accurate-answer picking strategies. Step 1: Read the text through trying to understand the general meaning, (Skim through the passage) Step 2: Read the second time trying to:a) Fill the gaps with expected notions 'b) Choose the right part of speech of the required sense indicating word. ©) Focus on even collocation. 4) Judge whether it isa sentence level or discourse level of question. Step 3: Eliminate the answer choices that do not fit to your guessing. Step 4: Read once again to confirmthe expected thought is clearly displayed. ‘You should also bear in your mind the following tips, which can comfort you, while applying the strategy. x Dos ~ Always think about the overall meaning of the text to make sure that your answer choice fits the context. * Try to gauge the thought whether it is positive or negative. (it will help you find answers easily) * Always try to depend upon the helpers (like collocations, fixed expression, sign posts, clues ofa sentenee ete...) * Decide which part of speech (adjective, noun, gerund, ete.) needs to be used to fil each gap. * Ifyou are unsure of any given answer, try reading the sentence with each of the five possibilities. > Try to eliminate the obvious false answers (usually two/ three relatively false answers are given) * When stuck between two answers, go with the one that sounds better. * Check your watch every now and then to adjust your pace * Trust your intuition. If you feel a word is right instinctively, it probably is correct. + Always keep on open to the under eurrent thought of the passage Don's * Don't focus on the meaning of each and every word of the passage + Never get bogged down at a particular blank * Do not try to answer questions on your first reading. + Don't try to translate into/ from your mother tongue * Do not insist on completing each question before going to the next. By insisting on completing each question, you lose time and become nervousAlthough he is no longer alive, __1._ his influence can be felt in the studio __2__ he created cartoons and feature films which made him known and __3__ across the word. _4_ many people who work to ereate humour, he took it very seriously. He would sit sadly 5__ the funniest cartoon concentrating or some way to improve it. Walt Disney _6__ the ‘opinions of those working with him but the __7__ judgment was always his own. He demanded a lot __8___ people but he gave alot too. When the economy was not doing well he gaveeveryonea___9__and though some__10__ of this, it gave his employees’ morale a ayer even gland) till 5) besides 2.1)fom —2)where 3g) which 4) while 5) that 3.t)respect 2)seen 3) loved) entertained 5) laughed ans: 14 Here, it is only ‘yet’ because ‘although’ agrees with only ‘yet' out of the given options. It is a matter of collocation, 2.2 Here, the description continues about ‘the studio’ and ‘studio’ is a place. Therefore, ‘where’ is the befitting word. The required word has to represent the place. 3:3 Here, loved’ is the suitable expression because the word ‘and’ indicates the sense required. Since the expression before ‘and! is positive the tequited expression should also be positive, Now let's take up each option and eliminate the ones that do not fit to the blank. Option: ‘respect’ doesn't fit because it is a noun form but here we need a verb third form (past participle). It is known to you if you observe the verb after made’ ie. known’. Option 2, though it is in past participle form, it doesn't fit because ... serve the following expressi The given sentence is His feature films made him known and Here, plug in the remaining answer choices because all the options are in past participle form, + known and seen/ known and loved / known and entertained/ Imown and laughed. ‘You can easily eliminate ‘laughed! because it gives a negative sense, ‘You can also eliminate ‘entertained and seen’ because feature films do not make their creator seen or entertained but loved by people. 4. tfor —a)to 3) without 4)not 5) like 5 don a)until ~—3) front’ =) through 5)in Ans: 4.5 Here, the sentenee is a comparison between the spoken of (character) and the other cartoonists. Therefore only Tike’ fits but not any other word.5.1 Here, itis a collocation. 'Sit on something/ a task’ is the proper expression. Therefore ‘on’ is only option suitable. 6. Hsaw —2)eoneluded —_3)discussed 4) discouraged _5) valued 7. )final —a)ultimately—3)important 4) hasty 5) lasting Ans: 6.5 Here, you should consider both the two blanks of the sentence. Disney took the others opinion into consideration and always decide on his own. With the meaning ‘take into consideration’, there is only one option that is ‘valued’. Therefore, that is the answer. 7A Byanswering the 6th blank you can easily guess the sense required. You can also eliminate 3rd, 4th, and 5th options as irrelevant. Since you are struck with two options let's see how to break the controversy. The immediate word after the blank is ‘judgment’ which is a noun. The options- ‘final’ is an adjective and ‘ultimately’ is an adverb, Noun takes an adjective but not an adverb. Therefore, the answer is ‘final’. 8 by 2) from swith g)to 5) many 9. advance 2) share 3) fee 4) raise 5) profit a0. eredit _2) disapproved 3) criticized 4) offended 5) paid Ans: 8.2 It is a ‘suitable preposition’ testing question. The sentence is- He demanded something-——-—-people. ‘Now, plug in the options, you can find the right answer easily, ‘From people’ is the only option fitting. 9.4 Here, the sentence is- He gave everyone a~-—-——-. Ifyou plug in the options 2nd, 3rd and 5th are eliminated because a boss doesn't give any of these to his employees. Lets break the controversy -the very before word of the blank is ‘a’ which takes @ consonant sound but not a vowel sound after it. Therefore, the answer is raise’ 10.2 Here, ‘though’ functions as a trigger. It always carries two contradictory thoughts. The sense before the word ‘though’ is positive, so let's take up negative sense, Options ast and 5th are eliminated. The remaining options are negative words but all of them can’t be answers. If ‘youobserve the immediate word after the blank is a ‘of. Itcollocates with neither ‘criticized’, nor ‘offended’ but with disapproved’. Therefore, itis the answer.Voice sofas tothe arrangement of the subject and the object in a sentence along with the change in the tense in the clause. Verbs in English are inflected to show five main traits: person, smusuber, tense, voice, and mood. In English, there are two voices: the active and the passive, Modem English isan $+V+0 order language ic, Subject + Verb + (direct) Object. e.g. The student took the books. (Active) On the other hand, in the passive voiee the subject ofthe active voice (doer) and the active woice dizect object (receiver) interchange their relative position in the clause, Thus, the order becomes Objects Helping Verb + Past Participle of the Main Verb + by + Subject e.g. Tho book was taken by the student. (Passive) Please note the structural difference in the above sentences in the corresponding transformation from the Active Voice into the Passive Voice of the sentence offered under the example given above. However, not every active sentence in English can be transformed into corresponding passive ‘form. Thre are wo rues which are required to make this transformation. They are: Only transitive verbs ean be made passive, since it has to have a direct object to make it into passive. 2 Linking verbs cannot be transformed for @ passive clause. ‘The important thing is nothing but the changing the voice of the verb in the transformation of Change of Voice, Please do observe this note, When the verb of a sentence is changed from the Active Voice to the Passive Voice and the other words in the sentence are left unsltered, a change in meaning resullts, In the following examples, the verbs are underlined. 2g, Active Voice: He is driving to the simport. Passive Voice: He is being driven to the airport. (Wrong) x Explanation: The person referred to by the subject of the first sentence is behaving actively; zhe person is doing the driving. The person referred to by the subject of the second sentence is behaving passively; someone else is doing the driving. Further the verb ‘drive’ in the given sentence is INTRANSITIVE and has NO PASSIVE FORM. Language encounter! Don't you feel so? Then, this is not the transformation desired. We have to change only the form and not the meaning. If this precautionary step is [programmed into our minds, transformation of voice becomes easy en our part. In order to preserve the meaning of a sentence when the Voice of the verb is changed, itis necessary to alter the order of the swords in the sentence.It should be noted shat, when changing the Voice of » verb ‘meaning of the sontonce, i is necessary to make sure thatthe verb (tanse) agrees with ts mew subject. eg, Actice: The boys are mossng the lawn Bassivo: The awn is being mowed by the boys. (Right) ‘Voice Transformation Made Easy At first, we havo to locate the main verb in the given sentenco. Then ask "Wiio?” (Who performed the action?) You will get the "Subject". Now read the "Subject and Verb” together and ask "What’ or "Whom" to know what is or who is invelved in the action and you will get the "Object". ‘Now, take the "Subject" and place it at the end and bring the "Object"to the fist place. Change ‘he verb into "Past Pastiiple’. Add suitable "be" form verb to indicate the tense and degses. If there is no answer for the questions "what / whom then the verb happens to be an sronsitive’ one, The ‘intransitive’ cannot be changed into the ‘Passive Voice. You need an "Object to 1a sentence while preserving the change the Voice’ e.g. Namratha goes to school. - (No object — Intransitive Verb — No Passive) ‘Namratha tells stories everday. © Stoties are told by Namratha everday. ‘THE PROCESS OF THE VOICE CHANGE kg Exrterr ety crypts Active Voice Saari, se der 80 (Jab) Errtere ay rye Passive Voice & ait) SHG) G8 Bento, god Tenses Doves, DS ei)) Tense 08, ar Passive Rmyrom foo armed, 8 $2) DOA) Hikads Jobod ands eroyO Passive Graben der cobrsin, + Dovtot drdpeb. as rg drdos Dyin Bhs TABLE 2, v8 Tecdiotero, savosirn Active Voice 6 8) 28 ormyhy passive Voice 518 sndyr08 dn eSnlls Hrros us corirda diFaod Bye. eg: Sheela islearning English now. (Active Voice 6 20) 5500) Subject Verb Object Adv B wee subject F Svossred wag 2d Active Voice acd sve Servs. Sty Passive Voice 8 Ardy EH 6 200 Yrrow follow vipers. DO at)yo way Passive Sarge. object 0 anocor vesrd. (English ... 2 is wohcivod Passive. ona helping verb wosr®. is being... ‘3.main verb ome, Past Participle 70578. learnt 4. drexdcor by D Bory. (sg dyzorr BDbaoyé by) §- BOYD SGD WaaMd. £9 dygorw ODD) é Sheela 6. Dam Adverb so wrair®. (Active Voice €* 22339 now) eg: English isbeing leat by Sheela now, Object helping verb Past Participle Preposition Subject. Adverb CONVERSION TABLE ‘Tense [Structure (AV) ee. [Structure (PV) es. Simple |SubrVirGjes*Oo. Tdoi. |Objram/is/arerV3+by>Sub | Iisdone Present me. Present |Subsam/s/areVising-Ob) [Iam |Obj> am/is/are “being+V9 -by| his bang Continuous doing it. |+Sub. done by me,Present [Sub=have/hastV3+Obj. [Ihave — [Objthave/hastbeen=V3__ [Tt has been done Perfect doneit. | +by+Sub by me. Simple |Sub+ V2 +Obj Tdidit. [Obj+ was/were+Vg +by+ [It was done by Past Sub me, Past [Subrwaslwere+Viring> |Iwas | Objr was/were 7bemg? |b was being Continuous | Obj doing it. |Vg +by+Sub done by me. Past [Sub = had+Vg -Oby Thad done| Obj had=been=Vg Thad been Porfoct it. +by+Sub done by me. Simple |Subrvill/shall-Vie0b). [Iwill doit | Obj -wil/challsbe+v3__|Itshall bo done Future +by+Sub byme. Future | Subrwill/shallthave-Var [Twill have | Objrwill shallhavebeon+ It shall have Perfect obj doneit. [Vg +by+Sub [been done by VOICE TRANSFORMATION IN DIFFERENT VERB TENSES Passive Voice Strucutres for Modals x Modal Verbs can have their Passive forms with the verb ‘be’ following them in their passive constructions. Modals like can, should, ought to, have to, must, had better, might, could, would, had to, has to, need to, may, will have to become can be, should be, ought to be, have to be, must be, had better be, might be, could be, would be, had to be, has to be, need to be, may be, will have to be respectively. e.g, Active: Neha can perform the trick easily. Passive: The trick can be performed by Neha easily. Miscellaneous Cases in Voice Transformation x Imperative sentences (those that do not have the subject in them) can also be transformed into their Passive Voice with a special formula. ( Let + Obj + be + not + ‘V3+ by + Sub.) e.g, Active : Please close the door. Passive: Let the door be closed by you. x When there are two objects ie. the direct object and the indirect object in a sentence, the passive construction takes place in either of | the forms _ given below.‘og. Active : [have taught he class the first lesson. Passive : The first lesson was taught by me to the class. Passive : The class was taught the frst lesson by me. x By making the clause itself as the subject in the passive voice. eg. Active: [hope that he will realize his mistake. Passive: That his mistake will be realized is hoped by us. > Phrasal verb cases should be taken eave of. eg. Active : We ate looking at the game. Passive: The game is being looked at by us. > By substituting the clause with pronoun it. eg. Active «I expected that they would win the match Passive: It was expected by me that the mateh would be won by them. x Intertogative sentences eg. Active : How else would you learn it? Passive : How else would it be learnt by you? Active : Who broke it? Passive : By whom wasit broken? » Sentences starting with Let. eg, Active : Lat me seo the pieture, Passive: Lat che picture be seen by me. ‘Asa goneral rule, however the active voiee is shorter, more direct, and more dynamie than the passe voice, When you are writing, ry to find all of your passive voice sentences and change them into the active voiee. Keep these sentences for which passive voce is an improvement and return to ‘your first construction fr the ethers. # wcjanmotest abys Dacirem Disa Aesth enh dof BSD MosmgyAd. sed wy Bip Reacdelld, BS Secor aid aay ERED ran’ dof Decbodt FES dh es Bac Oy BiSob. ercenbhnds as magbnty aye. Badsyod dongs bb uanonw adys Rarocred eaansated, DIRECT AND INDIRECT SPEECH eo Bby® arbnms DESO aoAGE Zoe SEIT BOyey, AaB, Shy awww coeratrr ‘BwyGo, 2) Gof hyS wotrer. veto, abo arwom anerasar aos wd rOYT{D 30yC0. 6 o8gDG byS owe. Ogos aband’ AOE wod abEDs nS rer aadirnacwrered. BOG HET aye we ere gy SEE0E by S88 ged! Se orthom andy rain, GRLIE by Sia OBE nS wh eer wots, Sometimes we need to say what another person said. There are two ways to do this in English Direct Speech and Indirect Speech (Reported Speech), Direct speech is used vshen we sant to repeat the original speaker's exact words, while Indireet Speech is used when we want to give the exaet ‘meaning of a speech without quoting the speaker's exact words. Now this way, we can answer the ‘question ‘What did he/she say” in these ways: by repeating the words spoken (Direct Speech) and by. reporting the words spoken (Indirect Speech). eg, Namsatha sald to me, ‘Ido u' like this game." (D.S) ‘Nanratha told me that she did not like that game, (RS)We can make a speaker's words or thoughts part/s of our sentence, using reported. verbs conjunetions (0. that) and change pronouns, the tenses or verb forms and other words (adverbs) when necessary. This kind of reporting isealled Reported Speech. ‘CERTAIN BASICS OF DIRECT AND INDIRECT SPEECH, 20) Bbyd Erbe choad SON Bhysipyed #6 BE HS wiped v Arbo voir aOysOnn@ OD BSNgE wang’ soso .g.: Ramana said to them, “Lurote a letter vesterdav.” Subject Ditect Speech wand ada Bd; arawAd DOGoM odoas A Door AT yay, oD) WSLS hyd water 628 ad Bb,d arbor aberdctorr Pheer a erdyorsy Ardy Aed. 6) ONgoh eoered BS wad Gog HS SGN WALI ALS der dotald £60 teRye Srcod e.g Bamana told them that he had written a letter yesterday, Subject Indirect Speech Binge BOE hyd, abZOE Dy SS ey reed errmerte dex bende aingre Ramana said to them, “Lr wrote a letter yesterday.” Subject Reporting Object | Proverb Verb Advert Verb Direct Speech Portion eg: Ramana told them that he had written aletter the previous day. Subject Reported Object Conj.|Pranoun Verb farm. Adverb Verb Indirect Speech Portion PROCESS OF TRANSFORMATION: DIRECT AND INDIRECT SPEECH There are some grammatical differences between direct and indirect speech. These changes are mostly natural and logical. But then, it is necessary to learn these rules that govern the reporting process or transformation of speech in English. 1. Reporting Verb and Reported Verb: Depending upon the kind of sentence found in the Direct Speech part, the reporting verb remains co or gets changed into : say(s), said, told for Declarative Sentences : asked, enquired, inquired, for Interrogative Sentences; ordered, commanded, begged. requested, told for Imperative Sentences; exclaimed and said for ‘Exclamatory Sentence.CONVERSION OF REPORTING VERB INTO REPORTED VERB sno, | Kindofthe Sentence 7 Usual Reporting Verb | 1s. reported Verb to be foundinthe seen | foundinthe gen | Pare Speech + | Declarative Sentence said / told said asked/ enquired /inquired 2, | Imerrogative Sentence said to demanded / wondered told 3. _ | imperative Sentence asked/ordered/requested/told 4 | Exclamatory Sentence: exclaimed and said/told e.g, He said, “She isa teacher.” = He said that she was a teacher. He said, “Is she a teacher?” = He asked me whether she was a teacher. He said, “Where is she working?” = He enqnired where she was working. He said, “Open the door quickly.” — He ordered me to open the door quickly. He said, “Tell me about her please.” + He requested to tell him about her. He said, “What good news it is!” + He exclaimed and said that it was good news. Doom: BBG hySS'onsy a8 oo yL ORES hySS'S ards oOlpoh Dio OYE Ddyr ary aids Rass cinciy. ot EdGSOS! ZOE By SST EkeS je ont) mB [EYBAS, mACAS, wOSS8S) BS g08 By dessconsar OBE Hire Senco. jp acrincet Said’ OGoh By ads Cody off said, asked, enquired, ordered, requested.exelaimed and said m arove0. 2. Conjunction Case: We use different conjunctions while transforming the Direct Speech into Indivect, Speech. The conjunction ‘that’ for Declarative Sentence and Exclamatory Sentences in the Direct Speech; GP /swhether’ or Wh-word /Elow for Interrogative Sentence; ‘to’ or ‘aot to’ for Imperative Sentence cases aceontingl. INSERTION OF CONJUNCTION SNo__] Kindof the Sentence found Usual Conjunction to be weitten in the given Direct Speech, in Indirect Speech by removing the double inverted commas L Declarative Sentence That 2. | Interrogative Sentence Case 1: Wh-Qn words &How> | Wh- word & How (as applicable) Case 2: Yes-No Qns. > | f/ whether2 Imperative Sentence Caset: Positive Sentence > to Case 2: Negative Sentence > notto 4 | Exclamatory Sentence thet he said to me, “He teaches English.” = She told me that he taught English. She said to me, “Does he teach English?” + She asked me ~— if he taught English. She said to me “Where does he teach English?” — She asked me where he taught English. She said to me,” Don't teach English.” = She ordered me not to teach English. She said to me, “How interesting!” + She exclaimed and told me that it was interesting. Dadoe: LOS HySS'Aod) a8 TSG) VHLD Hy SSS ard wang BOE HyS ory wD Amocnertod SoHE US SowakS Bd) Ho Eobv0d. won SoaoKS Jods 30 £08 LySS* sndod oss oF) OH (ES6SS, aOUTASS, 908555) Sarvroev0rr Gor B. B emrirond? gag RySS'D Ag6AS, qoNerMIDS, moOsdS, dg Sr0b orgy oF) Hg OSE hyd OgSy 0620H that, ifwhere, not tarda that ws Sarva SowosSyP Swy0D HDdDoaoe. NOTE: The conjunction ‘that’ is dropped, especially after common reporting verbs (eg. say, think)) in informal speech and ‘thal’ ean not be dropped after certain verbs (eg, reply, shout), ¢g.:I think (that) you are probably right. (that’ is dropped) eg. She shouted thatshe was busy. __(that’ cannot be dropped) 3. Pronoun Changes: When changing from direct speech to indirect speech, it is often necessary ‘to change the pronouns to match the subject of the sentence. 4, She said, “ I want to bring my book.” ~ She said that she wanted to bring her book. ‘TABLE OF PRONOUNS Person | Form | Nominative | Accusative | Possessive | Predicative | Reflexive sst__| Singular [T me my, mine | Myself Plural [we us our cours | Ourselves ond | Singular [you you your yours | Yourself Plural [you ‘you ‘your ‘yours | Yourselves aed__| Singular [he him his his | Himself ‘Singular | she her Ther hers | Herself Singular [it it its its | Itself Plual_[ they them ‘theiz theirs | themselves Docc: aronysared* ano pronouns. oo a annie, OSge6 SS a8 20g dySc amcor aay 249ea noun/pronoun of acKada wd vokep s ava, wrod. ob noun/pronoun wa» D Dorr Arenye8S wate emmys wf anes B0y84 Devolved.Demironss Sdbod & aro) QSavAd 2.530 HADocd0¥. 4. Tense Changes: Indirect Speech is usually introduced by a verb in the Past Tense. When the reporting verb is in the Past Tense, all the verbs in Present Tense in the Direct Speech have to be changed into the corresponding Past Tense verb forms. Dace: ad sraxt ara. verb forms (Tenses) 4 Soredo2)40. Reporting Verb ‘Past Tense’ 6* 4) )9¢5, GOS fyySe"D ‘verb’ form Past Tense 6°3 arcdovod. ead 608 Sa) ansssFomoiyen eotran. Reporting Verb oO Present/Future Tense 6* sy zpx¢ Tense arcoyerociay. exrarone Dayoersorsn Past Tense 5" 20) B0y%0 Ser. aye 80d Bd) Hy ArEyOD Hrod HYSOA DIT HaDowod. TENSE CHANGES WITH EXAMPLES Direct speech Indirect speech, She said, "I'm teaching English online.” Present simple Past Tense She said, "It's cold. »She said that it was cold. Present continuous ‘Past continuous: »She said that she was teaching English online. Direct speech Indirect speech Present perfect simple Past perfect simple She said, "T've been on the web since 1999." | »She said that she had been on the web since 1999. Present perfect continuous Past perfect continuous She said, "T've been teaching English for __| » She said that she had been teaching English for seven years.” seven years. Past simple Past perfect She said, "T taught online yesterday. »She said that she had taught online yesterday. Past continuous Past perfect continuous She said, "Twas teaching earlier." She said that she had been teaching earlier. Past perfect Past perfect She said, "The lesson had already started | “NO CHANGE - She said that the lesson had. when he arrived.” already started when he arrived. Past perfect continuous Past perfect continuous She said, "Td already been teaching for 2NO CHANGE - She said that she had already. five minutes.” been teaching for five minutes.Modal Verb Cases Direct speech Indirect speech ‘will would She said, "Ill teach English online » She said that she would teach English tomorrow.” online tomorrow. can could She said, "Iean teach English online.” | »She said that she could teach English online. Taust had to She said, "Imusthave acomputer to _| »She said that she had to have a computer teach toteach English online. English online.” shall Should She said, "What shall we learn today?" >| »She asked what we should lear that day. may might She said, "May open anew browser?" | » She asked if she might open a new browser. x Indirect speech can be introduced by a verb in a present tense usually when we are: 1. reporting a conversation that is still going on. 2, reading a letter or something else and reporting what it said, 5. seadinginstmctions and porting them, «4: teportng statement tat someone makes very offen, ‘eg: Rani says, "Ti never get mane” Rani says that sho will never get mars «= when the introdoctory verb (reporting ve) is ina present, present perfect or future ‘ene (less common), the tens ofthe dzectpeech doesnot change ‘eg: He hasjustsnid “Mymaseriswrtngleters” Heoas just sald (ha his mastor is writing ots, 5-Adverb (Time) Change: Ifthe reported sentence contains an expression of time, ou ‘st changeit fitin with the time of reporting. For example, wenned to change words ike here and yesterday they have ferent meanings at the Sine and place of reporting The flloning ae the adretbs or expressions of tne, f the direct speech happensto be ‘ported ona different dy. Doce: wane saws 2208 was & sans" Adverbs 2 (E05 4,6 BET asSw aad) endS warmoer an, maw®. ‘Words expresingnenmess are generally change into woods axpresing cstanceExpressions like -- this (evening), today yesterday, these(davs), now, (a week) ago, last weekend, here, next (week), tomorrow ete. become that(evening), that day, the previous day/ the day before, those(days), then, (a week) before, the weekend before / the previous weekend, ‘there, the following (wweek), the nest/following day ete., CONVERSION OF ADVERB ‘Adverb foundin the given | Change in Adverb form to be waitten in Direct Speech Indirect Speech this ‘That these Those here There Thence, hereby, et Thence, Thereby, ete now ‘Then today. that day tomorrow the next day the following day yesterday the day before / the previous day_ ‘tonight that night Tast night the night before / the previous night ago Before tims so eg, She said, ‘Iwill come tomorrow.” + She sad that she would eome the next day. Be sOys HgEgIN Dead wopad Dds ome ame Zof hyS rol) aaag HSE aveys ‘SAMPLING OF TRANSFORMATION OF SENTENCES FROM DIRECT SPEECH INTO INDIRECT SPEECH = Statements (Declarative Sentences) (Case 1: Plain Statements eg: Direct Speech : She said to him, “Tam very busy now.” Indirect Speech: She told him that she was very busy then. (Case 2: Universal Truths (where tense change is not applicable eg. Ditect Speech; The teacher ssid, “The earth moves round the sun.” Indireet Speech: The teacher said that the earth moves round the sun. ' Questions (Interrogative Sentences) Case 1: Wh-words & How e.g, Direct Speech: Se said to him, "Where are you going now?” Indirect Speech: She asked him where he was going then.Direct Speech: She said to him, “Where do you work?” Indirect Speech: She asked him where he worked. Direct Speech: She said to him, “How do you go to office?” Indirect Speech: She asked him how he went to office. Case 2: Yes-No Questions e.g. Direct Speech: She said to him, “Do you play ericket?” Indirect Speech: She asked him if he played cricket. Direct Speech: She said to him, “Do you play cricket?” Indirect Speech: She asked him whether he played cricket. x Orders, Requests, Suggestions etc., ( Imperative Sentences) Case 1: Positive Sentences e.g. Direct Speech: She said to him, “Open the door.” Indirect Speech: She ordered him to open the door. Direct Speech: She said to him, “Open the door.” Indirect Speech: She told him to open the door. Direct Speech: She said to him, “Please open the door.” Indirect Speech: She requested him to open the door. Negative Sentences eg, Direct Speech: She said to him, “Don't open the door." direct Speech: She Case ordered him not to open the door. Direct Speech: She said to him, “Please don’t open the door.” Indirect Speech: She requested him not to open the door. xt Exclamatory Sentences Case 1: Positive feeling Direct Speech: She said, “What a nice shot!” Indirect Speech: She exclaimed and said that it was a nice shot. Case 2: Negative feeling Direct Speech: She said, “How disgusting!” Indirect Speech: She exclaimed and said that it was very disgusting. WH 6: DOM dag AaParo ASO as FIHD) COS Hy5 sod 5205 Ay 5S (OYE Hy5)SS Moor arGydad, 493 POP d_r Ghd HAS. woavsino dos @Dyd wargrow FAH, aareven H6arraowod,EXERCISE x» Report the following sentences carefully. 4. He said to them, “The Bible is a holy book.” 2. He said to them, “I read the Bible everyday.” 3. He said to them, “I am reading the Bible now 4. He said to them, “Thave read the Bible recently.” 5. He said to them, “I have been reading the Bible since 2009.” 6. He said to them, “I read the Bible in my childhood.” ANSWERS. 4. He told them that the Bible is a holy book. 2. He told them that he read the Bible everyday. 3. He told them that he was reading the Bible then. 4. He told them that he had read the Bible recently. 5. He told them that he had been reading the Bible since 2009. 6, He told them that he had read the Bible in his childhood. 7. He said to them, “I was reading the Bible at 6 p.m. yesterday.” 8, He said to them, “Ihad read the Bible and went out for a walk:last week.” 9. He said to them, “Thad been reading the Bible during my school days.” 20. He said to them, “I will read the Bible tomorrow.” 1, He said to them, “T shall read the Bible tomorrow.” 32, He said to them, “I will be reading the Bible in my journey tomorrow. 33, He said to them, “I will have read the Bible by this time tomorrow.” 44, He said to them, “I will have been reading the Bible during my post-retirement.” ANSWERS : 7. He told them that he had been reading the Bible at 6 p.m. the previous day. 8, He told them that he had read the Bible and went out for a walk the previous week. 9. He told them that he had been reading the Bible during his school days. 10, He told them that he would read the Bible the nest day. 11, He told them that he would read the Bible the next day. 42. He told them that he would be reading the Bible in his journey the next day. 33. He told them that he would have read the Bible by that time the following day. 14, He told them that he would have been reading the Bible during his post-retirement.15, He said to them, “Let us read the Bible everyday.” 36, He said to them, “I must read the Bible.” 37, He said to them, “Do you read the Bible?” 38. He said to them, “When will you read the Bible? 19. He said to them, “How do vou read the Bible?” 20, He said to them, “Read the Bible.” 2, He said to them, “Please read the Bible.” ANSWERS 35. He told them that they should read the Bible everyday. 36, He told them that he had to read the Bible. a7. He asked them if they read the Bible. 38. He asked them when they would read the Bible, 10. He asked them how they read the Bible. 20, He ordered/told them to read the Bible. 24, He requested them to read the Bible. 22. He said to them, “Don’t read anything except the Bible.” 23, He said to them, “What a reading of the Bible!” 24, He said to them, “Let it take its own time, I shall read the Bible.” 125, He says to them, “Tread the Bible for salvation.” 26, He said to them, “I must read the Bible now.” 27. He said to them, “I need not read the Bible.” 28. He said to them, “Immust read the Bible next week. ANSWERS 22, He advised them not to read anything except the Bible. 23, He exclaimed and said that it was a wonderful reading of the Bible. 24, He told them that he would read the Bible however long it might take time. 125, He says to them that he reads the Bible for salvation, 26. He told them that he had to read the Bible at once. / He told them that he was not to read the Bible then. 27. He told them that he did not have to read the Bible, 28, He told them that he would have to read the Bible the following week. 29. He said to them, “You must not read the Bible at odd times.” 130. He said to them, “Yes, Thave read the Bible wholeheartedly.” ANSWERS 29. He told them that they must not read the Bible at odd times. 130. He confessed that he had read the Bible wholeheartedly.English Language The Test of English Language (Grammar, Vocabulary, Comprehension) consists of an objective test for 50 marks and a descriptive test for 50 marks, The descriptive paper of only those candidates will be valued who have scored qualifying marks in objective test. In the Objective English Test which carries 50 marks, a candidate's proficiency in fill up the Blanks, Cloze Test, Spotting Errors, Substitutions, Synonyms and Antonyms, Sentence Arrangement, Reading Comprehension will be tested. In the Descriptive Test which carries 50, marks, a candidate's proficiency in comprehension, short precis, letter writing and essay writing will be tested. The Descriptive English Paper should be completed in an hour. Fill Up The Blanks "Fill up the blanks’ questions are given in banking service examinations to test the extent of vocabulary of a candidate. Fill up the blanks questions are to test the reading comprehension skills also. These questions check whether the candidate has merely memorised the meaning of the word or he or she can use the word property, From among the options, we have to choose the ‘words when inserted into the blanks complete the sentence in such a way that it is clear, logical and literally as well as grammatically correct. ‘The candidates are advised to study various shades of meanings ofn different test-worthy words, by referring to a good dictionary, He or she can glance through the words whenever there is leisure. In each of the following sentences there are two blank spaces. Below each sentenee there are five pairs of words denoted by letters a, b,c, d and e. Find out which pair of words can fill up the blanks to make the sentence correct. 1. These paintings may be more --- but the money goes to a — cause. a) costlier, definite b) cheap, wonderftlc) attractive, versatile d) expensive, noble e) standard, excellent expensive, noble KEY: aed; Expensive, noble ‘Meanings: Versatile = turning easily or readily from one subject, skill or occupation to another, Noble = great 2. The best way to ~~ potential of employees is —- various training programmes. a) apprise, by b) appraise, by ©) exploit, from 4) enhance, through e) identify, under enhance, through‘Meanings: Emphasis Exploit = to use somebody in selfish manner for one's own advantage/ profit. Enhance = increase. -Apprise = to inform. Appraise = to assess the value, quality or nature of somebody or something. 3. An autocrat believes in -—- others. He--- power and control. a) Perfectionism, explores b) autocracy, engulfs _c) dominating, seeks 4) possessing, rejects e) elaborating, develops A: dominating, seeks KEY: 3-c; dominating, seeks ‘Meanings: Explore = to examine something thoroughly. -Autocracy = having absolute power. Engulf = to surround somebody or something so that they are completely covered. ‘Dominating = controlling. Seck =ask. Elaborating = explaining vividly. tress, 4. The cave was so --- that we became a) dark, frightened by sharp, worried) deep, eautious A) long, enthusiastic __¢) crowded, isolated A: dark, frightened KEY: dark, frightened ‘Meanings: Frightened = feared. Isolated = separate, standing alone 5. He has requested his officer to bear --- him for some time, so that he can -~ the whole issue. a)at, inform —b) with, clarify c)on,solve —d) for, mow —_e) out, understand as with, clarity, KEY: 5-b; with, clarify 6. His —- in his work — to many problems. a) decision, put b) negligence, led) fault, lauded ) desire, brought ¢) mistake, subjected A: negligence, ledKEY: 6-b: negligence, led ‘Meanings: Lauded = praised subject (v) = expose, surrender. 7. He has —~ knowledge of words. Therefore his sentences are always — with rich meaning. a) tertific, tempted b)meaningful, full _) outstanding, consistent 4) distinguished, loaded —_e) profound, pregnant A: profound, pregnant KEY: ‘7-e; profound, pregnant ‘Meanings: Outstanding = great = exceptionally good. Consistent = in agreement with something, Distinguished = very successful and admired by other people. Profound = deep. Pregnant = full of, filled with, ‘Torvifie — torino 8. Patel was -~ himself to public works. He never —- a holiday a) devoted, took b)after, offered c) prepared,had ) sacrificed, after) keen, utilize A: devoted, took, KEY: 8-a; devoted, took ‘Meanings: Devoted = dedicated, gave. ‘Keen = eager. Utilize = nse, Sacrificed = offered, surrendered. Offered = gave. 9. The teacher should —- the learner to take steps which will —- his learning 4) direct, reorganize b) foree, organise _¢) encourage, reinforce 4) caution, reinforee _¢) encourage, acknowledge ‘A: aencourage, reinforce KEY: ‘9-e; encourage, reinforeeMeanings: Reinforce = to make stronger. Acknowledge = accept, admit. 10. His feelings are not entirely -—- or a) unreasonable, imaginary _—b) cohesive, irrational _—_c) sound, unfounded 4) baseless, unjustified ©) inexcusable, unimaginative ‘A: unreasonable, imaginary KEI 410-2; unreasonable, imaginary ‘Meanings: Unfounded = with no basis in fact. Cohesive = sticking together easily or well. Irrational = not logical or reasonable, 411, An auto-crat is bent on — others. His sole aim is to —- power and control. a) dominating, seek _b) perfectionist, explore _¢) elaborate, develop d) autocratic, engulf _e) possessive, reject ‘A: dominating, seek KEY: ata; dominating, seek ‘Meanings: Autocrat = a ruler who has absolute power. Explore = to examine something thoroughly. Possessive = treating somebody as if one owns them. Elaborate = very detailed and carefully prepared, 412. Ravi's --- has yielded him-—- fruit. a)efforts, unwanted _b) perseverance, desired _¢) emphasis, expected 4) action, viable e) fate, undesirable A perseverance, desired KEY: 12-b; perseverance, desired ‘Meanings: Yield = to produce something as.a result. ‘Viable = that can be done or possible, Perseverance = continued steady effort to achieve an aim. 43. The advocate -- his arguments by — several references. a)revealed, declaring _b) substantiated, citing _¢) vindicated, referring, @ clarified, averting _e) pressed, announcingKEY: 13-b; substantiated, citing ‘Meanings: Vindicate = to clear someone of blame or suspicion, Substantiate = to prove the truth of something by providing evidence or proof. Citing = speaking or writing words taken from a passage / a book. Reveal= to make facts ete known, Avert = to prevent something unpleasant from happening. 44. The Chairman has decided to -— special training to employees on —- to tackle complex a) provide, how b) announce, benefits c) impart, risks d) offer, course e) sanction, skills A: provide, how KEY: 414-4; provide, how ‘Meanings: Impart = to make information known to someone, Provide = to give. 435. Preetam was ~~ by letter that he had — promoted. a) stated, finally b)informed, been ¢) told, not _d) communicated, note) offered, been A: informed, been KEY: 15-b; informed, been, 16. The hunger for power and pelf is -~ and therefore most difficult to — a) enormous, apply b) empowering, delegate 6) insatiable, contain ) evolutionary, rationalize e) accumulative, subsume ‘A: insatiable, contain KEY: 16-c; insatiable, contain ‘Meanings: Enormous = very large ive duties or rights to somebody. ‘to include something in a particular group. Empower = to give power. Insatiable = not able to be satisfied.Evolutionary = gradual development. Retionalize = to try to find a logical reason. 17. On account of the ~~ in sales, the company has achieved an eight pereent -~ in net profit. a) increase, rise b) decline,slope _¢) surge, fall d) hike,loss _e) growth, advance As increase, rise KEY: 37-0; increase, rise ‘Meanings: Surge = to inerease suddenly and intensely. 418. Many women organizations in the country criticised the Government's decision to - drinking. a) refrain, from b)invoke, for ¢) repeal,on d) revoke, of _) prohibit, prevented A: repeal, on KEY: 18-c; repeal, on ‘Meanings: Revoke = to withdraw or cancel a law, license ete. Refrain = to stop oneself doing something that one would like to do. Prohibit = To stop somebody to do something by laws, rules or regulations, Invoke = to use something or somebody as an authority for doing or arguing something. Repeal = to make a law no longer valid. 19. Hills and dales are a —- sight. Thave always ~~ to see them. a) joyful, imagined _b)extra-ordinary, advocated _c) stupendous, encouraged )loving, prepared _¢) fascinating, longed ‘A: fascinating, longed KEY: 19-¢; fascinating, longed Stupendous = very great or large. Fascinating = interesting and charming. Jong (v) = to have a strong desire. 20. The Minister who was earlier —- to head the delegation has now given his a) eager, approved b)reluctant, consent _c) expected, assurances 44) forced, unwillingness _¢) requested, enhances A: reluctant, consentKEY: 20-b; reluctant, consent ‘Meanings: Delegation = a group of delegates. Reluetant = not willing ta do Consent = permission. Eager = full of interest. Unwillingness = not wanting to do something. 21. The youth should —- the spirit of service from the great men of a)imbibe, yore __b) develop, possession —_c) analyze, distinction d)inculeate, power) invent, wisdom A: imbibe, yore KEY: 21a; imbibe, yore ‘Meanings: Inculcate = to fix ideas or principles firmly in someone's mind especially by often repeating them. Imbibe = to absorb something. Of yore = long ago. Distinetion = the quality of being, excellent and distinguished. 22. There is no —- the fact that a man of knowledge and commitment —- great power. a) denying, wields d)clarifying, exhibit 0) justifying, acknowledges, advocating, projects e) proclaiming, develops ‘A: denying, wields KEY: 22-0; denying, wields COMPREHENSION 1s from various banks for different kinds of posts have filed the ‘unemployed youth with full of zeal and hope. They have started preparing for the targeted posts like Pos, and special officers. Many of the examinees worry about the General English part because it seems to be ahard rock In fact, this English part itself is easier and more scoring than any other eomponent of the test. It is because, unlike the other segments of the test, the syllabus of the English partis limited. and fixed, All the questions of the test move around only two skills of language learning ~ reading and writing, To test the candidate's ability to read faster and better there is a reading comprehension passage with 15 questions attached and of course, five questions are on Vocabulary. To test the writing ability of test taker there are a faw questions on Grammar and Composition. Here are a few questions from previous papers: ‘The incessant@ Directions (Q.1-15): Read the following passage carefully and answer the questions given below it. Certain words have been printed in bold to help you locate them while answering some of the questions. We should recognize the indebtedness of the country to its farm families who toil to safeguard national food security. Loan waiver is the price we have to pay for the neglect of rural India over the past several decades. There has been a gradual decline in investment in key sectors related to agriculture such as infrastructure, marketing, post harvest technology etc. The four crore farmers whose debt is to be relieved will be eligible for institutional credit for their cultivation expenses during Kharif 2008. The challenge is to prevent them from getting into the debt trap again. For this purpose the Central and various State governments should set up an Indebted Farmers’ Support Consortium, comprising scientists, panchayat raj officials and others relevant to assisting farmers to improve the profitability and productivity of their farms in an environmentally sustainable manner. The smaller the farm, the greater is the need for marketable surplus to reduce indebtedness. ‘The Indebted Farmers’ Support Consortium should aim to get all the four crore farmers all the benefits of the government schemes such as the Rashtriva Krishi Vikas Yojana, Irrigation Benefit Programme and others. If this is done, every farm family released from the debt trap should be able to produce at least an additional half tonne per hectare of food grains. This should help increase food production by about 20 million tonnes by 2008-10. At a time when global and national food stocks are dwindling and prices are rising, this will be a timely gain for our national food security. We need to ensure that the outcome of the debt waiver has enhanced farmers’ ineome and production. The prevailing hiatus between potential and actual yields in the crops of rain-fed areas such as pulses and oil seeds is over 200 per cent even with the necessary technologies on the shel. We are now importing without duty large quantities of pulses and oil seeds. If helped, farmers can produce these at a lower cost. ‘Opportunities for assured and remunerative marketing are essential if loan waiver is not to become a recurring event leading to the destruction of the credit system. This is why the ‘Minimum Support Price is necessary for all, not just for a few crops which is the case at present This is the single most effective step to make loan waivers history. There is another urgent step which needs to be taken. The loan waiver does not cover those who borrow from money lenders.Itwill not be possible for the government to scrutinize the veracity of such private deals but steps can be taken such as giving them Smart Cards which will entitle them to essential inputs like seeds and fertilizers. The gram sabha can be entrusted with the task of identifying these farmers so that there is transparency in the process and elimination of the chances for falsification and corruption. Fear of occasional misuse should not come in the way of enabling millions of poor farmers who have borrowed from informal sources if we are to achieve the goal of four per cent growth in agriculture, Questions: 1. What is the likely impact of ensuring farmers’ benefit from government schemes? 1. They can use the credit from these schemes to repay money Tenders. 2. The government can control the price rise. 3. Increased agricultural production. A)Bothiand2 —-B)1,2and3_C)Only3_-D) Both 2and3 E) None of these Ans: B. 12, Why does the author feel that rural India has been overlooked in the past? 4. Institutional credit was only made available for Kharif crops. 2. Drop in investment in central areas related to agriculture, 3, Records of those eligible for loan waivers have not been maintained over time. A)Only2 —-B)Bothiand2 —C)Only3._D)alla,2and3_E) Noneof these 43. How can small farmers avoid debt? A) They need to acquire additional land holdings B) They need to take advantage of both government schemes as well as credit from money Tenders ©) They have to ensure that a sufficient amount of their farm produce is sold 1D) The Government should provide periodic loan waivers ) None of these Ans: 2A; 3E4, What is the objective of the Indebted Farmers’ Support Consortium? A) tis a support group for the families of indebted farmers B) Ithas to devise new government schemes for farmers ©) Ithas to track farmers eligible for government schemes D) Ithas to evaluate government schemes and weed out the inefficient ones E) None of these 5 What does the author mean by the phrase indebtedness of the country to its farm families’? A) IE farmers are in debt it impacts the entire country B) Citizens should be grateful to farmers and their families for the hardships borne by them to cultivate erops ) India's food production has fallen causing it to be in debt since it has to import food 1D) The number of farmers’ descendants taking up agriculture has fallen, E) None of these Ans: 4A; 5.B, 6. What is the author's opinion of recurring loan waivers? A) They are beneficial to farmers B) They are detrimental to the system of lending ©) They will reduce the need for a Minimum Support Prie for agricultural products _D) Farmers will no longer be in debt to money lenders E) None of these 7. Which of the following is TRUE in the contest of the passage? A) The Minimum Support Price for agricultural products is yet to be implemented ) Loan waiver is a permanent solution to indebtedness of farmers ©) Current agricultural growth is below four per cent ‘D) Indies food production has increased in 2008 ) Money lenders benefit from loan waivers Ans: 6B; 7.C.8. Why does the loan waiver not caver credit taken from money lenders? 1. Itis difficult to verify these contraets between farmers and money lenders, 2. It will increase the deficit in the budget. 3. There is a risk: that the funds may be misappropriated. A)Bothiand3 —-B)alls,2and3 — C)only2 D)Bothiand2 — E) Noe of these 9. Why is there a vast gap in actual and potential yields of crops in rain-fed areas? A) The government prefers to import these crops at a lower rate B) No technological advances have been made to improve the growth of crops in these areas (C) There is no Minimum Support Price available for these crops 1D) Farmers are forced to sell these crops at a low rate E) None of these Ans B.A; 9G. 10. How does the government intend to ensure transparency in the Smart card issuance process? A) Screening private players involved in the scheme B) Granting access to those farmers who register with their local money lenders ©) Providing eards which eannat be forged D) Regularly rotating members of the gram sabha so there is no corruption E) None of these Ans: E Directions (Q.a1-13): Choose the word which is most similar in meaning to the word printed in bold as used in the passage. a assured. (A)insured —(B) definite (C) doubted (D) confident (E) reliance 12. relieved (A)exempted — (B) backed —_(C) supported (D) calmed (E) substituted 33, hiatus, (A)hole (B)break — (C)pause —_(D) difference _(E) interruption AnsB; 12. A; 13.D. Directions (Q.14-15): Choose the word which is most opposite in meaning to the word printed in bold as used in the passage. 14, timely, (A)young (B)lately (C)overdue (D) aged (E) slowly 15. elimination (A) authority (B) forgiveness (©) attack (D) provision (E) protection Ans: 14.B;15.E.ap Directions (Q. 1-15): Read the following passage carefully and answer the questions given below it. Certain words have been printed in bold to help you locate them while answering some of the questions. According to the United States Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA), plastic bags are a better option than paper bags from the environment’s point of view. Many studies comparing plastic versus paper show that plastic bags have less net environmental effect than paper bags, requiring less energy for transport, production and reeycling and because of all these, plastic generates less greenhouse gases, They cause less air and water pollution and can get compressed toa small size in landfills. Plastic bags are sterile and thus are a better option for the transportation of eatables and medicines. However there is another side of using plastic. Plastics are manufactured from petroleum. ‘This brings a host of other issues e.g. destruction of habitat. Their manufacturing involves chemicals, many of which have not been sufficiently tested for their toxicological impact on humans and animals. Exacerbating the problem is that science has only advanced to detect, plastic components in human bodies and then link it to human ailments and diseases, ‘Where seience has been unable to help is that it has largely failed to invent a solution to the hazards caused by it. Making the situation dismal is the fact that the hazard is closer than it appears. Teflon, PYC, Polyethylene, polystyrene in utensils and various silicones in hair and body care products accumulate in the body and lead to serious diseases. Plastic producing companies are often chemical companies or subsidiaries of chemical companies, both with poor track records when it comes to their adherence to regulatory compliance and their willingness to perform toxicological analysis on the products that they make. Plastics often drain component chemicals, including hazardous chemicals when temperature changes beyond a certain point. It is for this reason that toxicologists do not recommend storing ‘very cold food in plasties or heating food (microwaving especially) in plastics. Also, plasties are durable materials. Thus, they are hard to eliminate once used and create tremendous waste. While some common plastics can be recycled the vast majority cannot be recycled. Scientists suggest the use of Biodegradable plastics as an alternative to this persisting problem. These are ‘the plastics that can decompose in the natural environment. Biodegradation of plastics can be achieved by enabling microorganisms in the environment to metabolize the molecular structure of plastic films to produce an inert humus-like material that is less harmful to the environment.‘They may be composed of either bio-plastics, which are plastics whose components are derived. from renewable raw materials, or petroleum-based plastics. The use of bio-active compounds compounded with swelling agents ensures that, when combined with heat and moisture, they expand the plastie’s molecular structure and allow the bio-active compounds to metabolize and neutralize the plastic. Various countries have been adopting different methods to discourage the use of plastic. Growing awareness in the UK of the problems caused by indiscriminate use of plastic bags is encouraging retailers to reward customers who bring their own bags or who reuse or reeycle existing bags. This is called the ‘Green Bag Scheme’, In other countries retailers have stopped providing free plastic bags with purchases and have been selling cloth bags for very minimalistic prices. 1. What alternative do the scientists suggest for the problem associated with the use of plastics? (A) Use of biodegradable plastics (B) Treatment of hazards caused by the use of plastics (©) Strict compliance of the chemical companies to toxicological tests of their products (D) Banning the use of plastic throughout the world CE) None of these ans: A. 2, Why don’t toxicologists recommend the heating of food and storing of cold food in plastic? (A) Food stuff spoils faster in plastie containers (B) The Teflon coating in such utensils is harmful (©) Plastic containers do not undergo recommended toxicology tests (D) Plastic releases harmful chemicals at very high and low temperature (E) None of these 3. According to the author, what is the problem with manufacturing plastic products? (A) These products are not energy efficient (B) These products produce greenhouse gases which are harmful to environment (©) The chemicals involved in their production are not tested for impact on living beings (D) It swells as soon as it comes in contact with heat and moisture (E) None of these Ans:2.D; 3.C.4, What are the author's views about the companies producing plastic products? (4) These companies are mainly responsible for the hazards caused to the environment due to plastics. (2) Such companies are chemical companies themselves ora subsidiary of such companies. (3) Such companies do not perform toxicological tests on their products. (A)Ouly@) G)Both (2)and (3) (C) Both a) and (a) (D) Only (2) (E) None of these 5. What does the author mean by ‘another side of using plastic’? (A) These are disadvantages of using plastic (B) Using biodegradable plastic instead of non-biodegradable plastic (©) Paper bags are better option than plastic bags (D) Many retail stores sll cloth bags at lower price (©) None of these Ans 4B) 5.4, 6, Why does USEPA suggest that plastic bags are a better option than paper bags? (A) The plastic bags are inexpensive (B) Plastic bags can be tested for toxic chemicals (©) Paper bags do not generate greenhouse gases (D) Plastic bags require less energy as compared to paper for transportation, production and recycling (E) None of these 7. According to the passage, in which of the following fields has science failed? (a) To produce biodegradable plastic (B) To popularize the use of cloth and paper bags instead of plastic (C) To strictly implement the compliance of the chemical companies to toxicological tests of their products (D) To make plastic — free hair and body care products (E) None of these Aus: 6.D; 7.8. Which steps have been taken in UK to encourage the use of alternatives to plastic bags? (a) The UK government has banned the use of plastic throughout the country (B) The retailers in UK have been selling cloth hags at very low prices (C) The retailers reward the customers who bring their own bags or use the recyeled bags (D) The government imposes heavy fine on those using plastic bags (E) None of these 9, Which of the following is not true in contest of the passage? (A) Some countries have stopped providing free plastic bags to customers to discourage the use of plastic (B) The bio-active compound along with swelling agents ensure that plastic is neutralized in the presence of heat and moisture (C) Many plastic products do not undergo toxicological test (D) Being durable, plastic creates a lot of waste (E) Allare tue Ans: 8. 9.E. 20, Although harmful at extreme temperature, why does USEPA recommend transport of eatables and medicines in plastic bags? (A) Plastic bag generate less greenhouse gases which would react chemically with ‘medicines, thus producing adverse effeet in body (B) Plastic bags are more sterile than other available options (©) Plastie produets pass through a number of toxicological testings (D) Plastic bags are easily degraded and thus cause less harm to environment (E) None of these Ans: A. Directions (Q. 11713): Choose the word/group of words which is/ are most similar in meaning to ‘the word printed in bold as used in the passage. 11. persisting, (A)troubling —(B)enduring —(C) resisting (D) damaging (E) harassing 12. exacerbating (A) executing (B) influencing (C) worsening (D) addressing (E) declining Ans: 1B; 12.¢13. drain (a) sewer (B) waste. (C) deplete _(D) give out (E) outlet Ans: 43. D. Directions (Q. 14-15): Choose the word which is most opposite in meaning to the word printed in bold as used in the passage. 14. dismal (2) Encouraging (B) Prosperous (C)Glad_(D) Generous (E) Respectful 15. compressed (A)Extended _(B) Amplified (©) Diffused (D) Intensified (E) Expanded Ans: 1A 15.E. ANTONYMS An ‘antonym’ is often defined as a “word that is contrary in meaning to another", It is, nothing but « word opposite in meaning to the given word. It so happens sometimes that we need to supply an antonym to the given word based on the context in which it is used. As such, anantonym can be opposite in — meaning, gender, status, location, degree, nature and so forth. So,to pick up an antouym to the given word, we need to be provided with the information in which the given word is placed and is in the requirement of its opposite. Antonyms form an integral part of the English Language. Acquaintance with the vocabulary of the English language is a necessity for effective expression either in the written or in the oral from, Antonyms are the negative connotation of a particular word. So, it is a word or phrase that is opposite in meaning to a particular word or a phrase in the same language. ‘We must remember the following hints to be quite alert while choosing an antonym to thegiven word. x We should bear in mind that an antonym must be in the same part of speech in which the given word is= We should note that the answer should be in the same tense form in which the given word is, 5 We must pay due attention to the fact that generally the question paper setters include a synonym in the altemative choices, given for the answer of the key word. 5 Often the altemative answers are in Active as well as in Passive Voice. The correct answer is that which is similar in voiee to the key word. An antonym is a word opposite in meaning to another word but similar to it in most other respects. For example, tal and short are opposite in meaning but both are the same parts of speech (adjectives) and would take the same position in a sentence (before the noun they modify). Antonyms tend to be adjectives, adverbs and verbs, with relatively few nouns ‘qualifying as true antonyms. For example high (an adjective), slowly (an adverb) and “to fast” (a verb) all have antonyms, while “table” (a noun) does not Itis meant to help to improve the vocabulary of the visitors, the students (who are preparing for various examinations), the authors, journalists, literati and all other people who are interested in improving their language sla, “Requirement of appropriate word forthe appropriate occasion is inevitable because only with a good knowledge of words one can express the thoughts and feelings meticulously. COMMIT TO MEMORY Antonyms can be formed in three ways: 1. By adding a prefix like — un, non, dis, mis, anti, de, il, im, in, ir, mal 2. By adding a suffix like ~ less, ful, 3. Byusing a new word SUBJECT AND VERB AGREEMENT This has been a very frequently testing block of grammar, Itis the fundamental ground for making an accurate sentence in English. What is Subject and verb agreement? In order to understand the subject and verb agreement, you must know the structure of a sentence in English, Structure of a sentence: subject + finite verb Every sentence has tivo essential parts namely a subject and a finite verb. Therefore lets understand these two terms clearly, Subject: It is the part about which the sentence says something. Itis either a noun or a noun equivalent. Finite Verb: It is the part which says something about the subject. It is the verb that shows the tense of the sentence and agrees with the subject in number and person. Examples: 1. Tama writer (I = subject; am = finite verb) 2, You area reader (You = subject; are = finite verb)43, She sells vegetables (She = subject; sells = finite verb) 4, They buy vegetables (They = subject; buy = finite verb) 5: The flower has bloomed (Flower = subject; has bloomed = finite verb) 6. The flowers have bloomed (flowers = subject; have bloomed = finite ver’) If you observe the above examples closely, you can understand that any other form (Le. other than the used one) of the verb is wrong to replace. That is what we call subject and verb agreement, It means using the appropriate verb form to the subject. It has been one of the most frequently asked questions. Therefore, let's dig deep into subject and verb agreement questions and error possible areas of it. ‘Note: Throughout the rules below the verb means Finite Verb. Rule 1: A singular subject demands a singular verb; Plural subject takes a plural verb. Note: The trick is in knowing whether the subjeet is singular or plural. The next triek is ‘recognizing a singular or plural verb. Hint: Verbs do not form their plurals by adding an 's' as nouns do. In order to determine which verb is singular and which one is plural, think of whieh verb you would use with ‘he or she’ and swhich verb you would use with ‘they’. Example: talks, talk Which one is the singular form? Which word would you use with he? We say, "He talks.” ‘Therefore, talks is singular. We say, "They talk.” Therefore, talk is plural. eg: 1 The bridge ‘opens every hour Subject Finite Verb 2. The bridges ‘open every hour Sub Verb 3. The athletes ame active sub v 4 The athlete isnervous s v 5. The hawk soars s v 6. The hawks swoop down, s v x Observe the matching of singular and plural verbs with their subjects.Rule 2: Two singular subjects connected by or (or) nor require a singular verb. e.g. : According to the letter Ihave received, my aunt or uncle is arriving by train today. Rule 3: Two singular subjects connected by either/ or or neither/ nor require a singular verb. eg. : Neither Yamuna nor her brother is available at the house . Either Kiran or Karan is helping today with stage decorations, Rule 4: When ‘T is one of the two subjects connected by either/or or neither/nor, put it second and follow it with the singular verb am. Example: Neither she nor Lam going to take up the next project. Rule 5: When a singular subject is connected by ‘or’ or ‘nor’ to a plural subject, put the plural subject last and use a plural verb. Example: The serving bowl or the plates go on that shelf. Rule 6; When a singular and plural subject are connected by either/or or neither/nor, put the plural subject last and use a plural verb. Example: Neither Janaki nor the others are at the theatre right now. Rule 7: As a general rule, use a plural verb with two or more subjects when they are connected by ‘and’. Example: A car and a bike are primarily used as means of transportation Rule 8: When subjects are combined by linkers such as together with, along with, besides, with, {in addition to, as well as, etc... the verb agrees with the earlier subject. (dt means if the earlier subject is singular the verb should be singular and if the subject is plural the verb should be plural) ¢.g:1) The general (sub 1) along with the soldiers (sub 2) was (V) away from the operatien. Here the earlier subject is ‘the general’ which is singular and so the verb ‘was’ (singular) is used. 2) The supervisors (Sub 1) as well as the captain (Sub 2) have taken (V) an important decision. “The supervisors’ is plural so ‘have taken’ is the right form of the verb. Excitement (sub 1), in addition to nervousness (2), is the cause of her shaking ‘The politician (subi), together with the newsmen (2), is expected shortly.Rule 9: The pronouns such as— Everyone every body. everything Someone some body something Noone no body nothing None each, One neither ‘Need Special care. These feel plural but they are always singular and so they take singular verb. Do not be misled by what follows of. Examples: Everybody (S) is (¥) entitled to one month's salary as bonus Nobody (S) Knows (V) what the future has in store for himn/ her None (S) wants (V) a change in the working hours. (One(S) doesn’t like(V) to have one’s words doubted. Neither of the resolutions (S) moved by him was (W) passed. ‘Singular indefinite pronouns take singular verbs or singular personal pronouns, Correct: Each of the members has one vote. (the subject, each, is singular. Use has.) Incorvect: One of the girls gave up their seat. Correct: One of the girls gave up her seat. (Her refers to one, whieh is singular.) Plural indefinite pronouns take plural verbs or plural personal pronouns. Correct: A few of the justices were voicing their opposition. (Few is plural, so are were and their.) For indefinite pronouns that can be singular or plural, it depends on what the indefinite pronoun refers to. Correct: All of the people clapped their hands, (All refers to people, which is plural.) Correct: ll of the newspaper was soaked, (Here all refers to newspaper, which is singular.) Examples: Each of the girls sings well. Every one of the cakes is gone.AGender-Sensitive Case ‘The pronouns ending with -body or - one such as anybody, somebody, no one, or anyone are singular. So are pronouns like each and every. Words like all or some may be singular, That means that a possessive pronoun referring to these singular words must also be singular. In standard written English the possessive pronoun his is used to refer to a singular indefinite pronoun unless the group referred to is known to be all female. Incorrect: Is everyone happy with their gift? Correct: Is everyone happy with his gift? (Everyone and is are singular. The possessive pronoun must be singular, too) ‘Most languages, including English, observe the standard of using the masculine pronoun in situations like this. However, in some circles today the idea of choosing the masculine pronoun sounds discriminatory against women. If this usage bothers you, or if you think it may bother your audience, there are two possible ways to work around this and still use standard English, 4. Use the phrase his or her. It is a little awhward, but OK. Correct: Is everyone happy with his or her gift? 2. Rewrite the sentence using a plural pronoun or antecedent. Plural personal pronouns in English no longer distinguish between masculine and feminine, Correct: re all the people happy with their gifts? Rule 20: When two nouns refer to a single entity the verb is singular. e.g: The lyricist and singer (S) has entertained (V) the audience well Here the lyricist and singer is one and the same person. Therefore, it takes a singular verb, In general, the subject is considered plural if there are two different articles before those nouns. eg: The lyricist and the singer have entertained the audience well, Note: Article ‘The’ is repeated before two nouns ~ Lyricist and Singer. Observe the following carefully. ‘The President (Si) and Secretary (S2) of the organization was (V) misinformed. ‘The President (S1) and the Secretary (82) of the organization were (V) misinformed. Rule 11: When two subjects are combined by either....or..,/neither....nor.....the verb agrees with the nearer (closer) subject. (It means if the subject closer to the verb is singular the verb ‘must be singular and the verb is plural if that subject is plural)‘e.g: 1) Either you or he(S) has (V) to finish the work 2) Either he or you(S) have (V) to finish the work. 3) Neither the chairperson nor the members(S) have turned (V) up for the meeting. 4) Neither the members nor the chairperson(S) has tumed (V) up for the meeting. Beware of the following areas: A) The distraction between the subject and the verb. e.g. 1) The study (S) of language origin and its changes is (V) Imown as the science of linguistics. Here the original subject is ‘Study’ and its verb is ‘is’ the matter between the subject and verb distracts the test taker’s mind. The ending of the distracter or preceding part of the verb is plural and so it may cause confusion. So take care of the distracters. 2) The scales (5) on the body of the fish help (V) to protect 3) The effects (S) of cigarette smoking are known (V) to be quite harmful. B) The number of — A number of “The number of is a way to describe an ‘amount’ or ‘quantity’ so itis singular. Anumber of means ‘many’ so it is plural. e.g: 1) The number (S) of delegates attending the canference is (V) hundred. 2) A number(S) of delegates have arrived (V) for attending the conference, ) Decimals and fractions. When there ate fractions or decimals the verb agrees with the noun not with the decimals or fractions. €.5::3) Two fifths of the grain(S) is (V) ot of use 2) One thirds ofthe Students(S) were (V) convinced that there would be no final exams. 33) The majority ofthe students have got first classes. 4) The majority ofthe population in India is the Hindus. D) The collective nouns: Though a collective noun is the collection of many items, it is considered singular so ittakesa singular verb. eg. 1) A hand (S) of bananas has been sent (V) tothe retailer in compensation for the damaged one. 2) The Newly bought flock(S) of sheep was (V) kept in the enclosure, ) Noun endings: Many of us get confused by looking at the endings of nouns. Some nouns end in’s’ and other don’t. The general belief is that if a noun ends with's’ itis a plural noun and it is singular if there is no's’ at the end.‘Contrary to this belief some singulars end with 's’ and some plurals do not have’s' at the end. Therefore, you are advised to be careful about such kind of irregular forms of nouns, €.8.:1. Physies(S) is (V) considered a difficult subject for many students. 2. Cattle(S) are (V) grazing in the neighbour's field. F) With words that indicate portions: With words that indicate portions-percent, fraction, part, majority, some, all, none, remainder, and so forth, the noun with of phrase decides the verb. In other words look at the noun with of phrase to determine whether to use a singular or plural verb. Ifthe object of the preposition is singular, use a singular verb. IL Ifthe object of the preposition is plural, use a plural verb. Examples: 1 Fifty pereent of the cloth has disappeared. (Cloth’ is the object of the preposition of) 2. One-third of the city is unemployed. 43. One-third of the people are unemployed. 4. None of the garbage was picked up. 5, None of the sentences were punctuated correctly, DETECTION OF ERROR PART (SPOTTING ERRORS) There are several kinds of errors in written communication, particularly in English. These errors take place due to grammatical mistakes or slips in idiomatic usage. Grammatical errors are quite widespread. For tackling, such questions in Competitive Examinations, where English is an integral part, one should have knowledge of some common errors and rules of English grammar and usage. Hence the study material together with concepts on this topic is dealt with in detail in the item concerned. ‘The English language is rich and complex. There are many confusing aspects to the rules of grammar and spelling. Many words are quite similar but have very different meanings. It is almost impossible to avoid common errors in English. There are so many rules to remember and so many confusing words Error free writing in English is the result of constant practice and hard work. This fact should encourage us: it means that the ability to write well is not a gift that some people are born with, not a privilege extended to only a few. If we're willing to work, we can improve our English.