If you observe the previous question papers you can conclude that Grammar is tested through the following question types:
* Sentence Completion. (Fill in the blanks)
* Sentence Correction. (Spotting errors)
* Sentence Fillers.
* Sentence Improvement.
All the areas mentioned above deal with only one point that is accuracy in using English. If one knows a few Grammar rules, whatever be the question type, one can solve the questions easily. Those Grammar rules cover: Nouns, Pronouns, Verb and tense, Modifiers
(Adjectives and Adverbs), 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) as good as C) as better as D) as well as E) worse.
The same question can be asked as a sentence correction, what we call, spotting
error.
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 job did not turn out to be satisfactory, though we did it ..............
A) as good as we could
B) as well as we could
C) 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 sentence is underlined and asked whether it needs
any improvement. Finally, after the instructions 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) as well as 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 know 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. It is very clear if you observe as x as. The proper forms are:
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.
In conclusion, we can say that, one should know a few grammar rules that frequently
appear on the tests so that one can succeed.
As mentioned above, Grammar rules related to nouns, pronouns, verb and tense etc... are tested most frequently. So lets tearup one by one.
A) Noun and its form
B) Noun and number
C) Noun and article
D) Noun and verb agreement
E) Noun and pronoun agreement
If you have a good command of the following words, it will be a cake walk for you.
* A few nouns are always singular
* A few nouns are always plural
* A few nouns look like singular but plural in their usage
* A few nouns look like plural but singular in fact
* Some nouns are used both as singulars and plurals without changing their form (Structure).
* The below given nouns do not give plural meaning.
* They do not become plurals even by changing their form.
* They do not take plural verbs after them.
* They do not take plural pronouns.
e.g.1: I have sold all my furnitures which have become waste.
Ans: I have sold all my furniture which has become waste.
Ans: Her hair indicates that she has become old.
* These nouns do not get singular form.
* These do not take singular verb after them.
* These do not take singular pronoun.
alms, proceeds, remains, riches, tongs, pantaloons, credentials, premises.
e.g.1: Where is my trouser?
Ans: Where are my trousers?
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:
e.g.1: The latest poultry is ready for sale.
Ans: The latest poultry are ready for sale.
Ans: All the gentry are invited to the party.
Examples: Innings, athletics, economics, mathematics, summons, gallows, gymnastics,
wages, news, physics, dynamics, civics, linguistics, tactics, politics, electronics.
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.
Ans: The police have been unable to serve a summons on the minister.
Examples: Sheep, Species, deer, aircraft, offspring, space craft, salmon, yoke.
e.g. 1. sheeps live in flocks
Ans: sheep live in flocks
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 itself.
Ans: She gave me a cheque for five thousand rupees.
Ans: Last month I attended a two-week programme on personality development.
number etc... 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, Kg etc ...)
Ans: This was one of the reasons why the industry flourished.
Ans: He got demotion and one of the reasons is his carelessness.
2) 'One of + Plural noun' takes only singular verb.
Ans: The number of orders still to be executed is growing up day by day.
Ans: A number of students are absent from the class today.
Ans: Today, I have got much work to do (or) Today I have got many tasks to do.
Ans: Two-thirds of the mailings list has been typed.
Ans: Two-thirds of our employees live in the suburbs.
of, - we use singular verb it the noun is singular and a plural verb if the noun is plural.
Ans: Rupa and Prabha are the members of my family.
Ans: Pranava and Manya are the members of the Parliament.
Ans: Uma is my cousin.
Ans: He has four sisters-in-law