GENERAL ENGLISH FOR COMPETITIVE EXAMINATIONS

1. GENERAL ENGLISH FOR COMPETITIVE EXAMINATIONS

2. Articles • ‘A’/ ‘An’ are called the indefinite articles because they refer to indefinite person or thing • ‘The’ is called the definite article because it refers to the definite person or thing • Indefinite articles can be used before singular count noun • Definite article is used before singular count nouns as well as non-count nouns

3. USE OF ‘A’ AND ‘AN’ • Use of ‘a’ before a word beginning with a consonant sound and use of ‘an’ before a vowel sound • In the numerical sense of ‘one’ • With units and rates • When someone is unknown to the person addressed • To make common noun a proper noun

4. USE OF ‘A’ AND ‘AN’ • When two articles or objects are thought as one unit • With certain expression of quantity • Before singular nouns in all of sudden exclamatory expressions • ‘An’ is used before word beginning with silent ‘h’ • Alphabets with vowel sound used in abbreviation • M. A.

5. USE OF ‘THE’ • With the name of a particular person or thing already referred to • When the singular noun represents the whole class • Note: Man and Woman can be used in general sense without articles • With the names of oceans, rivers, canals, deserts, group of islands, mountain-ranges, religious books, musical instruments

6. USE OF ‘THE’ • With natural objects • With superlative degree and double comparative degree • With ordinals • With an adjective when noun is understood

7. OMISSION OF ARTICLES • Before the name of substances and abstract nouns, plural countable nouns • Before most proper nouns • Before languages, school, college, university, religious places, history • Before the names of relations

8. SUBJECT-VERB AGREEMENT • Singular subject must have singular verb • Plural subject must have plural verb • Two or more nouns or pronouns joined by ‘and’ require a plural verb • If nouns joined by ‘and’ suggest one idea or unit, or refer to suggest one person or thing, the verb should be singular

9. SUBJECT-VERB AGREEMENT • Words joined to a singular subject by ‘with’, ‘as well as’ are parenthetical. The verb should be according to the former subject • Subjects joined by ‘or’ or ‘nor’ require a verb depending upon the subject nearer the verb • Each, every, one, none, somebody, someone, anybody, nobody, either, neither, any, many a, such indefinite pronouns always take singular verbs

10. SUBJECT-VERB AGREEMENT • Two nouns qualified by ‘each’ or ‘every’ connected by ‘and’ require a singular verb • Collective nouns require singular verb when the group works as a unit, therefore take singular verbs; but if members of the group are acting individually, they require plural verb.

11. SUBJECT-VERB AGREEMENT • Certain words such as news, measles, mumps, end in –s but represents a single thing. These words need singular verbs. • Some words such as scissors, trousers, spectacles, shorts –end in –s , seem to represent a single unit ,take plural verb.

12. SUBJECT-VERB AGREEMENT • Title of the books need singular verbs. • If the subject is ‘the number of-----’ singular verb should be used. • If the subject is ‘a number of------’ plural verb should be used. • Nouns with adjectives such as ‘much, more, little, less take singular verb.

13. NOUNS AND PRONOUNS • A noun is a word used as a name of a person , place or thing • Nouns which are used in singular form Scenery, luggage, information, furniture, advice, machinery, stationery, news, poetry, business, mischief, fuel, issue, repair, bedding, physics, economics, classics, ethics, athletics, innings, gallows, brick, bread, fruit, word (promise)

14. NOUNS AND PRONOUNS • Nouns which are used in plural form Cattle, police, poultry, people, gentry, peasantry, artillery, scissors, trousers, stockings, spectacles, shorts, alms, remains, riches, goods, measles, mumps etc. Words like dozen, score, hundred, thousand, million, preceded by a numeral take singular form of verbs.

15. NOUNS AND PRONOUNS • Certain expressions always use singular form of noun as well as verb • Nouns used both in singular and plural forms • Deer, sheep, fish, apparatus, wages, jury, public, team, audience, committee, government, congregation, orchestra etc. • One, any, none are followed by ‘of’ followed by plural words.

16. SOME COLLECTIVE NOUNS • Garland of beads • Bouquet of flowers • Bunch of grapes • Pile of books • Library of books • Herd of cows • Flight of birds

17. SOME COLLECTIVE NOUNS • Pack of wolves • Group of people • Crowd of people • Mob of angry people • Swarm of bees • Crew of sailors

18. SOME COLLECTIVE NOUNS • Army of soldiers • hoarde of nomads • Band of musicians • Orchestra of musicians

19. PRONOUNS • Pronoun is a word which is used to replace noun or noun groups already mentioned. • The pronoun ‘one’ must be followed by “one’s” • When one means one in number, the pronoun for it is third person singular pronoun

20. PRONOUNS • Each, every, anyone anybody must be followed by the singular pronoun of their person • Let, but, except are followed by pronoun in the objective case • ‘Such as’ is followed by subjective pronoun • Verbs like enjoy, avail, pride, resign, apply, acquit, assert, are followed by reflexive pronouns.

21. PRONOUNS • Reflexive pronouns are never used with verbs like ‘keep’, ’conceal’, ‘qualify’, ‘spread’, ‘rest’, ‘stay’. • When first, second and third person singular pronouns are to be used together, they should be used in the sequence of: you, he and I.

22. PRONOUN • Who denotes subject • Whom denotes objects • Whose denotes possession of a person • Which denotes lifeless objects • Which denotes additional information • That denotes explanation.

23. PRONOUN • The expressions like ‘only’, ‘any’, It is’, ‘all’, superlatives’ usually take that in place of which or who • ‘Each other’ is used for two persons and ‘one another’ is used for more than two persons.

24. PRONOUN

25. PREPOSITIONS • Definition: - A preposition is a word placed before a noun or pronoun to show in what relating the person or thing denoted by it stands in regard to something else. • The word preposition means ‘which is placed before’

26. Preposition of Time • At: (a) with a definite point of time, (b) with festivals and special occasions • In: (a) with parts of the day, months, seasons and years, (b) with the future sense referring to the period in which an action may take place. • On: (a) with days and dates (b) to show sharp timings

27. Preposition of Time • By: refers to the latest time by which an action will be over • For: used with the perfect continuous tense showing the duration of an action • Since: used with the point of time when the action begins and continues. • From: refers to the starting point of action • To: refers to the ending point of action.

28. Preposition of position • At: refers to an exact point. • In: refers to the larger area • Between: used for two persons or things • Among: used for more than two persons or things that begin with a consonant letter • Amongst: used for more than two persons or things that begin with a vowel letter

29. Preposition of position • Above: used for higher than • Over: used for vertically above • Below: used for lower than • Under: used for vertically below • Beneath: used for lower position

30. Preposition of direction • To: used to express motion to some place, destination • From: used to express the starting point • Towards: refers to the direction • Into: denotes motion towards the inside of something

31. Preposition of direction • For: denotes the direction • Against: shows pressure • Off: shows separation • At: refers to the aim • About: shows nearness of time

32. Other uses • Along: shows in the same line • Across: shows from one side to another • After: shows sequence • Behind: at the back of

33. Other uses • Before: stands for ‘in front of’ • Beyond: shows ‘on the farther side of’ • Beside: means ‘by the side of’ • Besides: means ‘in addition to’

34. Words followed by ‘to’ • Attention, objection, difference, alternative, access, approach, assent, attachment, exception, invitation, limit, reference, concession, refer, lead, listen, prefer, submit, senior, junior, superior, inferior, allot, aspire, attend, belong, contribute, yield,

35. Words followed by ‘to’ • detrimental, essential, exposed, indebted, favourite, beneficial, alien, agreeable, applicable, acceptable, loyal, opposite, partial, preferable, prior, profitable, suitable, restricted, hostile, equal, entitled, supplementary.

36. Words followed by ‘IN’ • Confidence, dressed, interested, succeed, absorbed, believe, faith, fail, write in ink, enveloped, correct, dabble, glory, indulge, involve, persist, perseverance.

37. Words followed by ‘OF’ • Beware, boast, complain, despair, die, disapprove, dream, taste, assurance, afraid, aware, accused, cautious, conscious, devoid, fearful, ignorant, proud,

38. Words followed by ‘OF’ • sure, desirous, suspicious, fond, independent, jealous, full, warn, guilty, care, complain, die, deprive, consist, acquit, dispose.

39. Words followed by ‘FOR’ • Affection, ambition, aptitude, sorry, anxiety, capacity, pretext, useful, fondness, need, sufficient, contempt, hope, start, canvass, feel

40. Words followed by ‘FOR’ • wish, yearn, desire, passion, pity, fitness, leisure, esteem, compensation, blame, motive, apology, guarantee, liking.

41. Words followed by ‘WITH’ • Busy, consistent, enmity, endowed, acquaintance, bargain, delighted, gifted, inspired, overcome, infected, intimacy, touched, associate, clash, comply, correspond, quarrel, sympathize, bear, coincide

42. ADJECTIVES • Modifiers are adjective • Nouns as adjectives: A brick wall • Participles as adjectives: Running Water • Gerunds as adjective: A seating arrangement

43. ADJECTIVES • Adverbs as adjective: The above statement • Possessives as adjectives: A volcano’s crater • Prepositional phrase as adjective: The workmen on the site

44. ADVERBS • Front position Adverbs: How, when, where, why • Mid position adverbs: often, sometimes, never, usually, generally, frequently, occasionally, rarely, seldom, regularly, ever. • End position adverbs: well, at once