Introduction
Grammar is a high-weightage area in SSC CGL Tier-I English Comprehension. Questions test your ability to identify and correct errors in sentences, fill in blanks with appropriate words, and improve sentences. This short revision note covers key concepts, common pitfalls, and practice questions to boost accuracy and speed.
Subject-Verb Agreement
The verb must agree with its subject in number and person. Singular subjects take singular verbs; plural subjects take plural verbs. Special cases include collective nouns, indefinite pronouns, and phrases between subject and verb.
Key Points
- Ignore prepositional phrases between subject and verb: 'The box of chocolates is on the table.'
- Collective nouns (team, jury, family) take singular verbs when acting as a unit, plural when members act individually.
- Indefinite pronouns like each, either, neither, everyone are singular.
- Subjects joined by 'and' take plural verb, but if they refer to the same idea, singular: 'Bread and butter is my breakfast.'
Solved Example 1
Question: One of my friends ___ going to London next week. (is/are)
Solution: is
Explanation: The subject is 'One', not 'friends'. 'One' is singular, so singular verb 'is' is correct.
Tenses
Tenses indicate time of action. SSC often tests consistency of tense, use of present perfect vs simple past, and sequence of tenses in complex sentences.
Key Points
- Use simple past for a completed action at a definite past time: 'I saw him yesterday.'
- Use present perfect for actions that started in past and continue or have relevance now: 'I have lived here for five years.'
- In conditional sentences, use present tense in if-clause and future in main clause: 'If it rains, we will cancel.'
- When two past actions occur, use past perfect for the earlier one: 'She had left before I arrived.'
Solved Example 1
Question: He ___ in this city since 2010. (live/lives/has lived/lived)
Solution: has lived
Explanation: The action started in 2010 and continues to present, so present perfect 'has lived' is correct.
Practice Questions
Q1. Choose the correct sentence: (a) Each of the boys have a pen. (b) Each of the boys has a pen. (c) Each of the boys are having a pen. (d) Each of the boys were having a pen.
Answer: (b) Each of the boys has a pen.
Explanation: 'Each' is singular, so it takes singular verb 'has'. The phrase 'of the boys' does not change the number of the subject.
Q2. Fill in the blank: She ___ her homework before her mother came. (a) finished (b) has finished (c) had finished (d) finishes
Answer: (c) had finished
Explanation: The action of finishing homework happened before another past action (mother came). Past perfect 'had finished' is used for the earlier action.
Q3. Identify the error: 'The quality of the mangoes were not good.'
Answer: were → was
Explanation: The subject is 'quality' (singular), not 'mangoes'. So the verb should be singular 'was'.
Common Mistakes
- Mistaking a plural noun in a prepositional phrase for the subject: 'The list of items are long' (should be 'is').
- Using simple past instead of present perfect with 'since' or 'for': 'I am living here since 2010' (should be 'have been living').
- Using double comparatives: 'more better' instead of 'better'.
- Misplacing modifiers: 'She served sandwiches to the children on paper plates' (ambiguous).
Quick Revision
- Subject-verb agreement: verb agrees with the actual subject, not with words in between.
- Tense consistency: use past perfect for the earlier of two past actions.
- Collective nouns are singular when acting as a unit.
- Indefinite pronouns (each, either, neither, everyone) are singular.
- Use present perfect with 'since' and 'for' for actions continuing to present.