High-frequency grammar rules for Part B with correct and incorrect example pairs
Part B includes "simple grammar" tasks: error spotting, sentence improvement, fill in the blanks and transformation. These reward accuracy, not cleverness. The rules below are the ones the exam returns to most often. Each rule is followed by an incorrect and a correct pair, so you learn the mistake and the fix together.
How to read the pairs: the cross marks the wrong sentence and the tick marks the corrected one.
The verb agrees with the subject in number, not with the nearest noun.
Examples:
Wrong: The list of selected candidates have been published.
Right: The list of selected candidates has been published. (subject is "list", singular)
Wrong: Each of the officers were given a posting.
Right: Each of the officers was given a posting. ("each" is singular)
Wrong: Neither the constable nor the inspectors was present.
Right: Neither the constable nor the inspectors were present. (with "neither ... nor", the verb agrees with the nearer subject, here "inspectors")
Wrong: The news of the floods were alarming.
Right: The news of the floods was alarming. ("news" is singular)
Tricky subjects:
| Subject | Verb |
|---|---|
| Each, every, either, neither, everyone, anybody | Singular |
| A number of (people) | Plural |
| The number of (people) | Singular |
| Mathematics, physics, politics (the subject) | Singular |
| Police, cattle, people | Plural |
Keep tense consistent and use the right form for the time and the aspect.
Wrong: He said that he will come the next day.
Right: He said that he would come the next day. (reported speech shifts "will" to "would")
Wrong: I have seen him yesterday.
Right: I saw him yesterday. (a finished past time takes the simple past, not the present perfect)
Wrong: She is working here since 2019.
Right: She has been working here since 2019. (an action continuing from the past takes the present perfect continuous)
Wrong: When I reached the station, the train already left.
Right: When I reached the station, the train had already left. (the earlier of two past actions takes the past perfect)
Wrong: If he will study, he will pass.
Right: If he studies, he will pass. (in a conditional, the "if" clause does not take "will")
Use "a" or "an" by sound, and "the" for a specific or already-known thing.
"an" before a vowel sound, "a" before a consonant sound: an hour, a university, an honest man, a one-rupee coin.
Wrong: He is an European officer.
Right: He is a European officer. ("European" starts with a "y" sound)
Wrong: She is honest woman.
Right: She is an honest woman. (silent "h", vowel sound; and a singular countable noun needs an article)
Wrong: Ganga is longest river in north India.
Right: The Ganga is the longest river in north India. (rivers and superlatives take "the")
Wrong: Honesty is the best policy in the life.
Right: Honesty is the best policy in life. (abstract nouns used generally take no article)
Many errors are fixed word-pairs you must simply know.
| Wrong | Right |
|---|---|
| different than | different from |
| superior than | superior to |
| married with | married to |
| comply to | comply with |
| discuss about | discuss (no preposition) |
| reach to the place | reach the place |
| absent of duty | absent from duty |
| capable to do | capable of doing |
| accused for | accused of |
Examples:
Wrong: He was accused for theft.
Right: He was accused of theft.
Wrong: The two reports differ with each other.
Right: The two reports differ from each other.
A pronoun must agree with its noun and be in the right case.
Wrong: Every soldier must do their duty.
Right: Every soldier must do his duty. (formal agreement; "every soldier" is singular)
Wrong: Between you and I, the plan is weak.
Right: Between you and me, the plan is weak. (after a preposition, use the object form "me")
Wrong: The award was given to my colleague and I.
Right: The award was given to my colleague and me. (object of "to")
Wrong: He is taller than me.
Right: He is taller than I (am). (the comparison completes a clause, "than I am")
A modifier must sit next to the word it describes.
Wrong: Walking down the road, the building came into view. (the building was not walking)
Right: Walking down the road, I saw the building come into view.
Wrong: He only eats vegetables on Tuesdays. (ambiguous)
Right: He eats only vegetables on Tuesdays. (if "only" limits "vegetables")
Wrong: The officer almost trained the entire unit. (he nearly trained them but did not)
Right: The officer trained almost the entire unit. (he trained nearly all of them)
These appear repeatedly in the error and improvement questions.
When asked to improve a sentence, do not rewrite it freely. Change only what is wrong, and keep the meaning.
Given: Scarcely had he entered the hall when the lights went off.
This is already correct. "Scarcely ... when" is the right pair. (Beware: "hardly ... than" is wrong; the pair is "hardly ... when".)
Given: The quality of the recruits are improving every year.
Improved: The quality of the recruits is improving every year. (subject is "quality")
Given: He behaves as if he is the commander.
Improved: He behaves as if he were the commander. (unreal comparison takes the subjunctive "were")