Module 4 · SSC GD English

Grammar Basics

Parts of speech, tenses, subject-verb agreement, articles.

Parts of Speech · Tenses · S-V Agreement · Articles

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Learning Objectives

Understand the fundamental concepts of Grammar Basics
Apply key formulas and techniques to solve problems
Practice with exam-level questions to build speed and accuracy

Key Concepts

What is English Grammar?

Grammar forms the foundation of the English language section in banking exams like IBPS PO, SBI Clerk, SSC GD, and RBI Grade B. Questions test your understanding of parts of speech, tenses, subject-verb agreement, articles, prepositions, conjunctions, and sentence structure. Mastery of these rules helps you score well in error detection, sentence improvement, and fill-in-the-blanks questions.

Key Grammar Topics

1. Tenses: Present (Simple, Continuous, Perfect, Perfect Continuous), Past (Simple, Continuous, Perfect, Perfect Continuous), Future (Simple, Continuous, Perfect, Perfect Continuous). Learn the correct form for each tense and time expressions used with each.

2. Subject-Verb Agreement: Singular subject takes singular verb; plural subject takes plural verb. Special cases: 'either/or', 'neither/nor', collective nouns (team, committee), indefinite pronouns (everyone, somebody), and phrases between subject and verb.

3. Articles (A, An, The): 'A' before consonant sounds, 'An' before vowel sounds. 'The' for specific references, unique things, superlatives, and before names of rivers, oceans, mountain ranges, etc.

4. Prepositions: Correct usage of in, on, at, for, since, during, by, with, among, between, etc. Each preposition has specific uses with time, place, and movement.

5. Conjunctions: Coordinating (FANBOYS — for, and, nor, but, or, yet, so) and subordinating (because, although, unless, if, when, while, etc.).

6. Voice (Active/Passive): Active: Subject acts. Passive: Subject receives action. Conversion rules for different tenses.

7. Speech (Direct/Indirect): Rules for converting direct speech to indirect — changes in tense, pronouns, time expressions.

Solved Examples

Example 1 (Subject-Verb Agreement)

Choose the correct option: The committee _______ divided on the issue of budget allocation.

a) is b) are c) has d) have

Solution: a) is. 'Committee' is a collective noun that is treated as singular when the committee acts as a single unit. Here 'is divided' refers to the group as one unit.

Example 2 (Articles)

Fill in the blank with the correct article: He is _______ honest man.

a) a b) an c) the d) no article

Solution: b) an. 'Honest' begins with a consonant letter 'h' but is pronounced with a vowel sound ('on-est'). Therefore, the article 'an' is used.

Example 3 (Tense)

Identify the error: She has been working here since five years.

a) She has been b) working here c) since d) five years

Solution: c) since. 'Since' is used with a point in time (e.g., since 2019, since Monday). For a duration of time, use 'for' (e.g., for five years). The correct sentence: She has been working here for five years.

Shortcut Techniques

When in doubt about subject-verb agreement, remove the phrase between the subject and verb to see the core subject-verb pair.
'Each', 'every', 'either', 'neither', 'anyone', 'everyone' take singular verbs.
Use 'since' with a point in time, 'for' with a duration of time.
'Between' is used for two items; 'among' for three or more.
'Fewer' for countable nouns; 'less' for uncountable nouns.

Pro Tip

In SSC GD and SBI Clerk, grammar questions are basic-level — focus on the most common errors like subject-verb agreement, incorrect tense, and wrong preposition usage. Practice 10-15 error detection questions daily to build speed.

Advanced Grammar

Conditional sentences, subject-verb agreement rules, and advanced vocabulary building techniques.

Key S-V Agreement Rules

Each/every/either/neither take singular verbs
With either-or/neither-nor, verb agrees with the nearer subject
Collective nouns can be singular or plural based on context
Mathematics, news, physics are singular despite ending in s

Pro Tip

For RC, read questions FIRST then scan passage. For error detection, read sentence from right to left.

Advanced Grammar

Conditional sentences, subject-verb agreement rules, and advanced vocabulary building techniques.

Key S-V Agreement Rules

Each/every/either/neither take singular verbs
With either-or/neither-nor, verb agrees with the nearer subject
Collective nouns can be singular or plural based on context
Mathematics, news, physics are singular despite ending in s

Pro Tip

For RC, read questions FIRST then scan passage. For error detection, read sentence from right to left.

Advanced Grammar

Conditional sentences, subject-verb agreement rules, and advanced vocabulary building techniques.

Key S-V Agreement Rules

Each/every/either/neither take singular verbs
With either-or/neither-nor, verb agrees with the nearer subject
Collective nouns can be singular or plural based on context
Mathematics, news, physics are singular despite ending in s

Pro Tip

For RC, read questions FIRST then scan passage. For error detection, read sentence from right to left.

Advanced Grammar

Conditional sentences, subject-verb agreement rules, and advanced vocabulary building techniques.

Key S-V Agreement Rules

Each/every/either/neither take singular verbs
With either-or/neither-nor, verb agrees with the nearer subject
Collective nouns can be singular or plural based on context
Mathematics, news, physics are singular despite ending in s

Pro Tip

For RC, read questions FIRST then scan passage. For error detection, read sentence from right to left.

Practice Questions

Vocabulary →