Grammar and error detection — SSC CGL English Notes

Concepts and rules

A finite verb agrees in number and person with its subject. The subject is decided by its head word, not by the noun that happens to stand next to the verb: 'The quality of the mangoes was poor' (head word = quality, so 'was').

Phrases beginning with 'as well as', 'along with', 'together with', 'with', 'in addition to', 'besides', 'rather than', 'accompanied by' do not add to the subject. The verb follows the first noun: 'The minister, along with his aides, has arrived.'

Each, every, either, neither, everyone, everybody, someone, nobody, anyone and many a take a singular verb: 'Each of the boys has a bicycle', 'Many a student has failed'. Exception: when 'each' comes after a plural subject, the verb is plural: 'The boys each have a bicycle.'

Two subjects joined by 'and' take a plural verb: 'Ram and Shyam are friends.' Exception: when both nouns name one person, one thing or one idea, the verb is singular: 'The secretary and treasurer has resigned' (one person, article used once), 'Bread and butter is his breakfast', 'Slow and steady wins the race.'

With 'either…or', 'neither…nor', 'not only…but also', 'or' and 'nor', the verb agrees with the nearer subject: 'Neither the teacher nor the students were present'; 'Neither the students nor the teacher was present.'

'A number of' + plural noun means 'many' and takes a plural verb: 'A number of students were absent.' 'The number of' means one total and takes a singular verb: 'The number of students has increased.'

A collective noun (jury, committee, team, family, audience) takes a singular verb when the group acts as one unit and a plural verb when the members act separately; the pronoun must match: 'The jury has given its verdict' but 'The jury were divided in their opinions.'

Some nouns look plural but are singular: news, mathematics, physics, economics (as subjects), measles, innings: 'The news is good.' Some nouns are always plural: scissors, trousers, spectacles, cattle, police, people: 'The police have arrested the thief.'

Uncountable nouns are singular and have no plural form: information, advice, furniture, luggage, baggage, equipment, machinery, scenery, poetry. Write 'much advice' or 'pieces of advice', never 'advices'.

A sum of money, a distance or a period treated as one amount takes a singular verb: '10 kilometres is a long walk', '₹5 lakh was spent on the project.'

'One of' + plural noun takes a singular main verb: 'One of my friends is a doctor.' In 'one of the … who/that', the relative pronoun refers to the plural noun, so its verb is plural: 'This is one of the best books that have been written on the topic.'

Pronouns agree with their antecedent too. In exam answers use a singular pronoun after each, every, either, neither and everyone: 'Each of the girls has finished her work'; 'Every student must bring his or her identity card.'

Method and shortcuts

Step 1: underline every finite verb (is, are, has, have, was, were, does, and verbs with -s).

Step 2: for each verb, find its subject and cut away phrases that start with a preposition (of, with, in) or with 'as well as', 'along with'. What remains is the head word.

Step 3: label the head word: singular, plural, collective, uncountable, or a correlative pair (then use the nearer subject).

Step 4: check every pronoun (his, their, its) that points back to the same subject.

Shortcut: the 'cut the middle' trick works for 'of' phrases and 'as well as' phrases, but it fails for 'neither…nor' (the nearer noun decides), for 'a number of' (plural) and inside a relative clause (the antecedent decides).

If every part follows the rules, choose 'No error'. SSC-style sets do include correct sentences, so do not force an error.

Example 1: head word of the subject

Question: Find the part with the error: The quality of the apples / were not as good / as last season.

Solution: Cut 'of the apples'. The head word is 'quality', which is singular, so the verb must be 'was'.

Answer: 'were not as good' should be 'was not as good'.

Example 2: 'along with' does not add

Question: Find the part with the error: The Principal, along with the teachers, / have gone / to the stadium.

Solution: 'along with the teachers' is only extra information. The subject is 'The Principal', singular, so 'has gone'.

Answer: 'have gone' should be 'has gone'.

Example 3: neither…nor and the nearer subject

Question: Find the part with the error: Neither the manager nor his assistants / was present / at the meeting.

Solution: With 'neither…nor' the verb follows the nearer subject. 'assistants' is plural, so the verb must be 'were'.

Answer: 'was present' should be 'were present'.

Example 4: nouns that are always plural

Question: Identify the segment that contains an error: (a) The scissors is / (b) lying on the table / (c) near the window / (d) No error

Solution: 'Scissors' is always plural (like trousers and spectacles), so it takes 'are'. Parts (b) and (c) are correct. Note: 'A pair of scissors is' would be singular, because the head word is 'pair'.

Answer: (a) — 'The scissors are'.

Example 5: one of the … that

Question: Identify the segment that contains an error: (a) One of the most important reasons / (b) that have been cited for the delay / (c) are the shortage of funds / (d) No error

Solution: Two verbs need two subjects. In (b), 'that' refers to the plural 'reasons', so 'have been cited' is correct. The main verb in (c) belongs to 'One', which is singular, so 'are' must be 'is'.

Answer: (c) — 'is the shortage of funds'.

Example 6: a number of + as well as

Question: Identify the segment that contains an error: (a) A number of passengers, as well as the driver, / (b) was injured when the bus / (c) skidded off the wet road / (d) No error

Solution: Ignore 'as well as the driver'. The subject is 'A number of passengers', which means 'many passengers' and is plural, so the verb must be 'were injured'. Part (c) correctly uses past tense 'skidded'.

Answer: (b) — 'were injured when the bus'.

Common mistakes

Matching the verb to the noun inside an 'of' phrase: 'The cost of the tickets are high' is wrong; the head word 'cost' needs 'is'.

Treating 'as well as' or 'along with' like 'and': 'The captain as well as the players are happy' is wrong; write 'is happy'.

Making uncountable nouns plural: 'advices', 'informations', 'furnitures', 'luggages', 'sceneries' are all wrong.

Confusing 'a number of' (plural) with 'the number of' (singular).

Forgetting the pronoun: 'Each of the boys must bring their own lunch' should be 'his own lunch' in exam English.

Practice questions

Q1. Identify the segment that contains an error: (a) He gave me / (b) many valuable advices / (c) before the interview / (d) No error

Q2. Identify the segment that contains an error: (a) Bread and butter / (b) is his usual breakfast / (c) on working days / (d) No error

Q3. Identify the segment that contains an error: (a) Not only the students / (b) but also the teacher / (c) were punished for the noise / (d) No error

Answers

Q1. (b) 'Advice' is uncountable; write 'much valuable advice' or 'many valuable pieces of advice'.

Q2. (d) 'Bread and butter' is one dish, so the singular 'is' is correct.

Q3. (c) With 'not only…but also' the verb follows the nearer subject 'the teacher', so 'was punished'.

Quick revision

Head word decides the verb; cut 'of', 'with', 'as well as' phrases.

Either/neither…or/nor and not only…but also: nearer subject decides.

Each, every, many a, one of: singular verb; 'a number of': plural; 'the number of': singular.

Advice, information, furniture, luggage, equipment never take -s; scissors, cattle, police, people are always plural.

Concepts and rules

Simple present expresses habits and universal truths: 'He goes for a walk daily', 'The sun rises in the east.'

The present perfect links the past to now and cannot be used with a definite past time (yesterday, last year, in 2019, ago): 'I saw him yesterday', not 'I have seen him yesterday'.

'Since' takes a point of time and 'for' takes a length of time, usually with a perfect tense: 'He has lived here since 2015' and 'He has lived here for 10 years'.

The past perfect shows the earlier of two past actions: 'The train had left before we reached the station.'

Conditionals: 'If it rains, we will stay home' (no 'will' in the if-clause); 'If I were rich, I would buy a car'; 'If he had worked hard, he would have passed' (never 'would have' in the if-clause).

Sequence of tenses: a past tense in the main clause is followed by a past tense in the reported clause ('He said that he was tired'), except for universal truths and habitual facts ('The teacher said that the earth moves round the sun').

'It is time' and 'It is high time' are followed by the simple past: 'It is high time we left.'

Stative verbs (know, believe, understand, love, belong, contain, own, possess) are normally not used in continuous tenses: 'I know him', not 'I am knowing him'.

Articles: 'a' before a consonant sound and 'an' before a vowel sound: a university, a European, a one-rupee coin; an hour, an honest man, an MLA, an X-ray.

'The' is used with unique things, superlatives, rivers, seas, oceans, mountain ranges, holy books, newspapers and musical instruments: the sun, the best, the Ganga, the Himalayas, the Gita, the Hindu, plays the flute. No article with games, languages, names of persons and cities, or meals in general: plays cricket, speaks Hindi, has lunch.

'The' + adjective names a whole class and takes a plural verb: 'The rich are not always happy.'

Fixed prepositions: comply with, consist of, accused of, charged with, congratulate on, deprived of, insist on, abstain from, senior to, junior to, superior to, prefer to, married to, die of (a disease), agree with (a person) and agree to (a proposal).

Verbs that take no preposition before their object: discuss, enter (a room), reach, resemble, attack, accompany, order, request. Say 'discuss the plan', not 'discuss about the plan'.

Time: 'at' for clock time, 'on' for days and dates, 'in' for months, years and seasons; 'by' means 'not later than'. 'Between' is for two, 'among' for more than two; 'beside' means 'next to', 'besides' means 'in addition to'.

Method and shortcuts

Step 1: look for a time marker (yesterday, since, for, ago, by the time, if). The marker fixes the tense.

Step 2: check every 'a/an' by saying the next word aloud; check every 'the' against the list of uses.

Step 3: for each preposition, ask whether the verb or adjective before it has a fixed partner (senior to, consist of) or needs none (discuss, reach).

Shortcut: 'ago' and 'yesterday' with 'has/have' is always an error. 'Since' followed by a number of years ('since 5 years') is always an error.

The shortcut 'a before a, e, i, o, u is wrong' fails: go by sound, so 'a useful book' and 'an hour' are both correct.

Example 1: definite past time

Question: Correct the sentence: I have seen this film last Sunday.

Solution: 'last Sunday' is a definite past time, so the present perfect cannot be used. Use the simple past.

Answer: I saw this film last Sunday.

Example 2: a or an by sound

Question: Correct the sentence: He is a honest officer.

Solution: The 'h' in 'honest' is silent, so the word begins with a vowel sound 'o'. Use 'an'.

Answer: He is an honest officer.

Example 3: verb without a preposition

Question: Correct the sentence: We discussed about the plan for 2 hours.

Solution: 'Discuss' already means 'talk about', so it takes a direct object. Remove 'about'.

Answer: We discussed the plan for 2 hours.

Example 4: since or for

Question: Identify the segment that contains an error: (a) She has been working / (b) in this office / (c) since 5 years / (d) No error

Solution: '5 years' is a length of time, not a starting point, so it needs 'for'. The present perfect continuous in (a) is correct for an action still going on.

Answer: (c) — 'for 5 years'.

Example 5: past conditional

Question: Identify the segment that contains an error: (a) If he would have left / (b) home on time, / (c) he would have caught the train / (d) No error

Solution: This is an unreal past condition. The pattern is 'If + had + past participle, … would have + past participle'. 'Would have' belongs only in the result clause (c), so (a) must be 'If he had left'.

Answer: (a) — 'If he had left'.

Example 6: it is high time

Question: Identify the segment that contains an error: (a) It is high time / (b) the government takes / (c) strict measures against hoarders / (d) No error

Solution: 'It is high time' is followed by the simple past to show that the action is already late. So 'takes' must become 'took'. The present tense in (a) is correct; the past form in (b) does not refer to past time here.

Answer: (b) — 'the government took'.

Common mistakes

Using 'will' in an if-clause of condition: 'If it will rain, we will stay' should be 'If it rains, we will stay'.

Putting 'the' before games and languages: 'He plays the cricket' and 'She speaks the Hindi' are wrong.

Using 'than' after senior, junior, superior, inferior and prefer: write 'senior to me' and 'prefer tea to coffee'.

Adding a preposition after reach, enter, discuss, resemble: 'reached at Delhi' should be 'reached Delhi'.

Changing a universal truth into the past in reported speech: 'He said that water boiled at 100 °C' should keep 'boils'.

Practice questions

Q1. Identify the segment that contains an error: (a) I am knowing / (b) this man / (c) for many years / (d) No error

Q2. Identify the segment that contains an error: (a) He plays / (b) the guitar and / (c) the cricket very well / (d) No error

Q3. Identify the segment that contains an error: (a) She is senior / (b) than me / (c) in service / (d) No error

Answers

Q1. (a) 'Know' is a stative verb, and the action continues from the past, so write 'I have known this man for many years'.

Q2. (c) Musical instruments take 'the' (the guitar), but games do not: 'cricket'.

Q3. (b) 'Senior' takes 'to', not 'than': 'senior to me'.

Quick revision

yesterday, ago, last week, in 2019: simple past only.

since + point of time; for + period; if-clause: no 'will', no 'would have'.

a/an go by sound: a university, an hour, an MLA.

Senior/junior/superior/inferior/prefer + to; discuss, reach, enter, resemble + no preposition.

Concepts and rules

Pronoun case: a pronoun after a preposition is in the object form: 'between you and me', 'for him and her'. After 'let', use the object form: 'Let him and me go.'

After 'than' and 'as' in a comparison, use the case the hidden verb needs: 'He is taller than I (am)'; 'I like you more than (I like) him'.

Verbs such as avail, absent, enjoy (meaning 'have a good time') and pride need a reflexive pronoun: 'He availed himself of the offer', 'She absented herself from the class', 'We enjoyed ourselves at the fair.'

Who is the subject form and whom is the object form: 'Who called you?' but 'Whom did you call?' and 'the man to whom I spoke'.

Adjectives: never use a double comparative or superlative ('more better', 'most cleverest'). Absolute adjectives (unique, perfect, ideal, complete, round) are not compared: 'most unique' is wrong.

Few/many/fewer go with countable nouns; little/much/less go with uncountable nouns. 'A few' and 'a little' are positive (some); 'few' and 'little' are negative (hardly any).

'Elder' and 'eldest' are used only for persons in the same family and are not followed by 'than': 'my elder brother', but 'He is older than I.'

After linking verbs (be, seem, look, smell, taste, feel, sound, become) use an adjective, not an adverb: 'The rose smells sweet', 'She looks happy.' With action verbs use an adverb: 'She sings sweetly.'

Some adverb pairs differ in meaning: hard (with effort) and hardly (scarcely); late (not early) and lately (recently). 'Very' goes with the positive degree, 'much' with the comparative: 'very good', 'much better'.

Verb forms: lie–lay–lain means 'rest'; lay–laid–laid means 'put down' and needs an object. Hang–hanged–hanged is used for execution; hang–hung–hung for objects.

After a modal (can, could, may, must, should, will) and after 'let', 'make', 'see', 'hear' in the active voice, use the bare infinitive: 'He can swim', 'They made him wait' (not 'made him to wait').

'To' as a preposition takes the -ing form: look forward to meeting, object to waiting, with a view to saving, be used to working. Verbs such as avoid, enjoy, finish, mind and practise are followed by -ing.

Method and shortcuts

Step 1: label each doubtful word as noun, pronoun, adjective, adverb or verb, and ask what job it does (subject, object, describes a noun, describes a verb).

Step 2: pronoun after a preposition or as object → me, him, her, us, them, whom.

Step 3: word after look/smell/taste/feel/seem → adjective; word describing how an action is done → adverb.

Step 4: after a modal or 'make/let' → base verb; after the preposition 'to' → -ing.

Test for 'to': if you can put a noun after it ('look forward to the holiday'), it is a preposition and needs -ing. This test fails for verbs like 'want to', where 'to' is part of the infinitive.

Example 1: pronoun after a preposition

Question: Correct the sentence: Between you and I, the plan will fail.

Solution: 'Between' is a preposition, so both pronouns after it must be in the object form.

Answer: Between you and me, the plan will fail.

Example 2: double comparative

Question: Correct the sentence: He is more stronger than his brother.

Solution: 'Stronger' is already comparative; adding 'more' doubles it. Drop 'more'.

Answer: He is stronger than his brother.

Example 3: adjective after a linking verb

Question: Correct the sentence: The flowers in the garden smell sweetly.

Solution: Here 'smell' is a linking verb: it tells what the flowers are like, not how they perform an action. It takes an adjective.

Answer: The flowers in the garden smell sweet.

Example 4: 'to' as a preposition

Question: Identify the segment that contains an error: (a) I look forward / (b) to meet you / (c) at the conference next week / (d) No error

Solution: In 'look forward to', 'to' is a preposition (you can say 'look forward to the conference'), so the verb after it takes -ing.

Answer: (b) — 'to meeting you'.

Example 5: lie or lay

Question: Identify the segment that contains an error: (a) After the long journey, / (b) the tired traveller / (c) laid down on the bed / (d) No error

Solution: The traveller rested himself; nothing was put down, so there is no object. The verb is 'lie', whose past tense is 'lay'. 'Laid' is the past of 'lay' (put) and needs an object.

Answer: (c) — 'lay down on the bed'.

Example 6: reflexive pronoun with 'avail'

Question: Identify the segment that contains an error: (a) Having availed of / (b) the loan facility, the farmer / (c) bought a tractor and 2 bullocks / (d) No error

Solution: In standard grammar 'avail' in this sense is used as 'avail oneself of'. The doer of 'having availed' is 'the farmer', so the pronoun is 'himself'. Parts (b) and (c) are correct, and the participle phrase correctly refers to 'the farmer'.

Answer: (a) — 'Having availed himself of'.

Common mistakes

Writing 'I' after a preposition to sound polite: 'for my wife and I' is wrong; write 'for my wife and me'.

Using 'elder than': write 'older than'. 'Elder' is never followed by 'than'.

Adding 'to' after make and let in the active voice: 'He let me to go' should be 'He let me go'. In the passive, 'to' returns after 'made': 'He was made to wait.'

Confusing 'few' with 'a few': 'He has a few friends, so he feels lonely' contradicts itself; write 'few friends'.

Using 'hardly' for 'hard': 'He works hardly' means he scarcely works; write 'He works hard'.

Practice questions

Q1. Identify the segment that contains an error: (a) The rose / (b) smells sweet / (c) in the morning / (d) No error

Q2. Identify the segment that contains an error: (a) This is the / (b) most unique / (c) painting in the museum / (d) No error

Q3. Identify the segment that contains an error: (a) Since she has a few friends / (b) in the new city, / (c) she feels lonely / (d) No error

Answers

Q1. (d) 'Smell' is a linking verb here, so the adjective 'sweet' is correct.

Q2. (b) 'Unique' means 'the only one of its kind' and cannot be compared; write 'the unique painting' or 'the most unusual painting'.

Q3. (a) Loneliness shows she has hardly any friends, so the negative 'few' is needed: 'Since she has few friends'.

Quick revision

Preposition + me/him/her/them/whom; reflexive with avail, absent, pride.

No 'more better', no 'most unique'; 'older than', never 'elder than'.

Look/smell/taste/feel/seem + adjective; action verb + adverb.

Modal, let, make + base verb; look forward to/object to/used to + -ing; lie–lay–lain, lay–laid–laid.

Concepts and rules

A modifier is a word or phrase that describes another word. It must stand next to the word it describes; otherwise the sentence says something different or absurd.

Limiting words (only, even, almost, nearly, just, merely, hardly) limit the word placed immediately after them. 'Only Ravi passed' (nobody else passed); 'Ravi passed only in English' (in no other subject).

'Even' works the same way: 'Even the teacher did not know the answer' (the teacher, of all people) differs from 'The teacher did not even know the answer' (the answer, the simplest thing).

A dangling modifier is an opening phrase (often with -ing, -ed or 'to') whose doer is missing from the main clause. 'Walking down the road, a snake bit him' says the snake was walking. Correct: 'While he was walking down the road, a snake bit him.'

Rule of the opening phrase: the subject that comes right after the comma must be the person or thing doing the action of the phrase.

An absolute phrase has its own subject and is correct: 'The weather being fine, we went out.' 'Being a holiday, the office was closed' is wrong because the office is not a holiday; write 'It being a holiday, the office was closed' or 'As it was a holiday, the office was closed.'

Phrases and relative clauses also go next to their noun: 'The boy was bitten by a dog wearing a red shirt' suggests the dog wore the shirt. Write 'The boy wearing a red shirt was bitten by a dog.'

A squinting modifier sits between two words and could describe either: 'Students who revise often score well' (revise often, or often score well?). Move it so only one reading is possible: 'Students who often revise score well.'

'Enough' as an adverb comes after the adjective or adverb it modifies: 'good enough', 'fast enough', never 'enough good'. As an adjective it comes before a noun: 'enough money'.

Adverbs of frequency (always, often, never, seldom, usually) come before the main verb but after 'am/is/are/was/were': 'He always comes late'; 'He is always late.'

Method and shortcuts

Step 1: if the sentence opens with an -ing, -ed or 'to' phrase followed by a comma, ask 'who is doing this?' and check that the word right after the comma is that doer.

Step 2: for only/even/almost/nearly/just, read the sentence with the word moved next to each candidate and pick the position that gives the intended meaning.

Step 3: for a describing phrase (wearing…, with…, which…), check that the nearest noun is the one being described.

Fixing a dangler: either make the doer the subject of the main clause ('Running for the bus, I dropped my bag') or turn the phrase into a full clause ('As I was running for the bus, my bag fell').

Shortcut: a passive main clause after an opening -ing phrase ('Having finished the work, the TV was switched on') is almost always a dangler. It does not apply to absolute phrases that carry their own subject ('The work having been finished, the TV was switched on' is correct).

Example 1: placing 'only'

Question: The writer means that Rahul's score in the final was just 2 runs. Correct the sentence: Rahul only scored 2 runs in the final.

Solution: The limit is on the number of runs, so 'only' must stand before '2 runs'.

Answer: Rahul scored only 2 runs in the final.

Example 2: dangling participle

Question: Correct the sentence: Running to catch the bus, my bag fell in the mud.

Solution: The bag was not running. Make the runner the subject of the main clause.

Answer: Running to catch the bus, I dropped my bag in the mud.

Example 3: position of 'enough'

Question: Correct the sentence: He is enough strong to lift the box.

Solution: 'Enough' modifies the adjective 'strong', so as an adverb it must follow it.

Answer: He is strong enough to lift the box.

Example 4: the doer after the comma

Question: Choose the correct sentence: (a) Walking along the beach, the sunset looked beautiful. (b) Walking along the beach, the sunset was beautiful to us. (c) Walking along the beach, we found the sunset beautiful. (d) The sunset, walking along the beach, looked beautiful.

Solution: Only people can walk along the beach. In (a), (b) and (d) the word next to the walking phrase is 'the sunset'. In (c) the subject 'we' is the walker.

Answer: (c)

Example 5: misplaced descriptive phrase

Question: Choose the sentence in which the modifier is correctly placed: (a) The boy was bitten by a dog wearing a red shirt. (b) The boy was bitten wearing a red shirt by a dog. (c) Wearing a red shirt, a dog bit the boy. (d) The boy wearing a red shirt was bitten by a dog.

Solution: The shirt belongs to the boy. In (a) the phrase is next to 'dog'; in (c) the dog becomes the wearer; (b) is clumsy and breaks 'bitten by a dog'. Only (d) puts 'wearing a red shirt' directly after 'The boy'.

Answer: (d)

Example 6: absolute phrase

Question: Choose the correct sentence: (a) Being a holiday, the bank was closed. (b) It being a holiday, the bank was closed. (c) Being holiday, the bank was closed. (d) The bank being a holiday was closed.

Solution: The bank is not a holiday, so (a), (c) and (d) all make the bank the holiday; (c) also drops the article. In (b), 'It being a holiday' is an absolute phrase with its own subject 'It', so it no longer needs to attach to 'the bank'.

Answer: (b)

Common mistakes

Fixing a dangler by changing only the verb tense; the doer must still appear right after the comma.

Putting 'only' before the verb by habit ('I only have ₹50') when the limit is on the amount; in exam answers write 'I have only ₹50'.

Treating every opening -ing phrase as wrong: 'Hearing the news, she cried' is correct because she heard the news.

Writing 'enough' before an adjective ('enough tall'); it follows adjectives and adverbs.

Placing 'almost' before the verb when it limits a number: 'He almost scored 100 runs' suggests he came close to scoring them but did not; 'He scored almost 100 runs' means he scored about 100.

Practice questions

Q1. Which sentence says that the price rose to close to, but not quite, twice its old level? (a) The price almost doubled in a year. (b) Almost the price doubled in a year. (c) The almost price doubled in a year. (d) The price doubled in almost a year.

Q2. Choose the correct sentence: (a) Driving through the hills, a landslide blocked our way. (b) Driving through the hills, our way was blocked by a landslide. (c) A landslide, driving through the hills, blocked our way. (d) While we were driving through the hills, a landslide blocked our way.

Q3. Choose the correct sentence: (a) The hall is not enough big for the function. (b) The hall is enough not big for the function. (c) The hall is not big enough for the function. (d) The hall is not big for enough the function.

Answers

Q1. (a) 'Almost' before 'doubled' limits the doubling. (d) changes the meaning to 'it took almost a year to double'; (b) and (c) are ungrammatical.

Q2. (d) It turns the phrase into a clause with its own subject 'we'. The others make the landslide or 'our way' the driver.

Q3. (c) 'Enough' follows the adjective: 'big enough'.

Quick revision

Only/even/almost/just limit the word right after them.

Opening -ing/-ed/to phrase + comma: the doer comes right after the comma.

'Being a holiday' needs 'It': 'It being a holiday, …'.

Adjective + enough; enough + noun.

Concepts and rules

Fixed correlative pairs: either…or, neither…nor, both…and, not only…but also, whether…or, no sooner…than, hardly/scarcely/barely…when (or before), so…that, such…that, such…as, as…as, so…as (in negatives), rather…than, lest…should.

'No sooner' takes 'than', never 'when' or 'then'. At the start of a sentence it inverts the verb: 'No sooner had he arrived than the meeting began' (or 'No sooner did he arrive than…').

'Hardly', 'scarcely' and 'barely' take 'when' (or 'before'), never 'than': 'Hardly had I reached home when it began to rain.'

'Though/although' may be followed by 'yet' or by a comma, never by 'but': 'Although he was poor, he was honest' or 'Though he was poor, yet he was honest'.

Do not double a conjunction of reason or time: 'Since it was late, therefore we left' and 'As soon as he came, then we started' are wrong. Drop 'therefore' and 'then'.

'Unless' means 'if not' and 'until' means 'up to the time when'; neither takes an extra 'not' in the same clause: 'Unless you work hard, you will fail'; 'Wait here until I return.'

'Lest' means 'for fear that' and is followed by 'should' (or the base verb), never by 'not': 'Walk carefully lest you should fall.'

Neither goes with nor, either with or, both with and (not 'as well as'), between with and (not 'or'): 'both Ram and Shyam', 'between 5 and 6 pm'.

Parallelism: the words after each half of a correlative must be the same part of speech. 'He not only lost his money but also his reputation' is wrong; write 'He lost not only his money but also his reputation' (noun after both halves).

When 'not only' begins a sentence, the verb inverts: 'Not only did he lie, but he also cheated.'

'So…that' shows result with an adjective or adverb ('so tired that he slept'); 'such…that' does the same with a noun ('such a long day that…'); 'such…as' introduces examples or a comparison ('such cities as Pune and Nagpur').

Method and shortcuts

Step 1: spot the first half of a pair (no sooner, hardly, scarcely, though, neither, either, both, not only, lest, so, such).

Step 2: check that its fixed partner appears and that no wrong partner (but, then, when, or) has replaced it.

Step 3: check the grammar right after each half: noun with noun, verb with verb, adjective with adjective.

Step 4: look for doubled linkers (since…therefore, as soon as…then, although…but) and doubled negatives (unless…not, until…not, lest…not).

Memory hook: 'No sooner' is a comparison word (sooner), so it pairs with 'than'; 'hardly' is not a comparative, so it pairs with 'when'.

Example 1: no sooner…than

Question: Correct the sentence: No sooner did the bell ring when the students ran out.

Solution: 'No sooner' always pairs with 'than'.

Answer: No sooner did the bell ring than the students ran out.

Example 2: although…but

Question: Correct the sentence: Although he worked hard, but he failed.

Solution: 'Although' already joins the two clauses; 'but' doubles the link. Remove 'but' (or replace it with 'yet').

Answer: Although he worked hard, he failed.

Example 3: parallelism with not only…but also

Question: Correct the sentence: He not only stole my book but also my pen.

Solution: After 'not only' comes a verb (stole) but after 'but also' comes a noun (my pen). Move 'not only' so that both halves are followed by nouns.

Answer: He stole not only my book but also my pen.

Example 4: hardly…when

Question: Hardly had the match begun ______ it started raining. (a) than (b) then (c) when (d) that

Solution: 'Hardly' pairs with 'when' (or 'before'). 'Than' belongs to 'no sooner'; 'then' and 'that' are not partners of 'hardly'.

Answer: (c)

Example 5: unless with a negative

Question: Identify the segment that contains an error: (a) Unless you do not / (b) submit the form by Monday, / (c) your admission will be cancelled / (d) No error

Solution: 'Unless' already means 'if not'. 'Unless you do not submit' would mean 'if you submit', which reverses the warning. Remove 'do not'. 'By Monday' in (b) correctly means 'not later than Monday'.

Answer: (a) — 'Unless you submit the form by Monday'.

Example 6: neither…nor with agreement

Question: Identify the segment that contains an error: (a) Neither the doctor / (b) or the nurses / (c) were available at night / (d) No error

Solution: Two checks. First, 'neither' must pair with 'nor', so (b) is wrong. Second, the verb follows the nearer subject 'the nurses', which is plural, so 'were' in (c) is correct. Only one segment is wrong.

Answer: (b) — 'nor the nurses'.

Common mistakes

Writing 'scarcely…than' or 'no sooner…when'; learn the pairs as fixed units.

Using 'both…as well as'; the partner of 'both' is 'and'.

Adding 'not' after 'until' or 'lest': 'Wait till I do not come' should be 'Wait till I come'.

Forgetting inversion after 'No sooner', 'Hardly' or 'Not only' at the start: 'No sooner he had arrived' should be 'No sooner had he arrived'.

Breaking parallelism with either…or: 'You can either pay now or by cheque later' should be 'You can pay either now or later by cheque'.

Practice questions

Q1. Identify the segment that contains an error: (a) Though the road was narrow, / (b) yet the driver / (c) overtook the truck safely / (d) No error

Q2. Identify the segment that contains an error: (a) She is not only intelligent / (b) but also she is / (c) hard-working / (d) No error

Q3. Walk carefully on the wet floor ______ you should slip. (a) lest (b) unless (c) until (d) so that

Answers

Q1. (d) 'Though…yet' is a correct pair, so the sentence has no error.

Q2. (b) After 'not only' comes the adjective 'intelligent', so after 'but also' must come the adjective 'hard-working': 'not only intelligent but also hard-working'.

Q3. (a) 'Lest…should' expresses fear of an unwanted result; 'so that you should slip' would mean you want to slip.

Quick revision

No sooner…than; hardly/scarcely/barely…when; though…yet (never but).

Neither…nor, either…or, both…and, between…and, lest…should.

No 'not' after unless, until, lest; no 'therefore' after since, no 'then' after as soon as.

Same part of speech after each half of a correlative; invert the verb when the pair opens the sentence.