English Comprehension · SSC CGL Notes
Sentence improvement — SSC CGL English Notes
Free SSC CGL notes with rules, shortcuts, worked examples and practice questions for every topic. 2 topics.
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Grammatical correction of a phrase
Name the rule the marked part breaks before reading the options, then pick the option that fixes that rule without creating a new error; choose 'No improvement' only after checking the part against every rule.
Concepts and rules
Format: a sentence has one part marked (here in square brackets). You choose the option that best replaces it; the last option is usually 'No improvement'. In these notes the marked part is shown as [ ].
Unreal present or future: 'If I were you, I would…'; 'were' is used for all persons in an imaginary condition and after 'I wish' and 'as if': 'He talks as if he were the owner.'
'Wish' about the past takes the past perfect: 'I wish I had studied harder.' 'Wish' about the present takes the simple past: 'I wish I knew the answer.'
'Had better' and 'would rather' are followed by the base verb: 'You had better consult a doctor'; 'I would rather walk than wait.'
'Used to + base verb' is a past habit ('He used to smoke'); 'be/get used to + -ing' means 'accustomed to' ('He is used to working late').
Verb patterns: prevent/stop/prohibit someone from doing; cannot help doing; insist on doing; succeed in doing; suggest that he (should) go; avoid doing; would you mind doing.
Comparison must be between like things: 'The climate of Shimla is better than that of Delhi' (climate with climate). With a comparative and 'any', add 'other' when the item belongs to the same group: 'Mumbai is bigger than any other city in India.'
Question tags: a positive statement takes a negative tag and vice versa; the tag uses the same auxiliary: 'She can swim, can't she?' Special cases: 'I am late, aren't I?', 'Let's go, shall we?', and words like 'seldom', 'hardly', 'never' make the statement negative: 'He seldom comes, does he?'
Errors of agreement, tense, article, preposition and pronoun case (from the error-detection chapter) also appear in this format; only the presentation changes.
The correct option must fit the whole sentence: tense, number and meaning outside the brackets stay fixed, so an option that is correct alone but clashes with the rest is wrong.
Method and shortcuts
Step 1: read the full sentence and note the time words, the subject and any fixed pattern (if, wish, had better, used to, prevent).
Step 2: decide what is wrong with the marked part before you look at the options. Predict the correct form.
Step 3: find the option that matches your prediction. Put it back into the sentence and read the whole sentence once.
Step 4: eliminate options that fix one error but add another (wrong preposition, extra word, changed meaning).
Shortcut: if 2 options differ in only one word, that word is the tested point; decide that rule and the answer follows. This fails when both options are wrong for different reasons and the answer is elsewhere.
Example 1: subjunctive 'were'
Question: Improve the bracketed part: If I [was] you, I would accept the offer.
Solution: The speaker can never be 'you', so the condition is imaginary. An imaginary present condition takes 'were' for all persons.
Answer: If I were you, I would accept the offer.
Example 2: had better + base verb
Question: Improve the bracketed part: You had better [to consult] a doctor.
Solution: 'Had better' works like a modal and takes the base verb without 'to'.
Answer: You had better consult a doctor.
Example 3: comparing like with like
Question: Improve the bracketed part: The climate of Shimla is better than [Delhi].
Solution: The sentence compares a climate with a city. Compare climate with climate by using 'that of'.
Answer: The climate of Shimla is better than that of Delhi.
Example 4: be used to + -ing
Question: Improve the bracketed part: Being a night-shift nurse, she [is used to work] late at night. (a) is used to working (b) used to working (c) is used to worked (d) No improvement
Solution: 'Is used to' here means 'is accustomed to', and its 'to' is a preposition, so the -ing form follows. (b) drops 'is' and becomes ungrammatical; (c) uses a past participle after 'to'. The opening phrase correctly describes 'she'.
Answer: (a)
Example 5: wish about the past
Question: Improve the bracketed part: I wish I [had attended] the seminar yesterday. (a) attended (b) have attended (c) would attend (d) No improvement
Solution: 'Yesterday' puts the regret in the past, and a wish about the past takes the past perfect. 'Had attended' is already correct. (a) is for a present wish, (b) clashes with 'yesterday', (c) refers to the future.
Answer: (d)
Example 6: comparison with 'any other'
Question: Improve the bracketed part: The population of Mumbai is greater than [any other city in India]. (a) any city in India (b) that of any other city in India (c) those of any other city in India (d) No improvement
Solution: Two rules apply. First, population must be compared with population, so 'that of' is needed ('population' is singular, so 'that', not 'those'). Second, Mumbai is itself a city in India, so 'other' is needed, or Mumbai would be compared with itself. Only (b) satisfies both.
Answer: (b)
Common mistakes
Choosing an option that sounds familiar in speech ('If I was you') instead of checking the rule.
Mixing up 'used to do' (past habit) and 'be used to doing' (accustomed).
Fixing only half of a comparison: 'than that of any city' still compares Mumbai with itself; 'other' is also needed.
Avoiding 'No improvement' out of fear; when the marked part already follows every rule, it is the answer.
Ignoring the verb pattern: 'prevented me to enter', 'insisted to go', 'succeeded to pass' are all wrong; use 'from entering', 'on going', 'in passing'.
Practice questions
Q1. Improve the bracketed part: The guard [prevented me to enter] the hall. (a) prevented me from entering (b) prevented me from enter (c) prevented to me entering (d) No improvement
Q2. Improve the bracketed part: Let's go for a walk, [will we]? (a) won't we (b) do we (c) shall we (d) No improvement
Q3. Improve the bracketed part: She [cannot help to laugh] at his jokes. (a) cannot help laugh (b) cannot help laughing (c) cannot helped laughing (d) No improvement
Answers
Q1. (a) The pattern is 'prevent someone from + -ing'; (b) uses the base verb after 'from'.
Q2. (c) A suggestion beginning with 'Let's' takes the tag 'shall we?'.
Q3. (b) 'Cannot help' meaning 'cannot stop oneself' is followed by the -ing form.
Quick revision
Predict the correction before reading options; then test it in the full sentence.
If I were; I wish I knew (now) / had known (past); had better + base verb.
used to do = past habit; be used to doing = accustomed; prevent from, insist on, succeed in, cannot help + -ing.
Compare like with like (that of / those of) and add 'other' within the same group.
Let's…, shall we?; I am…, aren't I?; seldom/hardly/never take a positive tag.
Clear, concise and idiomatic expression
When the grammar is fine, the best option is the one that says the same thing in fewer, natural words: remove redundancy, use the standard word partner, and keep the intended meaning unambiguous.
Concepts and rules
Some sentence-improvement items are grammatically possible but wordy, redundant or unidiomatic. The tested skill is choosing the expression a careful writer of standard English would use.
Redundancy (tautology) repeats an idea already contained in a word: return back, revert back, repeat again, cousin brother, free gift, past history, final outcome, end result, join together, combine together, each and every, unless and until, enter into the room, discuss about.
Wordy phrases have short equivalents: due to the fact that → because; in spite of the fact that → although; at this point in time → now; in the event that → if; with regard to → about; come to a decision → decide; make an enquiry → enquire.
Collocations are fixed word partners: commit a crime, conduct an enquiry, deliver a speech, pass a resolution, lay the foundation, pay attention, heavy rain, strong tea, make a mistake, do one's duty, lay emphasis on, take steps.
Common Indianisms to correct: 'He is having a car' → 'He has a car'; 'I am understanding' → 'I understand'; 'cousin brother' → 'cousin'; 'Do one thing' → give the instruction directly; 'He is knowing English' → 'He knows English'.
'Have' in the sense of possession is not used in the continuous; 'having' is correct only when 'have' means eat, take or experience: 'We are having lunch', 'They are having a meeting'.
Clarity: a pronoun must point to one clear noun, and a comparison must say what is compared. 'Rekha likes Meena more than Sita' can mean two things; write 'more than Sita does' or 'more than she likes Sita' according to the intended meaning.
Register: SSC sentences are formal, so prefer 'children' to 'kids', 'very good' to 'awesome', and avoid slang in the chosen option.
The shortest option is not automatically right: it must keep the full meaning and remain grammatical.
Method and shortcuts
Step 1: check grammar first (use the grammatical-correction method). If grammar is fine, move to clarity.
Step 2: ask whether any word repeats the meaning of another (back after return, again after repeat, together after join).
Step 3: ask whether a long phrase can become one word without losing meaning (due to the fact that → because).
Step 4: check the verb–noun partner against standard collocations, and check that the meaning matches any clue given in the question.
Shortcut: an option that adds a second word with the same meaning (return back, cousin brother) is almost always wrong. It fails when the extra word adds new information: 'come back' is fine because 'come' alone does not mean 'return'.
Example 1: redundancy
Question: Improve the bracketed part: Please [return back] the books by Friday.
Solution: 'Return' already means 'give back', so 'back' repeats the idea.
Answer: Please return the books by Friday.
Example 2: 'have' for possession
Question: Improve the bracketed part: My uncle [is having] 2 cars.
Solution: Here 'have' means 'own', a state, so it is not used in the continuous.
Answer: My uncle has 2 cars.
Example 3: wordy phrase
Question: Improve the bracketed part: The meeting was postponed [due to the fact that] the chairman was ill.
Solution: 'Due to the fact that' is a 5-word way of saying 'because'. The meaning is unchanged.
Answer: The meeting was postponed because the chairman was ill.
Example 4: collocation
Question: Improve the bracketed part: The police [did a thorough enquiry] into the theft. (a) took a thorough enquiry (b) gave a thorough enquiry (c) conducted a thorough enquiry (d) No improvement
Solution: The standard partner of 'enquiry' or 'investigation' in formal English is 'conduct'. 'Did' is informal, and 'took' and 'gave' do not go with 'enquiry'.
Answer: (c)
Example 5: reducing a wordy verb phrase
Question: Improve the bracketed part: He was [unable to come to a decision with regard to] the job offer. (a) unable to decide on (b) unable for deciding about (c) not able of deciding (d) No improvement
Solution: 'Come to a decision' = 'decide', and 'with regard to' = 'about/on'. (a) keeps the meaning in 4 words. (b) uses 'unable for', and (c) uses 'able of'; both are wrong patterns, since 'unable' and 'able' take 'to + verb'.
Answer: (a)
Example 6: removing ambiguity
Question: The writer means that Rekha's liking for Meena is greater than Sita's liking for Meena. Improve the bracketed part: Rekha likes Meena more than [Sita]. (a) she likes Sita (b) Sita does (c) Sita likes (d) No improvement
Solution: As it stands the sentence can also mean 'more than she likes Sita', so it is ambiguous. (a) gives exactly that wrong meaning. (c) leaves 'likes' without its object. (b) 'Sita does' = 'Sita likes Meena', the intended meaning.
Answer: (b)
Common mistakes
Accepting Indian-English habits as correct: 'cousin brother', 'discuss about', 'revert back' are wrong in exam English.
Choosing the shortest option even when it drops part of the meaning or breaks grammar.
Treating every 'having' as wrong: 'We are having dinner' is correct because 'have' means 'eat'.
Using the wrong verb with a noun: 'make a crime', 'do a mistake', 'give a speech' (deliver/make a speech), 'say a lie' (tell a lie).
Ignoring the meaning clue given in the question when 2 grammatical options mean different things.
Practice questions
Q1. Improve the bracketed part: Rohan and his [cousin brother] attended the wedding. (a) cousin (b) brother cousin (c) cousin-brother (d) No improvement
Q2. Improve the bracketed part: The result was doubtful, so the scientist decided to [repeat again the experiment]. (a) again repeat the experiment (b) repeat the experiment back (c) repeat the experiment (d) No improvement
Q3. Improve the bracketed part: The judge [laid emphasis on] the need for fresh evidence. (a) laid emphasis to (b) gave emphasis at (c) put emphasis for (d) No improvement
Answers
Q1. (a) 'Cousin' already names the relation; 'brother' adds nothing and is an Indianism.
Q2. (c) 'Repeat' means 'do again', so 'again' and 'back' are redundant.
Q3. (d) 'Lay emphasis on' is the correct collocation; the options change the fixed preposition.
Quick revision
Grammar first, then redundancy, wordiness, collocation and ambiguity.
No return back, repeat again, cousin brother, discuss about, free gift, past history.
because (not due to the fact that), decide (not come to a decision), about (not with regard to).
commit a crime, conduct an enquiry, deliver a speech, lay emphasis on, tell a lie.