CLAT UG English Language Syllabus

What are the three main tenses in English, and what does each express?

Present (action happening now or habitual), past (action completed earlier), and future (action yet to happen).

What are the four aspects each tense can take?

Simple, continuous (progressive), perfect, and perfect continuous.

How is the present perfect tense formed and when is it used?

Formed with has/have + past participle (e.g., 'has eaten'). Used for actions completed at an unspecified past time with relevance to the present, or continuing up to now.

How is the past continuous tense formed and what does it express?

Formed with was/were + verb-ing (e.g., 'was running'). It expresses an ongoing action in the past, often interrupted by another action.

How is the future perfect tense formed and when is it used?

Formed with will have + past participle (e.g., 'will have finished'). Used for an action that will be completed before a specific future time.

What is the basic rule of subject-verb agreement?

A singular subject takes a singular verb, and a plural subject takes a plural verb (e.g., 'He runs' vs 'They run').

In subject-verb agreement, what verb do two singular subjects joined by 'and' take?

They take a plural verb (e.g., 'Ram and Shyam are here'), unless the two nouns refer to a single unit/idea, which then takes a singular verb.

With subjects joined by 'either...or' / 'neither...nor', how is the verb's number decided?

The verb agrees with the subject nearer to it (the second/closer noun). E.g., 'Neither the teacher nor the students were present.'

Do collective nouns (e.g., team, jury, committee) take singular or plural verbs?

Usually singular when acting as one unit ('The team is winning'); plural when members act individually ('The team are arguing among themselves').

What verb form do indefinite pronouns like 'each', 'everyone', 'either', 'neither', 'anybody' take?

They are singular and take a singular verb (e.g., 'Each of the boys is present').

What is the difference between a synonym and an antonym?

A synonym is a word with the same or nearly the same meaning as another; an antonym is a word with the opposite meaning.

Give a synonym and an antonym for the word 'benevolent'.

Synonym: kind/generous. Antonym: malevolent/cruel.

Give a synonym and an antonym for the word 'abundant'.

Synonym: plentiful/ample. Antonym: scarce/sparse.

Give a synonym and an antonym for the word 'candid'.

Synonym: frank/honest. Antonym: evasive/deceptive.

Give a synonym and an antonym for the word 'transparent'.

Synonym: clear/see-through. Antonym: opaque.

Give a synonym and an antonym for the word 'frugal'.

Synonym: thrifty/economical. Antonym: extravagant/wasteful.

What is sentence correction in CLAT English?

Identifying and fixing grammatical, structural, or usage errors in a sentence so it follows standard English rules of grammar and syntax.

What is a dangling/misplaced modifier, a common sentence-correction error?

A modifier placed so that it appears to describe the wrong word, or has no clear word to modify (e.g., 'Walking home, the rain started' — the rain isn't walking).

What is faulty parallelism in sentence correction?

Using mismatched grammatical forms in a list or comparison (e.g., 'She likes reading, writing, and to swim' should be 'reading, writing, and swimming').

In sentence correction, when do you use 'fewer' versus 'less'?

Use 'fewer' for countable nouns (fewer books) and 'less' for uncountable/quantities (less water).

In sentence correction, what is the difference between 'between' and 'among'?

Use 'between' for two persons/things; use 'among' for more than two.

What is the common error involving 'who' versus 'whom'?

'Who' is used as the subject of a verb; 'whom' is used as the object of a verb or preposition (e.g., 'To whom did you give it?').

What is a para jumble question?

A set of scrambled/shuffled sentences that must be rearranged into a coherent, logically ordered paragraph.

What is the 'opening sentence' clue when solving para jumbles?

The first sentence usually introduces the topic independently — it contains no pronouns referring back, no connectors like 'however/therefore', and gives a general/introductory idea.

How do pronouns help solve para jumbles?

A sentence with a pronoun (he, she, it, they, this) must come after the sentence that first introduces the noun it refers to, helping fix the order.

How do transition/connecting words help solve para jumbles?

Words like 'however', 'therefore', 'moreover', 'consequently', and 'for example' signal that the sentence depends on a preceding one, indicating sequence and logical links.

What is the role of chronological or cause-effect order in arranging para jumbles?

Sentences should follow a logical flow — events in time order, or cause before effect — so the paragraph reads coherently from start to finish.

What does the acronym TONER help recall in passage analysis?

It cues key aspects to identify: Theme, Organization/structure, main Idea/Notion, Evidence, and the author's Reasoning/tone.

What is the difference between 'imply' and 'infer'?

To imply is to suggest something indirectly (done by the speaker/author); to infer is to draw a conclusion from suggestions (done by the listener/reader).

What is the difference between 'principal' and 'principle', often tested in vocabulary and sentence correction?

'Principal' means chief/main or the head of a school (and the main sum of money); 'principle' means a fundamental rule, law, or belief.