CSS Compulsory Papers English (Precis and Composition) Syllabus

What is meant by 'contextual meaning' of a word?

The meaning a word takes from its surrounding text, which may differ from its dictionary definition; context clues reveal the intended sense.

What are the four main verb tense aspects in English?

Simple, Continuous (Progressive), Perfect, and Perfect Continuous.

Which tense is used for habitual or general truths, and give its form?

The Simple Present tense (subject + base verb, adding -s/-es for third person singular), e.g., 'The sun rises in the east.'

What is the structure of the Present Perfect tense and when is it used?

Subject + has/have + past participle; used for actions completed at an unspecified time or with present relevance, e.g., 'She has finished her work.'

What is the structure of the Past Continuous tense and its typical use?

Subject + was/were + verb-ing; used for an ongoing action in the past, often interrupted by another, e.g., 'I was reading when he called.'

What is the structure of the Future Perfect tense?

Subject + will have + past participle, e.g., 'By 2030 she will have graduated.' It denotes an action that will be completed before a future point.

What are the three articles in English and their two categories?

'A' and 'an' are indefinite articles; 'the' is the definite article.

When do you use 'a' versus 'an'?

Use 'a' before a consonant sound and 'an' before a vowel sound (based on sound, not spelling), e.g., 'a university', 'an hour'.

What is the difference between a definite and an indefinite article?

The definite article 'the' refers to a specific, known noun; the indefinite articles 'a/an' refer to a non-specific or first-mentioned singular noun.

What is a preposition? Give three common examples.

A preposition shows the relationship of a noun/pronoun to another word, usually in terms of place, time, or direction. Examples: in, on, at, to, by, with.

State the rule for 'in', 'on', and 'at' for time.

'In' for months/years/long periods (in May), 'on' for days/dates (on Monday), 'at' for precise times (at 5 o'clock).

What is a conjunction and what are its three main types?

A conjunction joins words, phrases, or clauses. Types: coordinating, subordinating, and correlative.

What are coordinating conjunctions and how can they be remembered?

They join elements of equal rank, remembered by the acronym FANBOYS: For, And, Nor, But, Or, Yet, So.

What are correlative conjunctions? Give two examples.

Conjunctions used in pairs to join balanced elements, e.g., 'either...or', 'neither...nor', 'not only...but also', 'both...and'.

What is the function of a subordinating conjunction? Give examples.

It joins a dependent (subordinate) clause to a main clause, e.g., because, although, since, if, when, while, unless.

When is a comma used before a coordinating conjunction?

When the conjunction joins two independent clauses, a comma is placed before it, e.g., 'He studied hard, but he failed.'

What is the main use of a semicolon?

To join two closely related independent clauses without a coordinating conjunction, e.g., 'It was late; we went home.'

What is the primary use of a colon?

To introduce a list, explanation, or quotation after a complete statement, e.g., 'She bought three items: bread, milk, and eggs.'

How is an apostrophe used to show possession for singular and plural nouns?

Add 's to singular nouns (the boy's book) and only an apostrophe to plural nouns ending in -s (the boys' books).

State 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'; 'They run').

What verb form do subjects joined by 'and' usually take?

A plural verb, e.g., 'Tom and Jerry are friends.' (Exception: when the joined words form a single idea, e.g., 'Bread and butter is my breakfast.')

When two singular subjects are joined by 'or'/'nor', does the verb agree with which subject?

The verb agrees with the subject nearer to it, e.g., 'Neither the boys nor the teacher was present.'

What verb form do indefinite pronouns like 'each', 'everyone', 'nobody' take?

A singular verb, e.g., 'Everyone is here'; 'Each of the students has a book.'

What is a misplaced modifier?

A word or phrase positioned so that it appears to modify the wrong word, causing confusion, e.g., 'She almost drove her kids to school every day' (should be 'drove her kids to school almost every day').

What is a dangling modifier?

A modifier (usually an introductory phrase) that has no clear word to modify in the sentence, e.g., 'Walking to school, the rain started'—there is no logical subject for 'walking'.

Identify and correct the error: 'The list of items are on the table.'

Subject-verb agreement error. The subject is 'list' (singular), so it should be 'The list of items is on the table.'

Correct the sentence: 'He is senior than me.'

'Senior' takes the preposition 'to', not 'than': 'He is senior to me.'

Correct the sentence: 'I have visited Lahore last year.'

A specified past time requires the simple past, not present perfect: 'I visited Lahore last year.'

Correct the sentence: 'One of the boys have lost his book.'

'One' is the singular subject: 'One of the boys has lost his book.'

Correct the sentence: 'She suggested me to take rest.'

'Suggest' is not followed by an object + infinitive: 'She suggested that I take rest' or 'She advised me to take rest.'

Correct the sentence: 'Neither of the answers are correct.'

'Neither' is singular: 'Neither of the answers is correct.'