IPU CET English Language and Comprehension Syllabus

Distinguish 'principal' from 'principle'.

'Principal' means main/most important, or the head of a school, or a sum of money; 'principle' means a fundamental rule or belief.

Distinguish the confusable words 'affect' and 'effect'.

'Affect' is usually a verb meaning to influence; 'effect' is usually a noun meaning the result. ('The rain affected the match; the effect was a delay.')

Distinguish 'complement' from 'compliment'.

'Complement' (with an 'e') means something that completes or goes well with another; 'compliment' (with an 'i') means an expression of praise.

What are the eight parts of speech in English?

Noun, pronoun, verb, adjective, adverb, preposition, conjunction, and interjection.

What is the difference between an adjective and an adverb, and how is an adverb often formed?

An adjective modifies a noun or pronoun (a quick runner); an adverb modifies a verb, adjective, or another adverb (runs quickly). Many adverbs are formed by adding '-ly' to an adjective.

What is a preposition, and what does it show? Give three examples.

A preposition links a noun/pronoun to other words, showing relationships of place, time, or direction. Examples: in, on, at, under, between, before.

What are the three main verb tenses, and what four aspects does each have?

The tenses are past, present, and future. Each has four aspects: simple, continuous (progressive), perfect, and perfect continuous, giving twelve forms in total.

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

Subject + has/have + past participle (V3), e.g., 'She has finished.' It links a past action to the present or describes experience up to now.

State the basic rule of subject-verb agreement for singular and plural subjects.

A singular subject takes a singular verb (He runs); a plural subject takes a plural verb (They run). The verb must agree with its subject in number and person.

In subject-verb agreement, which verb is used with 'either...or' / 'neither...nor', and with 'each', 'every', and 'everyone'?

With 'either...or'/'neither...nor', the verb agrees with the nearer subject. 'Each', 'every', 'everyone', and similar indefinite pronouns always take a singular verb.

In subject-verb agreement, what verb form follows collective nouns and 'a number of' vs 'the number of'?

Collective nouns (team, family) usually take a singular verb when acting as a unit. 'A number of' takes a plural verb; 'the number of' takes a singular verb.

What is sentence correction, and what are three common error types to check first?

Sentence correction means finding and fixing grammatical errors. Common error types: subject-verb agreement, tense consistency, pronoun-antecedent agreement, faulty parallelism, and misplaced/dangling modifiers.

What is a dangling modifier, and how is it corrected?

A dangling modifier is a descriptive phrase whose intended subject is missing or wrong in the sentence (e.g., 'Walking home, the rain started'). Correct it by giving the modifier a clear subject: 'Walking home, I was caught in the rain.'

What is faulty parallelism in sentence correction? Give a corrected example.

Faulty parallelism is the use of unmatched grammatical forms in a series. Wrong: 'She likes reading, to write, and jogging.' Correct: 'She likes reading, writing, and jogging.'

When are the definite article 'the' and the indefinite articles 'a/an' used?

'The' (definite) refers to a specific, known noun. 'A/an' (indefinite) refers to a non-specific, singular countable noun: 'a' before a consonant sound, 'an' before a vowel sound (a university, an hour).

What is the difference between active and passive voice, and give the general formula for passive voice.

In active voice the subject performs the action (The dog bit the man); in passive voice the subject receives the action (The man was bitten by the dog). Passive = object + appropriate form of 'be' + past participle (+ by + agent).

How do you change Present Simple active 'She writes a letter' into the passive voice?

'A letter is written by her.' (object + is/am/are + past participle + by + agent).

What are the key changes when converting direct speech to indirect (reported) speech?

Remove quotation marks, change pronouns to match the speaker, back-shift the tense (present→past, will→would), and change time/place words (now→then, today→that day, here→there).

In narration, how is a direct-speech question reported in indirect speech?

Use a reporting verb like 'asked', drop the question mark, and change to statement word order. Yes/no questions use 'if/whether'; wh-questions keep the wh-word. ('Are you ready?' → He asked if I was ready.)

What is a sentence completion question, and what should you look for in the blank?

Sentence completion asks you to fill a blank with the word that best fits grammar and meaning. Look for signal/clue words (contrast, cause-effect) and ensure the choice matches the sentence's tone and logic.

In sentence completion, what do contrast signal words like 'although', 'but', and 'however' tell you about the blank?

They signal that the blank should contain a word opposite in meaning to another part of the sentence, indicating a shift or contradiction.

What is a cloze test?

A cloze test is a passage with several words removed (blanks); the reader must fill each blank with the most appropriate word so the passage remains grammatical and meaningful, using context and cohesion.

What is the recommended approach to solving a cloze test passage?

First read the whole passage to grasp the overall theme and tone, then fill each blank using grammar (part of speech, collocation), context clues, and consistency with surrounding sentences.

In analogy questions, what does the format 'A : B :: C : D' mean and how is it solved?

It means 'A is to B as C is to D'. Identify the relationship between the first pair (A:B), then choose D so that C:D shares the same relationship.

Name four common types of relationships tested in word analogies.

Synonym/antonym, part-to-whole, cause-and-effect, worker-and-tool, category-and-example, and degree of intensity.

Solve the analogy: 'Doctor : Hospital :: Teacher : ?' and name the relationship.

'School'. The relationship is worker-to-workplace (a doctor works in a hospital as a teacher works in a school).

Solve the analogy: 'Hot : Cold :: Up : ?' and identify the relationship.

'Down'. The relationship is antonyms (opposite meanings).

What is the difference between a 'topic sentence' and a 'concluding sentence' in a coherent paragraph?

The topic sentence introduces the paragraph's main idea, usually at the start; the concluding sentence summarizes or closes that idea, usually at the end.

What is the difference between countable and uncountable nouns, and how do articles apply?

Countable nouns have singular and plural forms and can take 'a/an' (a book, two books); uncountable nouns (water, information) have no plural and do not take 'a/an', though they may take 'the'.

What is the difference between the homophones 'their', 'there', and 'they're'?

'Their' shows possession (their house); 'there' refers to a place or is a dummy subject (over there / there is); 'they're' is the contraction of 'they are'.