NTS NAT-IA English Syllabus

What is a conjunction? Give the three coordinating-type examples.

A word that joins words, phrases, or clauses. Coordinating conjunctions include and, but, or (the FANBOYS set: for, and, nor, but, or, yet, so).

What is a preposition? Give three examples.

A word that shows the relationship of a noun/pronoun to another word, usually of place, time, or direction (e.g., in, on, under, before, between).

What are the three main verb tenses, and how many aspects does each have?

Past, present, and future. Each has four forms/aspects: simple, continuous (progressive), perfect, and perfect continuous — giving 12 tenses total.

What is the structure (formula) of the Present Perfect tense?

Subject + has/have + past participle (V3) (e.g., 'She has finished the work').

What is the structure of the Past Continuous tense?

Subject + was/were + verb-ing (e.g., 'They were playing cricket').

What is the structure of the Future Perfect tense?

Subject + will have + past participle (V3) (e.g., 'I will have completed it by Monday').

Which tense is used for habitual actions and universal truths?

The Simple Present tense (e.g., 'Water boils at 100°C').

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' / 'They run').

In Subject-Verb Agreement, what verb form follows two singular subjects joined by 'and'?

A plural verb (e.g., 'Ali and Sara are here'), unless the two subjects refer to one single idea or person.

When subjects are joined by 'either...or' or 'neither...nor', which subject decides the verb?

The subject nearest to the verb determines whether it is singular or plural (e.g., 'Neither the boys nor the teacher was present').

Do indefinite pronouns like 'everyone', 'each', and 'nobody' take a singular or plural verb?

A singular verb (e.g., 'Everyone is happy'; 'Each of the students was tested').

What are the three articles in English, and which are definite vs indefinite?

'A' and 'an' are the 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 — it depends on sound, not spelling (e.g., 'a university', 'an hour').

When is the definite article 'the' used?

Before a specific or previously mentioned noun, unique things (the sun), superlatives (the best), and certain proper nouns (the Indus, the Himalayas).

What is the general rule for changing an active sentence to passive voice?

The object of the active sentence becomes the subject, the verb changes to 'be + past participle', and the original subject becomes the agent introduced by 'by' (often optional).

Convert to passive: 'The chef cooks the meal.'

'The meal is cooked (by the chef).'

What is the passive form of the Present Continuous (e.g., 'is writing a letter')?

is/are + being + past participle (e.g., 'A letter is being written').

In passive voice, how is a sentence beginning with a modal verb like 'can' transformed (e.g., 'She can solve it')?

modal + be + past participle (e.g., 'It can be solved by her').

When converting Direct to Indirect speech, how does present simple in the reported clause change?

It generally shifts to past simple (e.g., 'He said, "I work hard"' becomes 'He said that he worked hard').

In Direct to Indirect speech, what does 'will' change to, and what does 'can' change to?

'Will' changes to 'would', and 'can' changes to 'could'.

In Indirect speech, how do 'now', 'today', and 'here' typically change?

'now' to 'then', 'today' to 'that day', and 'here' to 'there'.

When the reporting verb is in the present or future tense, do you change the tense of the reported speech?

No. If the reporting verb is in present or future tense, the tense of the reported clause stays unchanged.

In Indirect speech, how is the reporting verb changed for a question (interrogative sentence)?

'Said' changes to 'asked/enquired', no conjunction 'that' is used; 'if/whether' introduces yes-no questions, and the word order becomes that of a statement (subject before verb).

What is the goal in a Sentence Completion question?

To choose the word(s) that best fit the blank(s) so the sentence is grammatically correct and logically/contextually consistent.

In Sentence Completion, what role do signal words like 'although', 'however', and 'despite' play?

They signal contrast, indicating the missing word should oppose or reverse the idea in the rest of the sentence.

In Sentence Completion, what do words like 'because', 'therefore', and 'consequently' signal?

They signal cause-and-effect or continuation, so the blank should agree with or support the preceding idea.

What is the aim of a Sentence Correction question?

To identify and fix errors in grammar, usage, agreement, tense, or structure so the sentence becomes correct and clear.

Identify the error: 'He don't like tea.' What is the correct form?

Subject-verb agreement error; correct form is 'He doesn't like tea.'

Identify the error: 'One of the boys are absent.' What is the correct form?

The verb must agree with 'One' (singular), so the correct form is 'One of the boys is absent.'

Identify the error: 'She is senior than me.' What is the correct form?

'Senior' takes the preposition 'to', not 'than'; correct form is 'She is senior to me.'