PMS Compulsory Papers English (Precis, Composition & Translation) Syllabus

How does an inferential question differ from a literal (factual) question?

A literal question's answer is stated explicitly in the text, while an inferential question requires deducing implied meaning from evidence in the passage.

When answering an inferential question, what must support your answer?

Evidence or clues from the passage itself; inferences must be logical conclusions drawn from the text, not personal guesses unrelated to it.

What is meant by the 'tone' of a passage?

Tone is the writer's attitude or feeling toward the subject or audience, conveyed through word choice and style (e.g., formal, humorous, ironic, critical, sympathetic).

What is meant by the 'purpose' of a passage?

The author's reason for writing—typically to inform, persuade, entertain, describe, or instruct the reader.

How can a reader identify the tone of a passage?

By examining the author's diction (word choice), connotations, imagery, and style to sense the underlying attitude (e.g., approving, sarcastic, mournful, optimistic).

Give three examples of words used to describe tone.

Formal, sarcastic/ironic, humorous, sympathetic, critical, optimistic, nostalgic (any three).

What does it mean to paraphrase a text?

To restate the meaning of a passage in your own words and sentence structure while keeping the original ideas intact and roughly the same length.

Name two techniques used in paraphrasing.

Using synonyms for key words and changing the sentence structure/word order (e.g., active to passive, splitting or combining clauses) while preserving meaning.

What are the eight parts of speech in English?

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

What is a noun? Give its main types.

A noun names a person, place, thing, or idea. Types: common, proper, abstract, concrete, collective, countable, and uncountable nouns.

What is a pronoun, and what are its main types?

A pronoun replaces a noun. Types include personal, possessive, reflexive, relative, demonstrative, interrogative, and indefinite pronouns.

What is the difference between an adjective and an adverb?

An adjective modifies a noun or pronoun (a quick runner), while an adverb modifies a verb, adjective, or another adverb (runs quickly).

What is a conjunction, and name its three main types?

A conjunction joins words, phrases, or clauses. Types: coordinating (and, but, or), subordinating (because, although, if), and correlative (either...or, neither...nor).

What is an interjection? Give an example.

An interjection is a word expressing sudden emotion, usually followed by an exclamation mark. Examples: Oh!, Alas!, Wow!, Hurray!

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

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

What are the four aspects within each tense?

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

How is the present perfect tense formed, and what does it express?

have/has + past participle (e.g., 'has finished'). It expresses an action completed at an unspecified time or one with present relevance/results.

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

was/were + present participle (-ing) (e.g., 'was reading'). It expresses an ongoing action in the past, often interrupted by another action.

What is the difference between simple past and present perfect tense?

Simple past refers to a finished action at a definite past time ('I saw him yesterday'), while present perfect links a past action to the present without a specific time ('I have seen him').

State the basic rule of subject-verb agreement.

A verb must agree with its subject in number and person: a singular subject takes a singular verb, and a plural subject takes a plural verb.

When two singular subjects are joined by 'and', is the verb singular or plural?

Plural, in most cases (e.g., 'Tom and John are here')—unless the two nouns refer to a single idea/person (e.g., 'Bread and butter is my breakfast').

When subjects are joined by 'or'/'nor', which subject determines the verb?

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

Do collective nouns (team, jury, family) 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 'everyone', 'each', 'somebody' take?

A singular verb (e.g., 'Everyone is ready', 'Each of the boys was present').

What are the two kinds of articles in English, and what is each called?

The definite article 'the', and the indefinite articles 'a' and 'an'.

What is the rule for choosing between 'a' and 'an'?

Use 'a' before a consonant sound ('a book', 'a university') and 'an' before a vowel sound ('an apple', 'an hour')—the choice depends on sound, not spelling.

When is the definite article 'the' used?

Before specific or previously mentioned nouns, unique things (the sun), superlatives (the best), rivers/seas/mountain ranges, and when both speaker and listener know the referent.

What is a preposition? Give three examples.

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

What is the difference between 'between' and 'among'?

'Between' is generally used for two persons or things, while 'among' is used for more than two (a group).

What is the difference between coordinating and subordinating conjunctions?

Coordinating conjunctions (and, but, or) join elements of equal grammatical rank, while subordinating conjunctions (because, although, when, if) join a dependent clause to a main clause.