PMS Examination English (Precis, Comprehension & Translation) Syllabus

What does 'contextual vocabulary' mean in comprehension?

Determining the meaning of a word from the surrounding context (the sentence and passage) rather than from a dictionary definition in isolation.

Name three context clues used to infer a word's meaning.

Synonym/definition clues, antonym/contrast clues, and example or inference clues within the surrounding text.

What are the eight traditional parts of speech in English?

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

What is the function of a conjunction, and give the three types.

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

What is the difference between an adjective and an adverb?

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

Name the three main tenses and their typical functions.

Present (action happening now or habitually), Past (action completed before now), and Future (action that will happen later). Each has simple, continuous, perfect, and perfect-continuous aspects.

What is the difference between active and passive voice?

In active voice the subject performs the action (The cat caught the mouse); in passive voice the subject receives the action (The mouse was caught by the cat).

How is the passive voice formed?

By using the appropriate form of the verb 'to be' + the past participle of the main verb (e.g., 'is written,' 'was eaten,' 'has been done').

State the basic rule of subject-verb agreement.

A singular subject takes a singular verb, and a plural subject takes a plural verb (He runs / They run).

What verb form do two singular subjects joined by 'and' take?

A plural verb, because they form a compound (plural) subject (Tom and Jerry are friends).

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

The verb agrees with the subject nearer to it (Neither the teacher nor the students were present / Neither the students nor the teacher was present).

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

A singular verb (Everyone is here; Each of the boys was rewarded).

List four main uses of the comma.

To separate items in a series, to set off introductory elements, to separate independent clauses joined by a coordinating conjunction, and to set off non-essential (parenthetical) information.

When is a semicolon (;) used?

To join two closely related independent clauses without a conjunction, and to separate items in a list when the items themselves contain commas.

What is the function of the apostrophe (')?

To show possession (John's book) and to mark contractions/omitted letters (don't = do not).

State three rules of capitalization in English.

Capitalize the first word of a sentence, proper nouns (names of people, places, days, months), and the pronoun 'I'.

What is the difference between a colon (:) and a semicolon (;)?

A colon introduces a list, explanation, or quotation that follows; a semicolon links two related independent clauses or separates complex list items.

What are synonyms? Give an example.

Words with the same or nearly the same meaning, e.g., 'happy' and 'joyful,' or 'big' and 'large.'

What are antonyms? Give an example.

Words with opposite meanings, e.g., 'hot' and 'cold,' or 'ascend' and 'descend.'

What is an idiom? Give an example.

A fixed expression whose meaning cannot be derived from the literal meanings of its individual words, e.g., 'kick the bucket' meaning 'to die.'

What is a phrasal verb? Give an example.

A verb combined with a preposition or adverb (or both) that creates a meaning different from the original verb, e.g., 'give up' (to quit) or 'look after' (to care for).

What does the idiom 'a blessing in disguise' mean?

A good thing that initially seemed bad or unfortunate; an apparent misfortune that turns out to be beneficial.

What is a one-word substitution? Give an example.

A single word used in place of a phrase or group of words, e.g., 'autobiography' for 'the life story of a person written by himself.'

Give the one-word substitution for 'a person who eats too much.'

Glutton.

Give the one-word substitution for 'a government run by a king or queen.'

Monarchy.

Distinguish the pair of words 'stationary' and 'stationery.'

'Stationary' (adjective) means not moving/fixed in place; 'stationery' (noun) means writing materials such as paper and pens.

Distinguish the pair of words 'principal' and 'principle.'

'Principal' means chief/head (e.g., school principal) or main; 'principle' means a fundamental rule, law, or truth.

Distinguish the pair of words 'affect' and 'effect.'

'Affect' is usually a verb meaning to influence; 'effect' is usually a noun meaning a result (or a verb meaning to bring about).

Identify and correct the error: 'He is one of the best player in the team.'

Error in subject-verb/noun agreement after 'one of the.' Correct: 'He is one of the best players in the team' (the noun after 'one of the best' must be plural).

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

A misplaced modifier is a word/phrase placed too far from the word it modifies, causing confusion. It is corrected by positioning the modifier next to the word it describes (e.g., change 'She almost drove the kids to school every day' to 'She drove the kids to school almost every day').

What are the three basic sentence structures by clause composition?

Simple (one independent clause), compound (two or more independent clauses joined by a coordinator), and complex (one independent clause plus one or more dependent clauses); a compound-complex combines both.