PPSC Subject Specialist Test English Syllabus

English syllabus — full chapter and topic list

Expand any chapter to see its topics and sub-topics. This is the whole examinable outline for English in PPSC Subject Specialist Test, not a summary of it.

1. 1

   Grammar

   6 topics

   • Parts of Speech
   • Tenses
   • Subject-Verb Agreement
   • Articles, Prepositions & Conjunctions
   • Active & Passive Voice
   • Direct & Indirect Speech
2. 2

   Vocabulary

   4 topics

   • Synonyms & Antonyms
   • One-Word Substitution
   • Idioms & Phrases
   • Commonly Confused Words
3. 3

   Sentence Correction

   3 topics

   • Common Grammatical Errors
   • Sentence Structure & Punctuation
   • Sentence Completion
4. 4

   Comprehension & Composition

   3 topics

   • Reading Comprehension
   • Precis & Paraphrasing
   • Analogies

English flashcards for PPSC Subject Specialist Test

23 of 51 cards from the English deck — real questions with worked answers.

1. What are the eight traditional parts of speech in English?

   Noun, Pronoun, Verb, Adjective, Adverb, Preposition, Conjunction, and Interjection.

2. What is the difference between a common noun and a proper noun?

   A common noun names a general person, place, or thing (city, boy) and is not capitalized; a proper noun names a specific one (Lahore, Ali) and is always capitalized.

3. What is the difference between an abstract noun and a concrete noun?

   A concrete noun names something perceivable by the senses (table, music); an abstract noun names an idea, quality, or state that cannot be touched (honesty, freedom, bravery).

4. What is the function of an adverb, and what four main types exist?

   An adverb modifies a verb, adjective, or another adverb. Main types: adverbs of manner (quickly), time (now), place (here), and degree/quantity (very).

5. Name the three degrees of comparison of adjectives, with an example.

   Positive (tall), Comparative (taller), and Superlative (tallest).

6. What are the twelve tenses in English (4 aspects x 3 times)?

   Present, Past, and Future, each in four forms: Simple, Continuous (Progressive), Perfect, and Perfect Continuous.

7. What is the structure and use of the Present Perfect tense?

   Structure: has/have + past participle (V3). Use: for actions completed at an unspecified past time or that continue up to now (e.g., 'She has finished her work.').

8. What is the structure of the Past Continuous tense and when is it used?

   Structure: was/were + verb-ing. Use: for an action in progress at a specific past moment or interrupted by another action (e.g., 'I was reading when he called.').

9. What is the structure of the Future Perfect tense?

   Structure: will have + past participle (e.g., 'By 2030 she will have graduated.'). It expresses an action that will be completed before a specific future time.

10. What is the structure of the Present Perfect Continuous tense?

    Structure: has/have + been + verb-ing (e.g., 'They have been waiting for an hour.'). It emphasizes the duration of an ongoing action that started in the past.

11. State the basic rule of subject-verb agreement regarding number.

    A singular subject takes a singular verb and a plural subject takes a plural verb (e.g., 'He writes' vs 'They write').

12. In subject-verb agreement, what verb form is used with two singular subjects joined by 'and' versus by 'or/nor'?

    Subjects joined by 'and' take a plural verb. With 'or/nor', the verb agrees with the nearer subject (e.g., 'Neither the boys nor the teacher was present.').

13. Do indefinite pronouns like 'each, every, everyone, somebody, none' take a singular or plural verb?

    They take a singular verb (e.g., 'Everyone is here'; 'Each of the students was tested').

14. In subject-verb agreement, what verb is used with collective nouns and with 'a number of' vs 'the number of'?

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

15. When a sentence begins with 'There/Here', what determines the verb's number?

    The verb agrees with the real (following) subject, not with 'there/here' (e.g., 'There is a book'; 'There are books').

16. What are the indefinite articles and the definite article, and what does each indicate?

    'A' and 'an' are indefinite articles (a non-specific, single countable noun); 'the' is the definite article (a specific or previously mentioned noun).

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

    Use 'a' before a consonant SOUND and 'an' before a vowel SOUND, based on pronunciation not spelling (an hour, a university, an MBA).

18. Define a preposition and give its main types with examples.

    A preposition shows the relationship of a noun/pronoun to another word. Types include place (in, on, at), time (before, during), and direction (to, into, towards).

19. What is the difference between coordinating and subordinating conjunctions?

    Coordinating conjunctions (FANBOYS: for, and, nor, but, or, yet, so) join equal elements; subordinating conjunctions (because, although, if, when) join a dependent clause to a main clause.

20. What are correlative conjunctions? Give three pairs.

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

21. How is a sentence changed from active voice to passive voice?

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

22. What is the passive voice formula for the Simple Present and Simple Past tenses?

    Simple Present: is/am/are + past participle (V3). Simple Past: was/were + past participle (V3) (e.g., 'The letter was written by him.').

23. What is the passive form of the Present Continuous and Present Perfect tenses?

    Present Continuous: is/am/are + being + V3. Present Perfect: has/have + been + V3 (e.g., 'The work has been done.').

See more English flashcards →

Planning English for PPSC Subject Specialist Test

English (PPSC Subject Specialist Test) FAQ