PPSC 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 Test, not a summary of it.

1. 1

   Grammar

   4 topics

   • Parts of Speech
   • Tenses
   • Articles, Prepositions and Conjunctions
   • Subject-Verb Agreement and Voice
2. 2

   Vocabulary

   4 topics

   • Synonyms and Antonyms
   • One Word Substitutions
   • Idioms and Phrases
   • Pairs of Words and Spelling
3. 3

   Sentence Correction and Structure

   3 topics

   • Common Grammatical Errors
   • Active and Passive Voice
   • Direct and Indirect Narration
4. 4

   Comprehension and Composition

   2 topics

   • Reading Comprehension
   • Precis and Paragraph Writing

English flashcards for PPSC Test

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

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

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

2. What is the function of an interjection, and give two examples?

   An interjection expresses sudden emotion or feeling and is grammatically independent of the sentence. Examples: 'Alas!', 'Hurrah!', 'Oh!'.

3. Distinguish a proper noun from a common noun, with examples.

   A proper noun names a specific person, place, or thing and is always capitalized (Lahore, Iqbal). A common noun names any one of a class of things (city, poet).

4. What is the difference between an abstract noun and a collective noun?

   An abstract noun names a quality, state, or idea that cannot be perceived by the senses (honesty, beauty). A collective noun names a group of individuals taken as one whole (team, jury, flock).

5. What is the difference between a transitive and an intransitive verb?

   A transitive verb needs an object to complete its meaning ('She wrote a letter'). An intransitive verb makes complete sense without an object ('The baby sleeps').

6. What are the three degrees of comparison of adjectives, with an example?

   Positive, Comparative, and Superlative. Example: tall, taller, tallest; good, better, best.

7. Name the twelve tenses in English (the four forms across past, present, and future).

   For each of past, present, and future there are four forms: Simple (Indefinite), Continuous (Progressive), Perfect, and Perfect Continuous — making twelve tenses in all.

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

   Structure: has/have + past participle (e.g., 'She has eaten'). Use: an action completed in the recent past whose effect continues now, or an action at an unspecified past time.

9. What is the structure of the Past Perfect Continuous tense?

   had been + present participle (verb+ing), e.g., 'They had been waiting for an hour.' It shows an action that was ongoing up to a point in the past.

10. Which tense is used for a universal truth or habitual action?

    The Simple Present (Present Indefinite) tense, e.g., 'The sun rises in the east' and 'He goes to school daily.'

11. What is the difference between the Present Continuous and Present Perfect Continuous tenses?

    Present Continuous (is/am/are + -ing) shows an action happening now. Present Perfect Continuous (has/have been + -ing) shows an action that began in the past and is still continuing, often with a duration.

12. When are the indefinite articles 'a' and 'an' used?

    'A' is used before words beginning with a consonant sound (a book, a university). 'An' is used before words beginning with a vowel sound (an apple, an hour). The choice depends on sound, not spelling.

13. What is the difference between the definite and indefinite articles?

    The definite article 'the' points to a particular, specific noun already known. The indefinite articles 'a/an' refer to any one, non-specific member of a class.

14. Give the rule for choosing between the prepositions 'in', 'on', and 'at' for time.

    'At' for precise times (at 5 o'clock), 'on' for days and dates (on Monday, on 5 June), and 'in' for longer periods (in May, in 2020, in the morning).

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

    Coordinating conjunctions (and, but, or, nor, for, yet, so) join words/clauses of equal rank. Subordinating conjunctions (because, although, if, when, since) join a dependent clause to a main clause.

16. What are correlative conjunctions? Give two examples.

    Conjunctions that work in pairs to join balanced elements. Examples: 'either...or', 'neither...nor', 'not only...but also', 'both...and'.

17. 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 ('He writes' / 'They write').

18. When two singular subjects are joined by 'either...or' or 'neither...nor', does the verb agree with which subject?

    The verb agrees with the subject nearer to it. E.g., 'Neither the teacher nor the students were present' (verb agrees with 'students').

19. What verb form do collective nouns and 'each/every/everyone' take?

    They normally take a singular verb: 'Each of the boys was present'; 'The team is winning' (when acting as a unit).

20. What number of verb do subjects joined by 'and' usually take, and what is the exception?

    Subjects joined by 'and' usually take a plural verb. Exception: when the joined nouns denote one single idea or person, a singular verb is used ('Bread and butter is my breakfast').

21. Give a synonym and an antonym for the word 'benevolent'.

    Synonym: kind / generous. Antonym: cruel / malevolent.

22. Give a synonym and an antonym for the word 'abundant'.

    Synonym: plentiful / ample. Antonym: scarce / scanty.

23. Give a synonym and an antonym for the word 'candid'.

    Synonym: frank / honest. Antonym: evasive / deceitful.

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