SPSC Test English Precis and Composition Syllabus

In subject-verb agreement, what verb do two singular subjects joined by 'and' take, and what is the exception?

Two singular subjects joined by 'and' usually take a plural verb. Exception: when they refer to a single idea/person, they take a singular verb (e.g., 'Bread and butter is my breakfast').

With 'either...or' / 'neither...nor', how does the verb agree with the subjects?

The verb agrees with the subject nearer to it. Example: 'Neither the teacher nor the students were present.'

Do collective nouns like 'team', 'family', 'committee' take singular or plural verbs?

They take a singular verb when treated as a single unit, and a plural verb when members are considered individually.

Are words like 'each', 'every', 'everyone', 'somebody', 'none' singular or plural for verb agreement?

They are treated as singular and take a singular verb (e.g., 'Each of the boys is present').

What is the main use of a semicolon (;)?

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

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

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

When is an apostrophe used?

To show possession (boy's book) and to mark omitted letters in contractions (don't, it's = it is). Note: 'its' (possessive) takes no apostrophe.

What is the difference between a synonym and an antonym?

A synonym is a word with the same or nearly the same meaning as another (happy/glad); an antonym is a word with the opposite meaning (happy/sad).

Give an antonym for each: 'benevolent', 'transparent', 'expand'.

Benevolent – malevolent; transparent – opaque; expand – contract.

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

A single word used in place of a phrase or group of words. Example: 'one who studies the stars' = astronomer.

Give the one-word substitution for: 'a person who cannot read or write' and 'a place where birds are kept'.

Illiterate; aviary.

Give the one-word substitution for: 'a government by the people' and 'a speech made without preparation'.

Democracy; extempore (or impromptu speech).

What is an idiom? Give an example with its meaning.

An idiom is a fixed expression whose meaning cannot be guessed from the literal meaning of its words. Example: 'to bite the dust' = to fail or die; 'a piece of cake' = very easy.

Explain the idioms 'to turn a deaf ear' and 'to let the cat out of the bag'.

'To turn a deaf ear' = to ignore or refuse to listen; 'to let the cat out of the bag' = to reveal a secret accidentally.

Explain the idiom 'to make both ends meet' and 'a white elephant'.

'To make both ends meet' = to manage to live within one's income; 'a white elephant' = a costly but useless possession.

What is meant by 'pairs of words' (confusable words) in composition? Give an example.

Words similar in spelling or sound but different in meaning, often confused. Example: 'accept' (to receive) vs 'except' (excluding).

Distinguish the pair: 'principal' and 'principle'.

'Principal' = chief/head of a school or the main thing (adjective/noun); 'principle' = a rule, law, or fundamental truth (noun only).

Distinguish the pair: 'stationary' and 'stationery'.

'Stationary' = not moving, fixed; 'stationery' = writing materials such as paper, pens, and envelopes.

Distinguish the pair: 'advice' and 'advise'.

'Advice' = a noun meaning guidance/recommendation; 'advise' = a verb meaning to give advice.

What are the most common types of errors checked in 'correction of sentences'?

Errors of subject-verb agreement, wrong tense, faulty preposition, wrong article, incorrect pronoun, misuse of adjective/adverb, and improper word order/parallelism.

Correct the sentence: 'He is senior than me.'

'He is senior to me.' ('Senior', 'junior', 'prior', 'superior', and 'inferior' take 'to', not 'than'.)

Correct the sentence: 'One of my friend is a doctor.'

'One of my friends is a doctor.' (After 'one of', the noun must be plural while the verb stays singular.)

What is the difference between active voice and passive voice?

In the active voice the subject performs the action (She wrote a letter); in the passive voice the subject receives the action and the focus is on the action/object (A letter was written by her).

State the general rule for changing active voice to passive voice.

The object of the active sentence becomes the subject, the verb changes to the appropriate form of 'be' + past participle (V3), and the original subject becomes the agent with 'by'.

Change to passive voice: 'They are building a house.'

'A house is being built (by them).'

Change to passive voice: 'Who broke the window?'

'By whom was the window broken?'

What is the difference between direct and indirect (reported) speech?

Direct speech quotes the speaker's exact words within quotation marks; indirect speech reports the words without quotation marks, with changes in pronouns, tense, and time/place words.

In indirect narration, how does the present simple tense in direct speech usually change?

The present simple changes to the past simple. Example: He said, 'I write a letter' becomes 'He said that he wrote a letter.'

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

now → then; today → that day; here → there; this → that; tomorrow → the next day; yesterday → the previous day.

How is a question in direct speech reported in indirect speech?

Use a reporting verb like 'asked/enquired', drop the question mark, and change to statement word order. Yes/No questions use 'if/whether'; Wh-questions keep the wh-word. E.g., He asked, 'Where do you live?' → He asked where I lived.

What key adjustments are needed when translating Sindhi/Urdu sentences into English?

Follow English Subject-Verb-Object word order (Urdu/Sindhi is Subject-Object-Verb), use correct articles (a/an/the) which these languages lack, apply correct tense and prepositions, and convey idiomatic meaning rather than word-for-word literal translation.