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SSC CGL English Comprehension Syllabus

The English Comprehension syllabus for SSC CGL in full: 3 chapters and 10 topics, every one listed below, plus 50 English Comprehension flashcards with answers.

3Chapters
10Topics
50Flashcards

English Comprehension syllabus: all 3 chapters

Expand any chapter to see its topics and sub-topics.

  1. Grammar

     4 topics
    • Tenses
    • Verbs
    • Adjectives
    • Prepositions

  2. Vocabulary

     4 topics
    • Synonyms
    • Antonyms
    • One word substitution
    • Idioms & Phrases

  3. Reading Comprehension

     2 topics
    • Passage
    • Cloze Test

SSC CGL English Comprehension flashcards — 50 questions with answers

  1. What are the three main tenses in English, and what time does each refer to?

    Present (current/habitual action), Past (completed/earlier action), and Future (action yet to happen).

  2. What are the four aspects each tense is divided into?

    Simple (Indefinite), Continuous (Progressive), Perfect, and Perfect Continuous.

  3. What is the structure of the Present Perfect tense?

    Subject + has/have + past participle (V3). Example: She has finished the work.

  4. What is the structure of the Past Continuous tense?

    Subject + was/were + verb-ing. Example: They were playing cricket.

  5. Which tense uses 'had + past participle' and when is it used?

    Past Perfect; used for an action completed before another past action. Example: He had left before I arrived.

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

    Subject + will have + past participle (V3). Example: I will have completed it by Monday.

  7. In a sentence with two past actions, which tense marks the earlier action?

    The Past Perfect (had + V3) marks the earlier action; the Simple Past marks the later one.

  8. Which time expressions typically signal the Simple Present tense?

    Adverbs of frequency such as always, often, usually, every day, generally, and never.

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

    Subject + has/have + been + verb-ing. Example: She has been studying for two hours.

  10. What is a transitive verb, and how does it differ from an intransitive verb?

    A transitive verb takes a direct object (She wrote a letter); an intransitive verb does not (He slept).

  11. What is a finite verb versus a non-finite verb?

    A finite verb changes with subject and tense (He runs); a non-finite verb (infinitive, gerund, participle) does not and cannot serve as the main verb alone.

  12. What are the three non-finite forms (verbals) in English?

    Infinitive (to run), Gerund (running, used as a noun), and Participle (running/run, used as an adjective).

  13. What is an auxiliary (helping) verb? Give the two types.

    A verb that helps the main verb form tense, mood, or voice. Types: Primary auxiliaries (be, have, do) and Modal auxiliaries (can, may, must, etc.).

  14. What is subject-verb agreement?

    The verb must match its subject in number and person; a singular subject takes a singular verb (He plays) and a plural subject a plural verb (They play).

  15. With 'either...or' / 'neither...nor', the verb agrees with which subject?

    With the subject nearer to the verb. Example: Neither the teacher nor the students were present.

  16. What are the three principal (forms) parts of a verb? Give an example.

    Base form (V1), Past (V2), and Past Participle (V3). Example: go, went, gone.

  17. What is a linking (copular) verb? Give examples.

    A verb that connects the subject to a complement describing it, e.g., be, seem, become, appear, feel, look.

  18. What is an adjective?

    A word that describes or qualifies a noun or pronoun, telling its quality, quantity, or number. Example: a tall building.

  19. What are the three degrees of comparison of adjectives?

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

  20. What is the rule for using the comparative degree with 'than'?

    Use the comparative form + 'than' when comparing two things. Example: She is smarter than her brother.

Show the other 30 English Comprehension flashcards

  1. What are the main kinds of adjectives?

    Adjectives of quality, quantity, number, demonstrative, possessive, interrogative, and distributive.

  2. What is the correct order of adjectives before a noun?

    Opinion, Size, Age, Shape, Colour, Origin, Material, Purpose (e.g., a lovely small old round brown wooden box).

  3. How are comparatives and superlatives formed for short vs long adjectives?

    Short adjectives add -er/-est (fast, faster, fastest); long adjectives use more/most (more beautiful, most beautiful).

  4. Give two irregular adjective comparison sets.

    good–better–best; bad–worse–worst (also little–less–least; many/much–more–most).

  5. What is a preposition?

    A word placed before a noun or pronoun to show its relationship (of place, time, direction, etc.) to another word. Example: The book is on the table.

  6. What is the difference between 'in', 'on', and 'at' for time?

    'in' for months/years/long periods (in May), 'on' for days/dates (on Monday), 'at' for precise times (at 5 p.m.).

  7. Which preposition follows 'good', 'fond', and 'afraid'?

    good AT, fond OF, afraid OF.

  8. What preposition is used with 'differ' meaning to be unlike, and with 'differ' meaning to disagree?

    differ FROM (be unlike); differ WITH (disagree with a person).

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

    'between' is used for two persons/things; 'among' for more than two. Example: between the two of us; among the three boys.

  10. Which prepositions express direction/movement?

    to, into, towards, onto, through, across, from. Example: He walked into the room.

  11. What is a synonym?

    A word that has the same or nearly the same meaning as another word. Example: happy and joyful.

  12. Give a synonym for the word 'abundant'.

    Plentiful (also: ample, copious, profuse).

  13. Give a synonym for the word 'candid'.

    Frank (also: honest, straightforward, open).

  14. Give a synonym for the word 'meticulous'.

    Careful (also: thorough, precise, scrupulous).

  15. Give a synonym for the word 'enormous'.

    Huge (also: gigantic, immense, vast).

  16. What is an antonym?

    A word that has the opposite meaning to another word. Example: hot and cold.

  17. Give an antonym for the word 'benevolent'.

    Malevolent (also: cruel, unkind).

  18. Give an antonym for the word 'transparent'.

    Opaque.

  19. Give an antonym for the word 'frugal'.

    Extravagant (also: lavish, wasteful).

  20. Give an antonym for the word 'optimist'.

    Pessimist.

  21. What is 'one word substitution'?

    Replacing a long phrase or group of words with a single precise word. Example: 'one who eats everything' = omnivore.

  22. What is the one word for 'a person who knows many languages'?

    Polyglot.

  23. What is the one word for 'a place where birds are kept'?

    Aviary.

  24. What is the one word for 'a government by the people'?

    Democracy.

  25. What is the one word for 'one who studies the past through remains'?

    Archaeologist.

  26. What is an idiom?

    A fixed group of words whose meaning differs from the literal meanings of the individual words. Example: 'kick the bucket' = to die.

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

    A good thing that initially seemed bad or unfortunate.

  28. What does the idiom 'once in a blue moon' mean?

    Something that happens very rarely.

  29. In a Cloze Test, what is being tested and what is the key strategy?

    A passage with blanks tests vocabulary, grammar, and coherence; the strategy is to read the whole passage first and use context, collocation, and grammar to choose the best-fitting word for each blank.

  30. For an English Comprehension Passage, what is the best approach to answering questions accurately?

    Read the passage to grasp the main idea, then read each question and locate the supporting line in the text; base answers on what is stated/implied in the passage, not on outside knowledge.

SSC CGL English Comprehension FAQ

What is in the SSC CGL English Comprehension syllabus?

SSC CGL English Comprehension is split into 3 chapters: Grammar, Vocabulary and Reading Comprehension. Together they contain 10 topics.

How many chapters are in SSC CGL English Comprehension?

3 chapters, containing 10 topics. The largest chapter is Grammar, with 4 topics.

Are there flashcards for SSC CGL English Comprehension?

Yes — a 50-card English Comprehension deck, printed in full in the flashcards section of this page and available in the Examius app with spaced repetition. The free plan covers one exam of your choice, including its flashcards; Examius Pro, a one-time purchase, unlocks every other exam and deck.