SSC MTS (Multi-Tasking Staff) English Language and Comprehension Syllabus

What is a preposition? Give three examples.

A preposition is a word that shows the relationship of a noun/pronoun to another word in the sentence. Examples: in, on, at, under, between.

What are the four types of nouns?

Proper noun, Common noun, Collective noun, and Abstract noun. (Some classifications also add Material/Concrete noun.)

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. Example: 'He runs', 'They run'.

In Subject-Verb Agreement, which verb form is used with two singular subjects joined by 'and'?

A plural verb. Example: 'Ram and Shyam are friends.' (Exception: when the two nouns refer to one person/thing, a singular verb is used, e.g., 'Bread and butter is my breakfast.')

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

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

Do 'each', 'every', 'everyone', and 'nobody' take a singular or plural verb?

They take a singular verb. Example: 'Each of the boys was given a prize.'

What are the three main tenses, and how many forms does each have?

The three main tenses are Past, Present, and Future. Each has four forms: Simple (Indefinite), Continuous (Progressive), Perfect, and Perfect Continuous — giving 12 tenses in total.

What is the structure of the Present Perfect tense? Give an example.

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

What is the structure of the Past Continuous tense? Give an example.

Subject + was/were + verb-ing (V1+ing). Example: 'They were playing football.'

What is Active and Passive Voice?

In Active Voice the subject performs the action (e.g., 'Ram ate an apple'). In Passive Voice the subject receives the action (e.g., 'An apple was eaten by Ram').

State the general rule for converting a sentence from Active to Passive Voice.

The object of the active sentence becomes the subject of the passive sentence; the verb is changed to 'be' (in the same tense) + past participle (V3); and the original subject takes 'by' (the agent). Example: 'He writes a letter' → 'A letter is written by him.'

In Passive Voice, how is the present continuous tense formed? Give an example.

Subject + is/am/are + being + past participle (V3). Example: Active 'She is cooking food' → Passive 'Food is being cooked by her.'

What is Narration (Reported Speech)? Name its two types.

Narration is the way of reporting what someone said. Its two types are Direct Speech (exact words within quotation marks) and Indirect/Reported Speech (the meaning conveyed without quotation marks).

In Narration, how does 'says/say' versus 'said' affect the tense of the reported speech?

If the reporting verb is in the present/future ('says', 'will say'), the tense of the reported speech does NOT change. If the reporting verb is in the past ('said'), the tense of the reported speech is usually changed (back-shifted) accordingly.

In Indirect Speech, what do 'now', 'today', and 'here' change to?

'Now' → 'then'; 'Today' → 'that day'; 'Here' → 'there'. (Also 'tomorrow' → 'the next day', 'yesterday' → 'the previous day'.)

In converting an interrogative sentence to Indirect Speech, which reporting verb is used and how is the structure changed?

The reporting verb 'said' is changed to 'asked' (or 'enquired'). The question is changed into a statement (assertive order), the question mark is removed, and 'if/whether' is used for yes/no questions while the wh-word is retained for wh-questions. Example: He said, 'Where are you going?' → He asked where I was going.

What is 'Spotting Errors' as a question type, and what skill does it test?

Spotting Errors questions present a sentence divided into parts; the candidate must identify the part containing a grammatical error (or mark 'No error'). It tests knowledge of grammar rules such as agreement, tenses, prepositions, and articles.

Spot the error: 'One of my friend is a doctor.' What is the correction?

Error is 'friend'; it should be 'friends'. 'One of' is always followed by a plural noun: 'One of my friends is a doctor.'

Spot the error: 'He is junior than me.' What is the correction?

'than' is incorrect; comparatives like junior, senior, superior, inferior, prior take 'to'. Correct: 'He is junior to me.'

Which article (a/an) is used before words beginning with a vowel sound, and give a tricky example.

'An' is used before a vowel sound. It depends on sound, not spelling. Tricky examples: 'an hour' (silent h), 'a university' (yoo-sound), 'an MLA' (em-sound).

What is 'Sentence Improvement' as a question type?

Sentence Improvement questions underline a part of a sentence and ask the candidate to choose the best alternative that makes the sentence grammatically correct and meaningful (or select 'No improvement').

Improve the sentence: 'She is more cleverer than her sister.'

Correct form: 'She is cleverer than her sister' (or 'more clever'). Double comparatives ('more cleverer') are wrong — use either '-er' OR 'more', not both.

In 'Fill in the Blanks', what should a candidate primarily check to choose the correct word?

The grammatical fit (correct part of speech, tense, agreement) and the contextual/semantic meaning so the chosen word fits both the grammar and the sense of the sentence.

Fill in the blank with the correct preposition: 'He is good ___ mathematics.'

'at' — 'He is good at mathematics.'

Fill in the blank: 'I have been living here ___ 2010.' (since/for)

'since' — 'since' is used for a point in time (2010), while 'for' is used for a period of time (e.g., 'for ten years').

What is 'Sentence/Para Rearrangement (Jumbled Sentences)' as a question type?

It gives sentences or sentence-parts in a jumbled order; the candidate must arrange them in the correct logical and grammatical sequence to form a coherent sentence or paragraph.

Name three clues used to solve Sentence Rearrangement (jumbled) questions.

(1) Identify the opening sentence (often introduces the subject/idea), (2) Look for connecting words/pronouns and transition words (however, therefore, this, it) that link sentences, and (3) Follow the logical/chronological flow of ideas to fix the order.

What is the difference between 'Few', 'A few', and 'The few'?

'Few' means hardly any (negative sense), 'A few' means some (positive sense), and 'The few' means not many but all that there are. All are used with countable plural nouns.

What is the one-word substitution for 'handwriting that is difficult or impossible to read'?

Illegible.

What is the synonym of the word 'Abundant'?

Plentiful (also: ample, copious, profuse). It means existing in large quantities.