UVAS DVM Admission Test English Syllabus

What is a participle and how does it function?

A participle is a verb form used as an adjective. Present participles end in '-ing' and past participles often end in '-ed', e.g. 'the running water', 'a broken vase.'

What is an infinitive?

The base form of a verb preceded by 'to' (e.g. 'to run'), which can act as a noun, adjective, or adverb.

What is a phrase, and how does it differ from a clause?

A phrase is a group of related words lacking a subject-verb pair; a clause contains both a subject and a verb.

What is a prepositional phrase?

A group of words beginning with a preposition and ending with a noun or pronoun (its object), e.g. 'in the morning', 'under the table.'

What is an adverb, and what does it modify?

An adverb modifies a verb, an adjective, or another adverb, telling how, when, where, or to what degree, e.g. 'She sang beautifully.'

What is a preposition?

A word that shows the relationship of a noun or pronoun to another word, often indicating place, time, or direction, e.g. 'on', 'before', 'between'.

What are transitions (transitional words) in writing?

Words or phrases that connect ideas and show relationships between sentences or paragraphs, e.g. 'however', 'therefore', 'in addition', 'meanwhile'.

Give a transition word for showing contrast and one for showing cause/result.

Contrast: 'however' (also 'but', 'on the other hand'). Cause/result: 'therefore' (also 'thus', 'as a result').

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

'Between' is used for two items or people; 'among' is used for three or more.

What is the main job of a comma in a sentence?

To separate elements such as items in a series, introductory phrases, and independent clauses joined by a coordinating conjunction, marking a brief pause.

When do you use a semicolon?

To join two closely related independent clauses without a conjunction (e.g. 'It rained; we stayed home') or to separate list items that already contain commas.

What is the function of a colon?

To introduce a list, explanation, or quotation after a complete independent clause, e.g. 'Bring these items: pen, book, and ruler.'

What is the difference between a simple, compound, and complex sentence?

Simple: one independent clause. Compound: two or more independent clauses joined by a coordinating conjunction. Complex: one independent clause plus at least one dependent clause.

What is an apostrophe used for?

To show possession (e.g. 'Ali's book') and to mark omitted letters in contractions (e.g. 'don't' for 'do not').

What is the difference between active and passive voice?

In active voice the subject performs the action ('The dog chased the cat'); in passive voice the subject receives the action ('The cat was chased by the dog').

How do you form the passive voice?

Use a form of the verb 'to be' plus the past participle of the main verb, e.g. 'is written', 'was eaten', 'will be done'.

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

Direct speech quotes the exact words inside quotation marks (She said, 'I am tired'); indirect speech reports them without quotes and usually shifts tense (She said that she was tired).

When changing direct to indirect speech, how does 'present simple' change?

Present simple usually changes to past simple, e.g. 'I work here' becomes 'He said that he worked there.'

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

'this' to 'that', 'here' to 'there', and 'now' to 'then'.

What is proofreading?

Carefully reviewing a text to find and correct surface errors in spelling, grammar, punctuation, and capitalization before it is finalized.

How does editing differ from proofreading?

Editing improves content, clarity, structure, and word choice; proofreading is the final check for surface mechanical errors like typos and punctuation.

What is a sentence fragment?

An incomplete sentence that lacks a subject, a verb, or a complete thought and is punctuated as if it were a full sentence, e.g. 'Because she was late.'

What is a run-on sentence?

Two or more independent clauses joined without proper punctuation or a conjunction, e.g. 'I was tired I went to bed.'

What is a comma splice and how is it fixed?

A comma splice joins two independent clauses with only a comma. Fix it with a period, a semicolon, or a comma plus a coordinating conjunction.

What is a misplaced modifier?

A word or phrase positioned so that it appears to modify the wrong word, creating confusion, e.g. 'She served sandwiches to the children on paper plates.'

What is a dangling modifier?

A modifying phrase whose intended subject is missing from the sentence, e.g. 'Walking to school, the rain began' (the rain was not walking).

What is faulty parallelism, and how is it corrected?

Faulty parallelism mixes unequal grammatical forms in a series. Correct it by making items the same form, e.g. 'She likes reading, writing, and to draw' becomes 'reading, writing, and drawing'.

What is an error of function in word usage?

Using a word as the wrong part of speech, such as using an adjective where an adverb is needed, e.g. 'He runs quick' instead of 'He runs quickly.'

Distinguish the usage of 'affect' and 'effect'.

'Affect' is usually a verb meaning to influence; 'effect' is usually a noun meaning a result, e.g. 'The medicine affected him; the effect was positive.'

Distinguish 'its' from 'it's'.

'Its' is a possessive pronoun ('the dog wagged its tail'); 'it's' is a contraction of 'it is' or 'it has'.

Which spelling rule governs words like 'believe' and 'receive'?

'I before E except after C' when the sound is 'ee', so 'believe' (i before e) but 'receive' (e after c).