How to use this guide tonight

• Read Part 1 (Vocabulary) first for 90 minutes. Focus on the synonym and antonym table, one word substitution, idioms and confused words. These give the most marks.
• Read Part 2 (Grammar Usage) for 90 minutes. Learn the tense table, subject verb agreement, prepositions and the common errors list.
• Read Part 3 (Sentence Structuring) for 60 minutes. Learn the sentence types, parallelism, modifiers and the jumbled sentence method.
• Attempt every practice MCQ section without looking at the answer key. Then check and re read the rules for questions you missed.
• Sleep early. A rested mind recalls more than an extra hour of reading.

PART 1: VOCABULARY

1.1 What the test usually asks

• Synonyms and antonyms (single words and words in a sentence)
• One word substitution (a phrase replaced by one word)
• Idioms and phrases with meanings
• Commonly confused words (affect or effect, principal or principle)
• Phrasal verbs
• Spelling (choose the correct spelling)
• Foreign and Latin phrases used in English
• Collective nouns and animal related terms

1.2 Most repeated synonyms and antonyms

Learn the word, one synonym and one antonym. When two options look similar in the paper, use the antonym to confirm your choice.

1.3 One word substitution

1.4 Idioms and phrases

1.5 Commonly confused words

1.6 Phrasal verbs

1.7 Frequently misspelled words

Accommodation, acquaintance, address, argument, beginning, believe, business, calendar, committee, conscience, conscious, definitely, dilemma, embarrass, environment, exaggerate, existence, foreign, government, grammar, guarantee, harass, height, independent, knowledge, leisure, liaison, maintenance, mischievous, millennium, necessary, noticeable, occasion, occurrence, parliament, perseverance, privilege, pronunciation, questionnaire, receive, recommend, restaurant, rhythm, schedule, separate, sincerely, successful, surprise, tomorrow, vacuum, Wednesday, weird, withhold, yacht.

1.8 Latin and foreign phrases used in English

1.9 Collective nouns

1.10 Word roots, prefixes and suffixes

Knowing roots helps you guess unknown words in the paper.

1.11 Vocabulary practice MCQs

1. Synonym of ABATE:
   (a) increase (b) lessen (c) begin (d) praise
2. Antonym of FRUGAL:
   (a) thrifty (b) careful (c) extravagant (d) poor
3. One who hates mankind is called a:
   (a) philanthropist (b) misanthrope (c) misogynist (d) egoist
4. Idiom: To SPILL THE BEANS means to:
   (a) cook food (b) waste money (c) reveal a secret (d) make a mistake
5. Fear of closed places is:
   (a) agoraphobia (b) claustrophobia (c) acrophobia (d) hydrophobia
6. Choose the correct word: The medicine had a good ___ on him.
   (a) affect (b) effect (c) effort (d) affection
7. Synonym of ARDUOUS:
   (a) difficult (b) pleasant (c) short (d) easy
8. Antonym of BENEVOLENT:
   (a) kind (b) generous (c) malevolent (d) friendly
9. One word for a person who can use both hands equally:
   (a) ambivert (b) ambidextrous (c) amateur (d) amphibian
10. Idiom: A BLESSING IN DISGUISE means:
    (a) a hidden fault (b) a good thing that seems bad at first (c) a religious act (d) a secret plan
11. Choose the correct spelling:
    (a) accomodation (b) acommodation (c) accommodation (d) acomodation
12. The headmaster is the ___ of the school.
    (a) principle (b) principal (c) principel (d) principals
13. Phrasal verb: CALL OFF means:
    (a) visit (b) cancel (c) shout (d) telephone
14. Study of coins is called:
    (a) numismatics (b) graphology (c) etymology (d) philately
15. Synonym of CONCEAL:
    (a) reveal (b) hide (c) expose (d) show
16. Antonym of AUGMENT:
    (a) increase (b) enlarge (c) decrease (d) add
17. Latin phrase DE FACTO means:
    (a) by law (b) in fact (c) in private (d) by force
18. A flock of ___
    (a) wolves (b) sheep (c) lions (d) fish
19. Government by the rich is:
    (a) democracy (b) theocracy (c) plutocracy (d) autocracy
20. Idiom: To BURN THE MIDNIGHT OIL means to:
    (a) waste fuel (b) work late at night (c) start a fire (d) cook at night

PART 2: GRAMMAR USAGE

2.1 Tenses at a glance

Tense rules that appear again and again

• Do not use present perfect with a past time word. Wrong: I have seen him yesterday. Right: I saw him yesterday.
• Use since for a point in time and for for a period. I have lived here since 2010 / for ten years.
• After if, when, as soon as, before, after, until, unless in a future meaning, use the present simple. Wrong: I will call you when I will arrive. Right: when I arrive.
• Verbs of state (know, like, love, hate, want, see, hear, believe, belong, own, need, prefer, understand, seem) are not used in continuous tense. Wrong: I am knowing him. Right: I know him.
• It is five years since he left. Here since is followed by past simple.
• Two past actions: the earlier one takes past perfect, the later one past simple. When I reached the station, the train had left.
• Universal truths always take present simple: The teacher said that the earth moves round the sun.
• Hardly/Scarcely had + subject + V3 + when/before. No sooner had + subject + V3 + than.
• Wrong: He is working here since 2010. Right: He has been working here since 2010.

2.2 Subject verb agreement

1. Two singular subjects joined by and take a plural verb. Ali and Ahmed are friends. Exception: when they form one idea or one person, use singular: Bread and butter is my breakfast. The poet and philosopher was honoured.
2. With each, every, many a before the subjects, the verb is singular: Every boy and girl was present. Many a student has failed.
3. Or, nor, either...or, neither...nor, not only...but also: the verb agrees with the nearer subject. Neither the teacher nor the students were present.
4. With, along with, together with, as well as, in addition to, besides: the verb agrees with the first subject. The teacher, along with her students, is going.
5. Each, every, either, neither, one, anyone, everyone, someone, nobody, everybody, anybody take singular verbs. Each of the boys has a book. Neither of them is guilty.
6. A number of takes plural. The number of takes singular. A number of students are absent. The number of students is small.
7. Collective nouns (committee, jury, team, class, family, army) take singular when acting as one unit and plural when members act separately.
8. Always plural: police, cattle, people, poultry, gentry, clergy, vermin. The police have arrived.
9. Plural form but singular meaning: news, mathematics, physics, economics, politics, ethics, measles, mumps, billiards, innings, gallows. No news is good news.
10. Pair nouns (scissors, trousers, spectacles, jeans, pants, glasses) take plural verbs. But a pair of scissors is on the table.
11. Amounts of money, time, distance, weight seen as one unit are singular. Fifty rupees is enough. Ten kilometres is a long way.
12. One of the + plural noun + singular verb. One of my friends is a doctor. But one of those who + plural verb: He is one of those students who work hard.
13. A lot of, plenty of, most of, half of, some of, all of, the rest of, percentages: the verb agrees with the noun after of. Half of the apples are rotten. Half of the cake is gone.
14. The + adjective (the rich, the poor, the young) takes plural: The poor need help.
15. Titles of books, countries or organisations are singular: The Arabian Nights is interesting. The United States is a big country.
16. After there, the verb agrees with the real subject that follows. There are five books on the table.
17. More than one + singular noun + singular verb. More than one student has failed.
18. Relative pronouns (who, which, that) take the number of the noun before them. I, who am your friend, will help you.
19. Either of, neither of usually take singular verbs. Neither of the answers is correct.

2.3 Articles

A or An

• Use a before a consonant sound: a university, a European, a one eyed man, a unit, a useful book.
• Use an before a vowel sound: an hour, an honest man, an heir, an MBA, an umbrella, an X-ray.
• Judge by sound, not spelling.

Use THE with

• Unique things: the sun, the moon, the sky, the earth, the world
• Superlatives and ordinals: the best, the first
• Rivers, seas, oceans, mountain ranges, deserts, groups of islands: the Indus, the Arabian Sea, the Himalayas, the Sahara, the Maldives
• Newspapers and holy books: the Dawn, the Quran, the Bible
• Names with of: the University of Peshawar, the Bank of England
• Nationalities and communities: the Pakistanis, the Chinese
• Musical instruments: play the guitar
• The + adjective for a group: the rich, the old
• Countries with plural or union names: the USA, the UK, the Netherlands, the Philippines, the UAE
• A noun already mentioned or specific: I bought a book. The book is good.

NO article with

• Names of persons, single countries, cities, continents, languages: Pakistan, Peshawar, Asia, Urdu
• Meals, games, subjects: have breakfast, play cricket, study mathematics
• General abstract or plural nouns: Honesty is the best policy. Books are friends.
• Go to school, college, bed, church, prison, hospital, work when used for the main purpose
• By + transport: by bus, by train. Days, months, seasons, single mountains and lakes: Mount Everest, Lake Geneva

Special article rules

• Repeat the article for two persons: a doctor and a teacher (two people). No repeat for one person: a doctor and teacher.
• Word order with such, quite, what, many, half, rather: such a good boy, quite a few, what a day, many a man, half an hour, rather a nice day.
• The only, the same, the very, the next, the last, the whole take the.
• A few = some (positive). Few = hardly any (negative). A little = some. Little = hardly any. The few / the little = whatever is there.
• Use a/an for rate or each: twice a week, fifty rupees a kilo.

2.4 Prepositions

Time and place

Verb + preposition

Adjective + preposition

Noun + preposition

cause of, reason for, respect for, interest in, key to, solution to, answer to, demand for, need for, attitude towards, influence on, example of, difficulty in, authority on a subject or over a person, cure for, damage to, effect on, exception to, increase in, invitation to, trouble with, relation between or with, fear of, love for, hatred of, confidence in, victory over, victim of, shortage of, taste for, talent for.

2.5 Pronouns

• Case: Use subject pronouns (I, he, she, we, they) as subject. Use object pronouns (me, him, her, us, them) after verbs and prepositions. Wrong: between you and I. Right: between you and me. Wrong: Let you and I go. Right: Let you and me go.
• Who or Whom: Who is the subject. Whom is the object. Whom did you meet? To whom did you speak? Who is knocking?
• Than / as: Formal exams prefer the subject pronoun when a verb is understood. He is taller than I (am). She is as clever as he (is).
• Order: For good things, use second, third, first: You, he and I will go. For blame or confession, use first person first: I, you and he are guilty.
• Reflexive: myself, himself, themselves. Cannot act as subject. Wrong: Myself will go. Right: I myself will go. Also: by oneself, enjoy yourself.
• Each other for two, one another for more than two.
• Either / neither for two. Any / none for more than two.
• One needs one's. One should do one's duty.
• Relative pronouns: who for persons, which for things and animals, that for both. Use that after superlatives and words like all, only, same, nothing, everything, anything. That is not used after a preposition or a comma.
• Possessive pronouns never take an apostrophe: mine, yours, hers, ours, theirs, its. A friend of mine.
• Everyone, each, somebody, nobody take singular pronouns: Everyone should do his or her duty.
• Avoid vague pronoun reference. Unclear: Ali told Ahmed that he was late. Clear: Ali told Ahmed, 'You are late.'

2.6 Adjectives and adverbs

• Never use a double comparative or superlative. Wrong: more better, most cleverest. Right: better, cleverest.
• Latin comparatives take 'to', not 'than': senior, junior, superior, inferior, prior, anterior, posterior, interior, exterior, prefer, preferable. He is senior to me.
• Prefer + noun or gerund + to: I prefer tea to coffee. I prefer walking to driving. With infinitives: I prefer to walk rather than drive.
• Elder/eldest for family members. Older/oldest for general age. Later/latest for time. Latter/last for order. Farther for distance, further for more.
• Fewer with countable nouns, less with uncountable nouns. Fewer books, less water.
• Much with uncountable, many with countable. Much is often used in questions and negatives, a lot of in positives.
• When comparing a thing with its own group, use other / else: Karachi is larger than any other city in Pakistan. Wrong: larger than any city in Pakistan.
• Adjectives that cannot be compared: unique, perfect, complete, universal, round, square, empty, full, dead, chief, supreme, absolute, final, total.
• Order of adjectives: opinion, size, age, shape, colour, origin, material, purpose. A lovely small old round red Italian wooden dining table.
• The ... the ... pattern uses two comparatives: The more you read, the more you learn.
• Comparing two: use comparative with 'the': He is the taller of the two. Three or more: He is the tallest of the three.
• Adverbs with two forms: hard (works hard) and hardly (almost not); late and lately; near and nearly; high and highly; just and justly; most and mostly; free and freely; deep and deeply; close and closely.
• Hardly, scarcely, barely, seldom, rarely, never, nobody, nothing are already negative. Do not add not. Wrong: He could not hardly walk. Right: He could hardly walk.
• Too has a negative sense: too heavy to lift. Very is positive. Enough comes after an adjective (tall enough) and before a noun (enough money).
• So + adjective (so tired that). Such + noun (such a tired man that).
• Very goes with adjectives and adverbs (very tall). Much goes with comparatives and past participles in passive meaning (much better, much admired).
• Position of adverbs of frequency: before the main verb and after be: He always comes. He is always late.

2.7 Conjunctions and correlative pairs

2.8 Modals

• After modals always use the base form. Wrong: He can speaks. Right: He can speak.
• No to after modals (except ought to, used to, have to).
• Modals have no s in third person. Wrong: He musts go.
• Modal + have + V3 for past: should have gone (duty not done), could have gone (possibility not used), must have gone (deduction), may have gone (possibility).

2.9 Conditionals and the subjunctive

• Use were for all persons in unreal present: If I were you. If he were here.
• Wish for present or future unreal uses past: I wish I were taller. For past regret use past perfect: I wish I had studied.
• As if / as though in an unreal comparison uses past: He talks as if he knew everything.
• It is time / high time takes past tense: It is high time we went home.
• Would rather with a different subject takes past: I would rather you stayed.
• Suggest, demand, insist, recommend, propose, request + that + subject + base verb: He suggested that I leave early.
• Do not use would in the if clause. Wrong: If he would come. Right: If he came.
• Inverted conditionals: Had I known, I would have come. Were I you, I would accept. Should he come, tell him.

2.10 Active and passive voice

• Only transitive verbs have a passive. Intransitive verbs (go, come, sleep, arrive, die) do not.
• Perfect continuous and future continuous tenses are not normally used in passive.
• Questions: Who wrote this? becomes By whom was this written? Did he write it? becomes Was it written by him?
• Imperative: Open the door becomes Let the door be opened. Or: You are requested to open the door.
• Two objects: He gave me a book becomes I was given a book, or A book was given to me.
• Some passives take other prepositions, not by: be known to, be surprised at, be pleased with, be interested in, be satisfied with, be married to, be filled with, be covered with, be made of (material visible) or made from (material changed), be scared of, be annoyed with or at.
• Have + object + V3 is causative: I had my car repaired. I got my hair cut.

2.11 Direct and indirect speech

• If the reporting verb is in present or future tense, there is no tense change.
• Universal truths and habits do not change tense. He said that honesty is the best policy.
• First person pronouns change to match the subject of the reporting verb. Second person changes to match the object. Third person stays.
• Questions: use asked, inquired. No question mark. Use if or whether for yes or no questions. Use the wh word for others. Word order becomes statement order. He said, 'Where are you going?' becomes He asked where I was going.
• Commands and requests: told, ordered, requested, advised, forbade + to infinitive. He said to me, 'Open the door.' becomes He ordered me to open the door.
• Exclamations: exclaimed with joy or sorrow that. 'Alas! I am ruined,' he said. becomes He exclaimed with sorrow that he was ruined.
• Wishes and prayers: wished or prayed that. Let's: suggested that we or proposed that we, or suggested + gerund.
• Yes or no answer: replied in the affirmative or in the negative.
• Said to becomes told when followed by an object. He said to me, 'I am busy.' becomes He told me that he was busy.

2.12 Gerund and infinitive

• After prepositions always use gerund: interested in reading, tired of waiting, look forward to meeting, object to going, insist on paying, be used to working, in addition to being.
• After modals, make, let, help (optional), see, hear, watch, feel use bare infinitive: He made me laugh. I saw him go.
• Stop to do = stop in order to do. Stop doing = quit. He stopped to smoke vs He stopped smoking.
• Remember to do = do not forget the duty. Remember doing = recall the past. Same with forget, regret.
• Try to do = attempt. Try doing = experiment.
• Suggest, avoid, enjoy never take a to infinitive. Wrong: He suggested to go. Right: He suggested going or He suggested that we go.
• It is no use / It is worth / It is no good / cannot help / there is no point + gerund: It is no use crying.

2.13 Question tags

• Positive statement takes a negative tag. Negative statement takes a positive tag. He is late, isn't he? He is not late, is he?
• Use the same auxiliary. If none, use do, does or did. You like tea, don't you?
• I am becomes aren't I? Let's becomes shall we? Imperative becomes will you? Open the door, will you?
• Nobody, nothing, none, never, hardly, rarely, seldom make the statement negative, so tag is positive. Nobody came, did they?
• Everyone, someone, anyone, nobody take they in the tag. Everything, something, nothing take it.
• There is takes there in the tag. There is a problem, isn't there?
• I have / had as main verb: I have a car, haven't I? or don't I? (both accepted; check which options are given).

2.14 Nouns: countable, uncountable and plurals

• Uncountable nouns (never take s, never take a or an, take singular verb): furniture, luggage, baggage, information, advice, knowledge, equipment, scenery, hair, work, progress, machinery, mail, evidence, homework, traffic, weather, news, money, bread, water, rice, sugar, wisdom, health, permission, damage.
• To count them use a piece of, an item of, a bit of: a piece of advice, two pieces of furniture.
• Irregular plurals: man, men; woman, women; child, children; tooth, teeth; foot, feet; mouse, mice; ox, oxen; person, people; criterion, criteria; phenomenon, phenomena; datum, data; medium, media; analysis, analyses; crisis, crises; basis, bases; thesis, theses; hypothesis, hypotheses; larva, larvae; stimulus, stimuli; nucleus, nuclei; radius, radii; cactus, cacti.
• Same in singular and plural: sheep, deer, fish, series, species, means, aircraft, offspring, innings.
• Compound nouns: brother in law becomes brothers in law. passer by becomes passers by. commander in chief becomes commanders in chief. mother in law becomes mothers in law.
• Different meaning in plural: air and airs (manner), custom and customs (duty), advice and advices (news), good and goods, spectacle and spectacles, damage and damages (compensation), work and works (factory).
• Words ending in ful add s at the end: spoonfuls, handfuls.
• Possessive: Add 's to singular (boy's), s' to plural ending s (boys'), 's to plural not ending s (children's). For joint ownership: Ali and Ahmed's house. For separate: Ali's and Ahmed's houses.

2.15 Common error list (wrong becomes right)

2.16 Grammar practice MCQs

1. Neither of the boys ___ present.
   (a) were (b) was (c) are (d) have been
2. He is senior ___ me.
   (a) than (b) to (c) from (d) over
3. She prefers tea ___ coffee.
   (a) than (b) over (c) to (d) from
4. Hardly had he reached the station ___ the train left.
   (a) than (b) when (c) then (d) as
5. If I ___ you, I would apply.
   (a) am (b) was (c) were (d) will be
6. The news ___ true.
   (a) are (b) were (c) is (d) have been
7. He insisted ___ paying the bill.
   (a) to (b) for (c) on (d) at
8. I look forward to ___ you.
   (a) meet (b) meeting (c) have met (d) met
9. Each of the students ___ given a prize.
   (a) were (b) was (c) are (d) have
10. He suggested that I ___ early.
    (a) leaves (b) left (c) leave (d) leaving
11. It is high time we ___ home.
    (a) go (b) went (c) will go (d) are going
12. No sooner did he arrive ___ it started raining.
    (a) when (b) than (c) then (d) that
13. The teacher, along with her students, ___ going on a trip.
    (a) are (b) were (c) is (d) have been
14. Many a student ___ failed.
    (a) have (b) has (c) are (d) were
15. He is the ___ of the two brothers.
    (a) tallest (b) taller (c) more tall (d) most tall
16. She has been ill ___ Monday.
    (a) for (b) from (c) since (d) by
17. He has ___ honest face.
    (a) a (b) an (c) the (d) no article
18. He said, 'I am busy.' becomes: He said that he ___ busy.
    (a) is (b) was (c) had been (d) will be
19. Passive of 'They are building a bridge.'
    (a) A bridge is built. (b) A bridge was being built. (c) A bridge is being built. (d) A bridge has been built.
20. He never lies, ___?
    (a) doesn't he (b) does he (c) isn't he (d) is he
21. Let's go, ___?
    (a) will we (b) shall we (c) don't we (d) let us
22. I would rather you ___ here.
    (a) stay (b) stayed (c) will stay (d) staying
23. The furniture in the room ___ old.
    (a) are (b) were (c) is (d) have
24. Karachi is larger than ___ city in Pakistan.
    (a) any (b) any other (c) every (d) all
25. She is capable ___ solving the problem.
    (a) to (b) of (c) for (d) in

PART 3: SENTENCE STRUCTURING

3.1 Basic sentence patterns

• Every sentence needs a subject and a finite verb and must express a complete thought.
• The subject is who or what the sentence is about. The predicate says something about the subject.
• Word order in English statements is fixed: Subject, Verb, Object, Place, Time. She sent the letter to him yesterday.

3.2 Types of sentences

By function

By structure

3.3 Phrases and clauses

• A phrase is a group of words without a subject and finite verb. In the garden. Having finished the work. To win the race.
• A clause has a subject and finite verb. An independent clause stands alone. A dependent clause cannot.
• Noun clause acts as a noun: I know that he is honest. What he said is true.
• Adjective clause describes a noun: The man who came here is my uncle.
• Adverb clause shows time, place, reason, purpose, result, condition, concession or comparison: When he came, I left. He ran fast so that he could catch the bus.
• Types of phrases: noun phrase, verb phrase, adjective phrase (full of joy), adverb phrase (with great care), prepositional phrase, participial phrase, gerund phrase, infinitive phrase.

3.4 Fragments, run on sentences and comma splices

• Fix a run on or comma splice using: full stop, semicolon, comma + conjunction, or subordinating conjunction.
• Words like because, although, when, if, since, while, unless start a dependent clause. They cannot stand alone as a sentence.

3.5 Parallelism

Items in a list or pair must have the same grammatical form.

• With both ... and, either ... or, neither ... nor, not only ... but also: what follows each part must match.
• Faulty: He neither reads books nor does he write. Right: He neither reads books nor writes.

3.6 Misplaced and dangling modifiers

• A modifier should sit next to the word it describes.
• Misplaced: I saw a man on a bicycle with a long beard. (Who has the beard?) Right: I saw a man with a long beard on a bicycle.
• Misplaced: He only eats vegetables. Right depends on meaning: He eats only vegetables.
• Dangling participle: Walking down the road, a dog bit him. The dog was not walking. Right: Walking down the road, he was bitten by a dog.
• Dangling: Having finished the work, the lights were switched off. Right: Having finished the work, we switched off the lights.
• Dangling: To pass the exam, hard work is needed. Right: To pass the exam, you need to work hard.
• Rule: the subject of the main clause must be the doer of the action in the introductory phrase.
• Place only, even, just, almost, nearly immediately before the word they modify.

3.7 Word order and inversion

• Questions: auxiliary before subject. Where did he go? But in indirect questions use statement order. Wrong: Tell me where did he go. Right: Tell me where he went.
• Negative adverbs at the start take inversion: never, rarely, seldom, hardly, scarcely, barely, no sooner, not only, little, nowhere, on no account. Never have I seen such a film. Rarely does he come late. Not only did he steal, but he also lied.
• So / neither / nor: So do I. Neither does she. Nor have they.
• Inverted conditionals: Had I known, I would have come. Were I you, I would go.
• Here / there at the start: Here comes the bus. There goes the bell.
• Only + adverb at the start: Only then did I understand. Only after he left did I realise.
• As, though: Poor as he was, he was honest. Strange though it may seem, it is true.
• Adverb position: Manner, place, time in that order: She sang beautifully at the party yesterday.

3.8 Sentence transformation

Simple, compound and complex

Assertive, interrogative, exclamatory

Degrees of comparison

Affirmative to negative

Joining sentences with relative clauses

3.9 Sentence improvement: a quick method

When you see an underlined part and four options, spend about 30 seconds like this:

1. Find the subject and the verb. Check agreement first.
2. Check the tense. Look for time words (yesterday, since, for, already).
3. Check the preposition after the verb, adjective or noun.
4. Check articles and pronouns.
5. Check comparison (than, to, other, double comparatives).
6. Check parallelism and modifier placement.
7. If two options look correct, pick the shorter and clearer one. Wordy options are usually wrong.
8. If the original is correct, choose the option that says 'No improvement' or repeats it.

3.10 Jumbled sentences and paragraph arrangement

1. Find the opening sentence. It introduces the topic, has no pronoun that refers back, and has no linking word like this, such, thus.
2. Find the closing sentence. It often starts with so, therefore, thus, finally, this is why.
3. Match pronouns with their nouns. He, she, they, it come after the noun is introduced.
4. Look at connectors: however (contrast), moreover (addition), therefore (result), for example (illustration), first, then, finally (sequence).
5. Use time order and logical order: general to specific, cause to effect, past to present.
6. Test your final order by reading it once from start to end.

Jumbled words in a sentence

• Start with the subject, then the verb, then the object, then place and time.
• Words like the, a, an, of, to, in link nouns, so find the noun next to each.
• Example: (P) was founded (Q) Pakistan (R) in 1947 (S) as an independent state. Correct: Q P R S. Pakistan was founded in 1947 as an independent state.

3.11 Punctuation essentials

• Do not put a comma between subject and verb. Wrong: The boy, is tall.
• Use a comma before a conjunction that joins two independent clauses: He tried hard, but he failed.
• Its has no apostrophe when it means belonging to it.
• Capitalise the first word of a sentence, proper nouns, days, months, nationalities, languages, and the pronoun I.

3.12 Sentence completion clues

3.13 Sentence structuring practice MCQs

1. Identify the type: Although it rained, we went out.
   (a) simple (b) compound (c) complex (d) compound complex
2. Identify the type: He is rich but he is unhappy.
   (a) simple (b) compound (c) complex (d) compound complex
3. Which is a sentence fragment?
   (a) He ran fast. (b) Because he was late. (c) She smiled. (d) Go home.
4. Choose the parallel sentence.
   (a) She likes swimming, to run and cycling. (b) She likes swimming, running and cycling. (c) She likes to swim, running and cycle. (d) She likes swim, run and cycling.
5. Choose the correct sentence.
   (a) Walking down the road, a dog bit him. (b) Walking down the road, he was bitten by a dog. (c) A dog bit him, walking down the road. (d) Walking down the road, the dog bit him.
6. Correct the comma splice: He was tired, he went to bed.
   (a) He was tired; he went to bed. (b) He was tired he went to bed. (c) He was tired. And he went to bed, (d) He was tired, went to bed.
7. Simple form of: He worked hard so that he could pass.
   (a) He worked hard to pass. (b) He worked hard and passed. (c) He worked hard for pass. (d) He worked hardly to pass.
8. Assertive form of: Who does not love his country?
   (a) Nobody loves his country. (b) Everyone loves his country. (c) Someone loves his country. (d) None loves his country.
9. Interrogative form of: It is a very beautiful day.
   (a) Is it not a very beautiful day? (b) Is it a beautiful day? (c) What a day? (d) Was it a beautiful day?
10. Never ___ such a film.
    (a) I have seen (b) have I seen (c) I saw (d) did I seen
11. Arrange: (P) was founded (Q) Pakistan (R) in 1947 (S) as an independent state.
    (a) QPRS (b) PQRS (c) QRPS (d) SPQR
12. Improve: I am knowing him since childhood.
    (a) I have known him since childhood. (b) I knew him since childhood. (c) I was knowing him since childhood. (d) No improvement
13. Rarely ___ late.
    (a) he comes (b) does he come (c) he does come (d) comes he
14. Combine: The man is my uncle. He is standing there.
    (a) The man who is standing there is my uncle. (b) The man which is standing there is my uncle. (c) The man whom is standing there is my uncle. (d) The man whose is standing there is my uncle.
15. Indirect speech: He said, 'Where are you going?'
    (a) He asked where was I going. (b) He asked where I was going. (c) He asked where am I going. (d) He said where I am going.
16. Which sentence has a misplaced modifier?
    (a) He only eats vegetables. (b) He eats only vegetables. (c) Only he eats vegetables. (d) He eats vegetables.
17. Positive of: Karachi is larger than any other city in Pakistan.
    (a) No other city in Pakistan is as large as Karachi. (b) Karachi is the largest city. (c) Karachi is large as any city. (d) Some cities are as large as Karachi.
18. Change to negative: Everybody loves honesty.
    (a) There is nobody who does not love honesty. (b) Nobody loves honesty. (c) Not everybody loves honesty. (d) Somebody hates honesty.

LAST NIGHT QUICK REVISION

Top 25 rules to remember

1. Each, every, either, neither, one, everyone, nobody: singular verb.
2. A number of: plural. The number of: singular.
3. Neither...nor, either...or: verb agrees with the nearer subject.
4. With, along with, as well as: verb agrees with the first subject.
5. Senior, junior, superior, inferior, prefer: use to, not than.
6. Hardly, scarcely: use when. No sooner: use than.
7. Never use present perfect with yesterday, ago, last year.
8. State verbs (know, like, want, see, hear) never take continuous tense.
9. If I were, not if I was, in unreal present.
10. High time, would rather (different subject): past tense.
11. Suggest, insist, demand + that + base verb.
12. Preposition + verb: always V-ing (look forward to meeting).
13. Compare with other: larger than any other city.
14. No double comparatives: not more better.
15. News, mathematics, physics, economics: singular. Police, cattle, people: plural.
16. Furniture, luggage, information, advice, scenery, hair: uncountable.
17. A before consonant sound, an before vowel sound (an hour, a university).
18. Although/though: do not use but. Because: do not use so.
19. Reason is that, not reason is because.
20. Between for two, among for more than two.
21. Fewer for countable, less for uncountable.
22. Elder for family, older in general. Later (time), latter (order).
23. Dangling modifier: the subject after the comma must be the doer.
24. Parallelism: keep the same form in every list item.
25. Inversion after never, rarely, seldom, hardly, no sooner, not only at the start.

Exam day tips (Roman Urdu)

• Paper shuru karne se pehle poora paper ek nazar dekh len, phir asaan sawalat pehle hal karen.
• Jis sawal ka jawab pakka na ho, wahan option elimination karen: do ghalat options pehle hata den.
• Synonym aur antonym me word ka sentence me istemal soch kar jawab den, sirf yaad kiye hue matlab par na rahen.
• Grammar me pehle subject aur verb pehchanen, phir tense aur preposition check karen.
• Negative marking ho to sirf wahi sawal attempt karen jin me kam az kam 70 percent yaqeen ho.
• Time ka hisaab rakhen: har sawal ko lagbhag ek minute se zyada na den.
• Paper se pehle raat ko achi neend len aur subah halka naashta karen.