Sentence Structure (English)
About 6 min · Hindi and English Language · English
Time worked out from the lesson's 423 words at 150 words a minute, plus a minute for each question.
Sentence Structure questions form a core component of the English Language section in HSSC CET. These questions test your ability to identify grammatically incorrect sentences, improve awkward or unclear constructions, and rearrange jumbled sentences into coherent paragraphs. Mastering this area is essential because it directly assesses your command over English grammar, syntax, and logical sequencing—skills that are fundamental for any government job involving documentation and communication.
Key ideas
- Subject-Verb Agreement: The verb must agree with the subject in number (singular/plural) and person. Identify the true subject, ignoring intervening phrases.
- Parallel Structure: Items in a list or series must follow the same grammatical form. If one item is a noun, all should be nouns; if one is a gerund, all should be gerunds.
- Correct Use of Tenses: Maintain tense consistency within a sentence unless a time shift is logically required. Mixing past and present without reason is a common error.
- Pronoun-Antecedent Agreement: A pronoun must clearly refer to a specific noun (antecedent) and agree in number and gender. Ambiguous pronoun references create confusion.
- Misplaced and Dangling Modifiers: Modifiers should be placed close to the word they modify. A dangling modifier has no clear word to modify in the sentence.
Watch out for
- Wrong: Ignoring words between subject and verb → "The list of items are ready." Correct: The subject is "list" (singular), so use "is" → "The list of items is ready."
- Wrong: Breaking parallel structure → "She likes dancing, to sing, and painting." Correct: Use same form → "She likes dancing, singing, and painting."
- Wrong: Using "than" after "scarcely/hardly" → "Hardly had he left than she arrived." Correct: Use "when" → "Hardly had he left when she arrived."
Quick reference
- Subject-Verb Agreement: Find the real subject, ignore distractions between subject and verb.
- Neither...nor / Either...or: Verb agrees with the nearer subject.
- Parallel Structure: Same grammatical form for all items in a series.
- Hardly/Scarcely → when; No sooner → than.
- Rearrangement clues: Opening sentences state facts; connectors (however, finally, moreover) indicate middle or end positions.
Check yourself: 3 questions
1. Choose the grammatically correct sentence from the following options:
2. Rearrange the following jumbled words to make a meaningful sentence: P: of the country Q: the economy R: depends on S: the industrial development
3. Choose the option that best improves the underlined part of the sentence: The committee members discussed about the new policy for two hours.
This lesson is cut from the topic's note, not rewritten. Fact-checked on 18 Oct 2026: an AI-assisted check of this note against cited sources; the errors it found were corrected that day. Some errors may remain. The questions are from Shishya's validated question bank.
Read the full noteFlashcards for this topic
Saves this lesson and its 3 questions in this browser on this phone. No sign-in; nothing about you is saved or sent. A saved copy is not updated until you save it again. Parts that load from the server when you use them (the AI tutor, adaptive practice, sign-in) still need a connection.