English Grammar Fundamentals — UPSSSC PET Study Notes

Overview

English Grammar Fundamentals form a core component of the UPSSSC PET General English section, typically contributing 10–15 questions. This topic tests your command over the mechanical rules of English: tenses, articles, prepositions, active/passive voice, direct/indirect narration, and subject-verb agreement. Unlike comprehension or vocabulary, grammar questions have clear right or wrong answers, making this a high-scoring area if you master the rules.

Most PET grammar questions are straightforward identification or error-spotting tasks. You might be asked to fill blanks with correct tense forms, choose the right article or preposition, convert voice or speech, or identify agreement errors in sentences. A solid grasp of these six areas ensures you can tackle 60–70% of the grammar section confidently. Since many candidates find English challenging, even modest accuracy here can give you a competitive edge.

Focus on recognition speed and rule recall. You don't need to produce essays; you need to spot correct usage in seconds. Practice with previous year questions and standard grammar drills to internalize patterns so your answers become automatic on exam day.

Key Concepts

• **Tenses** express time of action (past, present, future) and aspect (simple, continuous, perfect, perfect continuous). English has 12 main tense forms. The key is matching the time reference (yesterday, now, tomorrow) with the verb form (played, am playing, will play).

• **Articles** (a, an, the) signal whether a noun is specific or general. "A/an" introduce non-specific singular countable nouns; "the" refers to something already mentioned or unique. Zero article applies to plurals/uncountables used generally.

• **Prepositions** link nouns/pronouns to other words, showing relationships of time (at, on, in), place (above, below, between), direction (to, towards, into), and manner (with, by, through). Prepositional usage is often idiomatic and must be memorized.

• **Voice** indicates whether the subject acts (active voice: "Ram wrote the letter") or is acted upon (passive voice: "The letter was written by Ram"). Passive uses "be + past participle" and shifts focus from doer to action or object.

• **Narration** (direct and indirect speech) involves reporting what someone said. Direct repeats exact words in quotes; indirect reports the content without quotes, requiring changes in pronouns, tenses, time expressions, and sentence structure.

• **Agreement** means subject and verb must match in number and person. A singular subject takes a singular verb ("He goes"), plural takes plural ("They go"). Collective nouns, "each/every," and compound subjects have special agreement rules that trip up many learners.

Formulas / Key Facts

**Tense Structure (12 Tenses)**

• Present Simple: Subject + V1/V1+s — "I work," "He works"
• Present Continuous: Subject + am/is/are + V1+ing — "I am working"
• Present Perfect: Subject + has/have + V3 — "I have worked"
• Present Perfect Continuous: Subject + has/have been + V1+ing — "I have been working"
• Past Simple: Subject + V2 — "I worked"
• Past Continuous: Subject + was/were + V1+ing — "I was working"
• Past Perfect: Subject + had + V3 — "I had worked"
• Past Perfect Continuous: Subject + had been + V1+ing — "I had been working"
• Future Simple: Subject + will/shall + V1 — "I will work"
• Future Continuous: Subject + will be + V1+ing — "I will be working"
• Future Perfect: Subject + will have + V3 — "I will have worked"
• Future Perfect Continuous: Subject + will have been + V1+ing — "I will have been working"

**Article Rules**

• Use "a" before consonant sounds, "an" before vowel sounds: "a university" (yu-sound), "an hour" (silent h).
• Use "the" for specific/unique items: "the sun," "the Taj Mahal," "the book you mentioned."
• Omit article for general plurals/uncountables: "Books are useful," "Water is essential."

**Preposition of Time**

• At: specific time (at 5 PM, at noon)
• On: days/dates (on Monday, on 15th August)
• In: months/years/long periods (in May, in 2020, in the morning)

**Voice Conversion**

• Active to Passive: Object of active becomes subject of passive; verb changes to "be + V3"; subject of active becomes "by + agent" (often optional).
• Example: Active "She teaches English" → Passive "English is taught by her."

**Narration Conversion**

• Direct to Indirect: Remove quotes, change reporting verb if needed, shift tenses one step back (present → past, past → past perfect), adjust pronouns and time/place words (today → that day, here → there).
• Example: Direct He said, "I am busy." → Indirect He said that he was busy.

**Subject-Verb Agreement**

• Singular subjects (he, she, it, each, every, neither, either) take singular verbs.
• Plural subjects (we, they, both, many, few) take plural verbs.
• Collective nouns (team, committee) usually singular in formal English.
• "Neither…nor/either…or": verb agrees with the nearest subject.

Worked Examples

**Example 1: Tense Selection** *Question:* Fill the blank: "By next month, I __________ (complete) my training." *Solution:* The phrase "by next month" signals an action that will finish before a future time → **Future Perfect tense**. Answer: "will have completed."

**Example 2: Article Usage** *Question:* Fill the blank: "He is __ honest man and __ best teacher in the school." *Solution:* "Honest" starts with a vowel sound (silent h) → use "an." "Best" is superlative, implying specific → use "the." Answer: "an honest man and the best teacher."

**Example 3: Voice Conversion** *Question:* Convert to passive: "The committee approved the proposal." *Solution:* Object "the proposal" becomes subject. Verb "approved" (V2) → "was approved" (be + V3). Agent "the committee" becomes "by the committee" (optional). Answer: "The proposal was approved (by the committee)."

**Example 4: Narration Change** *Question:* Convert to indirect: She said, "I will visit Delhi tomorrow." *Solution:* Reporting verb "said" unchanged. Remove quotes. Shift tense: "will visit" → "would visit." Pronoun "I" → "she." Time "tomorrow" → "the next day." Answer: She said that she would visit Delhi the next day.

**Example 5: Agreement Error** *Question:* Spot the error: "Each of the students have submitted their assignment." *Solution:* "Each" is singular, so verb should be "has," not "have." Correct: "Each of the students has submitted their assignment."

Common Mistakes

**Mixing tenses inconsistently** → Students often shift tenses mid-sentence without reason. Wrong: "He said he will come tomorrow." Right: "He said he would come tomorrow" (or "He says he will come tomorrow"). Fix: Match tense sequence to the time frame and reporting context.

**Using "the" for general plurals** → Wrong: "The books are useful." (implies specific books) when meaning books in general. Right: "Books are useful." Fix: Drop "the" for general statements about countable plurals and uncountables.

**Confusing "in," "on," "at" for time** → Wrong: "I will meet you in Monday." Right: "I will meet you on Monday." Fix: Remember "at" = point in time, "on" = days/dates, "in" = longer periods.

**Forgetting tense backshift in indirect speech** → Wrong: Direct "He said, 'I am tired.'" → Indirect "He said that he is tired." Right: "He said that he was tired." Fix: Shift present to past, past to past perfect in indirect narration.

**Ignoring subject-verb agreement with "each," "every," "neither"** → Wrong: "Every student have a book." Right: "Every student has a book." Fix: Treat "each," "every," "neither," "either" as singular; verb must be singular even if the noun seems plural.

Quick Reference

• **Tenses:** Present/Past/Future × Simple/Continuous/Perfect/Perfect Continuous = 12 forms. Match time signal to tense (yesterday = past, now = present, tomorrow = future).
• **Articles:** a/an for non-specific singular countable, the for specific/unique, no article for general plural/uncountable.
• **Prepositions:** at (time point/small place), on (surface/day), in (enclosed/month/year), by (agent/deadline), with (instrument/company).
• **Voice:** Active = Subject + V + Object; Passive = Object + be + V3 (+ by Subject). Passive shifts focus from doer to action.
• **Narration:** Direct = exact words in quotes; Indirect = reported content, tense backshift, pronoun/time changes.
• **Agreement:** Singular subject → singular verb. Watch for "each," "every," "neither," "either," collective nouns, and compound subjects joined by "or/nor."

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**Practice Tip:** Solve 20–30 mixed grammar questions daily. Identify your weak area (say, tenses or prepositions) and drill those rules separately. Grammar is rule-based—repetition locks the patterns into memory.