English Grammar Essentials for Competitive Exams

Why Grammar Matters in Competitive Exams

English grammar is the backbone of every competitive exam in Pakistan. Whether you're preparing for CSS, PPSC, FPSC, or any provincial commission exam, a strong grip on grammar can be the difference between passing and failing. Most MCQ-based tests dedicate 20-30% of questions to grammar alone.

1. Parts of Speech

Understanding parts of speech is the foundation of English grammar. Every word in English belongs to one of eight categories:

• Nouns - naming words (Pakistan, courage, team)
• Pronouns - words replacing nouns (he, she, it, they)
• Verbs - action words (write, run, examine)
• Adjectives - describing words (brilliant, competitive, federal)
• Adverbs - modify verbs/adjectives (quickly, very, carefully)
• Prepositions - show relationships (in, on, at, between)
• Conjunctions - joining words (and, but, because)
• Interjections - express emotions (Alas! Hurrah!)

2. Tenses - The Most Tested Grammar Topic

Tenses are the most frequently tested topic in PPSC and FPSC exams. Focus on these key areas:

• Present Perfect vs. Past Simple - "I have written" vs "I wrote"
• Past Perfect - "He had gone before I arrived"
• Future tenses - Will, Going to, Present Continuous for future
• Conditional sentences - If clauses (Type 0, 1, 2, 3)

3. Subject-Verb Agreement

This is a high-frequency topic in MCQ exams. Key rules:

• Singular subjects take singular verbs: "The commission decides"
• Compound subjects with "and" take plural verbs
• With "or/nor" - verb agrees with nearest subject
• Collective nouns can be singular or plural depending on context
• "Each", "every", "neither", "either" take singular verbs

4. Active and Passive Voice

Conversion between active and passive voice is commonly tested. Practice converting sentences while maintaining the correct tense and meaning.

5. Direct and Indirect Speech

Narration change questions appear in almost every PPSC/FPSC paper. Remember the rules for changing tenses, pronouns, and time/place expressions.

6. Common Errors and Corrections

Spot-the-error questions are a staple of competitive exams. Focus on commonly confused words, incorrect prepositions, and faulty parallelism.

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Key Points

• Master all 8 parts of speech
• Focus heavily on tenses - most tested topic
• Practice subject-verb agreement rules
• Learn active/passive voice conversion
• Study direct/indirect speech rules

Preparation Tips

• Solve at least 50 grammar MCQs daily from PPSC past papers
• Read English newspapers to improve natural grammar sense
• Create a personal error log and review it weekly
• Use Wren & Martin for comprehensive grammar study