English Grammar for JKSSB Exams: The Rules That Decide Most Questions, With Examples

English in JKSSB papers is usually 10 to 30 marks, depending on the post, and it is among the most scoring sections because a small set of rules answers a large share of the questions. This guide sets out the rules that matter most, with an example for each. Read each rule, cover the answer and try the example yourself.

1. Subject-verb agreement

A singular subject takes a singular verb and a plural subject takes a plural verb. Words such as each, every, either, neither, one of and everybody take a singular verb. Two subjects joined by 'and' take a plural verb, unless they refer to one thing.

Example: 'Each of the boys has finished his work.' (not 'have'). 'Neither of the answers is correct.' 'Bread and butter is my usual breakfast.' (one dish, so singular).

2. Tenses

Match the tense to the time words. 'Since' and 'for' go with the present perfect: 'She has lived here since 2015' or 'for ten years'. A past time word such as 'yesterday' or 'last year' goes with the simple past: 'He went to Jammu yesterday.' After 'if' in a real condition use the present for the future: 'If it rains, we will stay home.'

Example: 'I have known him since childhood.' (not 'I know him since childhood').

3. Articles

Use 'a' before a consonant sound and 'an' before a vowel sound. The sound matters, not the spelling: 'an hour', 'a university', 'an honest man'. Use 'the' for something specific or unique: 'the sun', 'the Himalayas', 'the Jhelum'. Do not use an article before uncountable abstract nouns in general statements: 'Honesty is the best policy.'

Example: 'He is an M.A. and a European.' (M is pronounced 'em', a vowel sound; European begins with a 'yu' sound).

4. Prepositions

Many questions test fixed pairs. Learn them in groups: interested in, good at, afraid of, angry with a person and angry at a thing, fond of, married to, different from, capable of, depend on, congratulate on, prevent from, accuse of. 'In' is used for a larger or enclosed place and 'at' for a point. 'On' is used for days and dates, 'in' for months and years, and 'at' for exact times.

Example: 'The train leaves at 6 in the morning on Monday in October.'

5. Pronouns

After a preposition use the object form: 'between you and me'. Use 'who' for the subject and 'whom' for the object. A reflexive pronoun such as 'myself' is not used as a subject by itself.

Example: 'Whom did you call?' and 'It is I who am responsible.' (formal).

6. Active and passive voice

To change to passive, make the object the new subject, use the correct form of 'be' in the same tense, and use the past participle of the main verb. The old subject goes after 'by'.

Example: 'She writes a letter.' becomes 'A letter is written by her.' 'They have completed the work.' becomes 'The work has been completed by them.'

7. Direct and indirect speech

Remove the quotation marks, add 'that', and shift the tense back by one step. Change the pronouns to suit the new speaker and change words of time and place: 'today' becomes 'that day', 'tomorrow' becomes 'the next day', 'here' becomes 'there', and 'will' becomes 'would'.

Example: He said, 'I am happy.' becomes 'He said that he was happy.' She said to him, 'I will help you.' becomes 'She told him that she would help him.'

8. Error spotting

Check four things in each sentence: the subject and verb agree, the tense fits the time word, the pronoun and the preposition are right, and the article is correct. Read each part of the sentence in turn and ask what rule it could break.

Example: 'The number of students are increasing.' The subject is 'the number', which is singular. The correct sentence is 'The number of students is increasing.'

9. Sentence improvement and sentence correction

Choose the option that keeps the meaning, fixes the error and sounds natural. Eliminate options that introduce a new error. If the original sentence is already correct, choose 'No improvement'.

Example: 'The poor is always suffering.' should be 'The poor are always suffering', because 'the' plus an adjective naming a class of people takes a plural verb.

10. Synonyms, antonyms and idioms

Learn vocabulary in context and in pairs of similar and opposite words. For idioms, learn the meaning together with a sentence you invent yourself. Revise ten words or idioms a day and test yourself the next morning.

Example: 'Obstinate' means stubborn, and 'ample' means more than enough. 'To burn the midnight oil' means to work late into the night.

11. Comprehension

Read the questions before the passage so you know what to look for. Underline the main idea of each paragraph, and answer from the passage and not from your own opinion. For vocabulary questions, use the sentence around the word to find its meaning.

A practice routine

• Daily: 15 minutes of grammar questions on one rule, then check the answers and note the rule
• Daily: ten new words or idioms with a sentence for each
• Weekly: a timed set of 20 mixed English questions and a review of every error

Practise by topic in the English topic sets, and read the guides on clauses, pronouns and synonyms, idioms and error spotting.