Grammar Workshop CAT – 2012

Grammar based questions

• Error identification: a sentence divided into 5 parts [CET pattern]5 sentences ;identify either the correct or

incorrect sentences [CAT pattern]

• Sentence correction a part of the sentence is underlined [GMAT

pattern]Choose the correct paragraphPara completion [grammar based]

• Multiple Usage

Common and ‘accepted’ Grammatical

errors

• Can you please give me the exact estimate?

• Please revert back.

• This is most urgent.

• Stand up !

• my past experiences ……

• I spoke to him yesterday night.

• Please give me two chalks.

• Tell to me ……

• Can you suggest me a solution?

• It was an (unexpected) surprise when (a pair of baby) twins were born at (12) midnight.

• Did you get the money from the ATM (machine)?

• The car will depreciate (in value) every year.

• You will get a (free) gift with every pair of sun-glasses bought.

Introduction to Grammar

• What is Grammar?

• Why was it invented?

• Who invented it?

• How important is it from the language perspective?

• The logic in a language and hence also in the rules of grammar

American Vs British English

Difference at two levels :

Grammar : sentence construction (minor)

Words / Vocabulary

Please note CAT is evaluating British English hence the rules learnt in school are still applicable in solving Grammar based questions in CAT

Language skeleton

Sounds (40) (represented by 26 letters)

Words (8 types) : Parts of Speech

Phrases (adj/adv/noun)

Clauses (Main clause and Sub clause)

Sentence (Simple , Compound, Complex)

Spelling – Pronunciation discrepancy

• Difference between a language and a script ?

• Language is an invention or a discovery?

• Script : Roman – consist of the English alphabet which consist of 26 letters

• Letters represent sounds : English language has 40 sounds which are represented by 26 letters

Parts of Speech Noun

Pronoun

Verb

Adverb

Adjective

Preposition

Conjunction

Interjection

Articles

Well, she and young Jonathan walk to school slowly.

Sentence / Phrase / Clause

• I bought a doll.

• I bought a doll which

has beautiful blonde hair.

• I bought a doll with

beautiful blonde hair.

• Group of words• Sub – Verb

• Independent

• Group of words• Sub – Verb • dependent

• Group of words• No Verb

• Dependent

Types of Sentences

• Simple Sentence = Main Clause

• Complex Sentence = Main Clause + Subordinate Clause

• Compound Sentence : Main Clause + Main Clause

Exercise

Identify the errors in the sentences given to you and identify the error type.

Errors in Sentence Correction

questions in CAT

Grammar Errors

• Pronoun – antecedent (noun) agreement

• Sub – Verb agreement

• Verbs and tense errors

• Parallelism

• Modifiers

Pronoun-antecedent concord

Number concord SN-SPr

PN-PPr

Gender concord Common : (he/she)

Case concord • Subjective case : when the noun and pronoun is used

as a subject in a sentence

• Objective case : when a noun and a pronoun is used as an object in a sentence

• Possessive: when a noun and a pronoun is used to indicate possession in a sentence

Case conundrum resolved

Subjectivecase

Objective case

Possessive adjective

Possessivepronoun

I Me My Mine

You You Your Yours

He Him His His

She Her Her Hers

It It Its Its

We Us Our Ours

They Them Their Theirs

Who Whom Whose whose

Few case related examples to solve

• We scored as many goals as they/them.

• It was I/me that gave you the lead.

• He is taller than I/me.

• Between you and I/me, I do not believe him.

• This is the waiter who/whom I was speaking to earlier.

• Rahul likes Shalini more than I/me.

Sub-Verb Agreement

SN-SV

PN-PV

SPr-SV

PPr-PV [ number and person]

Indefinite pronouns-SV [ they are replaced by a singular masculine pronoun]

Collective nouns : Collective action : SN-SV-SPr

Split action : PN-PV-PPr

Conjunctions in S-V concord

S-V concord (SN-SV/PN-PV),(SPr-SV , PPr-PV)

N and N – PV (when the two nouns are joined by a coordinating conjunction the verb is always plural)

(except when the two nouns refer to the same person or convey the same idea)

N as well as N – SV (when two nouns are joined by a subordinating conjunction the number of the verb depends on the number of the first noun)

Neither N nor N – 4 possibilities :

SN-SN-SV

PN-PN-PV

SN-PN-PV

PN-SN-SV

Verbs : Tenses

Indicator of time Types : 2 : Simple/Secondary Simple : Present/Past/Future Secondary : Perfect/Continuous/Perfect-

Continuous Important : Simple Present / Past Perfect Auxiliaries Types : Primary and Modal Primary : tenses indicators Modals : important from conversation point of

view

AuxiliariesPrimary Auxiliaries Modal Auxiliaries

To be : am/is/are/were/was

May/might

Have : has/had Can/could

Do : does/did Will/would

Shall/should

Must

Ought to

Needs to

Modal Auxiliaries

Modal Basic Meaning Secondary Meaning

May Probability (AE) Permission

might Past probability Negativity

Shall Future tense (BE) Probability (BE)

Should Past of shall Past probability ,advice, if

Can Ability Authority

Could Past ability Request (informal)

Will Future tense (AE) surety

Would Past of will Request (formal)

Must/has to Compulsion

Ought to Obligation

Had better threat

Needs to necessity

Modifiers

Modifiers : adjectives and adverbsError of misplaced modifiersAdverbs : order : Manner/Place/TimeE.g.. She wrote neatly /She wrote a letter neatlyOrder of Adjectives : size, followed by general

description of personality or emotion, followed by age, shape, colour, origin, material and purpose in the same order.

Error of misplaced modifierse.g. Shekhar told me he wanted to marry me often.Error of dangling modifierse.g. While talking on the phone the door bell rang.

Parallelism

All phrases , clauses in a sentence should be in the same structure

All adjectives in the same degree

All verbs in the same form [unless there is a change in the time factor and hence the tense has to change]

All adverbs in the same form

Error of comparison

Use of the correct double conjunction [not only/but also]

Adj/Adv Contd…

Misused Adjectives (Substitution based questions)

Few/some

Much/many

Few/less

Less/lesser

some/not many

Some/any

Any<not many<some

The few<few<a few

The little<little< a little

Older/elder

Partly/partially

Rather/fairly

Gold/golden

Last/latest

Later/latter

Former/earlier

Hard/hardly

Quiet/quite

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