Loading revision…
Loading revision…
Syllabus: Verbal Aptitude: Basic English grammar (tenses, articles, adjectives, prepositions, conjunctions, verb-noun agreement, and other parts of speech), basic vocabulary (words, idioms, and phrases in context), reading and comprehension, narrative sequencing.
The grammar points GATE actually tests
Five or six patterns account for nearly every grammar question: subject–verb agreement across an intervening phrase, tense consistency, the article before a vowel sound, prepositions fixed by the verb, and misplaced modifiers. Strip a long sentence down to its subject and main verb first — the error is almost always between those two.
"The set of results is…" — the head noun is set, not results
an hour, a university, an MBA — spelling is irrelevant
The verb agrees with the nearer subject.
third conditional: If he had studied, he would have passed
dangling modifier: Walking home, the rain started — the rain was not walking
Where marks are lost
Collective nouns (team, committee, jury) take a singular verb in Indian/British exam usage. So do each, every, either, neither, none of — regardless of the plural noun that follows.
Words and idioms in context
The word-meaning questions are never asked in isolation — the sentence supplies the sense. Look for the connector: although, despite, whereas signal a contrast so the blank opposes the rest; therefore, since, because signal agreement. Decide the sign of the blank before you look at the options.
the blank runs opposite to the clue
moreover, hence, thus, since, consequently — the blank agrees with the clue.
Comprehension and narrative sequencing
Answer only from the passage. For inference questions the right option is the weakest one the passage still supports; options containing always, never, only, all are usually wrong because passages rarely claim that much. For sequencing, find the opening sentence — the one with no pronoun and no back-reference — then chain by pronouns and connectives.
No it/this/such, and it introduces the subject by name. Narrative sequencing always starts here.
Pronouns to their antecedents, and on however / then / finally.
a-, dis-, mis-, un- negate; bene-, eu- are positive. Enough to get the sign of an unfamiliar word.
Where marks are lost
Idioms are not literal and are not negotiable — let the cat out of the bag, a shot in the arm, on the cards. If you do not know one, do not reason it out word by word; use the sentence's tone instead.
even true ones