2.1 English Grammar and Usage

Why Grammar and Usage Matters on the PUPCET

Language Proficiency — the combined English and Filipino portion — is the single largest area of the PUP College Entrance Test (PUPCET) at roughly 26% of the exam. Within the English half, grammar and usage questions are the most predictable item type: they test a small set of rules over and over. If you master the rules in this section, you can answer these items quickly and save time for reading comprehension and abstract reasoning.

Grammar items appear in three common formats:

• Error identification — a sentence has underlined or lettered parts, and you pick the part that contains the error (or "No error").
• Correct usage — you choose which of four sentences is grammatically correct.
• Fill-in-the-blank — you choose the verb, pronoun, or word pair that correctly completes a sentence.

Subject-Verb Agreement

The core rule: a verb agrees with its subject in number. Singular subject, singular verb; plural subject, plural verb. The PUPCET hides the real subject to trick you.

Trap 1: Intervening Phrases

Phrases beginning with of, with, together with, along with, as well as, and in addition to do not change the subject's number.

• The box of chocolates is on the table. (subject = box, singular)
• Maria, together with her classmates, was invited to the orientation. (subject = Maria)
• The players, as well as the coach, are inside the gym. (subject = players)

Cover the intervening phrase with your finger and read the sentence again — the correct verb becomes obvious.

Trap 2: Indefinite Pronouns

Memorize which indefinite pronouns are singular:

• Each of the contestants has a number. (not have)
• Neither of the answers is correct.
• Some of the rice is spoiled. but Some of the students are absent. (rice is uncountable/singular; students is plural)

Trap 3: Inverted Order and "There"

In sentences beginning with there or here, the subject comes after the verb.

• There are three reasons why Juan enrolled in the review class.
• Here is the list of passers.

Collective nouns (team, class, committee, family) are usually singular in Philippine usage tests: The team is practicing in Quezon City.

Verb Tenses and Sequence

Use consistent tenses. When two past actions occur, use the past perfect (had + past participle) for the action that happened first.

• By the time the proctor arrived, the examinees had taken their seats.
• After Aling Nena had cooked dinner, the family ate together.

Other high-yield rules:

• Present perfect (has/have + past participle) links past to now: I have lived in Davao since 2019.
• Do not shift tenses mid-sentence without a time signal: wrong: She opens the door and greeted the visitors. right: She opened the door and greeted the visitors.
• After did/didn't, use the base form: He didn't go to school (not didn't went).

Pronoun Case and Antecedents

• Subject pronouns (I, he, she, they, who) do the action; object pronouns (me, him, her, them, whom) receive it.
• Between you and me, not between you and I — prepositions take object pronouns.
• Who is calling? (subject) versus Whom did you call? (object). Quick test: if he fits, use who; if him fits, use whom.
• A pronoun must agree with its antecedent: Every student must bring his or her ePermit (or rephrase: All students must bring their ePermits).

Misplaced and Dangling Modifiers

A modifier must sit beside the word it describes. An introductory phrase must describe the subject right after the comma.

• Wrong: Walking to the campus, the rain soaked Miguel. (the rain was not walking)
• Right: Walking to the campus, Miguel was soaked by the rain.
• Wrong: She almost reviewed all her notes. (she reviewed none of them? unclear) Right: She reviewed almost all her notes.

Prepositions, Articles, and Confused Words

Articles: use a before consonant sounds, an before vowel sounds (an hour, a university), and the for specific things. Common preposition pairs tested: different from (not than), listen to, married to, angry with a person, good at math.

Worked Error-Identification Examples

Example 1. The principal, together with the teachers, (A) were (B) attending (C) the seminar in Manila.

Step 1: Find the true subject — the principal (singular). The phrase together with the teachers does not make it plural. Step 2: The verb were is plural, so part (A) is the error; it should be was.

Example 2. Each of the Grade 12 students (A) have (B) submitted (C) their report cards.

Each is always singular, so (A) should be has. (Note: in strict grammar, their would also be his or her, but the tested error here is have.)

Example 3. Running down the hallway, (A) Miguel's test permit (B) fell (C) out of his pocket.

The introductory phrase Running down the hallway must describe the subject after the comma — but a permit cannot run. Part (A) is a dangling modifier; correct version: Running down the hallway, Miguel dropped his test permit.

Typical PUPCET Grammar Traps

• Distractor nouns: A plural noun placed right before the verb (*The quality of the mangoes is/are) — agree with quality, not mangoes.
• Compound subjects with or/nor: the verb agrees with the nearer subject — Neither the teacher nor the students were late.
• Words between subject and verb: The examinee who answered the questions quickly was/were praised.
• Fake possessives: it's is never possessive; if you can expand to it is, use it's, otherwise its.
• Double negatives: I don't know nothing should be I don't know anything.

Exam Tips

1. On error-identification items, locate the subject and verb first — agreement errors are the most common.
2. Read each option aloud in your head; your ear catches many tense and pronoun errors.
3. When two options look correct, check for the modifier rule — dangling modifiers are a frequent second error.
4. Do not spend more than 30–45 seconds per grammar item; mark and move on, then return if time permits.