3.3 Essential English Grammar & Sentence Structure

Essential English Grammar & Sentence Structure

The Verbal Reasoning section of the NTS GAT General includes a substantial proportion of questions testing core English grammar, syntax, and sentence structure. These questions appear in two formats: Sentence Correction (selecting the grammatically correct version of a sentence) and Error Identification (identifying the underlined portion of a sentence that violates standard written English). Mastering the underlying grammar rules is the most predictable way to boost your verbal score on the GAT.

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1. Domain 1: Subject-Verb Agreement Dynamics

A verb must always agree in number (singular or plural) with its true grammatical subject. Test writers obscure this relationship by placing intervening phrases between the subject and the verb.

Critical Sub-Rules

1. Intervening Prepositional Phrases: Words coming between the subject and verb (such as along with, as well as, in addition to, or of) do not alter the subject's number.
   • ❌ Incorrect: The stack of confidential financial documents were misplaced by the auditor.
   • ✅ Correct: The stack [singular subject] of confidential financial documents was misplaced by the auditor.
2. Compound Subjects with Correlative Conjunctions: When subjects are joined by either... or, neither... nor, or not only... but also, the verb agrees with the subject closest to the verb.
   • ❌ Incorrect: Neither the chief executive nor the department directors was present at the press conference.
   • ✅ Correct: Neither the chief executive nor the department directors [plural noun closest to verb] were present at the press conference.
3. Indefinite Pronouns: Pronouns such as everyone, body, each, neither, either, someone, and anyone are grammatically singular and require singular verbs.
   • ❌ Incorrect: Each of the research candidates have submitted their final dissertation.
   • ✅ Correct: Each [singular pronoun] of the research candidates has submitted his or her final dissertation.

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2. Domain 2: Pronoun-Antecedent Agreement & Ambiguity

Pronouns must agree with their antecedents (the nouns they replace) in number, person, and gender. Furthermore, every pronoun must refer to a clear, unambiguous antecedent.

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3. Domain 3: Tense Consistency & Sequence of Tenses

Verb tenses establish temporal order. Sentences should maintain tense consistency unless a clear shift in time is intended.

The Past Perfect Tense Rule

When two events occurred in the past at different times, use the Past Perfect tense (had + past participle) for the earlier event, and the Simple Past tense for the later event.

• ❌ Incorrect: By the time the inspector arrived at the facility, the production team left.
• ✅ Correct: By the time the inspector arrived [later past event] at the facility, the production team had left [earlier past event].

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4. Domain 4: Misplaced & Dangling Modifiers

Modifiers are words or phrases that describe other elements in a sentence. A modifier must be placed as close as possible to the noun it modifies.

Dangling Participial Phrases

An introductory participial phrase (a phrase starting with a verb ending in -ing or -ed) must modify the exact noun following the comma.

• ❌ Incorrect: Having completed the comprehensive financial audit, the tax report was submitted to the board by the accountant. (Dangling modifier: Implies the tax report completed the audit).
• ✅ Correct: Having completed the comprehensive financial audit, the accountant submitted the tax report to the board.

Misplaced Adverbs

Words like only, nearly, almost, and barely must sit directly adjacent to the word they modify.

• ❌ Incorrect: The firm only earned $1,000 in the first quarter. (Implies they did nothing else except earn).
• ✅ Correct: The firm earned only $1,000 in the first quarter. (Correctly modifies the dollar amount).

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5. Domain 5: Parallelism & Correlative Structures

Parallelism requires that balanced elements in a sentence share the same grammatical form (e.g., matching all gerunds, all infinitives, or all noun phrases).

                    [Parallel Structural Patterns]
                                  │
       ┌──────────────────────────┼──────────────────────────┐
       ▼                          ▼                          ▼
  [Series Lists]        [Correlative Pairs]          [Comparisons]
 (Nouns with Nouns,    (not only X... but also Y,   (prefer X to Y, 
Gerunds with Gerunds)   either X... or Y)          rather than X...) 

Parallel Examples

• ❌ Incorrect: The manager expects employees to arrive on time, working efficiently, and to submit reports promptly.
• ✅ Correct: The manager expects employees to arrive on time, to work efficiently, and to submit reports promptly. (Parallel infinitives).
• ❌ Incorrect: The executive was not only praised for her leadership but also for her innovation.
• ✅ Correct: The executive was praised not only for her leadership but also for her innovation. (Parallel prepositional phrases).

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6. Domain 6: Idiomatic Prepositions & Fixed Usage

NTS GAT General tests standard English idioms, particularly verb-preposition and adjective-preposition combinations. Arbitrary substitution of prepositions is a frequent error point.

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7. Systematic Grammar Checklist for Error Detection

When attempting GAT error detection or sentence correction items, run through this 5-point checklist systematically:

1. Locate the Main Verb & Subject: Strip away prepositional phrases. Does singular match singular, plural match plural?
2. Check Introductory Phrases: If the sentence starts with an -ing or -ed phrase, does the subject after the comma perform that action?
3. Inspect Conjunction Pairs: Are not only ... but also, either ... or, or neither ... nor followed by identical grammatical structures?
4. Verify Verb Tense Order: Are past events ordered correctly using past perfect (had done) where appropriate?
5. Confirm Prepositions: Does the verb or adjective pair with its standard idiomatic preposition (comply with, different from, accused of)?

By following this diagnostic checklist, you can rapidly pinpoint syntax errors and choose grammatically flawless solutions.