Important Rules Of English Grammar For SSC CGL
Here are 25 simple rules to help you avoid mistakes in English grammar for the competitive exams like SSC CGL, CHSL , Bank etc.
Rule 1 : Avoid using ‘so‘ , ‘thus‘ , ‘therefore‘ , ‘that’s why‘ , after ‘Since’, ‘As’, ‘Because’.
For e.g. Because he came late, so he missed the train. ×
Use, Because he came late, he missed the train. ✓
Rule 2 : Myself, Yourself, Himself, Themselves are Reflexive Pronouns.
In case of Intransitive verbs (i.e. where object is missing), Reflexive Pronouns are supposed to be used.
There are some particular ‘verbs’ that take ‘Reflexive Pronoun’ after them.
⇒ Hurt, cheat, introduce, present, absent, satisfy, lay etc.
For e.g. He enjoyed the party.
Here, no need to use Reflexive Pronoun as the object ( party) is present.
But, He enjoyed (verb) himself (Reflexive Pronoun) at the party. (Adverb of place)
Rule 3 : After words like ‘comparatively/Relatively’ use positive degree of adjective instead of Comparative one.
For e.g. The weather is comparatively hotter today. ×
Use, The weather is comparatively hot today. ✓
Rule 4 : After Superlative degree, Only, None, All, Use Relative pronoun ‘that’ instead of who/which.
For e.g. This is the best thing that she could do for me.
Rule 5 : Adjectives like ‘Unique’ excellent, perfect, major, extreme, universal, full, circular, whole, complete, appear to be of positive degree but are of superlative degree in meaning. Hence, avoid ‘using more or most’ before them.
For e.q. This is one of the most major operations. ×
This is one of the major operations is correct. ✓
Rule 6 : (i) Apostrophe(‘s) is not used with two continuous nouns.
For e.g. Rohan’s wife’s house ×
Instead Use, The house of Ram’s wife. ✓
(ii) Apostrophe (‘s) can be used with Anybody / somebody / Nobody / Anyone / Someone / No one / Everyone
For e.g. Everybody’s business is nobody’s business.
But in cases where ‘else’ is also used with anybody/
Somebody etc. Then use Apostrophe(‘s) with ‘else’ only,
For e.g. I like your decision and not anybody else’s.
(iii) Apostrophe(’s )is also used with ‘each other’ or ‘one another’.
For e.g. They like each other’s company.
Rule 7 : If ‘who’, ‘which’, or ‘that’ are used as a relative pronoun in a sentence, then ‘verb’ used after them depends on the number and person of their ‘antecedents’.
For e.g. The students who are here did well in the exam.
Rule 8 : There are some special nouns which remain unchanged in both singular and plural forms. Some of them are
(a) series, species, deer, sheep, fish (although we use ‘fishes’ too sometimes to imply their different races’.
(b) Name of some fishes like – Salmon, Turbot, Pike, Mackerel, Plaice etc.
(c) With headquarters, means, dozen, hundred, thousand, score, agenda, data etc.
Note:- If we use numeral adjectives like ‘a’, ‘one’, ‘two’ etc before nouns like dozen, hundred, thousand, then avoid using their plural form like dozens, hundreds or thousands, also don’t use ‘of’ after them.
For e.g. Two dozens eggs have been bought. ×
Two dozen of eggs have been bought. ×
Two dozen eggs have been bought. ✓
Rule 9 : A number of, A large number of, Large numbers of take Plural noun and Plural verb after them.
For e.g. A number of girls have passed.
But after ‘The number of’ we use Plural noun but singular verb.
For e.g. The number of buses is increasing.
Rule 10 : In sentences like Noun + Preposition + Noun.
i.e. if same kind of nouns are separated by a preposition, then both Nouns are always singular.
For e.g. (i) row upon row, (ii) day by day.
Women after women ×
Woman after Woman. ✓
Rule 11 : (i) In sports, while referring to the players, the name of the country is followed by plural verb.
Example- (a) England have won the World Cup.
(ii) When the word ENEMY is used in the sense ‘Armed forces’ of a nation with which one’s country is at war, we have to use the plural verb.
Example- (a) The enemy were forced to Retreat.
Rule 12 : Prepositions like On, At, In etc are not used before Today, Tomorrow, Yesterday, the following day, the next day, last night, this morning, this afternoon, Tonight, Tomorrow morning , Yesterday evening etc.
Example. (a) He will go there on tomorrow. ×
He will go there tomorrow. ✓
Rule 13 : ‘Majority’ can be singular or plural. If it is alone it is usually singular, if it is followed by a plural
noun, it is usually plural.
NOTE: Majority by itself is singular but when majority refers to a set of people it is plural.
Example- (a) A majority is always right.
(b) A majority of students are right.
Rule 14 : If we use article ‘A’ before Cardinal Adjectives (one, two, three) or use hyphen (-) after them, then the noun used after them is always Singular.
Example. A four man Committee, A five-day journey.
Rule 15 : Preposition ‘To’ is used after Verbs like Speak, Reply, Explain, Complain, Talk, Listen, Write if their object is a person.
Example. (a) He did not reply to me.
(b) She never writes to me.
Rule 16 : Early, Late, Before, Immediately, are always used at the end of a sentence but ‘Before’ and ‘Immediately’ on being used as a Conjunction can be used in the beginning of a sentence as well.
Example. (a) I shall meet him immediately. ✓
(b) Immediately the rains stops, we shall go out. ✓
Rule 17 : Uses of ‘That’
(a) For persons, lifeless things and small animals in the singular or in the plural number.
Example- (i) This is the girl that failed in the exam.
(ii) This is the Radio that I bought yesterday.
(b) As a substitute for a singular noun already mentioned.
Example- The weather of Hyderabad is far better than Chennai. ×
The weather of Hyderabad is far better than that of Chennai. ✓
Rule 18 : Adverbs ‘Away’, ‘Down’, ‘In’, ‘Off’, ‘Out’,’Over’,’Round’ etc. can be used before a verb.
Example. (a) Down fell a dozen pens.
(b) Round and round flew the plane.
Rule 19 : After ‘But’, ‘Except’, ‘Between’ and ‘Let’ the pronoun is used in the objective case.
Example– (a) Everyone laughed but I. ×
Everyone laughed but me. ✓
(b) None attended the meeting except he. ×
None attended the meeting except him. ✓
(c) Let we laugh away our sorrows. ×
Let us laugh away our sorrows. ✓
(d) This is between you and I. ×
This is between you and me. ✓
Rule 20 : Prepositions are not used before an Adverb
Example. He heard with patiently. ×
He heard patiently. ✓
Rule 21 : When any pronoun functions as the complement of the verb ‘to be’, it is always in the nominative case.
Example- (a) It is me who have to go. ×
It is I who have to go. ✓
(b) It is him who is to blame. ×
It is he who is to blame. ✓
Rule 22 : Article ‘The’ is not used before the object of the following Verbs
Elect, Select, Make, Become, Crown, Appoint etc.
Example.(a) In the meeting Sahil was selected the Chairman yesterday. ×
In the meeting Sahil was selected Chairman yesterday. ✓
Rule 23 : The use of ‘few’, ‘a few’’ and ‘the few’ should be used carefully. They denote ‘number’.
‘Few’ means ‘not many’, ‘almost nothing’. ‘A few’ is positive and means ‘some at least’. ‘The few’ means ‘whatever there is’.
(a) A few men are free from fault. ×
Few men are free from fault. ✓
(Here the sense is negative and thus ‘a few’ is wrong.)
(b) Few teams will qualify for the world cup. ×
Here the sense is positive and thus ‘few’ is incorrect.
(c) I have already read a few books that are in the library. ×
I have already read the few books that are in the library. ✓
Here the sense is ‘whatever there is’. ’everything that is in the library’.
Rule 24 : ‘Like‘ is used before a Noun or a Pronoun while ‘As’ is used before a Clause of Comparison.
Example. (a) She is as her mother. ×
She is like her mother ✓
Rule 25 : The Singular Countable Nouns used after ‘With’ or ‘Without’ take Indefinite Article i.e ‘A’ or ‘An’ before them.
Example- (a) I saw a thief with a bag.
(b) I always go to school without an umbrella.
Thank you and All the best!!
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