English Grammar section of CDS exam is a tricky part that can be solved in a minimum time if you have clarity about the basics English grammar rules. Many of my friend are afraid of this subject, i don’t know why? I personally feel this is the section where an average student can score up to 90% of marks.
As you start analyzing the past 10 Years CDS Previous Years question papers, you will find some English grammar rules that are continuously repeating in each year with different questions. These are the concepts that can help you to score full marks in the grammar section. So, the main purpose of writing this post, is to collect all these repetitive English Grammar Concepts from the last year papers and compile in this single post.
let’s learn these concepts one by one and understand with the help of examples.
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Important English Grammar Rules for CDS 2023
Rule 01. Some nouns always take a singular verb. Scenery, advice, information, machinery, stationery, furniture, abuse, fuel, rice, gram, issue, bedding, repair, news, mischief, poetry, business, economics, physics, mathematics, classic, ethics, athletics, innings, gallows.
Example: –
- The scenery of Kashmir are enchanting. (Correct use – is)
- He has given advices. (Correct use – advice)
Rule 02. Some nouns are always used in a plural form and always take a plural verb. Trousers, scissors, spectacles, stockings, shorts, measles, goods, alms, premises, thanks, tidings, annals, chattels, etc.
Example: –
- Where is my trousers? (correct use – are)
- Spectacles is a costly item. (correct use – are)
Rule 03. Collective nouns such as jury, public, team, committee, government, audience, orchestra, company, etc. are used both as singular and Plural. It depends on the usage.
Example: –
- The jury was divided in their opinion. (correct use – were)
- The team have not arrived yet. (correct use – has)
Rule 04. ‘Who’ denotes the subject and ‘whom’ is used for the object!
- Who: It’s the subject of a verb — e.g., Who gave you that book?
- It’s a predicate nominative (a noun in the predicate that renames or refers to the sentence’s subject) — e.g., This is who I am.
- Whom is an objective pronoun, which is a pronoun that receives the action of a verb. It also has two main uses: It is the object of a verb — e.g., Whom should I call?
- It is the object of a preposition — e.g., From whom did you get this information?
Rule 05. “Many a” is always followed by the singular verb.
Example: –
- Many a student were drowned in the river. (Incorrect)
Many a student was drowned in the river. (Correct)
Rule 06. When ‘as well as’, ‘along with’, together with’, ‘no less than’, ‘in addition to’ and ‘not’ and ‘with’ join two subjects, the verb will be used according to the first subject.
Example: –
- Ram, as well as his five friends, are going. (Incorrect)
Ram, as well as his five friends, is going. (Correct) - The teacher, along with the students, were dancing. (Incorrect)
The teacher, along with the students, was going. (Correct)
Rule 07. When two or more singular nouns are joined by ‘AND’ the Pronoun for them always in the plural number.
Example: –
- Mohan and Sohan have lost his books. (Incorrect)
Mohan and Sohan have lost their books. (Correct)
Rule 08. When two or more singular nouns joined by ‘AND’ are preceded by ‘EACH’ and ‘EVERY’ the pronoun must be singular.
Example: –
- Every student and every teacher took his or her seat.
- Each of Ram and Shyam has done his work.
- Each man and each boy in the party has got his share.
Rule 09. When a singular noun and a plural noun are combined by ‘OR’, ‘EITHER- OR ‘NEITHER- NOR, the singular noun usually comes first in the sentence and the pronoun must be in the plural number.
Example: –
- Either the manager or his subordinates failed in their duty in sending the official message.
Rule 10. When two or more singular nouns are joined by Either-Or, neither-nor, the pronoun is always in the singular
Example: –
- Ram or Mohan should invest his money in some business.
- Neither Ram nor Shyam confessed his guilt Either Sita or Kamla forgot to take her prize.
Rule 11. Either or neither are always used in relation to two things or two persons, for more than two ‘ANY’, or ‘NONE’ must be used.
Example: –
- Either of the two girls can pay for it. Neither of the two brothers has been selected.
- Any one of the employees can claim it.
- None of the students of this class has passed.
Rule 12. Scarcely’ and ‘Hardly’ are followed by ‘WHEN’ and not by ‘THAN’.
Example: –
- I had Scarcely entered the room WHEN the phone rang.
- Hardly had he seen his father when he stopped smoking.
- Scarcely had he entered the room when the light came.
- Hardly had he reached the school when it began to rain.
Rule 13. ‘Though’ is followed by ‘yet’ and not by ‘but’.
Example: –
- Though he is poor but he is honest (Incorrect)
Though he is poor, yet he is honest. (Correct) - Although he is rich yet he is miser.
- Though he is lame yet he can walk fast.
Rule 14. ‘No sooner’ is followed by ‘than’.
Example: –
- No sooner had I entered the class than the students stood up.
- No Sooner did I step out than it started raining.
- No Sooner did I see my father than I stop smoking.
- No Sooner had I reached the station than the train departed.
Rule 15. ‘Lest’ must be followed by ‘should’.
Example: –
- Read regularly lest you will fail. (Incorrect)
Read regularly lest you should fail. (Correct) - Run with care lest you should fall.
Rule 16. ‘Such’ is followed by ‘As’.
Example: –
- Such a boy as I know is at the party.
- He is Such a writer as everybody should read his books.
Rule 17. ‘UNLESS’ expresses a condition, It is always used in the negative sense. Thus ‘NOT’ is never used with ‘unless’.
Example: –
- Unless you do not labor hard, you will not pass. (Incorrect)
Unless you labor hard you will not pass. (Correct)
Rule 18. ‘Until’ expresses time. It has a negative sense and thus ‘not’ should never be used with it.
Example: –
- Wait here until I do not return. (Incorrect)
Wait here until I Return. (Correct)
Rule 19. ‘Since’ indicates a point of time and ‘for’ stands for the length of time.
Example: –
- He had been reading the book for two hours.
- It has been raining since Monday last.
Rule 20. ‘As if’ is used to convey the sense of pretension. When ‘as if’ is used in this sense, ‘WERE’ is used in all cases, Even with third-person singular.
Example: –
- He behaves as if he was king. (Incorrect)
He behaves as if he were a king. (Correct)
Rule 21. ‘BOTH’ is followed by ‘AND’ not (as well as, but)
Example: – Ram is both tall and handsome.
Rule 22. Use of (Since, Because, For, As)
Example: –
- It has been a year since I saw him.
- Since he is my father, I respect him.
- I respect him because he is my father.
- As he is my neighbour, I respect him As he was not feeling well, he did not eat anything
Rule 23. Tense
- Present Tense
| 》 Forms of Tenses | 》 Structures | 》 Examples |
| 1. Simple | Subject + V1 + Object | He drives a Car. |
| 2. Progressive | Subject + is/am/are + V4/Ving + Object | He is driving a Car. |
| 3. Perfect | Subject + has/have + V3 + Object | He has driven a Car. |
| 4. Perfect Progressive | Subject + has/have + been + V4/Ving + Object | He has been driving a Car. |
- Past Tense
| 》 Forms of Tenses | 》 Structures | 》 Examples |
| 1. Simple | Subject + V2 + Object | He drove a Car. |
| 2. Progressive | Subject + was/were + V4/Ving + Object | He was driving a Car. |
| 3. Perfect | Subject + had + V3 + Object | He had driven a Car. |
| 4. Perfect Progressive | Subject + had + been + V4/Ving + Object | He had been driving a Car. |
- Future Tense
| 》 Forms of Tenses | 》 Structures | 》 Examples |
| 1. Simple | Subject + will + V1 + Object | He will drive a Car. |
| 2. Progressive | Subject + will be + V4/Ving + Object | He will be driving a Car. |
| 3. Perfect | Subject + will have + V3 + Object | He will have driven a Car. |
| 4. Perfect Progressive | Subject + will have + been + V4/Ving + Object | He will have been driving a Car. |
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