English Grammar for Job Tests: Tenses, Articles, Prepositions and Common Errors
English carries marks in almost every written test for government jobs in Pakistan, from Junior Clerk to Lecturer and CSS. The questions are usually short MCQs: fill in the blank, choose the correct form, spot the error, or pick the right word. The good news is that the same rules are tested again and again. This guide covers the rules that give the most marks for the least effort.
1. Tenses: know the time and the form
Most "fill in the blank" questions test whether the verb matches the time clue in the sentence.
| Clue in the sentence | Tense to use | Example |
|---|---|---|
| every day, always, usually | Present simple | She goes to office by bus. |
| now, at the moment | Present continuous | He is writing an application. |
| since, for, already, just, yet | Present perfect | I have lived here since 2015. |
| yesterday, ago, last year | Past simple | They sat the test last month. |
| by the time, before (two past actions) | Past perfect | The test had started before he arrived. |
| tomorrow, next week | Future simple | I will submit the form tomorrow. |
Tip: "since" is followed by a point in time (since 2020, since Monday), and "for" by a length of time (for two years, for five days).
2. Articles: a, an, the
- Use a before a consonant sound and an before a vowel sound: an hour, an honest man, but a university, a one-rupee note.
- Use the for something specific or unique: the sun, the Constitution, the best student.
- Do not use an article before names of languages, meals, most countries or general plural ideas: She speaks English, We had lunch.
3. Prepositions that appear again and again
| Word | Correct preposition |
|---|---|
| Interested | in |
| Good / weak | at |
| Afraid / proud / fond | of |
| Different | from |
| Depend / rely | on |
| Prefer (one) to (another) | to |
| Married | to |
| Participate | in |
| Congratulate (someone) | on |
| Wait | for |
4. Subject and verb agreement
- A singular subject takes a singular verb: The list of candidates is ready. (The subject is "list", not "candidates".)
- Words like each, every, either, neither, everyone, nobody take a singular verb.
- With either...or and neither...nor, the verb agrees with the noun nearest to it.
- Words like news, mathematics, physics look plural but are singular.
5. Common errors in "spot the mistake"
- Double comparison: "more better" is wrong; say "better".
- Wrong pronoun case: "Between you and me" (not "I").
- Uncountable nouns: advice, information, furniture, luggage and knowledge take no "s": "He gave me some advice", not "advices".
- Using "much" and "many" wrongly: many with countable nouns (many books), much with uncountable (much water).
- Few / a few / the few and little / a little: "few" means almost none, "a few" means some.
6. Vocabulary: synonyms, antonyms, one-word substitutes
Learn five new words every day in a small notebook with the meaning and one sentence. Revise old words every weekend. Roots help: benevolent (kind) and malevolent (unkind) share the same root "-volent", with bene- meaning good and mal- meaning bad.
A 3-week plan
- Week 1: tenses and subject-verb agreement, 30 MCQs a day.
- Week 2: articles, prepositions and error spotting.
- Week 3: vocabulary, idioms and two full English past-paper sections under a timer.
Write your mistakes in a notebook. After a month the same mistakes will stop appearing in your practice tests, and that is the sign you are ready.