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Improve your English grammar, vocabulary, comprehension and exam-solving skills through structured lessons and practice — for TSPSC, APPSC, Telangana Police, AP Police, SSC, UPSC, banking, railway and other State and Central government exams.
English is a core section in TSPSC, APPSC, SSC, UPSC, banking, railway and police exams, testing grammar, vocabulary and comprehension. It rewards steady practice: learn a rule, see it in worked examples, then spot it in fresh sentences.
Detailed pages for each topic are being added progressively — the most exam-critical ones (Tenses, Articles, Prepositions, Subject-Verb Agreement, Voice, Narration) are covered below and linked to full lessons with worked examples from real papers.
| Tense | Structure | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Simple Present | Subject + V1 (+s/es) | He reads a book. |
| Present Continuous | is/am/are + V-ing | He is reading a book. |
| Present Perfect | has/have + V3 | He has read the book. |
| Simple Past | V2 | He read the book. |
| Past Continuous | was/were + V-ing | He was reading the book. |
| Past Perfect | had + V3 | He had read the book. |
| Simple Future | will/shall + V1 | He will read the book. |
| Future Continuous | will be + V-ing | He will be reading the book. |
| Future Perfect | will have + V3 | He will have read the book. |
The choice depends on the sound the next word starts with, not the letter.
a before a consonant sound — a book, a university (yoo- sound), a one-rupee note (wun- sound)
an before a vowel sound — an apple, an hour (silent h), an MLA (em- sound)
The is used for specific, already-identified things; no article ("zero article") is used before plural/uncountable nouns in a general sense ("Milk is nutritious") and before most proper nouns.
| Word | Preposition | Example |
|---|---|---|
| superior, inferior, senior, junior | to (never "than") | senior to me |
| prefer | to | prefer tea to coffee |
| afraid, fond, capable | of | afraid of the dark |
| good, bad | at | good at mathematics |
| married, related | to | married to her |
| angry | with (a person) / about (a situation) | angry with him |
Prepositions of time and place are learned as fixed pairs — in a month/year, on a date/day, at a precise time; in a large area, at a point, on a surface.
Structure: Object + correct form of "be" (matching the original tense and the new subject's number) + past participle + "by" + subject.
Active: "The teacher teaches the students." → Passive: "The students are taught by the teacher."
Modal verbs: modal + be + past participle — "You must complete the work" → "The work must be completed by you."
Imperative sentences: "Close the door" → "Let the door be closed."
Converting direct speech to indirect changes four things, in this order:
1. Reporting verb: "said" (no object) becomes "told" when an object is present — "He said to me" becomes "He told me".
2. Pronouns: first person changes to match the subject of the reporting verb; second person changes to match its object; third person is unchanged.
3. Tense (backshift): simple present → simple past; present continuous → past continuous; present perfect → past perfect (only when the reporting verb is in the past tense).
4. Time/place words: now → then, today → that day, tomorrow → the next day, here → there, this → that.
Example — Direct: She said, "I will call you tomorrow." Indirect: She said that she would call me the next day.
Vocabulary is best learned in small, revisited batches rather than long lists memorised once. The sections below give a working set of exam-relevant words to start with, with full lists and search on dedicated pages coming later.
| Word | Meaning | Synonym | Antonym |
|---|---|---|---|
| Abundant | existing in large quantities | Plentiful | Scarce |
| Benevolent | kind and generous | Charitable | Malevolent |
| Candid | truthful and direct | Frank | Evasive |
| Diligent | hardworking and careful | Industrious | Lazy |
| Frugal | careful with money/resources | Thrifty | Extravagant |
| Genuine | real, not fake | Authentic | Fake |
| Obsolete | no longer in use | Outdated | Modern |
| Trivial | of little importance | Insignificant | Significant |
| Phrase | One Word |
|---|---|
| A person who loves and helps mankind | Philanthropist |
| A person who hates mankind | Misanthrope |
| A lover of books | Bibliophile |
| One who can use both hands equally well | Ambidextrous |
| One who knows everything | Omniscient |
| An animal that eats only plants | Herbivorous |
| An animal that eats only flesh | Carnivorous |
| The story of one's own life, written by oneself | Autobiography |
| A person who travels on foot | Pedestrian |
| Government by the people | Democracy |
| Idiom | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Break the ice | To start a conversation in a social setting |
| Once in a blue moon | Very rarely |
| Bite the bullet | To face a difficult situation bravely |
| A piece of cake | Something very easy |
| Hit the sack | To go to sleep |
| Under the weather | Feeling slightly unwell |
| Burn the midnight oil | To work or study late into the night |
| Add fuel to the fire | To make an already bad situation worse |
| Incorrect | Correct |
|---|---|
| Recieve | Receive |
| Definately | Definitely |
| Seperate | Separate |
| Occured | Occurred |
| Accomodate | Accommodate |
| Embarass | Embarrass |
| Neccessary | Necessary |
Some words have equally valid British and American spellings (colour/color, organise/organize) — these are regional variants, not errors, so exam answer keys generally accept the spelling used consistently within the paper.
Each of the students have submitted their assignment.
Error: "have" should be "has".
Rule: "Each of" always takes a singular verb, regardless of the plural noun that follows.
Correct: Each of the students has submitted their assignment.
She is one of the most talented singer in the college.
Error: "singer" should be "singers".
Rule: "One of the + superlative" is always followed by a plural noun.
Correct: She is one of the most talented singers in the college.
Select the grammatically correct sentence.
(A) Each of the boys were given a prize.
(B) Each of the boys was given a prize.
(C) Each of the boy was given a prize.
(D) Each of the boys was giving a prize.
Correct answer: (B)
Explanation: "Each of" takes a singular verb ("was"), and the noun after "of" must be plural ("boys") since it refers to more than one boy individually.
What is the main idea of the passage?
(A) Bees are dangerous insects
(B) Bees are essential pollinators whose decline threatens food security
(C) Pesticides are beneficial for bees
(D) All crops depend entirely on bees
Correct answer: (B)
In the passage, the word "sharply" is closest in meaning to:
(A) gradually (B) steeply (C) painfully (D) rarely
Correct answer: (B) steeply
Additional question formats that appear in exams, with the core solving approach for each. Dedicated practice pages for these are planned as future additions.
Look for the grammatical or contextual clue (a preposition, a tense signal, a linking word) that fixes exactly one correct option.
Read the whole passage once before attempting any blank — later sentences often clarify what an earlier blank should be.
Find the opening sentence first (it introduces the subject with no back-reference), then follow pronouns and linking words to chain the rest.
The same logic as para jumbles, applied to reordering word-groups within a single sentence instead of whole sentences.
Choose the option that is both grammatically correct and reads most naturally — "No improvement" is a valid answer when the original sentence has no error.
A short daily set (vocabulary, grammar, error detection and a short passage) is planned for this hub. Meanwhile, use Practice Questions and Quick Revision below for daily practice.
| Incorrect | Correct | Rule |
|---|---|---|
| He don't like tea. | He doesn't like tea. | Third person singular (he/she/it) takes "doesn't", not "don't". |
| I have went to the market. | I have gone to the market. | Present perfect uses the past participle ("gone"), not the past tense ("went"), after "have". |
| Neither of the answers are correct. | Neither of the answers is correct. | "Neither/Either of" takes a singular verb. |
| She is married with a doctor. | She is married to a doctor. | The correct preposition after "married" is "to", not "with". |
| He is senior than me. | He is senior to me. | "Senior/junior/prior" take "to" — they are not true comparatives. |
| Please revert back to me. | Please revert to me. | "Revert" already means "to go back", so "back" is redundant. |
| I am agree with you. | I agree with you. | "Agree" is a verb, not an adjective — it needs no "am/is/are" before it. |
| Let's discuss about the topic. | Let's discuss the topic. | "Discuss" already means "talk about" — adding "about" is redundant. |
Practise questions covering Grammar, Vocabulary, Error Detection, Sentence Correction and Reading Comprehension.
Practice English Questions →Practise English in the pattern commonly followed by these examinations. CompeteBits does not claim a question came from a specific official examination unless the source is verified. For verified, question-by-question previous year papers with worked solutions, see Previous Papers and the Study Materials English pages linked above.
Quick-access cards for last-minute revision.
The most important topics are Grammar (Tenses, Articles, Prepositions, Subject-Verb Agreement, Active-Passive Voice, Narration), Vocabulary (Synonyms, Antonyms, One-Word Substitution, Idioms), Error Detection, Sentence Correction and Reading Comprehension.
Learn one grammar rule at a time, study its structure and signal words, work through solved examples, then practise fresh sentences until you can spot the rule instantly.
Learn words in small daily batches with their meaning and an example sentence, revise them regularly with the Quick Revision cards, and read short passages to see words used in context.
SSC exams test Grammar, Vocabulary, Error Detection, Sentence Correction, Cloze Test, Para Jumbles and Reading Comprehension. Practise topic-wise, then attempt full mock tests under time pressure.
Banking exams emphasise Error Detection, Sentence Improvement, Cloze Test and Reading Comprehension, usually at a higher difficulty than SSC, with more emphasis on vocabulary in context.
TSPSC and APPSC General Studies papers test core grammar (Tenses, Articles, Prepositions, Subject-Verb Agreement) and basic vocabulary, usually at a foundational to moderate difficulty level.
Tenses, Subject-Verb Agreement, Articles, Prepositions, Active-Passive Voice and Direct-Indirect Speech (Narration) are tested most frequently across competitive exams.
Read the passage once fully before looking at the questions, note the main idea and tone, and answer fact-based questions by locating the relevant sentence rather than relying on memory.
You can practice English multiple-choice questions on CompeteBits, covering Grammar, Vocabulary, Error Detection, Sentence Correction and Reading Comprehension.
You can attempt a timed English mock test on CompeteBits with instant scoring and correct/wrong answers.