TET DSC English Grammar Correction of Sentences Notes and Practice Test

Correction of Sentences is a high-weightage topic in the TG TET English Paper I and Paper II syllabus. Questions typically test core grammatical principles, subject-verb concord, prepositional usage, and tense consistency.

1. Subject-Verb Agreement (Concord)

• Singular Subject + Singular Verb; Plural Subject + Plural Verb
  • ❌ Incorrect: The quality of these mangoes are good.
  • ✔️ Correct: The quality of these mangoes is good. (Verb agrees with the subject 'quality', not 'mangoes')
• Parenthetical Phrases (as well as, along with, together with, with, in addition to)
  • The verb agrees strictly with the first subject.
  • ❌ Incorrect: The teacher, along with the students, are going on a trip.
  • ✔️ Correct: The teacher, along with the students, is going on a trip.
• Correlative Conjunctions (Either...or, Neither...nor, Not only...but also)
  • The verb agrees with the subject nearest to it.
  • ❌ Incorrect: Neither the teacher nor the students was present.
  • ✔️ Correct: Neither the teacher nor the students were present.
• Phrases of Quantity (One of / Each of / Either of / Neither of + Plural Noun)
  • Always takes a singular verb.
  • ❌ Incorrect: One of my friends are a doctor.
  • ✔️ Correct: One of my friends is a doctor.
• Indefinite Pronouns (Each, Every, Everyone, Somebody, Nobody, Anybody)
  • Always take singular verbs.
  • ❌ Incorrect: Everyone have submitted the assignment.
  • ✔️ Correct: Everyone has submitted the assignment.

2. Noun & Number Rules

Noun Category	Examples	Correct Usage Rule
Always Uncountable & Singular	Scenery, Furniture, Advice, Information, Luggage, Machinery, Hair, Poetry	Never add -s/-es; take singular verbs; do not take a/an directly.
Plural in Form, Singular in Meaning	Mathematics, Physics, Politics, Economics, News, Measles, Innings	Always take singular verbs (e.g., "Mathematics is interesting").
Singular in Form, Plural in Meaning	Cattle, Police, People, Gentry, Poultry, Clergy	Never add -s; always take plural verbs (e.g., "The cattle are grazing").
Paired Nouns (Always Plural)	Scissors, Trousers, Spectacles, Tongs, Pliers	Take plural verbs unless preceded by "A pair of" (e.g., "A pair of scissors was bought").

• ❌ Incorrect: The sceneries of Kashmir are beautiful.
• ✔️ Correct: The scenery of Kashmir is beautiful.
• ❌ Incorrect: He gave me many advices.
• ✔️ Correct: He gave me much advice (or: many pieces of advice).

3. Pronoun Usage & Sequence

• Order of Personal Pronouns:
  • Normal / Positive contexts: 2nd person \rightarrow 3rd person \rightarrow 1st person (2 - 3 - 1)
    • ✔️ Correct: You, he, and I will study together.
  • Confessions / Faults / Negative contexts: 1st person \rightarrow 2nd person \rightarrow 3rd person (1 - 2 - 3)
    • ✔️ Correct: I, you, and he are to blame.
• Indefinite Pronoun 'One':
  • Must be followed by one's, not his/her.
  • ❌ Incorrect: One must do his duty.
  • ✔️ Correct: One must do one's duty.
• Objective Case after Prepositions & Transitive Verbs:
  • ❌ Incorrect: Distribute these sweets between you and I.
  • ✔️ Correct: Distribute these sweets between you and me.

4. Preposition & Redundancy Pitfalls

• Latin Adjectives ending in -ior:
  • Take to, never than (senior to, junior to, superior to, inferior to, prior to, prefer/preferable to).
  • ❌ Incorrect: He is senior than me.
  • ✔️ Correct: He is senior to me.
  • ❌ Incorrect: I prefer tea than coffee.
  • ✔️ Correct: I prefer tea to coffee.
• Redundant Prepositions (Transitive Verbs):
  • Do not use prepositions after verbs like order, discuss, describe, reach, accompany, enter (a place), comprise.
  • ❌ Incorrect: She ordered for a cup of tea.
  • ✔️ Correct: She ordered a cup of tea.
  • ❌ Incorrect: We discussed about the problem.
  • ✔️ Correct: We discussed the problem.
• Since vs. For:
  • Since: Point of time (since 2010, since morning, since Monday).
  • For: Period of time (for 5 years, for two hours, for three days).
  • ❌ Incorrect: I have been waiting here since two hours.
  • ✔️ Correct: I have been waiting here for two hours.

5. Tense, Modals & Conditional Structures

• Auxiliary Verb + Base Verb (V_1):
  • After do, does, did, can, could, will, would, shall, should, may, might, must, always use V_1.
  • ❌ Incorrect: He did not wrote the exam.
  • ✔️ Correct: He did not write the exam.
• Stative Verbs (No Continuous / -ing form for perception/cognition):
  • Verbs: know, see, hear, taste, understand, believe, love, hate, remember.
  • ❌ Incorrect: I am knowing the answer.
  • ✔️ Correct: I know the answer.
• Conditional Sentences Checklist:

Condition Type	'If' Clause	Main Clause	Exam Example
Probable (Type 1)	Simple Present (V_1)	will/can/shall + V_1	If you work hard, you will pass.
Improbable (Type 2)	Simple Past (V_2 / were)	would/could + V_1	If I were a bird, I would fly.
Impossible Past (Type 3)	Past Perfect (had + V_3)	would/could + have + V_3	If he had studied, he would have cleared the exam.

• Correlative Pairs:
  • Scarcely / Hardly \rightarrow followed by when (not than).
  • No sooner \rightarrow followed by than (not when/then).
  • Lest \rightarrow followed by should (never takes 'not').
    • ❌ Incorrect: Walk carefully lest you may fall.
    • ✔️ Correct: Walk carefully lest you should fall.

6. TG TET Quick Revision Cheat Sheet

• Although / Though connects with a comma or yet (never but).
• Double comparatives/superlatives are strictly incorrect (e.g., more better ❌ \rightarrow better ✔️; most tallest ❌ \rightarrow tallest ✔️).
• As if / As though takes the subjunctive plural past were regardless of the subject (e.g., "He talks as if he were the boss").

• Words like unique, perfect, dead, round, complete express absolute states and do not take comparative or superlative modifiers (e.g., "most unique" ❌ \rightarrow "unique" ✔️).

Practice Test 

https://guruvu.co.in/tet/sentence_correction.php