Okay, let's break down those important English grammar rules into super simple and

easy-to-understand language with clear examples. Think of these as common "traps" in

grammar questions that you can easily avoid!

Easy Grammar Rules for Your CET Exam 🎯

1. Subject-Verb Agreement (The "Who Does What" Rule)

This is about making sure the doing word (verb) matches the person/thing doing it
(subject). If the subject is one thing, the verb should be for one thing. If the subject is many
things, the verb should be for many things.
●​ Simple Example:
○​ One: The cat runs. (Cat = one, runs = one-verb)
○​ Many: The cats run. (Cats = many, run = many-verb)
●​ Common Trap 1: Words in between:
○​ Wrong: The box of pens are heavy. (The pens aren't heavy, the box is.)
○​ Right: The box of pens is heavy.
●​ Common Trap 2: Tricky Words (Everyone, Nobody):
○​ Wrong: Everyone in the class are happy.
○​ Right: Everyone in the class is happy. (Think of "everyone" as "every single one".)

2. Tenses (The "When It Happened" Rule)

Tenses tell you when an action took place: now, in the past, or in the future. The main thing
is to be consistent and use the right "time word."
●​ Simple Example:
○​ Present: I eat an apple every day.
○​ Past: I ate an apple yesterday.
○​ Future: I will eat an apple tomorrow.
●​ Common Trap: Mixing Past Actions:
○​ Wrong: When I reached home, my brother already finished his dinner. (Sounds like
he finished exactly when you arrived.)
 ○​ Right: When I reached home, my brother had already finished his dinner. (He
finished before you arrived – "had finished" shows an action completed before
another past action.)

3. Pronouns (The "Who or What You're Talking About" Rule)

Pronouns are small words that replace nouns (like he, she, it, they, him, her). They need to
match the noun they're replacing and be in the right "form."
●​ Simple Example:
○​ Matching: Rohan went to the market. He bought vegetables. (Rohan = he)
●​ Common Trap 1: "Who" vs. "Whom":
○​ Rule: Use who when it's the doer of the action (like "he" or "she"). Use whom when
it's the receiver of the action (like "him" or "her").
○​ Think: "Who loves him?" (He loves whom? So, Whom.) "Who loves he?" (He loves
who? So, Who.)
○​ Right: To whom did you give the book? (You gave the book to him.)
○​ Right: Who gave you the book? (He gave me the book.)
●​ Common Trap 2: Matching Number:
○​ Wrong: Every student should bring their own book. (Student = one, their = many)
○​ Right: Every student should bring his or her own book. (Or, in modern casual use,
"Every student should bring their own book" is becoming acceptable, but for formal
exams, stick to "his or her" or rephrase to "All students should bring their own
books.")

4. Articles (a, an, the) (The "Specific or Not" Rule)

These tiny words (a, an, the) tell us if you're talking about any one of something, or a specific
one.
●​ Simple Example:
○​ A/An (Any one): I want a banana. (Any banana)
○​ The (Specific): Please give me the banana on the table. (That specific banana)
●​ Common Trap 1: Vowel Sounds:
○​ Wrong: I saw a elephant.
○​ Right: I saw an elephant. (Because 'elephant' starts with a vowel sound.)
○​ Wrong: It was an unique experience.
○​ Right: It was a unique experience. (Because 'unique' starts with a 'y' sound, which is
a consonant sound, not a vowel sound.)
 ●​ Common Trap 2: General vs. Specific:
○​ Wrong: Water is important for the life. (Life is general.)
○​ Right: Water is important for life. (But: The water in this glass is cold. - Specific
water)

5. Prepositions (The "Where/When/How" Connection Rule)

Prepositions (like in, on, at, by, for, with) show relationships, often about place, time, or how
things connect.
●​ Simple Example:
○​ The book is on the table.
○​ I live in Mumbai.
○​ I wake up at 7 AM.
●​ Common Trap: Fixed Pairs: Some words always go with specific prepositions. You just
have to learn them.
○​ Wrong: I am good in drawing.
○​ Right: I am good at drawing.
○​ Wrong: He is afraid from dogs.
○​ Right: He is afraid of dogs.

6. Conjunctions (The "Joining Words" Rule)

Conjunctions (like and, but, or, so, because) connect words, phrases, or whole sentences.
●​ Simple Example:
○​ I like apples and bananas.
○​ He wanted to go, but he was sick.
●​ Common Trap: "Neither/Nor" & "Either/Or": These pairs must go together correctly.
○​ Wrong: He is neither tall or short.
○​ Right: He is neither tall nor short. (Neither goes with nor)

7. Adjectives and Adverbs (The "Describing Words" Rule)

●​ Adjectives describe nouns (people, places, things).

●​ Adverbs describe verbs (actions), adjectives, or other adverbs.
 ●​ Simple Example:
○​ She is a beautiful dancer. (Beautiful = adjective, describes dancer (noun))
○​ She dances beautifully. (Beautifully = adverb, describes dances (verb))
●​ Common Trap: Using an adjective where an adverb is needed.
○​ Wrong: He sings good. (Good is an adjective.)
○​ Right: He sings well. (Well is an adverb describing how he sings.)

8. Parallelism (The "Keep It Same" Rule)

When you list things or compare them, keep their grammatical form the same. It makes
sentences clear and balanced.
●​ Simple Example:
○​ Wrong: I love swimming, to read, and cycling. (Mixed forms: -ing, to-verb, -ing)
○​ Right: I love swimming, reading, and cycling. (All -ing forms)
○​ Right: I love to swim, to read, and to cycle. (All to-verb forms)

9. Modifiers (The "Close to What It Describes" Rule)

A modifier is a word or phrase that describes something else. Make sure it's placed right next
to what it's describing, or it can sound silly.
●​ Simple Example:
○​ Wrong (Misplaced): I saw a dog walking down the street with a red collar. (Makes
it sound like the street has a red collar.)
○​ Right: I saw a dog with a red collar walking down the street.
○​ Wrong (Dangling): Walking home, the house came into view. (Who was walking
home? The house?)
○​ Right: As I was walking home, the house came into view.

10. Basic Sentence Structure (The "Building Blocks" Rule)

Just know the basic parts of a sentence helps you identify errors.
●​ Nouns: Names of people, places, things (e.g., student, Mumbai, book).
●​ Verbs: Action words or state of being (e.g., run, is, think).
 ●​ Adjectives: Describe nouns (e.g., happy, blue, tall).
●​ Adverbs: Describe verbs, adjectives, or other adverbs (e.g., quickly, very, softly).

Practice is key! As you do mock tests and practice questions, try to spot which of these rules
is being tested. With just 9 days, focus on solving as many error-spotting and
sentence-correction questions as you can, keeping these simplified rules in mind.