1. Subject-Verb Agreement ✍️

One of the most commonly tested grammar concepts. The verb must agree with its subject in number!

Basic Rules

Rule	Correct	Incorrect
Singular subject = singular verb	The dog runs fast.	The dog run fast.
Plural subject = plural verb	The dogs run fast.	The dogs runs fast.
Ignore words between subject and verb	The box of apples IS heavy.	The box of apples ARE heavy.
Compound subjects with "and" = plural	Juan and Maria ARE friends.	Juan and Maria IS friends.

Tricky Subject-Verb Agreement Cases

Always Singular

Each, Every, Either, Neither
Anyone, Everyone, Someone, Nobody
News, Mathematics, Physics
The number of...

Always Plural

Both, Few, Many, Several
Scissors, Pants, Glasses
A number of...

Either...Or / Neither...Nor Rule

Verb agrees with the subject CLOSEST to it.

Either the students or the teacher IS coming. (teacher is closer)
Neither the teacher nor the students ARE coming. (students is closer)

2. Verb Tenses ⏰

Using the correct tense is crucial. Know when to use each one!

Tense Overview

Tense	When to Use	Example
Simple Present	Habits, facts, general truths	She studies every day.
Present Progressive	Happening right now	She is studying now.
Simple Past	Completed past actions	She studied yesterday.
Past Progressive	Ongoing past action	She was studying when I called.
Present Perfect	Past action with present relevance	She has studied for 3 hours.
Past Perfect	Action before another past action	She had studied before she slept.
Future	Actions that will happen	She will study tomorrow.

Tense Consistency

Important Rule!

Keep the same tense within a sentence or paragraph unless there's a logical reason to shift.

Wrong: She went to the store and buys milk.

Right: She went to the store and bought milk.

3. Prepositions 📍

Small words, big impact! Prepositions show relationships between words.

Common Preposition Rules

Time

AT: specific time (at 3pm)
ON: days/dates (on Monday)
IN: months/years (in June)

Place

AT: specific point (at the door)
ON: surfaces (on the table)
IN: enclosed spaces (in the box)

Movement

TO: direction (go to school)
INTO: entering (walk into room)
FROM: origin (come from Manila)

Commonly Confused Prepositions

Arrive AT a place / Arrive IN a city/country
Different FROM (not "different than")
Interested IN (not "interested on")
Consists OF (not "consists with")
Depends ON (not "depends to")

4. Sentence Completion & Vocabulary 📝

Choose the best word to complete sentences. Context clues are your friends!

Strategy for Sentence Completion

Read the entire sentence first
Look for context clues (words that hint at meaning)
Predict what word should fit before looking at choices
Check if the word has positive or negative connotation
Eliminate obviously wrong choices

Signal Words

Same Direction (Support)

and, also, moreover, furthermore, similarly, likewise, in addition

These indicate the blank should match the tone/meaning nearby

Opposite Direction (Contrast)

but, however, although, despite, yet, nevertheless, on the other hand

These indicate the blank should be opposite to something nearby

Commonly Confused Words

Word 1	Word 2	Difference
affect (verb)	effect (noun)	affect = influence; effect = result
their	there / they're	their = possessive; there = place; they're = they are
its	it's	its = possessive; it's = it is
than	then	than = comparison; then = time/sequence
principal	principle	principal = head/main; principle = belief/rule

5. Idioms & Expressions 💬

Common English phrases that don't mean what they literally say.

Common Idioms

Idiom	Meaning
Break the ice	Start a conversation in an uncomfortable situation
Hit the nail on the head	Describe exactly what is causing a situation
Under the weather	Feeling sick
Piece of cake	Very easy
Cost an arm and a leg	Very expensive
Once in a blue moon	Very rarely
Bite off more than you can chew	Take on too much responsibility

6. DLSUCET English Tips & Practice 🎯

Exam Strategies

Read Regularly: Build vocabulary naturally through reading
Practice Grammar Drills: Focus on SVA and tenses
Use Context Clues: Let surrounding words guide you
Trust Your Ear: If it sounds wrong, it probably is
Eliminate Wrong Answers: Narrow down before guessing

Practice Questions

Q1: "The team of players (is/are) ready for the game."

Answer: is - "team" is singular (ignore "of players")

Q2: "By the time she arrived, the movie already (started/had started)."

Answer: had started - past perfect (action before another past action)

Q3: "She is very interested (in/on/at) learning new languages."

Answer: in - "interested in" is the correct preposition

Q4: "Neither the students nor the teacher (was/were) aware of the schedule change."

Answer: was - verb agrees with closest subject "teacher" (singular)

Language Proficiency