1. Parts of Speech - Ang Building Blocks ng English 🧱

Understanding parts of speech is fundamental. Every word in English belongs to a category:

Part of Speech	Function	Examples	Common Mistakes
Noun	Names person, place, thing, idea	Manila, student, freedom	Plural forms (children, teeth)
Pronoun	Replaces a noun	he, she, they, whom	Who vs whom, its vs it's
Verb	Shows action or state	runs, is, become	Irregular past tense (went, swam)
Adjective	Describes a noun	beautiful, smart, young	Comparative forms (better, not gooder)
Adverb	Modifies verb/adjective/adverb	quickly, very, well	Good vs well (He runs well, not good)
Preposition	Shows relationship	in, on, at, between	In vs on vs at for time/place
Conjunction	Connects words/clauses	and, but, because	So vs so that, but vs however
Interjection	Expresses emotion	Wow! Oops! Hey!	Overuse in formal writing

💡 PUPCET Tip: Parts of Speech in Context

The same word can be different parts of speech depending on use:

Run (verb): I run every day.
Run (noun): That was a good run.
Fast (adjective): He is a fast runner.
Fast (adverb): He runs fast.

2. Subject-Verb Agreement - Dapat Magkasundo! 🤝

Ang subject at verb dapat laging mag-agree in number (singular or plural):

Rule	Correct ✓	Incorrect ✗
Singular subject = singular verb	The student studies hard.	The student study hard.
Plural subject = plural verb	The students study hard.	The students studies hard.
Compound subject with AND	Rice and fish are common.	Rice and fish is common.
Either/Or - verb agrees with nearest	Either the boys or the girl is coming.	Either the boys or the girl are coming.
Collective nouns (team, family)	The team is ready.	The team are ready.
Indefinite pronouns (everyone, each)	Everyone has a pen.	Everyone have a pen.
Intervening phrases don't change subject	The book, along with the notes, is here.	The book, along with the notes, are here.

⚠️ Tricky Cases - Watch Out!

News, mathematics, physics = singular (News is important)
Scissors, pants, glasses = plural (The scissors are sharp)
None = can be singular OR plural depending on context
A number of = plural / The number of = singular

3. Verb Tenses - Time Matters! ⏰

Mastering verb tenses is crucial for PUPCET. Here's a comprehensive guide:

Tense	Form	Example	Use
Simple Present	V1 / V1+s	She studies daily.	Habits, facts, schedules
Present Progressive	am/is/are + V-ing	She is studying now.	Action happening now
Present Perfect	has/have + V3	She has studied here.	Past action with present relevance
Simple Past	V2	She studied yesterday.	Completed past action
Past Progressive	was/were + V-ing	She was studying when I called.	Ongoing past action
Past Perfect	had + V3	She had studied before the exam.	Earlier of two past actions
Simple Future	will + V1	She will study tomorrow.	Future action
Future Perfect	will have + V3	She will have studied by then.	Completed future action

🎯 Key Irregular Verbs (PUPCET Favorites!)

go-went-gone see-saw-seen take-took-taken write-wrote-written speak-spoke-spoken choose-chose-chosen begin-began-begun drink-drank-drunk swim-swam-swum lie-lay-lain lay-laid-laid rise-rose-risen

4. Vocabulary Building - Words are Power! 📚

Ang vocabulary section ng PUPCET tests synonyms, antonyms, context clues, and word meanings:

A. Common Academic Words (Know These!)

Word	Meaning	Synonyms	Antonyms
Benevolent	Kind, generous	charitable, compassionate	malevolent, cruel
Eloquent	Fluent, persuasive speaker	articulate, expressive	inarticulate, tongue-tied
Meticulous	Very careful, precise	thorough, scrupulous	careless, sloppy
Prudent	Wise, cautious	sensible, judicious	reckless, imprudent
Tenacious	Persistent, determined	persistent, resolute	yielding, irresolute
Arduous	Difficult, strenuous	laborious, grueling	easy, effortless
Ambiguous	Unclear, multiple meanings	vague, equivocal	clear, unambiguous
Pragmatic	Practical, realistic	practical, sensible	idealistic, impractical

B. Word Roots - Ang Secret Weapon!

Pag alam mo ang root, madali mo na makukuha ang meaning kahit hindi familiar ang word:

Root	Meaning	Example Words
bene-	good, well	benefit, benevolent, beneficial
mal-	bad, evil	malevolent, malfunction, malice
bio-	life	biology, biography, biodegradable
-logy	study of	psychology, sociology, anthropology
chron-	time	chronology, chronic, synchronize
pseudo-	false	pseudonym, pseudoscience
auto-	self	autobiography, automatic, autonomous
-phobia	fear of	claustrophobia, acrophobia, xenophobia

5. Reading Comprehension - Strategies that Work! 📖

Ito ang pinaka-point-heavy sa English section. Master these strategies:

A. Types of Questions

Question Type	What It Asks	Strategy
Main Idea	"What is the passage mainly about?"	Focus on first and last paragraphs, topic sentences
Supporting Details	"According to the passage..."	Scan for specific info, answer is directly stated
Inference	"It can be inferred that..."	Answer is NOT directly stated; read between lines
Vocabulary in Context	"The word X means..."	Use surrounding words as clues, substitute options
Author's Purpose	"The author wrote this to..."	Identify: inform, persuade, entertain, describe
Tone	"The author's tone is..."	Look at word choices: positive, negative, neutral?

B. The PUPCET Reading Strategy

Skim First (30 seconds) - Get the gist, note structure
Read Questions - Know what to look for
Read Actively - Underline key points mentally
Eliminate Wrong Answers - Process of elimination!
Check Back - Verify answer in the text

🚫 Common Traps to Avoid:

Too extreme - Answers with "always," "never," "all" are usually wrong
True but irrelevant - Information that's true but doesn't answer the question
Half right - Part of the answer is correct but the rest is wrong
Outside knowledge - Answer based on your own knowledge, not the passage

6. Sentence Completion & Error Identification 🔍

These sections test your grammar and vocabulary in context:

A. Sentence Completion - Signal Words Guide

Signal Word	Indicates	Example
although, despite, however	Contrast/Opposite	Although tired, she was ___ (energetic)
because, since, therefore	Cause/Effect	Because of rain, we ___ (stayed home)
and, moreover, furthermore	Addition/Same idea	Smart and ___ (hardworking)
not only...but also	Emphasis/Both	Not only brave but also ___ (wise)

B. Error Identification - Common Errors

❌ Pronoun-Antecedent

Wrong: Everyone should bring their book.

Right: Everyone should bring his or her book.

❌ Dangling Modifier

Wrong: Walking down the street, the tree was beautiful.

Right: Walking down the street, I saw a beautiful tree.

❌ Parallel Structure

Wrong: She likes reading, writing, and to swim.

Right: She likes reading, writing, and swimming.

❌ Run-on Sentence

Wrong: I studied hard I passed the exam.

Right: I studied hard, so I passed the exam.

7. Practice Questions - Test Yourself! 📝

Practice Set (Click to expand)

1. Choose the correct sentence:

A) Neither the students nor the teacher were present.

B) Neither the students nor the teacher was present.

C) Neither the student nor the teachers was present.

D) Neither the students nor the teacher are present.

Answer: B - With neither/nor, verb agrees with nearest subject (teacher = singular = was)

2. The word "meticulous" most nearly means:

A) Careless

B) Thorough and precise

C) Quick and hasty

D) Gentle

Answer: B - Meticulous means very careful and precise

3. Identify the error: "The team (A) have been (B) practicing (C) since early (D) morning."

Answer: A - "Team" is collective noun (singular), so it should be "has been"

4. Although exhausted, the student remained ___:

A) tired

B) sleepy

C) alert

D) fatigued

Answer: C - "Although" signals contrast; opposite of exhausted needed

5. Which sentence has a dangling modifier?

A) Running quickly, Maria caught the bus.

B) While eating dinner, the phone rang.

C) After studying, Juan felt confident.

D) Before leaving, she locked the door.

Answer: B - "While eating dinner" should modify a person, but the subject is "phone"

🎯 PUPCET English Final Tips!

English is often the "lifesaver" - madaling i-improve with practice!
Read English materials daily - news, books, articles
For grammar, memorize the RULES, not just examples
For vocabulary, learn word roots to unlock new words
For reading, practice with TIMED passages
Trust the passage, not your outside knowledge!

Good luck, future PUP Iskolar! Kaya mo yan! 💪

Language Proficiency