Aptitude Module 1 - English

This
is a bed.

Grammar
Part 1: Articles
There are only three articles in English: a, an and
the.

This
is the
bed in
my
bedroom.

Indefinite articles - a and an (determiners)

A and an are used before nouns that introduce
something or someone you have not mentioned
before:For example:"I saw an elephant this morning."
"I ate a banana for lunch."
A and an are also used when talking about your
profession:For example: "I am an English teacher."
"I am a builder."

Pictorial representation of ArticlesUse An for nouns which start with a vowel (a, e,
i, o, u).
Use A = for nouns that start with a consonant.
A/An or The

This is a
house.

This
is the
house
where I
live.

This is a
dress.

This
is the
dress
that I
bought.

Part 2: Prepositions
Prepositions are a class of words that indicate
relationships between nouns, pronouns and other
words in a sentence. Most often they come before a
noun.
It should be noted that they never change their
form, regardless of the case, gender etc. of the
word they are referring to.
Prepositions are classified as simple or compound.
Simple prepositions are single word prepositions across, after, at, before, between, by, during, from,
in, into, of, on, to, under, with and without are all
single word prepositions.
For example:The book is on the table.
Compound prepositions are more than one word in between and because of - are prepositions made
up of two words - in front of, on behalf of - are
prepositions made up of three words.
For example:The book is in between War and Peace and The Lord
of the Rings.
The book is in front of the clock.

Prepositions of Movement
Pictorial representation

Preposit
-ion

Example

to

"He carried the

rubbish to the
bin."

through

"The train came

through the
tunnel."

across

"He
swam across the
channel."

along

"He
walked along the
road."

down

"He
skied down the
mountain."

over

"They
walked over the
bridge."

off

"The man
ran off the cliff."

round

"The arrow is
moving round the
ball."

into

"Then pour the

molten iron into
the mold.

Prepositions of Place

The
The
The
goat
woman enemies
The cat
stood
stood
stood
stood behi
on top
between opposite
nd the
of the
the two
each
pumpkin.
mountai
enemies. other.
n.

The man
stood next
to the
gopher and
held the
umbrella
over it.

The man
The man
The
looked
The
The man
looked at
manager
through professo
looked at
the
sat at
the
r wrote
the
mail in th
his desk
telescope i on the
clock on th
e post
on his
n his
board.
e wall.
box.
chair.
hands.

Prepositions of Time
Pictorial
representation

Preposition

Example

at
(a time)

"I got to
work at 8.00
this morning."

on
(a day)

"I'll see
you on
Tuesday."

on
(a date)

"I have an
appointment
on the 31st."

in
(a month)

"My birthday
is in June"

in
(a year)

"I was
born in 1990"

Errors in Prepositions
Errors with prepositions occur when the wrong
preposition is used, when prepositions are deleted (or
added unnecessarily), or when words that are part of
a prepositional phrase are misidentified as the
subject or verb of a sentence, causing subject-verb
agreement problems.
Incorrect:
He arrived to
China at May
6th.
We emphasized
on the
importance of
following
directions.
The rule of the
game is
explained here.

Correct:
He arrived in
China on May
6th.
We emphasized
the importance
of following
directions.
The rules of the
game are
explained here.

Common Errors with Prepositions

in
(the
morning)

"I get
up in the
morning."

in
(the
afternoon)

"I have
lunch in the
afternoon."

in
(the
evening)

"I go
home in the
evening."

at
(night)

"I go to
bed at night."

in
(a season)

"It usually
snows in the
winter."

Incorrect: He is ill since last week.

Correct: He has been ill since last week.
Incorrect: He has been working since two hours.
Correct: He has been working for two hours.
Incorrect: I have not played cricket since a long time.
Correct: I have not played cricket for a long time.
Explanation
When reckoning from a particular date we
use since. Examples are since last Friday, since
May, since morning, since July 8th. But note that
we always use for for a period. Examples are: for a
week, for a long time, for two hours etc.
Incorrect: This paper is inferior than that.
Correct: This paper is inferior to that.
Incorrect: He is junior than me.
Correct: He is junior to me.
Incorrect: He is superior than you in strength.
Correct: He is superior to you in strength.
Explanations
The comparatives senior, junior, superior,
inferior etc., are followed by to, and not than.

Incorrect: He rides in a cycle.

Correct: He rides on a cycle.
Incorrect: He rides on a car.
Correct: He rides in a car.
Incorrect: He sat in a table.
Correct: He sat on a table.
Incorrect: The cat is in the roof.
Correct: The cat is on the roof.
Explanation
Use on when the meaning is clearly on top of.
For example, on a horse, on a bicycle, on a table, on
the roof etc. Use in when on top of is not
appropriate. For example, in a car, in an
airplane etc.
Incorrect: There was a match between team A
against team B.
Correct: There was a match between team
A and team B.
Incorrect: The meeting will be held between 4 pm
to 6 pm.
Correct: The meeting will be held between 4
pm and 6 pm.
Explanation
Between is followed by and, not to or against.
Incorrect: The First World War was fought during
1914 18.
Correct: The First World War was fought between
1914 and 1918.
Incorrect: There was a fight with John and Peter.
Correct: There was a fight between John and
Peter.
Incorrect: England grew prosperous between
Queen Victorias reign.
Correct: England grew prosperous during Queen
Victorias reign.
Explanation
Two events or people should be mentioned if you
want to use between.

Practice Test-

Fill in the blanks with appropriate articles-

Fill in the blank with a suitable Preposition-

7. ___ old man who is my neighbor is as wise as __

owl.
A. A and a
B. The and an
C. An and the
D. A and the

1. Examples of selective use __________ defoliants

are found in commercial leaf removal prior to harvest
in the cotton and sugar beet industries.
A. of
B. by
C. in
D. through
2. Ethyl cyanoacetate is derived __________ the
reaction of an alkali cyanide and chloroacetic
ethylester.
A. at
B. from
C. to
D. above
3. Manju drives her son ___________ school.
A. at
B. on
C. through
D. to
4. Most of Canada's manufacturing is located
___________ Ontario and Quebec.
A. on
B. from
C. in
D. through
Select the Prepositional errors in the given
sentences5. For many reasons, people all around the world are
resistant of change.
A. no error
B. change FOR to TO
C. change AROUND to OF
D. change OF to TO
6. Despite of poverty, people celebrate and are
content with their families.
A.
B.
C.
D.

no error
change OF to ON
delete OF
Change WITH to by

8. ___________ British ruled India for many years.

A. A
B. The
C. An
D. None

9. I am ___doctor practicing, and healing people. It is

my job and I love it.
A. a
B. an
C. the
D. None

10.________ children knew ______ fastest way

home.
A. An, an
B. A, a
C. The, the
D. None
Answer Key
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10

A
B
D
C
D
C
B
B
A
C

Vocabulary
1.Penchant - taste, liking, or inclination (for)
Example: You may have developed a strange
penchant for collecting insects.
2.Clemency - Forgiveness or compassion.

7.
Escalate - to increase (something) in
extent or
intensity
Example: In 1998 a border dispute with Pakistan

escalated into war.

8.Encounter - a casual meeting with a
person or thing

Example: The Judge granted clemency to the

criminals because they were less than 18 years of

age.
3.Fabricated- put
together out of
artificial or natural
components or
parts

4. Aboriginal - native: characteristic of or

relating to people inhabiting a region from
the beginning.

5.

9. Meticulous - overly cautious;

Characterized by very precise,
conscientious attention to details

Presume- To assume true without proof

Example- Since many applicants did not study

Economics at Graduation; our interview process
does not presume any knowledge of economic
theory.
6. Vigilant - Watchful, especially for danger or
disorder; alert

10. Regale - To please someone with

entertainment
Example: He regularly regales friends with
humorous stories.
11. Dexterity- Skill in performing tasks,
especially with the hands

12. Eccentric - a person with an unusual or

odd personality

17. Ponder- To wonder, to think of deeply

13. Urge - force or impel in an indicated

direction
Example: Police are urging residents to lock up
their homes during summer vacations following a
rise in the number of burglaries.
14. Atrocities - extremely cruel acts

18. Distress - psychological suffering

19. Vice - bad habit

15. Lurid - horrible in fierceness or savagery

Example: Now cigarette packs come with pictures

of cancer patients. Since their introduction, these

health warnings against smoking have
become increasingly lurid.
16. Jaded - Worn out, wearied, exhausted or lacking
enthusiasm
20. Meddle - interfere unwantedly

21. Elicit- To evoke, educe (emotions, feelings,

responses, etc.)

25. Fatal - Deadly, lethal

Example: The new packaging is eliciting

mixed reactions from wine experts.
22. Indifference- unresponsiveness, marked by
a lack of interest

26. Manifest - Evident, clear, visible,

readily perceived by the eye

23. Retain - hold on to

24. Nimble - Lively, agile

27. Transparent - Clear, apparent

28. Annihilated - Destroyed, eradicated, wipe

out

31. Flatterersto try to please by complimentary remarks or

attention

32. Foiled - Frustrated, blocked, Obstructed

29. Exemplary - Noteworthy, praiseworthy,

excellent

33. Privileges - Rights, human rights

30. Indiscriminate - Random, unsystematic,

mixed

34. Optimistic - Hopeful, positive, confident

35. Intoxicated - Drunk, under the influence

38. Vivid - Bright, vibrant

36. Slander - Insult, malign, slur

39. Mitigated - Lessen, diminished

37. Unsuspecting - Unwary, gullible,

unsuspicious

40. Whimsical - Fanciful, unusual

Example Sentences
-That said though she went down well with
most the crowd and her somewhat
whimsical banter between songs was funny
and enjoyable.
-Scientific discoveries often seem
rather whimsical to the layman.