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UPSC English · Lesson 3 of 4

Grammar and accurate usage.
Make the pattern clear.

Work through six common sentence patterns, see why a correction works, and practise editing without changing the intended meaning.

Learn the method ↓Try the questions

15–20 minutes suggested · 12 original questions across 2 sets · Guided editing

These grammar foundations support accurate reading and writing across UPSC English tasks. They are original ESS learning checks, not official questions or a complete exam mock. Official source context ↓

Understand the process

A method you can repeat.

  1. Find the sentence’s core

    Identify who or what performs the action and the main verb. A nearby plural noun may not be the subject.

  2. Check the relationship

    Does the sentence express time, contrast, description or a list? Choose the form that fits that relationship.

  3. Read the whole result

    A correction should produce a complete sentence and preserve its meaning. Avoid choosing an option simply because it sounds more formal.

Worked example

The nearest noun is not always the subject

The quality of the reports depend on careful checking.

A stronger version

The quality of the reports depends on careful checking.

What to avoid

The quality of the reports are depending on careful checking.

Why: The subject is singular “quality”. “Of the reports” describes it but does not control the verb. “Depends” gives the required singular present-simple form.

Pattern 1

Agreement

Each of the recommendations needs a response.

“Each” is singular. The plural word “recommendations” sits inside an of-phrase.

Pattern 2

Earlier past

The train had left before we reached the station.

Past perfect can make clear that one completed event happened before another past event.

Pattern 3

Contrast

Despite the delay, the team completed the work.

Use despite with a noun phrase or -ing form. With a full clause, use although or despite the fact that.

Pattern 4

Parallel structure

The scheme aims to reduce waste, improve collection and increase reuse.

The three linked aims use parallel base-verb forms; the initial “to” can apply to all three.

Pattern 5

Articles and sound

She works at a university.

Use a before the consonant /j/ sound at the start of university. Articles follow sound, not just the first written letter.

Pattern 6

Additional information

The report, which was published yesterday, explains the changes.

In this non-defining relative clause about a thing, use which. The commas mark additional information.

Put the method to work

Try six questions. Understand each choice.

Select one answer per question, then check the set. Review the explanation, change an answer and check again. These are formative learning checks, not official exam marks.

Choose the accurate sentence form6 original questions · Answers explained

Choose one answer for each gap or editing task. Then read the explanation for your choice.

1. Each of the recommendations ___ a response.

Read answer and explanations

Answer: needs

  1. The subject “each” is singular, so the present-simple verb needs -s.
  2. Correct. Singular “each” takes “needs”; the of-phrase does not change agreement.
  3. This would require “has needed” with the singular subject.
  4. “Needing” alone is not a finite verb that completes this sentence.
2. When we reached the station yesterday, the train ___ already left.

Read answer and explanations

Answer: had

  1. Present perfect does not fit this earlier event relative to the specified past arrival.
  2. Future perfect refers to a future reference point, which is not the meaning here.
  3. “Have” does not agree with the singular subject and does not establish the past sequence.
  4. Correct. “Had already left” places departure before the past arrival.
3. Which revision is correct? “Despite it was raining, the inspection continued.”

Read answer and explanations

Answer: Although it was raining, the inspection continued.

  1. Correct. “Although” can introduce the full clause “it was raining”. “Despite the rain” is another possible construction, but is not one of these options.
  2. The word order is not grammatical.
  3. “Although” needs a clause here; “the rain” is only a noun phrase.
  4. This lacks the structure required after “despite”.
4. The programme aims to reduce waste, improve collection and ___ reuse.

Read answer and explanations

Answer: increase

  1. This breaks the parallel base-verb pattern.
  2. The past form does not match “reduce” and “improve”.
  3. Correct. “Reduce”, “improve” and “increase” are parallel forms governed by “aims to”.
  4. The third-person singular form does not fit after the shared infinitive marker “to”.
5. She joined ___ university research group.

Read answer and explanations

Answer: a

  1. “University” begins with the consonant sound /j/, not a vowel sound.
  2. Correct. “A university research group” introduces one unspecified group; the article follows the initial consonant sound in “university”.
  3. Two articles cannot be combined in this way.
  4. The singular countable noun “group” needs a determiner here.
6. The report, ___ was published yesterday, explains the changes.

Read answer and explanations

Answer: which

  1. “That” is not used for this non-defining relative clause between commas in standard written English.
  2. “What” does not refer back to the explicit antecedent “the report” in this construction.
  3. “Who” refers to people, not the report.
  4. Correct. “Which” introduces extra information about the report; the commas mark it as non-defining.

Apply it independently

Edit and explain

Correct these sentences and explain one rule in your own words: 1. The quality of these notes depend on accurate examples. 2. She joined an university research group. 3. Despite the road was closed, deliveries continued.

0 words (approximate)

Your draft is not submitted, saved by ESS or automatically graded. Copy anything you want to keep before leaving or reloading. The suggested length is for this ESS task; follow the instructions on your actual examination paper.

Compare with a model and review checklist

One possible response

1. The quality of these notes depends on accurate examples. 2. She joined a university research group. 3. Although the road was closed, deliveries continued. “Quality” is singular, “university” starts with a consonant sound, and “although” can introduce a full clause. Another valid form for sentence 3 is “Despite the road closure, deliveries continued.”

Review your work

  • Did you make “depends” agree with singular “quality”?
  • Did you choose the article from the sound of “university”?
  • Did you use although + clause, or despite + an appropriate noun phrase?
  • Does the corrected version preserve the original meaning?

The model illustrates one approach. It is not an official UPSC answer or a marking scheme.

Independent ESS practice · Set 2

Practice set 2: Modifiers, complements and sentence boundaries

Six original questions with explanations for every choice. These are not official or previous-year questions; practice scores and lengths are ESS learning aids.

Choose one answer in each item. These new patterns concern modifier attachment, verb complements, uncountable nouns, embedded questions, conditionals and sentence boundaries.

Worked guidance

New patterns: “Walking home, Rina noticed the sign” attaches the walking to Rina. “Avoid wasting water” uses an -ing complement. “The advice was useful” treats advice as uncountable. “Tell me where the office is” uses statement order in an embedded question. “If I had known, I would have called” expresses an unreal past condition. “The office closed; we returned home” joins independent clauses with a semicolon.

Set 2: Six practice questionsOriginal ESS practice · Every choice explained

Choose one option per question. Check, review and retry. Reset clears this set’s answers.

1. Improve the dangling modifier: “Walking to the office, the rain soaked Meera.”

Read answer and explanations

Answer: Walking to the office, Meera was soaked by the rain.

  1. Correct. Meera, the walker, is now the subject modified by the opening phrase.
  2. Rain cannot be the walker.
  3. The bag cannot perform the walking.
  4. There supplies no logical walker.
2. Choose the correct complement: “The team avoided ___ the same mistake.”

Read answer and explanations

Answer: repeating

  1. Avoid does not take a to-infinitive complement here.
  2. A finite verb cannot occupy this complement position.
  3. Correct. Avoid takes an -ing complement: avoided repeating.
  4. The bare infinitive does not fit after avoided.
3. Spot the error in “She gave / me several advices / before the interview.”

Read answer and explanations

Answer: me several advices

  1. Gave is a valid past-tense verb.
  2. Correct. Advice is uncountable in this meaning; use some advice or several pieces of advice.
  3. This time phrase is grammatical.
  4. The count expression several advices requires correction.
4. Choose the correct embedded question.

Read answer and explanations

Answer: Please explain where the office is.

  1. Embedded questions use statement order, unlike direct questions.
  2. Does cannot combine with is in this construction.
  3. A finite is is needed in standard written English.
  4. Correct. Subject the office precedes verb is.
5. Complete the unreal past conditional: “If I had seen the notice, I ___ earlier.”

Read answer and explanations

Answer: would have arrived

  1. Will arrive refers to a future outcome.
  2. Correct. Would have plus past participle expresses the unreal past result.
  3. Would needs a base verb, not arriving.
  4. Had requires a past participle and does not express the intended result here.
6. Repair this comma splice while retaining two independent clauses: “The office closed, we returned home.”

Read answer and explanations

Answer: The office closed; we returned home.

  1. Removing the comma leaves a fused sentence.
  2. This removes the subject of the second clause and changes the structure.
  3. Correct. A semicolon can link these closely related independent clauses.
  4. Because makes the second part dependent, so this semicolon does not join two independent clauses.

Set 2: Write and review

Edit these three sentences and give a grammatical reason for each correction: “The adviser suggested to wait. Please tell me when does the meeting begin. We received several useful informations.” No fixed word limit applies.

0 words (approximate)

This response is not submitted, saved by ESS or automatically graded. Copy your work before leaving.

Model response and self-review checklist

One possible response

The adviser suggested waiting. Suggest takes an -ing complement here, rather than a to-infinitive.

Please tell me when the meeting begins. The embedded question uses subject–verb order, with begins agreeing with the meeting.

We received some useful information. Information is uncountable in this meaning; some can modify it, whereas several requires a plural count noun.

55 words, counted as whitespace-separated tokens; no title included.

Review checklist

  • Have I corrected all three errors without changing the intended meaning?
  • Can I explain the complement, embedded-question order and uncountable noun?
  • Have I checked that every sentence has a complete finite verb?

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Remember: Name the pattern behind a correction. A rule you can explain is easier to use in your own writing.

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Official context and lesson sources.

The CSE Mains qualifying English syllabus includes comprehension, précis, usage and vocabulary, and short essays. Its qualifying English paper is separate from the merit-counting Essay paper. CAPF’s language component has its own instructions. ESS examples, passages and practice questions on this page are original, independent learning material.

Exam context checked 3 November 2026. Read the current notice and any corrigenda for your exam cycle. ESS is not affiliated with or endorsed by UPSC.