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SSC CGL · Cheatsheet

English Quick Revision

Grammar, vocab, one-word substitutions, idioms, comprehension shortcuts.

Subject–verb agreement

  • Each/every/either/neither → singular verb.
  • 'One of the + plural noun + singular verb'.
  • Neither…nor / Either…or / Not only…but also: verb agrees with nearer subject.
  • Collective noun (team, jury): singular if acting as one; plural if members.
  • 'A number of' → plural; 'the number of' → singular.

Tenses cheat sheet

  • Since (point in time) vs For (duration).
  • Present perfect used with 'just, already, yet, ever, never'.
  • Past perfect for the earlier of two past actions.
  • 'If + past simple' → 'would + base' (2nd conditional).
  • 'If + past perfect' → 'would have + past participle' (3rd conditional).

Articles

  • A/An before singular countable (a book, an hour).
  • The: specific, unique (the sun), superlatives, ordinals, rivers, oceans, mountain ranges.
  • No article: languages, meals, sports, generic plurals.

Prepositions

  • Married TO; Angry WITH (person) / AT (thing); Divide INTO/BY.
  • Different FROM; Superior/Inferior TO; Prefer A TO B.
  • Insist ON; Rely ON; Depend ON; Consist OF; Comprise (no OF).
  • In (months, years, cities); On (days, dates); At (time, small places).

Common error patterns

  • Double comparative wrong: 'more better' ✗.
  • 'Discuss about' ✗ → 'discuss'.
  • 'Return back' ✗ → 'return'.
  • 'Cope up with' ✗ → 'cope with'.
  • 'Alphabets' plural for A–Z is wrong → 'letters of the alphabet'.
  • 'Advice' (n) vs 'advise' (v); 'Effect' (n) vs 'affect' (v).

Voice & narration

  • Passive: object → subject; verb → be + past participle.
  • Modal passive: 'must do' → 'must be done'.
  • Reported speech: tenses shift back; time & place adverbs change (now→then, today→that day, here→there).
  • Yes/no question → 'asked if/whether…'; wh → 'asked what/why…'.

One-word substitutions (high freq)

  • Philanthropist – lover of humankind. Misogynist – hater of women.
  • Omnivorous – eats plants + animals. Herbivorous – plants. Carnivorous – meat.
  • Ephemeral – short-lived. Perennial – lasting through year.
  • Insomnia – inability to sleep. Amnesia – memory loss.
  • Autobiography – self-written life. Biography – life by another.
  • Egoist – self-centred. Egotist – boasts about self.
  • Bibliophile – book lover. Xenophobia – fear of foreigners.

Idioms & phrases

  • Bite the bullet — face something difficult.
  • Piece of cake — very easy.
  • Once in a blue moon — very rare.
  • Break the ice — start a conversation.
  • Under the weather — feeling ill.
  • Beat around the bush — avoid the point.
  • At sixes and sevens — confused.
  • A blessing in disguise — hidden good.
  • Burn the midnight oil — work late.
  • Let the cat out of the bag — reveal a secret.

Synonyms & antonyms (frequent)

  • Abate = reduce (ant: increase). Candid = frank.
  • Elated = joyful. Frugal = thrifty (ant: extravagant).
  • Gregarious = social. Hapless = unlucky.
  • Impetuous = impulsive. Jubilant = joyful.
  • Lucid = clear (ant: vague). Meticulous = careful.
  • Novice = beginner. Obscure = unclear.
  • Prudent = wise. Reticent = reserved. Zealous = enthusiastic.

Reading comprehension strategy

  • Skim passage for main idea first (30–40 sec).
  • Read questions; then re-read passage focused.
  • Underline dates, names, contrast words (however, but).
  • Never bring outside knowledge; stick to passage.
  • Vocab-in-context: read surrounding lines.

Para jumbles & cloze

  • Find topic sentence (usually general).
  • Look for connectors: however, moreover, therefore, on the other hand.
  • Pronoun references — earlier noun must appear first.
  • Chronology (dates, then, next) fixes order.
  • Cloze: read whole passage first; use grammar+context to pick word.

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