CSS Solved Correction from 1990 to 2000 | CSSPrepForum

I won him in the race.

Answers

• I won against him in the race.
• I won the race against him.In the race, I won against him.
• I won the race.

Explanation

This sentence, although grammatically correct, doesn t give any sense. We always win something against somebody, or we win against somebody.

Win Againstphrasal verb means To achieve a victory over somebody or to beat, defeat, conquer, overmatch, or surmount.

Examples

• He is the person who has already won against many experienced football players.
• Kashmiris seem sure to win against, soon, the much stronger Indian army.

Usage of Win , Beat , and Defeat

These words confuse non-natives, mostly Pakistani and Indian students, as to which one they should use in sentences. They take them as synonyms to one another. Let s clear the concept hereunder.

If you are playing a tennis game with your friend, you always win the game or beat your friend in the game.

Focus the difference, we, sometimes, use the verbWIN, without an object. Because when we win, people are interested in knowing who is the winner, not in loser.

Pakistani team won the world cup beating Indian team.

On the other hand, when weBEATorDEFEATsomebody, people are interested in knowing both the winner and the loser. The verbsBEATandDEFEATcannot be used without objects.

Thus, the right answers are

• I won against him in the race.
• I won the race against him.
• In the race, I won against him.
• I won the race.

He said that I am playing chess.

Answer

He said that he was playing chess.

Explanation

In this sentence, the sequence is disturbed. Always remember, if the main clause is in the past tense, the subordinate clause will be in any past tense past simple indefinite, past continuous, past perfect continuous, etc.

Examples

• She believed that Nimra would come.Not Nimra will come.
• I realized that I had earned a lot.Not I have earned 
• She thought that she had been consuming herself for years.Not .. she has 
• I had done everything that was compulsory.
• He worked hard so that he might qualify for the exam.

Exceptions

There are some exceptions to this rule

Exception-1If there is a universal truth or habitual fact in the subordinate clause, we keep them in the present tense, even if the main clause in the past tense.

Examples

• My teacher told me that the sun rises the east. Universal truth
• My mother told me that God is one. Universal truth
• Anam told me that she gets up early in the morning. Habitual fact

Exception-2If the subordinate clause dependent clause is introduced by the conjunctions of comparison, such asas well as,than, etc. the verb in the subordinate clause can be in any tense depending upon the sense.

Examples

• She loved me more than she loves you.
• She liked you better than she likes me.

Exception-3If the subordinate clause dependent clause is an adverb clause, which is expressinghow,when,where, andwhyan action happens, the verb in the subordinate clause may be in any tense depending on the sense implied.

Examples

• My wife and I didn t go where you guys go daily.
• You could have bought proper shoes to go hiking in the mountain because the ground there is rough and hard.

Exception-4If the subordinate clause dependent clause is an adjective clause relative clause, the verb in this clause can be in any tense according to the sense implied, even if the main clause is in the past tense.

What is an Adjective Clause?

An adjective clause relative clause is a type of dependent clause it, unlike the adverb clause, modifies a noun or a pronoun that comes before it. All adjective clauses start with a relative pronoun who, whom, which, whose, that, when, why, and where.

Examples

• I had a friend whose daughter-in-law lives in London.
• I taught many competitive aspirants who are honest and always do justice.
• Competitive students who qualify the CSS exam don t join an academy and don t listen to qualifiers.

Exception-5If the subordinate clause dependent clause is introduced by the words, such asAs IforAs Though, we use the verbWereto talk about the present tense whereas, the verb phraseHad Beenis used to indicate the past tense.

Examples

1. He laughs as if he were mad.
2. He behaves as if he were deaf.
3. She talked as though she had been a celebrity.
4. Her child cries as though it were hurt.

Thus, the correct answer is

He said that he was playing chess.

Unless you do not try, you will never succeed.

Answer

Unless you try, you will never succeed.

Explanation

Both conjunctionsUnless,Untilare often taken as synonymous to each other however, their meaning and usage are different.

Unlessmeans Except for a specified condition.

The conjunctionUnlessis used to describing referring to a condition that is not being met. In simple words, we use the conjunctionUnlessto indicate that if something doesn t happen, something else will happen as a result.

The conjunctionUnlessis considered negative and is not used with another negative wordNotin a clause sentence. Thus, we don t use Unless and Not together in a clause.

Unlessisn t followed byWill .

Unlessis usually used to refer to present and future tense, but it is, sometimes, used with the past, but not frequently.

Until Tillmeans Before the given time Up to the time of something s happening

The conjunctionUntilis used to describing referring to a time threshold that is not being crossed.

The conjunctionUntilis also considered negative and is not used with another negative wordNotin a clause sentence. Therefore, we don t use Until and Not in a clause.

Until is more formal than Till.

Examples

• Miss Sara lived with her parentsuntilshe was 29.
• I will not give the CSS exam a tryunlessmy mother asks me for.
• We shall not lend him moneyunlesshe gives us gold.
• UntilI complete the homework, please don t start playing cricket.
• You are unlikely to earn decent moneyuntilyou start working hard.
• We won t start the projectuntilwe hear that all the plans have been approved.
• I resigned in June but continued to draw my salaryuntilthe end of August.
• Where are my cricket shoes? They should be in the roomunlessyou ve left them behind the door.
• Unlessyou ve tried it for yourself, you can t imagine how relaxing it is.
• You never hear her express an opinion in group discussionunlessshe s thought very carefully about the topic.
• My wife and I usually walked to work,unlesswe were going shopping afterwards, in that case, we d take the car.
• UnlessI had seen it with my own eyes, I wouldn t have believed that such a thing could happen.

Thus, the right answer is

Unless you try, you will never succeed.

He wrote with ink.

Answer

He wrote in ink.

Explanation

We always Write In ink whereas, we always Write With an instrument. In simple words, always use Write In when referring to the final work, but use Write With when referring to the use of instruments.

Examples

• She haswrittena letterinink.
• Hewrote inink.
• My son is learning towrite witha pen.
• He always prefers towrite witha pencil.

Thus, the correct sentence is

He wrote in ink.

What country he belongs to?

Answer

What country does he belong to?

Explanation

What , Which , and Whose are the words that are known as interrogative adjectives. They always come with nouns, pronouns, pronouns, or noun-like things to ask questions.

NounsAli, Ayesha, William, Multan, Lahore, Pakistan, America, Courage, Curiosity, Democracy, etc.

PronounsHe, she, it, I, we, you, they, all, both, many, few, several, some, none, everyone, nobody, either, neither, who, whom, what, which, etc.

Noun like thingsThe girl in black, The cars of the rich and handsome boy, Only one person in billions, etc.

Structure

What Which Whose Noun Pronoun Helping Verb Subject Verb Object?

Examples

• What car will you buy?
• What country does he belong to?
• Which mobile phone will they give me?
• Which address did she mail the letter to?
• Whose horse is Nimra riding?
• Whose friend did your father help?

Thus, the correct sentence is

What country does he belong to?

When he reaches to manhood, he will visit to England.

Answer

When he reaches manhood, he will visit England.

Explanation

The sentence has two grammatical errors. To write the sentence grammatically correct, we have to correct both of the errors. Let s identify errors one by one.

Reach Something or Somebody vs Reach To Something or Somebody

As a verbReachdoesn t take a preposition however, as a nounReachtakes the prepositionTo.

Examples

• I didn treachLahore until seven or eight o clock. Verb
• News of his death has justreachedus. Verb
• The CSS aspirants havereachedthe conclusion that they now have to prefer expert teachers to qualifiers. Verb
• The jury took ten days toreacha verdict. Verb
• Social media always support inept mentorsreachto the aspirants. Noun
• Sir Syed Kazim Ali s creative English writing program extends globalreachto 15 countries. Noun
• His lectures help you increase yourreachto English-speaking populations. Noun

Visit Someone or Something vs Visit To Someone or Something

As a verbVisitdoesn t take a preposition however, as a nounVisittakes the prepositionToandOf.

Examples

• I oftenvisitmy relatives. Verb
• I havevisitedKarachi thrice. Verb
• When did she lastvisitthe psychiatrist? Verb
• Modi was carrying Covid-19 when he wasvisitingDelhi. Verb
• I would love to pay avisitto the new library. Noun
• Hervisitto Europe last year was great. Noun
• Myvisitto the Prime Minister of Pakistan was about academy mafia. Noun

Thus, the correct sentence is

When he reaches manhood, he will visit England.

The new session commences from February 1st, 2020.

Answer

The new session commences on February 1st, 2020.

Explanation

Commence V means To begin something. As a verbCommencetakes different prepositions to show different meanings.

Things commence beginONa particular day or date.

Things commence beginATa particular time Given a point in time .

Things commence beginINa month or a year.

Things commence beginFromthe exact date, day, time, month, year when they beginTothe exact date, day, time, month, year when they end.

The admissions will commenceon14 August 2022. Particular day or date

The admissions will commenceonFriday. Particular day or date

The proceeding commencedin2010. Month or year

The proceeding commencedinJune. Month or year

The proceeding will commenceat8 a.m. Given a point in time

The proceeding will commencefromFriday and continuetoMonday.

Thus, the right answer is

The new session commences on February 1st, 2020.

Please send this letter on my address.

Answer

Please send this letter to my address.

Explanation

WeSendthingsTosomeone or somewhere

WeSendthingsWith Bysomeone or something, so that they can deliver things.

WeSendthingsWith Bysomeone or somethingTosomeone or somewhere, so they can receive things.

Examples

• Please send this lettertomy address.
• Where shall I send this letterto?
• She can send this letterbypost.
• I can send this letterbyposttomy mother.

Thus, the right answer is

Please send this letter to my address.

Question 1

I won him in the race.

• I won against him in the race.
• I won the race against him.In the race, I won against him.
• I won the race.

Explanation

This sentence, although grammatically correct, doesn t give any sense. We always win something against somebody, or we win against somebody.

Win Againstphrasal verb means To achieve a victory over somebody or to beat, defeat, conquer, overmatch, or surmount.

Examples

• He is the person who has already won against many experienced football players.
• Kashmiris seem sure to win against, soon, the much stronger Indian army.

Usage of Win , Beat , and Defeat

These words confuse non-natives, mostly Pakistani and Indian students, as to which one they should use in sentences. They take them as synonyms to one another. Let s clear the concept hereunder.

If you are playing a tennis game with your friend, you always win the game or beat your friend in the game.

Focus on the difference, we, sometimes, use the verbWIN, without an object. Because when we win, people are interested in knowing who is the winner, not in loser.

Pakistani team won the world cup beating Indian team.

On the other hand, when weBEATorDEFEATsomebody, people are interested in knowing both the winner and the loser. The verbsBEATandDEFEATcannot be used without objects.

Thus, the right answers are

• I won against him in the race.
• I won the race against him.
• In the race, I won against him.
• I won the race.

Question 2

He said that I am playing chess.

He said that he was playing chess.

Explanation

In this sentence, the sequence is disturbed. Always remember, if the main clause is in the past tense, the subordinate clause will be in any past tense past simple indefinite, past continuous, past perfect continuous, etc.

Examples

• She believed that Nimra would come.Not Nimra will come.
• I realized that I had earned a lot.Not I have earned 
• She thought that she had been consuming herself for years.Not .. she has 
• I had done everything that was compulsory.
• He worked hard so that he might qualify for the exam.

Exceptions

There are some exceptions to this rule

Exception-1If there is a universal truth or habitual fact in the subordinate clause, we keep them in the present tense, even if the main clause in the past tense.

Examples

• My teacher told me that the sun rises the east. Universal truth
• My mother told me that God is one. Universal truth
• Anam told me that she gets up early in the morning. Habitual fact

Exception-2If the subordinate clause dependent clause is introduced by the conjunctions of comparison, such asas well as,than, etc. the verb in the subordinate clause can be in any tense depending upon the sense.

Examples

• She loved me more than she loves you.
• She liked you better than she likes me.

Exception-3If the subordinate clause dependent clause is an adverb clause, which is expressinghow,when,where, andwhyan action happens, the verb in the subordinate clause may be in any tense depending on the sense implied.

Examples

• My wife and I didn t go where you guys go daily.
• You could have bought proper shoes to go hiking in the mountain because the ground there is rough and hard.

Exception-4If the subordinate clause dependent clause is an adjective clause relative clause, the verb in this clause can be in any tense according to the sense implied, even if the main clause is in the past tense.

What is an Adjective Clause?

An adjective clause relative clause is a type of dependent clause it, unlike the adverb clause, modifies a noun or a pronoun that comes before it. All adjective clauses start with a relative pronoun who, whom, which, whose, that, when, why, and where.

Examples

• I had a friend whose daughter-in-law lives in London.
• I taught many competitive aspirants who are honest and always do justice.
• Competitive students who qualify the CSS exam don t join an academy and don t listen to qualifiers.

Exception-5If the subordinate clause dependent clause is introduced by the words, such asAs IforAs Though, we use the verbWereto talk about the present tense whereas, the verb phraseHad Beenis used to indicate the past tense.

Examples

1. He laughs as if he were mad.
2. He behaves as if he were deaf.
3. She talked as though she had been a celebrity.
4. Her child cries as though it were hurt.

Thus, the correct answer is

He said that he was playing chess.

Question 3

Unless you do not try, you will never succeed.

Unless you try, you will never succeed.

Explanation

Both conjunctionsUnless,Untilare often taken as synonymous to each other however, their meaning and usage are different.

Unlessmeans Except for a specified condition.

The conjunctionUnlessis used to describing referring to a condition that is not being met. In simple words, we use the conjunctionUnlessto indicate that if something doesn t happen, something else will happen as a result.

The conjunctionUnlessis considered negative and is not used with another negative wordNotin a clause sentence. Thus, we don t use Unless and Not together in a clause.

Unlessisn t followed byWill .

Unlessis usually used to refer to present and future tense, but it is, sometimes, used with the past, but not frequently.

Until Tillmeans Before the given time Up to the time of something s happening

The conjunctionUntilis used to describing referring to a time threshold that is not being crossed.

The conjunctionUntilis also considered negative and is not used with another negative wordNotin a clause sentence. Therefore, we don t use Until and Not in a clause.

Until is more formal than Till.

Examples

• Miss Sara lived with her parentsuntilshe was 29.
• I will not give the CSS exam a tryunlessmy mother asks me for.
• We shall not lend him moneyunlesshe gives us gold.
• UntilI complete the homework, please don t start playing cricket.
• You are unlikely to earn decent moneyuntilyou start working hard.
• We won t start the projectuntilwe hear that all the plans have been approved.
• I resigned in June but continued to draw my salaryuntilthe end of August.
• Where are my cricket shoes? They should be in the roomunlessyou ve left them behind the door.
• Unlessyou ve tried it for yourself, you can t imagine how relaxing it is.
• You never hear her express an opinion in group discussionunlessshe s thought very carefully about the topic.
• My wife and I usually walked to work,unlesswe were going shopping afterwards, in that case, we d take the car.
• UnlessI had seen it with my own eyes, I wouldn t have believed that such a thing could happen.

Thus, the right answer is

Unless you try, you will never succeed.

Question 4

He wrote with ink.

He wrote in ink.

Explanation

We always Write In ink whereas, we always Write With an instrument. In simple words, always use Write In when referring to the final work, but use Write With when referring to the use of instruments.

Examples

• She haswrittena letterinink.
• Hewrote inink.
• My son is learning towrite witha pen.
• He always prefers towrite witha pencil.

Thus, the correct sentence is

He wrote in ink.

Question 5

What country he belongs to?

What country does he belong to?

Explanation

What , Which , and Whose are the words that are known as interrogative adjectives. They always come with nouns, pronouns, pronouns, or noun-like things to ask questions.

NounsAli, Ayesha, William, Multan, Lahore, Pakistan, America, Courage, Curiosity, Democracy, etc.

PronounsHe, she, it, I, we, you, they, all, both, many, few, several, some, none, everyone, nobody, either, neither, who, whom, what, which, etc.

Noun like thingsThe girl in black, The cars of the rich and handsome boy, Only one person in billions, etc.

Structure

What Which Whose Noun Pronoun Helping Verb Subject Verb Object?

Examples

• What car will you buy?
• What country does he belong to?
• Which mobile phone will they give me?
• Which address did she mail the letter to?
• Whose horse is Nimra riding?
• Whose friend did your father help?

Thus, the correct sentence is

What country does he belong to?

Question 6

When he reaches to manhood, he will visit to England.

When he reaches manhood, he will visit England.

Explanation

The sentence has two grammatical errors. To write the sentence grammatically correct, we have to correct both of the errors. Let s identify errors one by one.

Reach Something or Somebody vs Reach To Something or Somebody

As a verbReachdoesn t take a preposition however, as a nounReachtakes the prepositionTo.

Examples

• I didn treachLahore until seven or eight o clock. Verb
• News of his death has justreachedus. Verb
• The CSS aspirants havereachedthe conclusion that they now have to prefer expert teachers to qualifiers. Verb
• The jury took ten days toreacha verdict. Verb
• Social media always support inept mentorsreachto the aspirants. Noun
• Sir Syed Kazim Ali s creative English writing program extends globalreachto 15 countries. Noun
• His lectures help you increase yourreachto English-speaking populations. Noun

Visit Someone or Something vs Visit To Someone or Something

As a verbVisitdoesn t take a preposition however, as a nounVisittakes the prepositionToandOf.

Examples

• I oftenvisitmy relatives. Verb
• I havevisitedKarachi thrice. Verb
• When did she lastvisitthe psychiatrist? Verb
• Modi was carrying Covid-19 when he wasvisitingDelhi. Verb
• I would love to pay avisitto the new library. Noun
• Hervisitto Europe last year was great. Noun
• Myvisitto the Prime Minister of Pakistan was about academy mafia. Noun

Thus, the correct sentence is

When he reaches manhood, he will visit England.

Question 7

The new session commences from February 1st, 2020.

The new session commences on February 1st, 2020.

Explanation

Commence V means To begin something. As a verbCommencetakes different prepositions to show different meanings.

Things commence beginONa particular day or date.

Things commence beginATa particular time Given a point in time .

Things commence beginINa month or a year.

Things commence beginFromthe exact date, day, time, month, year when they beginTothe exact date, day, time, month, year when they end.

The admissions will commenceon14 August 2022. Particular day or date

The admissions will commenceonFriday. Particular day or date

The proceeding commencedin2010. Month or year

The proceeding commencedinJune. Month or year

The proceeding will commenceat8 a.m. Given a point in time

The proceeding will commencefromFriday and continuetoMonday.

Thus, the right answer is

The new session commences on February 1st, 2020.

Question 8

Please send this letter on my address.

Please send this letter to my address.

Explanation

WeSendthingsTosomeone or somewhere

WeSendthingsWith Bysomeone or something, so that they can deliver things.

WeSendthingsWith Bysomeone or somethingTosomeone or somewhere, so they can receive things.

Examples

• Please send this lettertomy address.
• Where shall I send this letterto?
• She can send this letterbypost.
• I can send this letterbyposttomy mother.

Thus, the right answer is

Please send this letter to my address.

Question 1

I won him in the race.

• I won against him in the race.
• I won the race against him.In the race, I won against him.
• I won the race.

Explanation

This sentence, although grammatically correct, doesn t give any sense. We always win something against somebody, or we win against somebody.

Win Againstphrasal verb means To achieve a victory over somebody or to beat, defeat, conquer, overmatch, or surmount.

Examples

• He is the person who has already won against many experienced football players.
• Kashmiris seem sure to win against, soon, the much stronger Indian army.

Usage of Win , Beat , and Defeat

These words confuse non-natives, mostly Pakistani and Indian students, as to which one they should use in sentences. They take them as synonyms to one another. Let s clear the concept hereunder.

If you are playing a tennis game with your friend, you always win the game or beat your friend in the game.

Focus the difference, we, sometimes, use the verbWIN, without an object. Because when we win, people are interested in knowing who is the winner, not in loser.

Pakistani team won the world cup beating Indian team.

On the other hand, when weBEATorDEFEATsomebody, people are interested in knowing both the winner and the loser. The verbsBEATandDEFEATcannot be used without objects.

Thus, the right answers are

• I won against him in the race.
• I won the race against him.
• In the race, I won against him.
• I won the race.

Question 2

He said that I am playing chess.

He said that he was playing chess.

Explanation

In this sentence, the sequence is disturbed. Always remember, if the main clause is in the past tense, the subordinate clause will be in any past tense past simple indefinite, past continuous, past perfect continuous, etc.

Examples

• She believed that Nimra would come.Not Nimra will come.
• I realized that I had earned a lot.Not I have earned 
• She thought that she had been consuming herself for years.Not .. she has 
• I had done everything that was compulsory.
• He worked hard so that he might qualify for the exam.

Exceptions

There are some exceptions to this rule

Exception-1If there is a universal truth or habitual fact in the subordinate clause, we keep them in the present tense, even if the main clause in the past tense.

Examples

• My teacher told me that the sun rises the east. Universal truth
• My mother told me that God is one. Universal truth
• Anam told me that she gets up early in the morning. Habitual fact

Exception-2If the subordinate clause dependent clause is introduced by the conjunctions of comparison, such asas well as,than, etc. the verb in the subordinate clause can be in any tense depending upon the sense.

Examples

• She loved me more than she loves you.
• She liked you better than she likes me.

Exception-3If the subordinate clause dependent clause is an adverb clause, which is expressinghow,when,where, andwhyan action happens, the verb in the subordinate clause may be in any tense depending on the sense implied.

Examples

• My wife and I didn t go where you guys go daily.
• You could have bought proper shoes to go hiking in the mountain because the ground there is rough and hard.

Exception-4If the subordinate clause dependent clause is an adjective clause relative clause, the verb in this clause can be in any tense according to the sense implied, even if the main clause is in the past tense.

What is an Adjective Clause?

An adjective clause relative clause is a type of dependent clause it, unlike the adverb clause, modifies a noun or a pronoun that comes before it. All adjective clauses start with a relative pronoun who, whom, which, whose, that, when, why, and where.

Examples

• I had a friend whose daughter-in-law lives in London.
• I taught many competitive aspirants who are honest and always do justice.
• Competitive students who qualify the CSS exam don t join an academy and don t listen to qualifiers.

Exception-5If the subordinate clause dependent clause is introduced by the words, such asAs IforAs Though, we use the verbWereto talk about the present tense whereas, the verb phraseHad Beenis used to indicate the past tense.

Examples

1. He laughs as if he were mad.
2. He behaves as if he were deaf.
3. She talked as though she had been a celebrity.
4. Her child cries as though it were hurt.

Thus, the correct answer is

He said that he was playing chess.

Question 3

Unless you do not try, you will never succeed.

Unless you try, you will never succeed.

Explanation

Both conjunctionsUnless,Untilare often taken as synonymous to each other however, their meaning and usage are different.

Unlessmeans Except for a specified condition.

The conjunctionUnlessis used to describing referring to a condition that is not being met. In simple words, we use the conjunctionUnlessto indicate that if something doesn t happen, something else will happen as a result.

The conjunctionUnlessis considered negative and is not used with another negative wordNotin a clause sentence. Thus, we don t use Unless and Not together in a clause.

Unlessisn t followed byWill .

Unlessis usually used to refer to present and future tense, but it is, sometimes, used with the past, but not frequently.

Until Tillmeans Before the given time Up to the time of something s happening

The conjunctionUntilis used to describing referring to a time threshold that is not being crossed.

The conjunctionUntilis also considered negative and is not used with another negative wordNotin a clause sentence. Therefore, we don t use Until and Not in a clause.

Until is more formal than Till.

Examples

• Miss Sara lived with her parentsuntilshe was 29.
• I will not give the CSS exam a tryunlessmy mother asks me for.
• We shall not lend him moneyunlesshe gives us gold.
• UntilI complete the homework, please don t start playing cricket.
• You are unlikely to earn decent moneyuntilyou start working hard.
• We won t start the projectuntilwe hear that all the plans have been approved.
• I resigned in June but continued to draw my salaryuntilthe end of August.
• Where are my cricket shoes? They should be in the roomunlessyou ve left them behind the door.
• Unlessyou ve tried it for yourself, you can t imagine how relaxing it is.
• You never hear her express an opinion in group discussionunlessshe s thought very carefully about the topic.
• My wife and I usually walked to work,unlesswe were going shopping afterwards, in that case, we d take the car.
• UnlessI had seen it with my own eyes, I wouldn t have believed that such a thing could happen.

Thus, the right answer is

Unless you try, you will never succeed.

Question 4

He wrote with ink.

He wrote in ink.

Explanation

We always Write In ink whereas, we always Write With an instrument. In simple words, always use Write In when referring to the final work, but use Write With when referring to the use of instruments.

Examples

• She haswrittena letterinink.
• Hewrote inink.
• My son is learning towrite witha pen.
• He always prefers towrite witha pencil.

Thus, the correct sentence is

He wrote in ink.

Question 5

What country he belongs to?

What country does he belong to?

Explanation

What , Which , and Whose are the words that are known as interrogative adjectives. They always come with nouns, pronouns, pronouns, or noun like things to ask questions.

NounsAli, Ayesha, William, Multan, Lahore, Pakistan, America, Courage, Curiosity, Democracy, etc.

PronounsHe, she, it, I, we, you, they, all, both, many, few, several, some, none, everyone, nobody, either, neither, who, whom, what, which, etc.

Noun like thingsThe girl in black, The cars of the rich and handsome boy, Only one person in billions, etc.

Structure

What Which Whose Noun Pronoun Helping Verb Subject Verb Object?

Examples

• What car will you buy?
• What country does he belong to?
• Which mobile phone will they give me?
• Which address did she mail the letter to?
• Whose horse is Nimra riding?
• Whose friend did your father help?

Thus, the correct sentence is

What country does he belong to?

Question 6

When he reaches to manhood, he will visit to England.

When he reaches manhood, he will visit England.

Explanation

The sentence has two grammatical errors. To write the sentence grammatically correct, we have to correct both of the errors. Let s identify errors one by one.

Reach Something or Somebody vs Reach To Something or Somebody

As a verbReachdoesn t take a preposition however, as a nounReachtakes the prepositionTo.

Examples

• I didn treachLahore until seven or eight o clock. Verb
• News of his death has justreachedus. Verb
• The CSS aspirants havereachedthe conclusion that they now have to prefer expert teachers to qualifiers. Verb
• The jury took ten days toreacha verdict. Verb
• Social media always support inept mentorsreachto the aspirants. Noun
• Sir Syed Kazim Ali s creative English writing program extends globalreachto 15 countries. Noun
• His lectures help you increase yourreachto English-speaking populations. Noun

Visit Someone or Something vs Visit To Someone or Something

As a verbVisitdoesn t take a preposition however, as a nounVisittakes the prepositionToandOf.

Examples

• I oftenvisitmy relatives. Verb
• I havevisitedKarachi thrice. Verb
• When did she lastvisitthe psychiatrist? Verb
• Modi was carrying Covid-19 when he wasvisitingDelhi. Verb
• I would love to pay avisitto the new library. Noun
• Hervisitto Europe last year was great. Noun
• Myvisitto the Prime Minister of Pakistan was about academy mafia. Noun

Thus, the correct sentence is

When he reaches manhood, he will visit England.

Question 7

The new session commences from February 1st, 2020.

The new session commences on February 1st, 2020.

Explanation

Commence V means To begin something. As a verbCommencetakes different prepositions to show different meanings.

Things commence beginONa particular day or date.

Things commence beginATa particular time Given point in time .

Things commence beginINa month or a year.

Things commence beginFromthe exact date, day, time, month, year when they beginTothe exact date, day, time, month, year when they end.

The admissions will commenceon14 August 2022. Particular day or date

The admissions will commenceonFriday. Particular day or date

The proceeding commencedin2010. Month or year

The proceeding commencedinJune. Month or year

The proceeding will commenceat8 a.m. Given a point in time

The proceeding will commencefromFriday and continuetoMonday.

Thus, the right answer is

The new session commences on February 1st, 2020.

Question 8

Please send this letter on my address.

Please send this letter to my address.

Explanation

WeSendthingsTosomeone or somewhere

WeSendthingsWith Bysomeone or something, so that they can deliver things.

WeSendthingsWith Bysomeone or somethingTosomeone or somewhere, so they can receive things.

Examples

• Please send this lettertomy address.
• Where shall I send this letterto?
• She can send this letterbypost.
• I can send this letterbyposttomy mother.

Thus, the right answer is

Please send this letter to my address.

Question 1

I won him in the race.

• I won against him in the race.
• I won the race against him.In the race, I won against him.
• I won the race.

Explanation

This sentence, although grammatically correct, doesn t give any sense. We always win something against somebody, or we win against somebody.

Win Againstphrasal verb means To achieve a victory over somebody or to beat, defeat, conquer, overmatch, or surmount.

Examples

• He is the person who has already won against many experienced football players.
• Kashmiris seem sure to win against, soon, the much stronger Indian army.

Usage of Win , Beat , and Defeat

These words confuse non-natives, mostly Pakistani and Indian students, as to which one they should use in sentences. They take them as synonyms to one another. Let s clear the concept hereunder.

If you are playing a tennis game with your friend, you always win the game or beat your friend in the game.

Focus the difference, we, sometimes, use the verbWIN, without an object. Because when we win, people are interested in knowing who is the winner, not in loser.

Pakistani team won the world cup beating Indian team.

On the other hand, when weBEATorDEFEATsomebody, people are interested in knowing both the winner and the loser. The verbsBEATandDEFEATcannot be used without objects.

Thus, the right answers are

• I won against him in the race.
• I won the race against him.
• In the race, I won against him.
• I won the race.

Question 2

He said that I am playing chess.

He said that he was playing chess.

Explanation

In this sentence, the sequence is disturbed. Always remember, if the main clause is in the past tense, the subordinate clause will be in any past tense past simple indefinite, past continuous, past perfect continuous, etc.

Examples

• She believed that Nimra would come.Not Nimra will come.
• I realized that I had earned a lot.Not I have earned 
• She thought that she had been consuming herself for years.Not .. she has 
• I had done everything that was compulsory.
• He worked hard so that he might qualify for the exam.

Exceptions

There are some exceptions to this rule

Exception-1If there is a universal truth or habitual fact in the subordinate clause, we keep them in the present tense, even if the main clause in the past tense.

Examples

• My teacher told me that the sun rises the east. Universal truth
• My mother told me that God is one. Universal truth
• Anam told me that she gets up early in the morning. Habitual fact

Exception-2If the subordinate clause dependent clause is introduced by the conjunctions of comparison, such asas well as,than, etc. the verb in the subordinate clause can be in any tense depending upon the sense.

Examples

• She loved me more than she loves you.
• She liked you better than she likes me.

Exception-3If the subordinate clause dependent clause is an adverb clause, which is expressinghow,when,where, andwhyan action happens, the verb in the subordinate clause may be in any tense depending on the sense implied.

Examples

• My wife and I didn t go where you guys go daily.
• You could have bought proper shoes to go hiking in the mountain because the ground there is rough and hard.

Exception-4If the subordinate clause dependent clause is an adjective clause relative clause, the verb in this clause can be in any tense according to the sense implied, even if the main clause is in the past tense.

What is an Adjective Clause?

An adjective clause relative clause is a type of dependent clause it, unlike the adverb clause, modifies a noun or a pronoun that comes before it. All adjective clauses start with a relative pronoun who, whom, which, whose, that, when, why, and where.

Examples

• I had a friend whose daughter-in-law lives in London.
• I taught many competitive aspirants who are honest and always do justice.
• Competitive students who qualify the CSS exam don t join an academy and don t listen to qualifiers.

Exception-5If the subordinate clause dependent clause is introduced by the words, such asAs IforAs Though, we use the verbWereto talk about the present tense whereas, the verb phraseHad Beenis used to indicate the past tense.

Examples

1. He laughs as if he were mad.
2. He behaves as if he were deaf.
3. She talked as though she had been a celebrity.
4. Her child cries as though it were hurt.

Thus, the correct answer is

He said that he was playing chess.

Question 3

Unless you do not try, you will never succeed.

Unless you try, you will never succeed.

Explanation

Both conjunctionsUnless,Untilare often taken as synonymous to each other however, their meaning and usage are different.

Unlessmeans Except for a specified condition.

The conjunctionUnlessis used to describing referring to a condition that is not being met. In simple words, we use the conjunctionUnlessto indicate that if something doesn t happen, something else will happen as a result.

The conjunctionUnlessis considered negative and is not used with another negative wordNotin a clause sentence. Thus, we don t use Unless and Not together in a clause.

Unlessisn t followed byWill .

Unlessis usually used to refer to present and future tense, but it is, sometimes, used with the past, but not frequently.

Until Tillmeans Before the given time Up to the time of something s happening

The conjunctionUntilis used to describing referring to a time threshold that is not being crossed.

The conjunctionUntilis also considered negative and is not used with another negative wordNotin a clause sentence. Therefore, we don t use Until and Not in a clause.

Until is more formal than Till.

Examples

• Miss Sara lived with her parentsuntilshe was 29.
• I will not give the CSS exam a tryunlessmy mother asks me for.
• We shall not lend him moneyunlesshe gives us gold.
• UntilI complete the homework, please don t start playing cricket.
• You are unlikely to earn decent moneyuntilyou start working hard.
• We won t start the projectuntilwe hear that all the plans have been approved.
• I resigned in June but continued to draw my salaryuntilthe end of August.
• Where are my cricket shoes? They should be in the roomunlessyou ve left them behind the door.
• Unlessyou ve tried it for yourself, you can t imagine how relaxing it is.
• You never hear her express an opinion in group discussionunlessshe s thought very carefully about the topic.
• My wife and I usually walked to work,unlesswe were going shopping afterwards, in that case, we d take the car.
• UnlessI had seen it with my own eyes, I wouldn t have believed that such a thing could happen.

Thus, the right answer is

Unless you try, you will never succeed.

Question 4

He wrote with ink.

He wrote in ink.

Explanation

We always Write In ink whereas, we always Write With an instrument. In simple words, always use Write In when referring to the final work, but use Write With when referring to the use of instruments.

Examples

• She haswrittena letterinink.
• Hewrote inink.
• My son is learning towrite witha pen.
• He always prefers towrite witha pencil.

Thus, the correct sentence is

He wrote in ink.

Question 5

What country he belongs to?

What country does he belong to?

Explanation

What , Which , and Whose are the words that are known as interrogative adjectives. They always come with nouns, pronouns, pronouns, or noun like things to ask questions.

NounsAli, Ayesha, William, Multan, Lahore, Pakistan, America, Courage, Curiosity, Democracy, etc.

PronounsHe, she, it, I, we, you, they, all, both, many, few, several, some, none, everyone, nobody, either, neither, who, whom, what, which, etc.

Noun like thingsThe girl in black, The cars of the rich and handsome boy, Only one person in billions, etc.

Structure

What Which Whose Noun Pronoun Helping Verb Subject Verb Object?

Examples

• What car will you buy?
• What country does he belong to?
• Which mobile phone will they give me?
• Which address did she mail the letter to?
• Whose horse is Nimra riding?
• Whose friend did your father help?

Thus, the correct sentence is

What country does he belong to?

Question 6

When he reaches to manhood, he will visit to England.

When he reaches manhood, he will visit England.

Explanation

The sentence has two grammatical errors. To write the sentence grammatically correct, we have to correct both of the errors. Let s identify errors one by one.

Reach Something or Somebody vs Reach To Something or Somebody

As a verbReachdoesn t take a preposition however, as a nounReachtakes the prepositionTo.

Examples

• I didn treachLahore until seven or eight o clock. Verb
• News of his death has justreachedus. Verb
• The CSS aspirants havereachedthe conclusion that they now have to prefer expert teachers to qualifiers. Verb
• The jury took ten days toreacha verdict. Verb
• Social media always support inept mentorsreachto the aspirants. Noun
• Sir Syed Kazim Ali s creative English writing program extends globalreachto 15 countries. Noun
• His lectures help you increase yourreachto English-speaking populations. Noun

Visit Someone or Something vs Visit To Someone or Something

As a verbVisitdoesn t take a preposition however, as a nounVisittakes the prepositionToandOf.

Examples

• I oftenvisitmy relatives. Verb
• I havevisitedKarachi thrice. Verb
• When did she lastvisitthe psychiatrist? Verb
• Modi was carrying Covid-19 when he wasvisitingDelhi. Verb
• I would love to pay avisitto the new library. Noun
• Hervisitto Europe last year was great. Noun
• Myvisitto the Prime Minister of Pakistan was about academy mafia. Noun

Thus, the correct sentence is

When he reaches manhood, he will visit England.

Question 7

The new session commences from February 1st, 2020.

The new session commences on February 1st, 2020.

Explanation

Commence V means To begin something. As a verbCommencetakes different prepositions to show different meanings.

Things commence beginONa particular day or date.

Things commence beginATa particular time Given point in time .

Things commence beginINa month or a year.

Things commence beginFromthe exact date, day, time, month, year when they beginTothe exact date, day, time, month, year when they end.

The admissions will commenceon14 August 2022. Particular day or date

The admissions will commenceonFriday. Particular day or date

The proceeding commencedin2010. Month or year

The proceeding commencedinJune. Month or year

The proceeding will commenceat8 a.m. Given a point in time

The proceeding will commencefromFriday and continuetoMonday.

Thus, the right answer is

The new session commences on February 1st, 2020.

Question 8

Please send this letter on my address.

Please send this letter to my address.

Explanation

WeSendthingsTosomeone or somewhere

WeSendthingsWith Bysomeone or something, so that they can deliver things.

WeSendthingsWith Bysomeone or somethingTosomeone or somewhere, so they can receive things.

Examples

• Please send this lettertomy address.
• Where shall I send this letterto?
• She can send this letterbypost.
• I can send this letterbyposttomy mother.

Thus, the right answer is

Please send this letter to my address.

Question 1

I won him in the race.

• I won against him in the race.
• I won the race against him.In the race, I won against him.
• I won the race.

Explanation

This sentence, although grammatically correct, doesn t give any sense. We always win something against somebody, or we win against somebody.

Win Againstphrasal verb means To achieve a victory over somebody or to beat, defeat, conquer, overmatch, or surmount.

Examples

• He is the person who has already won against many experienced football players.
• Kashmiris seem sure to win against, soon, the much stronger Indian army.

Usage of Win , Beat , and Defeat

These words confuse non-natives, mostly Pakistani and Indian students, as to which one they should use in sentences. They take them as synonyms to one another. Let s clear the concept hereunder.

If you are playing a tennis game with your friend, you always win the game or beat your friend in the game.

Focus the difference, we, sometimes, use the verbWIN, without an object. Because when we win, people are interested in knowing who is the winner, not in loser.

Pakistani team won the world cup beating Indian team.

On the other hand, when weBEATorDEFEATsomebody, people are interested in knowing both the winner and the loser. The verbsBEATandDEFEATcannot be used without objects.

Thus, the right answers are

• I won against him in the race.
• I won the race against him.
• In the race, I won against him.
• I won the race.

Question 2

He said that I am playing chess.

He said that he was playing chess.

Explanation

In this sentence, the sequence is disturbed. Always remember, if the main clause is in the past tense, the subordinate clause will be in any past tense past simple indefinite, past continuous, past perfect continuous, etc.

Examples

• She believed that Nimra would come.Not Nimra will come.
• I realized that I had earned a lot.Not I have earned 
• She thought that she had been consuming herself for years.Not .. she has 
• I had done everything that was compulsory.
• He worked hard so that he might qualify for the exam.

Exceptions

There are some exceptions to this rule

Exception-1If there is a universal truth or habitual fact in the subordinate clause, we keep them in the present tense, even if the main clause in the past tense.

Examples

• My teacher told me that the sun rises the east. Universal truth
• My mother told me that God is one. Universal truth
• Anam told me that she gets up early in the morning. Habitual fact

Exception-2If the subordinate clause dependent clause is introduced by the conjunctions of comparison, such asas well as,than, etc. the verb in the subordinate clause can be in any tense depending upon the sense.

Examples

• She loved me more than she loves you.
• She liked you better than she likes me.

Exception-3If the subordinate clause dependent clause is an adverb clause, which is expressinghow,when,where, andwhyan action happens, the verb in the subordinate clause may be in any tense depending on the sense implied.

Examples

• My wife and I didn t go where you guys go daily.
• You could have bought proper shoes to go hiking in the mountain because the ground there is rough and hard.

Exception-4If the subordinate clause dependent clause is an adjective clause relative clause, the verb in this clause can be in any tense according to the sense implied, even if the main clause is in the past tense.

What is an Adjective Clause?

An adjective clause relative clause is a type of dependent clause it, unlike the adverb clause, modifies a noun or a pronoun that comes before it. All adjective clauses start with a relative pronoun who, whom, which, whose, that, when, why, and where.

Examples

• I had a friend whose daughter-in-law lives in London.
• I taught many competitive aspirants who are honest and always do justice.
• Competitive students who qualify the CSS exam don t join an academy and don t listen to qualifiers.

Exception-5If the subordinate clause dependent clause is introduced by the words, such asAs IforAs Though, we use the verbWereto talk about the present tense whereas, the verb phraseHad Beenis used to indicate the past tense.

Examples

1. He laughs as if he were mad.
2. He behaves as if he were deaf.
3. She talked as though she had been a celebrity.
4. Her child cries as though it were hurt.

Thus, the correct answer is

He said that he was playing chess.

Question 3

Unless you do not try, you will never succeed.

Unless you try, you will never succeed.

Explanation

Both conjunctionsUnless,Untilare often taken as synonymous to each other however, their meaning and usage are different.

Unlessmeans Except for a specified condition.

The conjunctionUnlessis used to describing referring to a condition that is not being met. In simple words, we use the conjunctionUnlessto indicate that if something doesn t happen, something else will happen as a result.

The conjunctionUnlessis considered negative and is not used with another negative wordNotin a clause sentence. Thus, we don t use Unless and Not together in a clause.

Unlessisn t followed byWill .

Unlessis usually used to refer to present and future tense, but it is, sometimes, used with the past, but not frequently.

Until Tillmeans Before the given time Up to the time of something s happening

The conjunctionUntilis used to describing referring to a time threshold that is not being crossed.

The conjunctionUntilis also considered negative and is not used with another negative wordNotin a clause sentence. Therefore, we don t use Until and Not in a clause.

Until is more formal than Till.

Examples

• Miss Sara lived with her parentsuntilshe was 29.
• I will not give the CSS exam a tryunlessmy mother asks me for.
• We shall not lend him moneyunlesshe gives us gold.
• UntilI complete the homework, please don t start playing cricket.
• You are unlikely to earn decent moneyuntilyou start working hard.
• We won t start the projectuntilwe hear that all the plans have been approved.
• I resigned in June but continued to draw my salaryuntilthe end of August.
• Where are my cricket shoes? They should be in the roomunlessyou ve left them behind the door.
• Unlessyou ve tried it for yourself, you can t imagine how relaxing it is.
• You never hear her express an opinion in group discussionunlessshe s thought very carefully about the topic.
• My wife and I usually walked to work,unlesswe were going shopping afterwards, in that case, we d take the car.
• UnlessI had seen it with my own eyes, I wouldn t have believed that such a thing could happen.

Thus, the right answer is

Unless you try, you will never succeed.

Question 4

He wrote with ink.

He wrote in ink.

Explanation

We always Write In ink whereas, we always Write With an instrument. In simple words, always use Write In when referring to the final work, but use Write With when referring to the use of instruments.

Examples

• She haswrittena letterinink.
• Hewrote inink.
• My son is learning towrite witha pen.
• He always prefers towrite witha pencil.

Thus, the correct sentence is

He wrote in ink.

Question 5

What country he belongs to?

What country does he belong to?

Explanation

What , Which , and Whose are the words that are known as interrogative adjectives. They always come with nouns, pronouns, pronouns, or noun like things to ask questions.

NounsAli, Ayesha, William, Multan, Lahore, Pakistan, America, Courage, Curiosity, Democracy, etc.

PronounsHe, she, it, I, we, you, they, all, both, many, few, several, some, none, everyone, nobody, either, neither, who, whom, what, which, etc.

Noun like thingsThe girl in black, The cars of the rich and handsome boy, Only one person in billions, etc.

Structure

What Which Whose Noun Pronoun Helping Verb Subject Verb Object?

Examples

• What car will you buy?
• What country does he belong to?
• Which mobile phone will they give me?
• Which address did she mail the letter to?
• Whose horse is Nimra riding?
• Whose friend did your father help?

Thus, the correct sentence is

What country does he belong to?

Question 6

When he reaches to manhood, he will visit to England.

When he reaches manhood, he will visit England.

Explanation

The sentence has two grammatical errors. To write the sentence grammatically correct, we have to correct both of the errors. Let s identify errors one by one.

Reach Something or Somebody vs Reach To Something or Somebody

As a verbReachdoesn t take a preposition however, as a nounReachtakes the prepositionTo.

Examples

• I didn treachLahore until seven or eight o clock. Verb
• News of his death has justreachedus. Verb
• The CSS aspirants havereachedthe conclusion that they now have to prefer expert teachers to qualifiers. Verb
• The jury took ten days toreacha verdict. Verb
• Social media always support inept mentorsreachto the aspirants. Noun
• Sir Syed Kazim Ali s creative English writing program extends globalreachto 15 countries. Noun
• His lectures help you increase yourreachto English-speaking populations. Noun

Visit Someone or Something vs Visit To Someone or Something

As a verbVisitdoesn t take a preposition however, as a nounVisittakes the prepositionToandOf.

Examples

• I oftenvisitmy relatives. Verb
• I havevisitedKarachi thrice. Verb
• When did she lastvisitthe psychiatrist? Verb
• Modi was carrying Covid-19 when he wasvisitingDelhi. Verb
• I would love to pay avisitto the new library. Noun
• Hervisitto Europe last year was great. Noun
• Myvisitto the Prime Minister of Pakistan was about academy mafia. Noun

Thus, the correct sentence is

When he reaches manhood, he will visit England.

Question 7

The new session commences from February 1st, 2020.

The new session commences on February 1st, 2020.

Explanation

Commence V means To begin something. As a verbCommencetakes different prepositions to show different meanings.

Things commence beginONa particular day or date.

Things commence beginATa particular time Given point in time .

Things commence beginINa month or a year.

Things commence beginFromthe exact date, day, time, month, year when they beginTothe exact date, day, time, month, year when they end.

The admissions will commenceon14 August 2022. Particular day or date

The admissions will commenceonFriday. Particular day or date

The proceeding commencedin2010. Month or year

The proceeding commencedinJune. Month or year

The proceeding will commenceat8 a.m. Given a point in time

The proceeding will commencefromFriday and continuetoMonday.

Thus, the right answer is

The new session commences on February 1st, 2020.

Question 8

Please send this letter on my address.

Please send this letter to my address.

Explanation

WeSendthingsTosomeone or somewhere

WeSendthingsWith Bysomeone or something, so that they can deliver things.

WeSendthingsWith Bysomeone or somethingTosomeone or somewhere, so they can receive things.

Examples

• Please send this lettertomy address.
• Where shall I send this letterto?
• She can send this letterbypost.
• I can send this letterbyposttomy mother.

Thus, the right answer is

Please send this letter to my address.

Question 1

I won him in the race.

• I won against him in the race.
• I won the race against him.In the race, I won against him.
• I won the race.

Explanation

This sentence, although grammatically correct, doesn t give any sense. We always win something against somebody, or we win against somebody.

Win Againstphrasal verb means To achieve a victory over somebody or to beat, defeat, conquer, overmatch, or surmount.

Examples

• He is the person who has already won against many experienced football players.
• Kashmiris seem sure to win against, soon, the much stronger Indian army.

Usage of Win , Beat , and Defeat

These words confuse non-natives, mostly Pakistani and Indian students, as to which one they should use in sentences. They take them as synonyms to one another. Let s clear the concept hereunder.

If you are playing a tennis game with your friend, you always win the game or beat your friend in the game.

Focus the difference, we, sometimes, use the verbWIN, without an object. Because when we win, people are interested in knowing who is the winner, not in loser.

Pakistani team won the world cup beating Indian team.

On the other hand, when weBEATorDEFEATsomebody, people are interested in knowing both the winner and the loser. The verbsBEATandDEFEATcannot be used without objects.

Thus, the right answers are

• I won against him in the race.
• I won the race against him.
• In the race, I won against him.
• I won the race.

Question 2

He said that I am playing chess.

He said that he was playing chess.

Explanation

In this sentence, the sequence is disturbed. Always remember, if the main clause is in the past tense, the subordinate clause will be in any past tense past simple indefinite, past continuous, past perfect continuous, etc.

Examples

• She believed that Nimra would come.Not Nimra will come.
• I realized that I had earned a lot.Not I have earned 
• She thought that she had been consuming herself for years.Not .. she has 
• I had done everything that was compulsory.
• He worked hard so that he might qualify for the exam.

Exceptions

There are some exceptions to this rule

Exception-1If there is a universal truth or habitual fact in the subordinate clause, we keep them in the present tense, even if the main clause in the past tense.

Examples

• My teacher told me that the sun rises the east. Universal truth
• My mother told me that God is one. Universal truth
• Anam told me that she gets up early in the morning. Habitual fact

Exception-2If the subordinate clause dependent clause is introduced by the conjunctions of comparison, such asas well as,than, etc. the verb in the subordinate clause can be in any tense depending upon the sense.

Examples

• She loved me more than she loves you.
• She liked you better than she likes me.

Exception-3If the subordinate clause dependent clause is an adverb clause, which is expressinghow,when,where, andwhyan action happens, the verb in the subordinate clause may be in any tense depending on the sense implied.

Examples

• My wife and I didn t go where you guys go daily.
• You could have bought proper shoes to go hiking in the mountain because the ground there is rough and hard.

Exception-4If the subordinate clause dependent clause is an adjective clause relative clause, the verb in this clause can be in any tense according to the sense implied, even if the main clause is in the past tense.

What is an Adjective Clause?

An adjective clause relative clause is a type of dependent clause it, unlike the adverb clause, modifies a noun or a pronoun that comes before it. All adjective clauses start with a relative pronoun who, whom, which, whose, that, when, why, and where.

Examples

• I had a friend whose daughter-in-law lives in London.
• I taught many competitive aspirants who are honest and always do justice.
• Competitive students who qualify the CSS exam don t join an academy and don t listen to qualifiers.

Exception-5If the subordinate clause dependent clause is introduced by the words, such asAs IforAs Though, we use the verbWereto talk about the present tense whereas, the verb phraseHad Beenis used to indicate the past tense.

Examples

1. He laughs as if he were mad.
2. He behaves as if he were deaf.
3. She talked as though she had been a celebrity.
4. Her child cries as though it were hurt.

Thus, the correct answer is

He said that he was playing chess.

Question 3

Unless you do not try, you will never succeed.

Unless you try, you will never succeed.

Explanation

Both conjunctionsUnless,Untilare often taken as synonymous to each other however, their meaning and usage are different.

Unlessmeans Except for a specified condition.

The conjunctionUnlessis used to describing referring to a condition that is not being met. In simple words, we use the conjunctionUnlessto indicate that if something doesn t happen, something else will happen as a result.

The conjunctionUnlessis considered negative and is not used with another negative wordNotin a clause sentence. Thus, we don t use Unless and Not together in a clause.

Unlessisn t followed byWill .

Unlessis usually used to refer to present and future tense, but it is, sometimes, used with the past, but not frequently.

Until Tillmeans Before the given time Up to the time of something s happening

The conjunctionUntilis used to describing referring to a time threshold that is not being crossed.

The conjunctionUntilis also considered negative and is not used with another negative wordNotin a clause sentence. Therefore, we don t use Until and Not in a clause.

Until is more formal than Till.

Examples

• Miss Sara lived with her parentsuntilshe was 29.
• I will not give the CSS exam a tryunlessmy mother asks me for.
• We shall not lend him moneyunlesshe gives us gold.
• UntilI complete the homework, please don t start playing cricket.
• You are unlikely to earn decent moneyuntilyou start working hard.
• We won t start the projectuntilwe hear that all the plans have been approved.
• I resigned in June but continued to draw my salaryuntilthe end of August.
• Where are my cricket shoes? They should be in the roomunlessyou ve left them behind the door.
• Unlessyou ve tried it for yourself, you can t imagine how relaxing it is.
• You never hear her express an opinion in group discussionunlessshe s thought very carefully about the topic.
• My wife and I usually walked to work,unlesswe were going shopping afterwards, in that case, we d take the car.
• UnlessI had seen it with my own eyes, I wouldn t have believed that such a thing could happen.

Thus, the right answer is

Unless you try, you will never succeed.

Question 4

He wrote with ink.

He wrote in ink.

Explanation

We always Write In ink whereas, we always Write With an instrument. In simple words, always use Write In when referring to the final work, but use Write With when referring to the use of instruments.

Examples

• She haswrittena letterinink.
• Hewrote inink.
• My son is learning towrite witha pen.
• He always prefers towrite witha pencil.

Thus, the correct sentence is

He wrote in ink.

Question 5

What country he belongs to?

What country does he belong to?

Explanation

What , Which , and Whose are the words that are known as interrogative adjectives. They always come with nouns, pronouns, pronouns, or noun like things to ask questions.

NounsAli, Ayesha, William, Multan, Lahore, Pakistan, America, Courage, Curiosity, Democracy, etc.

PronounsHe, she, it, I, we, you, they, all, both, many, few, several, some, none, everyone, nobody, either, neither, who, whom, what, which, etc.

Noun like thingsThe girl in black, The cars of the rich and handsome boy, Only one person in billions, etc.

Structure

What Which Whose Noun Pronoun Helping Verb Subject Verb Object?

Examples

• What car will you buy?
• What country does he belong to?
• Which mobile phone will they give me?
• Which address did she mail the letter to?
• Whose horse is Nimra riding?
• Whose friend did your father help?

Thus, the correct sentence is

What country does he belong to?

Question 6

When he reaches to manhood, he will visit to England.

When he reaches manhood, he will visit England.

Explanation

The sentence has two grammatical errors. To write the sentence grammatically correct, we have to correct both of the errors. Let s identify errors one by one.

Reach Something or Somebody vs Reach To Something or Somebody

As a verbReachdoesn t take a preposition however, as a nounReachtakes the prepositionTo.

Examples

• I didn treachLahore until seven or eight o clock. Verb
• News of his death has justreachedus. Verb
• The CSS aspirants havereachedthe conclusion that they now have to prefer expert teachers to qualifiers. Verb
• The jury took ten days toreacha verdict. Verb
• Social media always support inept mentorsreachto the aspirants. Noun
• Sir Syed Kazim Ali s creative English writing program extends globalreachto 15 countries. Noun
• His lectures help you increase yourreachto English-speaking populations. Noun

Visit Someone or Something vs Visit To Someone or Something

As a verbVisitdoesn t take a preposition however, as a nounVisittakes the prepositionToandOf.

Examples

• I oftenvisitmy relatives. Verb
• I havevisitedKarachi thrice. Verb
• When did she lastvisitthe psychiatrist? Verb
• Modi was carrying Covid-19 when he wasvisitingDelhi. Verb
• I would love to pay avisitto the new library. Noun
• Hervisitto Europe last year was great. Noun
• Myvisitto the Prime Minister of Pakistan was about academy mafia. Noun

Thus, the correct sentence is

When he reaches manhood, he will visit England.

Question 7

The new session commences from February 1st, 2020.

The new session commences on February 1st, 2020.

Explanation

Commence V means To begin something. As a verbCommencetakes different prepositions to show different meanings.

Things commence beginONa particular day or date.

Things commence beginATa particular time Given point in time .

Things commence beginINa month or a year.

Things commence beginFromthe exact date, day, time, month, year when they beginTothe exact date, day, time, month, year when they end.

The admissions will commenceon14 August 2022. Particular day or date

The admissions will commenceonFriday. Particular day or date

The proceeding commencedin2010. Month or year

The proceeding commencedinJune. Month or year

The proceeding will commenceat8 a.m. Given a point in time

The proceeding will commencefromFriday and continuetoMonday.

Thus, the right answer is

The new session commences on February 1st, 2020.

Question 8

Please send this letter on my address.

Please send this letter to my address.

Explanation

WeSendthingsTosomeone or somewhere

WeSendthingsWith Bysomeone or something, so that they can deliver things.

WeSendthingsWith Bysomeone or somethingTosomeone or somewhere, so they can receive things.

Examples

• Please send this lettertomy address.
• Where shall I send this letterto?
• She can send this letterbypost.
• I can send this letterbyposttomy mother.

Thus, the right answer is

Please send this letter to my address.

Question 1

I won him in the race.

• I won against him in the race.
• I won the race against him.In the race, I won against him.
• I won the race.

Explanation

This sentence, although grammatically correct, doesn t give any sense. We always win something against somebody, or we win against somebody.

Win Againstphrasal verb means To achieve a victory over somebody or to beat, defeat, conquer, overmatch, or surmount.

Examples

• He is the person who has already won against many experienced football players.
• Kashmiris seem sure to win against, soon, the much stronger Indian army.

Usage of Win , Beat , and Defeat

These words confuse non-natives, mostly Pakistani and Indian students, as to which one they should use in sentences. They take them as synonyms to one another. Let s clear the concept hereunder.

If you are playing a tennis game with your friend, you always win the game or beat your friend in the game.

Focus the difference, we, sometimes, use the verbWIN, without an object. Because when we win, people are interested in knowing who is the winner, not in loser.

Pakistani team won the world cup beating Indian team.

On the other hand, when weBEATorDEFEATsomebody, people are interested in knowing both the winner and the loser. The verbsBEATandDEFEATcannot be used without objects.

Thus, the right answers are

• I won against him in the race.
• I won the race against him.
• In the race, I won against him.
• I won the race.

Question 2

He said that I am playing chess.

He said that he was playing chess.

Explanation

In this sentence, the sequence is disturbed. Always remember, if the main clause is in the past tense, the subordinate clause will be in any past tense past simple indefinite, past continuous, past perfect continuous, etc.

Examples

• She believed that Nimra would come.Not Nimra will come.
• I realized that I had earned a lot.Not I have earned 
• She thought that she had been consuming herself for years.Not .. she has 
• I had done everything that was compulsory.
• He worked hard so that he might qualify for the exam.

Exceptions

There are some exceptions to this rule

Exception-1If there is a universal truth or habitual fact in the subordinate clause, we keep them in the present tense, even if the main clause in the past tense.

Examples

• My teacher told me that the sun rises the east. Universal truth
• My mother told me that God is one. Universal truth
• Anam told me that she gets up early in the morning. Habitual fact

Exception-2If the subordinate clause dependent clause is introduced by the conjunctions of comparison, such asas well as,than, etc. the verb in the subordinate clause can be in any tense depending upon the sense.

Examples

• She loved me more than she loves you.
• She liked you better than she likes me.

Exception-3If the subordinate clause dependent clause is an adverb clause, which is expressinghow,when,where, andwhyan action happens, the verb in the subordinate clause may be in any tense depending on the sense implied.

Examples

• My wife and I didn t go where you guys go daily.
• You could have bought proper shoes to go hiking in the mountain because the ground there is rough and hard.

Exception-4If the subordinate clause dependent clause is an adjective clause relative clause, the verb in this clause can be in any tense according to the sense implied, even if the main clause is in the past tense.

What is an Adjective Clause?

An adjective clause relative clause is a type of dependent clause it, unlike the adverb clause, modifies a noun or a pronoun that comes before it. All adjective clauses start with a relative pronoun who, whom, which, whose, that, when, why, and where.

Examples

• I had a friend whose daughter-in-law lives in London.
• I taught many competitive aspirants who are honest and always do justice.
• Competitive students who qualify the CSS exam don t join an academy and don t listen to qualifiers.

Exception-5If the subordinate clause dependent clause is introduced by the words, such asAs IforAs Though, we use the verbWereto talk about the present tense whereas, the verb phraseHad Beenis used to indicate the past tense.

Examples

1. He laughs as if he were mad.
2. He behaves as if he were deaf.
3. She talked as though she had been a celebrity.
4. Her child cries as though it were hurt.

Thus, the correct answer is

He said that he was playing chess.

Question 3

Unless you do not try, you will never succeed.

Unless you try, you will never succeed.

Explanation

Both conjunctionsUnless,Untilare often taken as synonymous to each other however, their meaning and usage are different.

Unlessmeans Except for a specified condition.

The conjunctionUnlessis used to describing referring to a condition that is not being met. In simple words, we use the conjunctionUnlessto indicate that if something doesn t happen, something else will happen as a result.

The conjunctionUnlessis considered negative and is not used with another negative wordNotin a clause sentence. Thus, we don t use Unless and Not together in a clause.

Unlessisn t followed byWill .

Unlessis usually used to refer to present and future tense, but it is, sometimes, used with the past, but not frequently.

Until Tillmeans Before the given time Up to the time of something s happening

The conjunctionUntilis used to describing referring to a time threshold that is not being crossed.

The conjunctionUntilis also considered negative and is not used with another negative wordNotin a clause sentence. Therefore, we don t use Until and Not in a clause.

Until is more formal than Till.

Examples

• Miss Sara lived with her parentsuntilshe was 29.
• I will not give the CSS exam a tryunlessmy mother asks me for.
• We shall not lend him moneyunlesshe gives us gold.
• UntilI complete the homework, please don t start playing cricket.
• You are unlikely to earn decent moneyuntilyou start working hard.
• We won t start the projectuntilwe hear that all the plans have been approved.
• I resigned in June but continued to draw my salaryuntilthe end of August.
• Where are my cricket shoes? They should be in the roomunlessyou ve left them behind the door.
• Unlessyou ve tried it for yourself, you can t imagine how relaxing it is.
• You never hear her express an opinion in group discussionunlessshe s thought very carefully about the topic.
• My wife and I usually walked to work,unlesswe were going shopping afterwards, in that case, we d take the car.
• UnlessI had seen it with my own eyes, I wouldn t have believed that such a thing could happen.

Thus, the right answer is

Unless you try, you will never succeed.

Question 4

He wrote with ink.

He wrote in ink.

Explanation

We always Write In ink whereas, we always Write With an instrument. In simple words, always use Write In when referring to the final work, but use Write With when referring to the use of instruments.

Examples

• She haswrittena letterinink.
• Hewrote inink.
• My son is learning towrite witha pen.
• He always prefers towrite witha pencil.

Thus, the correct sentence is

He wrote in ink.

Question 5

What country he belongs to?

What country does he belong to?

Explanation

What , Which , and Whose are the words that are known as interrogative adjectives. They always come with nouns, pronouns, pronouns, or noun like things to ask questions.

NounsAli, Ayesha, William, Multan, Lahore, Pakistan, America, Courage, Curiosity, Democracy, etc.

PronounsHe, she, it, I, we, you, they, all, both, many, few, several, some, none, everyone, nobody, either, neither, who, whom, what, which, etc.

Noun like thingsThe girl in black, The cars of the rich and handsome boy, Only one person in billions, etc.

Structure

What Which Whose Noun Pronoun Helping Verb Subject Verb Object?

Examples

• What car will you buy?
• What country does he belong to?
• Which mobile phone will they give me?
• Which address did she mail the letter to?
• Whose horse is Nimra riding?
• Whose friend did your father help?

Thus, the correct sentence is

What country does he belong to?

Question 6

When he reaches to manhood, he will visit to England.

When he reaches manhood, he will visit England.

Explanation

The sentence has two grammatical errors. To write the sentence grammatically correct, we have to correct both of the errors. Let s identify errors one by one.

Reach Something or Somebody vs Reach To Something or Somebody

As a verbReachdoesn t take a preposition however, as a nounReachtakes the prepositionTo.

Examples

• I didn treachLahore until seven or eight o clock. Verb
• News of his death has justreachedus. Verb
• The CSS aspirants havereachedthe conclusion that they now have to prefer expert teachers to qualifiers. Verb
• The jury took ten days toreacha verdict. Verb
• Social media always support inept mentorsreachto the aspirants. Noun
• Sir Syed Kazim Ali s creative English writing program extends globalreachto 15 countries. Noun
• His lectures help you increase yourreachto English-speaking populations. Noun

Visit Someone or Something vs Visit To Someone or Something

As a verbVisitdoesn t take a preposition however, as a nounVisittakes the prepositionToandOf.

Examples

• I oftenvisitmy relatives. Verb
• I havevisitedKarachi thrice. Verb
• When did she lastvisitthe psychiatrist? Verb
• Modi was carrying Covid-19 when he wasvisitingDelhi. Verb
• I would love to pay avisitto the new library. Noun
• Hervisitto Europe last year was great. Noun
• Myvisitto the Prime Minister of Pakistan was about academy mafia. Noun

Thus, the correct sentence is

When he reaches manhood, he will visit England.

Question 7

The new session commences from February 1st, 2020.

The new session commences on February 1st, 2020.

Explanation

Commence V means To begin something. As a verbCommencetakes different prepositions to show different meanings.

Things commence beginONa particular day or date.

Things commence beginATa particular time Given point in time .

Things commence beginINa month or a year.

Things commence beginFromthe exact date, day, time, month, year when they beginTothe exact date, day, time, month, year when they end.

The admissions will commenceon14 August 2022. Particular day or date

The admissions will commenceonFriday. Particular day or date

The proceeding commencedin2010. Month or year

The proceeding commencedinJune. Month or year

The proceeding will commenceat8 a.m. Given a point in time

The proceeding will commencefromFriday and continuetoMonday.

Thus, the right answer is

The new session commences on February 1st, 2020.

Question 8

Please send this letter on my address.

Please send this letter to my address.

Explanation

WeSendthingsTosomeone or somewhere

WeSendthingsWith Bysomeone or something, so that they can deliver things.

WeSendthingsWith Bysomeone or somethingTosomeone or somewhere, so they can receive things.

Examples

• Please send this lettertomy address.
• Where shall I send this letterto?
• She can send this letterbypost.
• I can send this letterbyposttomy mother.

Thus, the right answer is

Please send this letter to my address.

Please send this letter to my address.

Please send this letter to my address.

Please send this letter to my address.

Please send this letter to my address.

Please send this letter to my address.

Please send this letter to my address.