A guide describes how to solve the English language and comprehension part of Competitive examinations. This guide elaborates how to solve Comprehension, Antonyms and Synonyms, Fill up the blanks, Jumbled sentences exercises.
English forms a very important section for all Government exams be it SSC, Banking, EPFO, Insurance, NDA , UPSC etc . English is also a life skill and rich English speaking , vocabulary and writing skills make a person to excel in the long run, so it is imperative to prepare and learn English grammar, vocabulary, phrases and creativity to make yourself visible among the general crowd. I will put forward some really effective ways to develop English skills not only for Government sector exams preparation but also for all other purposes. Its a vital soft skill to have. 1. First and foremost, start reading a good newspaper. The Hindu would be my bet and if you are interested in finance, awesome to get your eyes and mind on Financial Express or Business Line . It will improve your English grammar, vocabulary, creative skills and general awareness. Reading a newspaper will give you hints about how you can put forward your views and which are the phrases in use currently. Believe me 10–20 % or more of your English preparation is done for Competitions . You will say I am kidding !! Right ? Wrong !! . We usually do not understand this fact because we do not normally read newspapers. 2. Buy a good standard English book and always keep it at your disposal. I would suggest book by S.P Bakshi which is a complete guide for English asked in all competitive exams. It has sufficient practice questions. If not more, start practicing or reading the chapters for 30 minutes. Make some quick notes of rules mentioned. These general English rules will make you able to solve 70–80 % questions based on them. Make notes and revise daily and practice questions based on rules. Generally questions of type “ Find Error†come in this category. 3. Buy a pocket dictionary. Oxford or Longman is good. Keep it with you while reading newspaper. You will be surprised to find out the improvement in your vocabulary skills in just a month. This will help you do Antonym , Synonym , reading comprehension, one word type questions either directly or indirectly. 4. Nowadays everybody has a smart phone. Make optimum use of it. Download a dictionary app and a grammar app . Search there are some really relevant apps available. Use or commute or free time . You may be lucky when you find a synonym question comes and you remember the answer which you read while travelling in a bus 3 days before.