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VERBAL ABILITY “Effective speaking and writing is the revealing expression of a human

personality.”

Verbal ability tests are designed to test a candidate’s ability to read,

understand & also how he or she uses it to one’s advantage. It is required

in everywhere ranging from a small shop to multicultural MNCs. So

basically knowing a language is not sufficient, how effectively we are able

to use to our advantage is also more important. In order to test the

proficiency, but at the same time the application level is also tested by

verbal ability, so if you want a good job, it is equally important that you the

basics of English & also should be able to read, understand & use the language effectively.

Verbal ability is broadly classified into the following four categories

1) Reading Comprehension

2) Sentence Correction

3) Sentence Completion

4) Verbal Analogy

READING COMPREHENSION

Reading is one of the oldest yet invigorating hobbies of all times. There are different styles of reading like you need a

novel that’s for fun or just to while away your time or it can also be for understanding, pleasure etc. We read

newspapers for general knowledge, News or some call it the Bathroom hobby because sadly that’s where Newspapers

are read the most. Well we aren’t discussing about all those unwanted things, what is more important is that whatever

we read must be comprehended or in simple way the understanding which you have regarding the subject, content or

topic of discussion.

Reading comprehension is all about Understanding + Comprehend. I.e. Read, understand & apply it in answering the

questions. Now Reading comprehension passages form an integral part of all question papers, TOEFEL,GRE, BECK etc,

the strategy is simple, if you are good in English, you have to prove it!!

There are three ways in which we can solve a RC passage;

1) Passage to Question

2) Question to Passage

3) Question – Answer Approach

1. The first method is the most ancient method followed till date, it’s a bit time consuming because always reading the

passage completely is good for understanding the main theme/idea/concept of the passage, but in competitive exams

that’s not the only question which comes in, you need to be faster than the other students. The maximum time given for

a RC passage is 30 minutes, but if you take the entire 30 minutes, you will not be able to complete the entire verbal

section or any other part in time, so you need to practice the answering part in 15 minutes (includes reading the passage

& the questions).

2. The second method is going to the questions directly & then finding the paragraph from which the question is asked &

then try to locate the answer from the passage. Here it will become time consuming if you are not able to understand

the question correctly, then it will not

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3. The third method is recommended for those who think that I won’t be able to make it in the last minute. It is basically

like the first question will be from the first para’ & the second question from the second para’ etc but that won’t work in

all the situation & hence we don’t recommend this method unless you have only 15 minutes left to complete the test &

let’s be honest here, you won’t be successful in getting all the answers correctly, but make sure the questions which you

attempt are correct!!

The best method to attempt a passage is by comprehending the passage based on the most frequently asked questions.

Topic of discussion, Identify the key points in the passage

Author’s purpose & tone

Any emotional keywords.

Has the author concluded the passage

Do not get distracted by the usage of jargons or finesse of language, which might be given to confuse you, so what you

can do is substitute the meaning of the jargon by contextual meaning or a known word.

Finally a passage needs to be understood & answered; you need only a short term memory. So don’t tax yourself & try

to do a research wasting your precious time.

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SENTENCE CORRECTION

This section deals primarily with Grammar. It tests the candidate’s knowledge & application of the students. If we learn a

concept, how well the candidate can master it, so that even if the questions are twisted & turned, he/she should be able

to find the correct answer. One advantage in this section is you have to find the mistake!! It is entirely based on

Grammar starting from the basic level to intermediate level.

For scoring in this section, the students should definitely know the eight Parts of Speech & the twelve

Tenses

Some of the important concepts to be refreshed are;

1. Verbs should agree with their subjects.( SVA = Subject Verb Agreement)

Eg:

The students has an English class every week (Incorrect)

The students have an English class every week (Correct)

‘Students’ is a plural subject which should be in concord with a plural verb i.e. ‘have’.

2. Verb tenses must agree and they must reflect the correct sequence of events. For this

Check the tense of all verbs.

Check that the sequence of events is clear.

3. Ensure parallelism i.e. items in pairs or series must agree. Check for the list of items or series of events, expressions

like ‘both A and B’, ‘either A and B’, ‘prefer A to B’etc.

Eg:

Ram likes cooking, reading and housework. (Incorrect)

Ram likes cooking, reading and doing housework (correct).

4. Modifiers: Make sure the modifier is as close as possible to the word or clause that it modifies.

Misplaced or Dangling modifiers can alter the intended meaning drastically.

Eg :

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1) Sprinkled with Pepper, the Chef gently rolled the dough.(Incorrect)

The chef gently rolled the dough, sprinkled with pepper.(Correct)

2) I saw a trailer, peeping through the window. (Incorrect)

Peeping through the window, I saw a trailer. (Correct)

5. Sentences where the subject is separated from the verb by words such as “along with”, “as well as”, “besides” or

“not”, ignore these expressions when determining whether to use a singular or plural verb.

Eg : The soldiers along with the captain, was shot dead by the terrorist.(Incorrect)

The soldiers along with the captain were shot dead by the terrorist.(Correct)

Here the subject is “ soldiers” & not “ Captain”, so we should use plural verb & not singular verb.

6. Subjects joined by ‘either/or’, ‘neither/nor’, ‘not only/but also’.

Eg : Either my aunt or my uncles is coming tomorrow.(Incorrect)

Either my aunt or my uncles are coming tomorrow. (Correct)

Here we apply the rule of nearness to determine which subject is closer to the verb. Always check the

singularity/plurality of the subject closer to or/nor/but also.

7. Collective nouns: A collective noun is a word used to define a group of subjects. They are generally singular.

The class are listening to the trainer.(Incorrect)

The class is listening to the trainer. (Correct)

8. Make certain that adjectives and adverbs are used correctly. Adjectives describe nouns while adverbs describe verbs

& adjectives.

1) Last night, Qasim played the guitar good. (Incorrect)

Last night, Qasim played the guitar well. (Correct)

2) Aruna is the most smarter among all her siblings. (Incorrect) ( Superlative degree)

Aruna is the smartest among all her siblings. (Correct)

3) Roy’s height is more than Rekha. (Incorrect) (Comparative Degree)

Roy’s height is more than of Rekha. (Correct)

9. Question Tags.

The question tag in English is a phrase added to the main part of the sentence, inviting the listener to confirm or

give an opinion about the comment. It consists of two parts: Auxiliary Verb + Pronoun, determined by the subject.

Eg:

1) The guests are arriving tomorrow, aren’t they?

2) Subash will be coming home today, won’t he?

3) I’m not disturbing you, am I?

10. Some subjects seem plural, but in certain kind of sentences are really singular.

Eg:

1. Thousand rupee’s is a lot of money.

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2. Hundred Litre’s of milk is more than sufficient for the marriage.

These are some of the most commonly asked questions in sentence correction questions. We have two more in Articles

& Prepositions which will come in handy for sentence completion questions.

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SENTENCE COMPLETION

Sentence completion questions are varied based on the following topics;

a) To test you vocabulary – One word substitutes

b) Fill in the blanks with suitable words.

c) Fill in the blanks with Suitable prepositions or articles.

d) Ordering of Sentences.

The first two categories depend on the Vocabulary of the student;

a) One word substitute: is basically a one word substitution for a sentence. The student needs to update himself with

the most frequently asked questions on this section.

Eg :

1. One who is out to subvert a government Anarchist

2. One who is recovering from illness Convalescent

b) Fill in the blanks with suitable sentences.

In this section, a sentence would be given with choice of words, you need to select the appropriate word with respect to

the given sentence, and this is where applying the method of Contextual meaning comes handy. Fill in the blanks with

most common word which you know & try to look for the word which has the same meaning.

Eg ;

1) While the concept of social distance applies __________ to human relationships, the __________

Of closeness and distance varies between cultures.

a) Unequivocally, Materialization.

b) Unambiguously, Degree

c) Unconditionally, extent

d) Irrationally, magnitude

The correct answer is Option b) Unambiguously means certainly & degree means the extent/deepness, unless and until

we know the meaning of ambiguous, we won’t be able to solve the question correctly, but we have a chance if we try, so

fill in the blank “we can use clear, clearly, certainly etc in the first blank & then we need to search the proximity of our

word with the given words.

We cannot use Unconditional to human relationships & hence we can exclude that option & equivocally means the

same “Clearly, but Materialization doesn’t fit in there, hence we can decide the option early. But you need to practice a

couple of times before you become an expert.

Now let’s look into Prepositions & articles!!

Articles: A, An, The. These are the three articles which we have in English language, but they are more than enough to

cause the required damage & that’s why they form an integral part of all the question papers. So it’s good to know the

game.

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A: is used for introducing a noun or a pronoun, but never used to introduce a collective noun.

Eg: A man, A boy, A bicycle etc, mostly “A” is used for introducing words starting with Consonants( all the alphabets

except the vowels A,E,I,O,U).

An: The article “An” is used for introducing words starting with vowels.

Eg: An Apple, An umbrella, An orange.

But there are exceptions. The use of “A” & “An” is not decided by the alphabets, but their pronunciation,

for Eg;

We don’t say An University, but we say A University or The University.

1) Sagar graduated from the University of Madras.

2) Sagar graduated from a University in South Asia.

The:

It is one of the most commonly used articles/word in the English language. It’s known for its rule: specific!! That’s the

word which describes the role of article “the” it is used for mentioning, expressing, starting a topic, but to the point or

specific. We can take the above example of university. Look at the first one, there we are talking specifically about the

University of Madras & hence we use “the” instead

of “A”. Similarly while discussing about universal Truths, Unique things in the world like The TajMahal,

The united States of America etc we should only use “The”.

Prepositions

Preposition is a word which is used before a noun, a noun phrase or a pronoun connecting it to another word.

Eg: at, in on, of, to etc.

In, Into

“In” shows the position of rest of an object whereas “Into” shows an object in motion.

Eg; The table is in the room.

The ball fell into the well.

In, at

Here “In” shows a large area of time or place, while “at” refers to small area or fixed point of time & space.

Eg; I stay in Tamilnadu at Coimbatore.

I stay in Chennai at Nungambakam.

On, Upon

“On” refers to the state of rest or stationary position, while “upon” refers to the state of motion.

Eg; The book was found lying on the table.

The Cat jumped upon the wall.

Between, Among

Between is used for two persons, things or ideas, while “among is used for more than two persons.

Eg; 1. The property was divided between the two brothers.

2. The property was divided among the five brothers.

But Between is also used for more than two persons when we are expressing the mutual bond/relation between them.

Eg : The treaty was signed between the five nations.

Our Choice is between the four brothers.

Under, Beneath

The usage of under & beneath depends upon the distance.

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Eg; The shoal of fish was found swimming under the surface of the sea. (incorrect)

The shoal of fish was found swimming beneath the surface of the ocean. (correct)

The shipwreck of titanic was found under the surface of the Atlantic Ocean.

Ordering of Sentences.

It is also known as Paragraph sequencing, Jumbled sentences. Basically we need to identify the correct order a set of

sentences given, it can vary from 4 to a maximum of 7 sentences. This section is found in almost all competitive

examinations & the reason begin the tendency of the students to make mistakes is higher.

In general, the purpose of a paragraph would be to express an idea, point or opinion. The procedure to be followed is to

find;

1. Beginning - Introduction.

2. Middle - Main Theme or the topic of discussion.

3. End - The discussion ends, making the point clear or explaining it further by transitional sentences.

How to Solve.

Identify what or whom they are discussing about. (find out the nouns, pronouns)

Relate to all the sentences, got through them & then try to find the introducing sentence,

where they have mentioned the noun for the first time;

Now once the starting sentence has been identified, using the pronouns try to find the

connecting sentence. For finding the connecting sentence we can also try to locate the

conjunctions ( eg: and , but , even though, so).

Now we need find the Concluding sentence, for that we need to identify the concluding words.

Eg; Finally, Hence, Thence, Henceforth, Ultimately etc. Once we find the concluders, we have the starting

sentence, the connecting sentence & the concluding sentence; we have the flow of information. Now it will be

easier for us to find the rest of the sentences.

Solved example

A. But we all helped him in the first few days.

B. Chandrapur is considered to be a rural area.

C. Manohar was transferred to this office recently.

D. Initially he was not getting adjusted to city life.

E. Now, Manohar is very proud of his colleagues.

F. Before that he was working in Chandrapur branch of our office.

First whom are they discussing about: Manohar. Even though Chandrapur is also a noun, the one that answers the

question will be the person, topic or point of discussion & thus we can avoid making mistakes.

Now identify the starting sentence, look at sentence “C” where they are introducing Manohar.

So it will be starting sentence, immediately we can find connecting sentence “F”. Then Chandrapur is ext word which we

need to use, & hence we will be able to identify the next sentence “B”, Then sentence “D” , “A” & finally we have “E” the

concluding sentence.

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VERBAL ANALOGY

Verbal analogy deals with the relationship of different words Verbal = English, Ana + Logy = words + Study. This section

practically tests your Vocabulary skills. Based on the different questions papers & also the relevance of the questions,

we have divided the section into the following four categories;

1) Synonyms

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2) Antonyms

3) Matching pairs

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Synonyms and Antonyms

Synonyms are words with identical or at least similar meanings.

Eg : Ally = Friend

Antonyms are words that are opposites.

Eg : Ally X Foe

Here are a few useful tips and pointers to answer questions related to spotting the antonyms and synonyms.

Spotting the correct word can depend on recognizing the correct part of speech.(for instance, nouns,

pronouns, verbs, adjectives and adverbs).

A word can have several meanings. The synonyms could be any one of them.

If the word for which you have to find the synonym or antonym is given as part of a sentence, you have to

identify the contextual meaning of that word in that sentence.

Don’t always go for the option that starts with the same letter as it can be a deliberate trap.

If you don’t know what a word means, think of other words that share a group of letters with this word.

Watch out for the homonyms-words that sound the same but have different meanings.

Look out for the unusual meanings of a word. Normally we look for the most common meaning of a word.

Some unusual words can mislead you, especially if the meaning is obscure. So think before answering.

Be careful of two options that are similar as this could be a trap to distract you from the correct answer.

While doing antonyms, remember not to get carried away by the options that start with ‘un’, ‘in’,‘anti’, etc.

Such words are not necessarily the opposites.

MATCHING PAIRS

This section test’s your vocabulary skills & also the form/relationship that exist between the given pair of words, best

explained in the example given below;

Carpenter: wood:: __________ : _____________

a) Blacksmith: Iron

b) Lawyer: Court

c) Student: School

d) Mason: Stone

In the above question; The relationship that exists between Carpenter & wood is that carpenter works

on wood. Similarly we need to find a pair of words having the same relationship.

Let’s analyze the given options;

a) Blacksmith: Iron = Blacksmith works on Iron

b) Lawyer: Court = Lawyer doesn’t work on Court, but works in a court.(court is not a non living entity as well)

c) Student: School = Student doesn’t work in a school, but the students studies in a school.

d) Mason: Stone = A mason works on stone.

So right now we are stuck with option a) & b). Option a won’t be the answer, because int eh question we have Carpenter

& wood, & similarly in option D ,we have Mason & stone, where as in Option a, they have given a specific name of a

metal(Iron) & not a broader category like wood & stone, hence we have

Option D as the answer.

Strategies for answering analogy questions

1. Identify the parts of speech of each capitalized word before forming the linking sentence.

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2. Identify the category of the analogical relationship.

3. Test all the four choices with similar linking sentences before choosing your answer.

4. Test all the meanings of the words in the capitalized pairs before choosing your answer.

5. If you reverse the order of words while forming the linking sentence, you must do so with every pair

in the choices.

6. Refine the linking sentence when it fits more the]an one pair among the choices.

7. Ignore any correspondence you may find between a capitalized word and a word in an answer choice.

8. Use intelligent guess to get the meaning of an unknown word in the capitalized pair.

9. The same relationship in reverse order is not an analogy

10. Don’t omit any question. In case of doubt, make an intelligent guess.

TYPES OF ANALOGICAL RELATIONSHIP( to name a few)

1. Person and Tool

2. Person and Workplace

3. Person and Product

4. Person and Goal

5. Person and Speciality

6. Person and Skill

7. Thing and Place

8. Thing and What it contains

9. Things that go together

10. Action and Purpose

11. Action and Place

12. Science and Subject

13. Cause and Effect

14. Synonyms

15. Antonyms

16. Degree of Intensity

17. Desirable and Undesirable forms of a quality.

18. Part and The whole

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SYNONYMS

First find synonyms for the italicized words. Next use the italicized words to form sentences of your own.

Before you attempt to install it, you should read the directions.

Meaning : _______________________________________

Sentence : _______________________________________

I was anxious about my test results.

Meaning : _______________________________________

Sentence : _______________________________________

It is difficult to predict the weather.

Meaning : _______________________________________

Sentence : _______________________________________

When the students heard they would have a test, they started to grumble.

Meaning : _______________________________________

Sentence : _______________________________________

He begins to ponder the reason that he failed.

Meaning : _______________________________________

Sentence : _______________________________________

After the earthquake, the villagers desperately needed aid.

Meaning : _______________________________________

Sentence : _______________________________________

Don’t worry. She’ll finish the job. She is very diligent.

Meaning : _______________________________________

Sentence : _______________________________________

I am weary. I need to rest.

Meaning : _______________________________________

Sentence : _______________________________________

I couldn’t persuade her to stay in school.

Meaning : _______________________________________

Sentence : _______________________________________

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I can’t recall what his name is.

Meaning : _______________________________________

Sentence : _______________________________________

The captain began the assault in the middle of the night.

Meaning : _______________________________________

Sentence : _______________________________________

They started to construct the house yesterday.

Meaning : _______________________________________

Sentence : _______________________________________

You think it’s too expensive? I concur.

Meaning : _______________________________________

Sentence : _______________________________________

If water gets in the building, it will ruin the paintings.

Meaning : _______________________________________

Sentence : _______________________________________

I will not permit you to marry my daughter.

Meaning : _______________________________________

Sentence : _______________________________________

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Read the following sentences. Try to guess the meaning of the words in italics without looking into a dictionary and complete the table provided below.

1. The English countryside is very picturesque with its gently sloping hills and farmland.

2. Churchill was an inspiring speaker. Known for his sharp scathing wit he never missed an opportunity to say something clever.

3. Detective Stevens entered and took it all in: the body, the still smoldering mattress, the cigarette butts on the floor….

4. In the poor parts of Mumbai you can come across ramshackle huts.

Word Possible Meaning Dictionary Meaning

Picturesque

Scathing

Smoldering

Ramshackle

Choose the word from the box and fill in the blanks

1. The opposition leader’s _______________ remarks at the Parliament infuriated the members.

2. We enjoyed the _______________ scenery at Gangtok.

3. The refugees lived in _______________ huts.

4. It took more than six hours for the fire brigade to put out the _______________ fire at the housing complex.

Circle the most appropriate word to complete the following sentences.

1. Because of the player’s ________, the coach was able to play her in several positions on the basketball team.

(A) influence (B) versatility (C) flattering (D) ineffectiveness

2. Though the planners foresaw that certain problems would arise, they also found out that others were totally_________ .

(A) impressive (B) examined (C) unexpected (D) limited

3. She led a rather reclusive life; as a result, _________is known about her.

(A) much (B) little (C) mediocre (D) prodigious

4. The mediator had trouble resolving the conflict for both sides and found it hard to____________on certain issues.

(A) conflict (B) interpret (C) founder (D) compromise

5. Michael was usually quite__________ in his efforts; many praised him for his effort.

(A) ineffectual (B) maudlin (C) diligent (D) facetious

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6. Our boss has always stressed the positive results of teamwork; thus, we tried to be as___________ as possible.

(A) unified (B) unstructured (C) prolific (D) daunted

7. The speaker was quite____________ as evidenced by the many in the audience who seemed bored and restless.

(A) succinct (B) cursory (C) verbose (D) latent

8. In the past the ________waters of this river have been troublesome to boaters.

(A) placid (B) turbulent (C) calm (D) vapid

9. The _________he received from the critics depressed him for several months.

(A) ridicule (B) praise (C) tenacity (D) empathy

10. Even though the workers did not truly believe in the proposed changes, they were asked to ___________the ideas in public.

(A) scoff at (B) beleaguer (C) champion (D) distract

ANTONYMS

Replace the words in bold in the following sentences with a word from the box which has an opposite meaning.

Withdrew Loosened Deteriorated Retreated Defended

Fell refused (to let) Abandoned Lowered Rejected

Rewarded demolished Denied Simplified Set

1. They accepted the offer of a ceasefire.

__________________________________________________

2. He admitted telling lies in his original statement.

__________________________________________________

3. The army slowly advanced, leaving a trail of devastation in its path.

__________________________________________________

4. The minister attacked his party’s policies in a speech in Parliament.

__________________________________________________

5. The apartment blocks they built were the ugliest in the city.

__________________________________________________

6. He complicated matters by rewriting the original proposal.

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__________________________________________________

7. They continued their plans to assassinate the king when he opened the parliament.

__________________________________________________

8. He deposited Rs 7,000; half his college fees for the forthcoming year.

__________________________________________________

9. Relations between the two countries have improved considerably in the last year.

_________________________________________________

10. He permitted us to present our petition directly to the President.

__________________________________________________

11. The members of the commune were punished for their part in the revolution.

__________________________________________________

12. He raised the overall standards of the company within two months of his appointment.

__________________________________________________

13. As soon as the sun rose, the demonstrators began to appear on the streets.

__________________________________________________

14. Price rose sharply in the first three months of the financial year.

__________________________________________________

15. As soon as he had tightened the knots, he pushed the boat out.

__________________________________________________

Replace the words in italics in these sentences with a word from the box which has an opposite meaning.

scarce Compulsory detrimental even

easy Delicate reluctant clear

approximate Innocent crude graceful

dim Flexible clear

1. The meaning of his words was very ambiguous. ______________

2. According to his colleagues, he’s a very awkward person to deal with. ______________

3. When she first started dancing, she was very awkward. ____________

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4. His policies were beneficial to the economy as a whole. ____________

5. We need exact figures before we embark on a new venture. ________

6. The jury decides he was guilty of the crime. ________________

7. Add up all the odd numbers between 1 and 20 to get a result. ______

8. Despite the weather, supplies of food after the harvest were plentiful. _______________

9. The laws protecting the green belt around the city are very rigid. ____________

10. There is a slight difference in the way the company is run these days compared with a few years ago. ________________

11. The device is very sophisticated and should only be operated by someone who is familiar with it. _______________

12. The spices used in the production of some international dishes have a very strong flavor. ________________

13. The strong light from the torch picked out details on the walls of the cave. ________________

14. Attendance at afternoon classes should be voluntary. _____________

15. A lot of students are willing to attend classes on Saturday morning. ___________

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Articles

Which of the underlined parts completes the following sentences correctly? Circle the correct option.

1. Did you hear noise/a noise?

2. If you want to know the news, you can read paper/a paper.

3. I want to print some documents, but the printer is out of paper/papers.

4. Light/A light comes from the sun.

5. Sue was very helpful. She gave us some very useful advice/advices.

6. Did you have nice weather / a nice weather when you were away?

7. Is it difficult to find a work / job at the moment?

8. Our travel / journey from Paris to Moscow by train was very tiring.

9. When the fire alarm rang, there was total chaos/a total chaos.

10. I had to buy a/some bread because I wanted to make some sandwiches.

11. Bad news don't/doesn't make people happy.

12. Your hair is/Your hairs are too long. You should have it/them cut.

13. The damage / the damages caused by the storm will cost a lot of repair.

14. I'm afraid of dogs / the dogs.

15. Can you pass salt / the salt, please?

16. Apples/The apples are good for you.

17. Look at apples/the apples on that tree! They're very big.

18. Women/The women live longer than men / the men.

19. What makes people/the people violent? What causes aggression / the aggression?

20. First World War / The First World War lasted from 1914 until 1918.

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What do you say in these situations? Complete each sentences using any one of the words from the box given below:

Accommodation Bread Luggage Traffic

Advice Chaos News Weather

Baggage Damage Permission Work

Behavior Information Progress Luck

Scenery

1. Your friends have just arrived at the station. You can't see any cases or bags. You ask them:

Have _____________________________________________?

2. You go into the tourist office. You want to know about places to see in the town. You say:

I'd like _____________________________________________.

3. You are a student. You want your teacher to advise you about which courses to do. You say:

Can you give me _________________________________________?

4. You want to watch the news on TV, but you don't know when it is on. You ask your friend:

What time _____________________________________________?

5. You are at the top of a mountain. You can see a very long way off. It's beautiful. You say:

It ________________________________________________, isn't it?

6. You look out of the window. The weather is horrible: cold, wet and windy. You say:

7. What __________________________________________________!

Write ‘a’ /’an’ / ‘the’ wherever necessary and complete the following sentences. Write ‘-‘ if the sentence is already complete.

1. I don't usually like staying at __________ hotels, but last summer we spent a few days at __________ very nice

hotel by__________ sea.

2. __________ tennis is my favorite sport. I play once or twice __________ week if I can, but I'm not __________

very good player.

3. I won't be home for __________ dinner this evening. I'm meeting some friends after __________ work and

we're going to ___________ cinema.

4. ___________ unemployment is increasing at the moment and it's getting difficult for __________ people to find

__________ work.

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5. There was __________ accident as I was going __________ home last night.

6. Two people were taken to __________ hospital. I think__________ most accidents are caused by __________

people driving too fast.

PREPOSITIONS

Fill in the correct prepositions.

1. There was an increase _____ 50000 between 1990 and 1992.

2. _____ 1994 _____ 1997, sales rose steadily _____ over 20000.

3. Overall sales peaked _____ nearly 60000 _____ 1992, but then plummeted _____ about 10000 over the next two

years.

4. In the year 2000, sales started _____ around 10000. In the first month, there was a rise _____ around 2000.

5. After some fluctuations, sales in 2000 reached their peak _____ just over 15000, a rise _____ 5000 since the

beginning of the year.

6. Sales increased _____ over 10000 between 1994 and 1997, but then dropped _____ more than 10000 between

1997 and 1999.

7. When you arrive _____ your destination, you get _____ the bus.

8. That's right. But I must hurry home _____the film.

9. There are more presents _____ the tree.

10. The Wampanoag shared their knowledge_____ hunting and fishing _____ the European settlers and showed

Fill in the correct prepositions.

1. He made his escape by jumping ______ a window and jumping ______ a waiting car.

2. To get to the Marketing department, you have to go ______ those stairs and then ______ the corridor to the end.

3. I saw something about it ______ television.

4. I couldn't get in ______ the door so I had to climb ______ a window.

5. She took the key ______ her pocket and put it ________ the lock.

6. He drove ______ me without stopping and drove off ______ the centre of town.

7. I took the old card ______ the computer and put ______ the new one.

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8. I went ______ him and asked him the best way to get ______ town.

9. It's unlucky to walk ______ a ladder in my culture. I always walk ______ them.

10. The restaurant is ______ the High Street, ______ the cinema.

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Reading Comprehension

For the past million years the world’s population has grown almost continuously, although not always at the same rate. Despite this, demographers are predicting that our population growth will slow down and then stabilize or stay steady.

There have been three great population surges in the life of human kind. Each followed a technological revolution that dramatically increased the number of people that the world could keep alive. The first revolution was the invention of tool making (using stone and animal parts to make hunting and cooking equipment) that occurred gradually around the world between a million and 100,000 years ago. The second was the invention of farming, which began at the end of the last ice age, about 10,000 years ago. Agriculture helped the world’s population rise from less than 10 million to about 150 million at the time of Christ and 350 million one thousand years ago. Then, in the fourteenth century, the number of people dropped dramatically because of the Black Death – a terrible sickness that spread rapidly across Europe and Asia. In Europe it reduced the population by a third. But by the nineteenth century, the third technological revolution, the industrial revolution, had begun in Europe and its progress around the world continues today. This latest revolution has already raised the world’s population to around 6 billion, six times what it was at the start of the nineteenth century. This is three times what it was in 1930, and almost twice what it was in 1960. The population may reach 10 billion before, as demographers predict, it stabilizes. At present, they think this will occur before the end of the twenty-first century.

Why do demographers predict that the world’s population may begin to stabilize? The answer is that they believe that human population goes through different demographic stages and that these are linked to their societies’ economic development.

In the first stage, birth and death rates are both high. This was the stage of the populations in Western Europe in the seventeenth century, before industrialization. In the second stage, there is a fall in death rates, because of improved health care and eating habits, but there is no change in birthrates. Populations in Western Europe entered the second stage after industrialization, but many countries in the developing world are still at this stage. In the third stage, social changes bring about a decline in the birth rate and the death rate, and the population begins to stabilize. Many Western countries reached this stage when they became highly industrialized. Today Taiwan, South Korea, and Argentina, for example, are in this stage. The fourth stage - with low birth and death rates – has been reached by a small number of highly industrialized countries today – for example, the United States, Japan and some countries in Western Europe. These countries are moving close to zero population growth – a situation where birthrates are lower than death rates.

What are the social changes that can bring about a decline in birth rates? Why do people in many countries of the world have fewer children now than in the past? In Europe, around the start of the twentieth century, population growth rates reached a high point and then began to fall, as people chose to have smaller families and use modern methods of birth control. This move to smaller families was linked to social changes. In poor rural or farming societies, children were needed to work in the fields and to take care of their parents in their old age. However, in richer urban societies typical of the twentieth century, they were not needed in this way. In fact, children were seen as costly to educate, clothe, and feed—in other words, it was better economics to have a small number of children. Another factor was that as child death rates fell, people became more confident that their children would survive to adulthood. They did not need to have a lot of children to make sure that one or two survived.

Now although it varies from country to country, the fertility rate- the number of children per woman – is declining overall. The average world rate is now 2.9 but the fertility rates are still very high in poor, developing nations, particularly in Africa. In fact, because of this, Africa’s population, over the last few years, has become larger than Europe’s.

There are other theories about population growth, in particular the doomsday theories first developed by Malthus in the late eighteenth century, and taken up again by some environmentalists in the 1960s and 1970s. Malthus suggested that food production would not be able to keep up with population growth, and that this would result in the death of hundreds of millions of people. It is true that today nearly one billion people around the world do not have enough food, but opponents of the doomsday theories say that famine is mainly the result of other social and economic factors. – for example, war, poverty and politics. The problem is not that there is not enough food. It is that the food cannot get to the people who need it because of other problems.

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Complete this chart using information from paragraph 2 of the text.

Year Population

10,000 years ago Less than 10 million

1 AD

1000 AD

1800 AD

1930 AD

1960 AD

2000 AD

2100 AD

1. Look back at the text to find the meaning of the word in bold. The first one has been done for you

2. Each followed a technological revolution that dramatically increased the number of people that the world could keep alive. Population surge

3. The second was the invention of farming, which began at the end of the last ice age, about 10,000 years ago _____________________

4. _____________ and its progress around the world continues today _______________

5. __________ but many countries in the developing world are still at this stage. __________________.

6. Today Taiwan, South Korea and Argentina, for example, are in this stage:____________________________.

7. __________ they were not needed in this way. _____________________.

8. It is that the food cannot get to the people who need it because of other problems. ________________________.

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