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How to score more marks in English?

English is an important subject in Banking Exams, MBA, CAT, MAT, GMAT, SSC, MPSC, UGC NET SET, MH-CET for LAW, CLAT, MH-CET for BED, MH-TET, Entrance Exams and other Competitive Exams. Following are important topics In English and proper strategy is required for each topic.

Let’s see how we can improve proficiency and knowledge about each topic.

Vocabulary (Synonyms, Antonyms, analogies etc.)

• Synonym is a word or phrases same as another word.
• Antonym is a word or phrases having opposite meaning to a word or phrase.
• Analogies means a comparison between one thing to another.

To improve vocabulary you just need 30 minutes a day. Start reading news articles daily. Select an article and mark at least 10 words which are new to you. Start finding Synonyms, antonyms from the dictionary or Google. But make sure you follow this every day.

Common practice is to simply read dictionary from A to Z, but reading and memorizing entire dictionary is time consuming and sometimes it can be boring. But reading news article and finding words out of it can be interesting and also increases your knowledge about current affairs. As you find 10 different words from an article daily, you will eventually cover words from A to Z over time period.

Write down selected words in diary along with their meaning, synonyms and antonyms. Also try to use these words in your day to day conversations so that they will be memorised easily.

Read words written in diary after couple of days so that you don’t forget them.

Most of the time questions in exams are reflection of things happening around now a days of just occurred in recent times.

English Comprehension

The best way to improve English comprehension is to read news articles and to listen to English news channels. Don’t forget to keep a pen or pensile with you, having a pen or pensile will help you to mark important words, phrases and sentences etc. by underlining or circling it. But keep in mind to read an entire article or paragraph before underlining any words or phrases.

Mark summary words like ‘therefore',’ as a result’, ‘in conclusion’ etc. and remember the point mentioned in that particular sentence.

Mark words or phrases that you don’t know or you are not aware of these words.

Try to form questions and answers out of comprehension paragraph.

Following are few books awailable online on English Comprehension.

1. English Language Comprehension Skill: An Authentic Book for CSAT/IBPS/SSC/CAPF and All Other Examinations
2. English Reading Comprehension

Proficiency (idioms and phrases, one word substitutions, sentence improvement and rearrangement, fill in the blanks etc.)

Reading books, editorials and news articles will help you improve your proficiency skills. It will help you understand sentence arrangement, phrases, grammar etc. Good reading and analytical skills can help you in one word substitution; fill in the blanks and sentence improvements.

One word substitution is a technique to shorten the sentence by replacing a phrase with single word. One word substitution makes sentence easy to read and stylish.

You can score more in sentence improvement & rearrangement, fill in the blanks, if you have prepared good in vocabulary and mastered in synonyms and antonyms.

Practice at least one question daily from any of the recommended book. Don’t cheat on answers, try to find answer genuinely and work on mistakes that happened, our mistakes are best teachers.

English usage errors, (Common Errors, Spotting Errors, inappropriate usages of words, spelling mistakes etc.)

Try to find at least one mistake out of news article or book you are reading. Find Errors in grammar, spelling and usage of word. Following are some good books for understanding common errors in English.

1. Objective General English
2. Objective General English for Competitive Exams - SSC/Banking/Rlwys/CLAT/NDA/CDS/Hotel Mgmt./B.Ed