Introduction
In competitive examinations, sentence correction evaluates precision in prescriptive grammar, syntax, prepositional usage, and idiomatic phrasing under strict constraints against unnecessary changes. Précis writing tests the ability to extract, condense, and present the core arguments of an extended passage concisely and objectively in one's own words.
Corrections and Grammatical Rationales
- (i) Have you brought any mangoes?
Rationale: In standard interrogative clauses asking for open information, the non-assertive determiner 'any' replaces 'some', which is typically reserved for affirmative statements or polite offers where acceptance is presumed. - (ii) The Ganga is a sacred river.
Rationale: Because the Ganga is one among multiple sacred rivers, the indefinite article 'a' is required for classification within a general category. The definite article 'the' incorrectly denotes uniqueness without restrictive modification. - (iii) Chetan and I did all the work.
Rationale: English politeness conventions and standard compound-subject syntax (the 2–3–1 person order) dictate that third-person noun phrases ('Chetan') must precede the first-person singular pronoun ('I'). - (iv) He himself said it. / He said so himself.
Rationale: An emphatic reflexive pronoun typically immediately follows the subject it intensifies ('He himself'), or appears clause-finally alongside the anaphoric pro-form 'so' ('said so himself'). - (v) Blessed is he who has found a job.
Rationale: The personal relative pronoun 'who' is required when referring to a specific human antecedent ('he') in formal syntax, avoiding the non-personal relative pronoun 'that'. - (vi) He is too ill to do any work.
Rationale: The correlative degree structure 'too + adjective + to-infinitive' expresses an excessive condition that prevents a result. The intensifier 'much' cannot modify a bare positive adjective preceding a resultative infinitive. - (vii) One of the boys was absent for a week.
Rationale: The partitive construction 'one of the' requires a plural countable noun ('boys') to indicate the selection group, while maintaining agreement with the singular finite verb ('was'). - (viii) Gopal came home late.
Rationale: 'Late' serves as an adverb denoting punctuality or clock time, whereas 'lately' functions as an adverb of recent duration typically paired with perfect tenses. - (ix) She was sitting beside him.
Rationale: 'Beside' is a spatial preposition indicating physical proximity or placement alongside, whereas 'besides' is an additive preposition meaning 'in addition to'. - (x) Our hoard is small, but our hearts are large.
Rationale: The coordinating conjunction must be the adversative 'but' rather than the additive 'and', highlighting the direct contrast between material scarcity and emotional or spiritual generosity.
Standard Rules for Précis Writing
- Length Constraint: The draft must be condensed to approximately one-third of the original passage's word count.
- Title Prohibition: Titles or headings must be strictly omitted when explicitly barred by the prompt instructions.
- Own Formulation: Direct lifting of verbatim sentences must be avoided by paraphrasing and synthesizing using independent vocabulary and syntactic structures.
- Objective Third-Person Stance: Personal commentary, external facts, or rhetorical digressions must not be introduced into the condensed text.
Conclusion
Mastery over core syntactical rules ensures accuracy and concision in administrative communication. Adherence to strict instructions—such as avoiding superfluous alterations in corrections and maintaining word-count discipline in précis writing—reflects analytical clarity and linguistic competence.