english hum-1109 Hum-1109 Technical English
Category 1: Prepositions (The Most Frequent Error)
Rule: Certain words are followed by fixed prepositions. Using the wrong one is a common exam trap.
| Incorrect Sentence (PYQ) | Corrected Sentence | Year | Rule / Explanation |
|---|---|---|---|
| I agree to you in their matter. | I agree with you in this matter. | 2024 CSE | Agree with a person; Agree to a proposal. |
| You should not pride on your health. | You should not take pride in (or pride yourself on) your health. | 2024 CSE | Pride (noun) takes in. Pride (verb) takes on. |
| He is very interested with my story. | He is very interested in my story. | 2022 | Interested always takes in. |
| My sister is afraid for dogs. | My sister is afraid of dogs. | 2022 | Afraid always takes of. |
| We are hoping a rise in prices. | We are hoping for a rise in prices. | 2017 | Hope usually takes for. |
| The girl prefers dance than sing. | The girl prefers dancing to singing. | 2024 CSE | Prefer takes to, not than. Also parallel structure (ing/ing). |
Category 2: Adverbs and Adjectives (Usage & Form)
Rule: Confusing adjectives (describing nouns) with adverbs (describing verbs), or using words with similar spellings but different meanings.
| Incorrect Sentence (PYQ) | Corrected Sentence | Year | Rule / Explanation |
|---|---|---|---|
| He tried hardly. | He tried hard. | 2024 CSE | Hard = with effort. Hardly = scarcely/almost not. |
| He left the place somewhat five years ago. | He left the place about five years ago. | 2024 CSE | Somewhat means “a little bit”; About means “approximately”. |
| My pen is better than that of your. | My pen is better than yours. | 2021 | Possessive pronoun yours is required here. |
| This is a truthful report. | This is a true report. | 2021 | Truthful describes a person (honest); True describes a fact/object. |
| Give up your childish simplicity. | Give up your childishness (or) childish behavior. | 2021 | Simplicity is usually positive; the context implies a negative trait. |
| A walking is a good exercise. | Walking is a good exercise. | 2016 | Gerunds used as subjects do not take “A”. |
| I have lot of work to do. | I have a lot of work to do. | 2021 | The phrase is a lot of or lots of. |
Category 3: Verbs and Tense Consistency
Rule: Ensuring the verb matches the subject and the timing of the sentence.
| Incorrect Sentence (PYQ) | Corrected Sentence | Year | Rule / Explanation |
|---|---|---|---|
| The girl took his birth in an educated family. | The girl was born in an educated family. | 2017 | Took birth is a direct translation error (Banglish). Use was born. |
| He shall mend his pencil. | He will sharpen his pencil. | 2017 | You sharpen a pencil, not mend it. Shall is archaic; will is better. |
| He hopes he will not pass in exam. | He fears he will fail in the exam. | 2017 | Hope is for positive things. Use fear for negative outcomes. |
| Mamun forwarded himself as a candidate. | Mamun offered/proposed himself as a candidate. | 2017 | Forwarded is incorrect in this context. |
| The girl is ashamed to copy in the exam. | The girl is ashamed of copying in the exam. | 2016 | Ashamed takes of + gerund (-ing). |
| He likes playing piano. | He likes playing the piano. | 2016 | Musical instruments take the. |
| Wait here since we come back. | Wait here until we come back. | 2016 | Since gives a reason; Until sets a time limit. |
| Wait here as long as five O’clock. | Wait here until five O’clock. | 2022 | As long as indicates duration; until indicates a deadline. |
Category 4: Redundancy and Sentence Structure
Rule: Avoiding unnecessary words or double conjunctions.
| Incorrect Sentence (PYQ) | Corrected Sentence | Year | Rule / Explanation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Because you are sick, therefore I shall help you. | Because you are sick, I shall help you. | 2022 | Do not use Therefore after Because. Use one connector only. |
| The group is comprised of thirty members. | The group comprises thirty members. (or) is composed of. | 2024 CSE | Comprise does not take of. |
| No sooner had the rain started but we left. | No sooner had the rain started than we left. | 2022 | No sooner is always followed by than. |
| He neither helped me nor my brother. | He helped neither me nor my brother. | 2024 CSE | Position of neither/nor must be immediately before the items being compared. |
| I and you must do your work. | You and I must do our work. | 2021 | Order of pronouns: Second person (You) + First person (I). |
| These all books are useful. | All these books are useful. | 2021 | All comes before the demonstrative these. |
Category 5: Articles and Nouns
Rule: Correct use of ‘The’ and pluralization.
| Incorrect Sentence (PYQ) | Corrected Sentence | Year | Rule / Explanation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Army is our national pride. | The Army is our national pride. | 2017 | Collective nouns or organizations require The. |
| The water has no color. | Water has no color. | 2017 | Do not use The with uncountable nouns (Water) in a general sense. |
| Horse is a useful animal. | The horse is a useful animal. | 2021 | When a singular noun represents a whole class, use The. |
| His circumstance is bad. | His circumstances are bad. | 2016 | Circumstances (financial/life state) is always plural. |
| No pain was spared. | No pains were spared. | 2016 | Idiom: “To take pains” (effort) is plural. |
Expert Comments & Hacks
-
The “Hard/Hardly” Trap (2024 CSE):
- This is a favorite exam trick.
- Hard (Adjective/Adverb) = With energy/solid. (He works hard.)
- Hardly (Adverb) = Almost not. (He hardly works = He does almost nothing).
- Hack: If the sentence implies effort, change “hardly” to “hard”.
-
The “Comprise” Rule (2024 CSE):
- Active Voice: The team comprises 11 players. (No ‘of’)
- Passive Voice: The team is composed of 11 players. (Uses ‘of’)
- Correction Hack: If you see “is comprised of”, delete “of” or change to “composed of”.
-
The “Prefer” Rule (2024 CSE):
- Wrong: I prefer coffee than tea.
- Correct: I prefer coffee to tea.
- Advanced: I prefer walking to running. (Gerunds must match).
-
The “No Sooner” Formula (2022):
- Always check the pair:
- No sooner … than
- Scarcely … when
- Hardly … when/before
- Always check the pair:
Study Strategy: Memorize the Category 1 (Prepositions) list. Half of the errors in exams like 2022 and 2024 CSE were simply fixing the wrong preposition.