Study Guide · Chapter 13
12. Frequently Tested Structure Consolidation
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This section gathers, in table form, the highest-yield "red flags" from across the entire guide, purely for rapid last-minute scanning. It is not meant to be read start to finish — treat it as an index to return to during revision.
12.1 The Twelve Categories at a Glance
| Category | Red-Flag Phrase to Notice | Quick Fix |
|---|---|---|
| Idiom (verb) | verb + an unusual preposition | swap in the fixed verb-preposition pair |
| Tense-sequencing | a time marker that clashes with the underlined verb's tense | match the tense to the time marker or the neighbouring clause |
| Voice conversion | an agent-less "by" phrase attached to an active verb, or the reverse | check who is actually performing the action |
| Agreement | a plural-looking noun sitting just before the verb | trace back to the true grammatical subject |
| Redundancy | two words in a row that mean the same thing | keep one, drop the other |
| Parallelism | a list or "not only...but also" pair with mismatched forms | match the anchor form of the first item |
| Comparison | "more" + an "-er" word, or "less" with a countable noun | remove the double comparative, or swap "less" for "fewer" |
| Conditional | "will" inside an "if" clause, or a mismatched modal | match the "if"-clause tense to the conditional type |
| Reported speech | a quotation mark still present, or an unshifted tense | backshift the tense and convert pronouns/time words |
| Modifier placement | an opening participial phrase not followed by its doer | move the modifier next to the noun it actually describes |
| Connectors | two connectors doing the same job ("although...but") | drop one of the two redundant connectors |
| Idiom (adjective/noun) | adjective/noun + an unusual preposition | swap in the fixed adjective/noun-preposition pair |
12.2 Common Redundant Pairs to Trim on Sight
| Redundant Pairing | Keep |
|---|---|
| revert back | revert |
| return back | return |
| repeat again | repeat |
| past history | history |
| final and ultimate | final |
| basically and essentially | essentially |
| free gift | gift |
| new innovation | innovation |
| unexpected surprise | surprise |
| co-operate together | co-operate |
| the reason is because | the reason is that |
| compulsorily and mandatorily | compulsorily |
| honest and truthful | honest |
| each and every | each (or every, not both) |
| completely eliminate entirely | completely eliminate |
12.3 Words That Trigger a Singular Verb Despite a Nearby Plural Noun
| Trigger | Rule | Example |
|---|---|---|
| each of | always singular | Each of the candidates is required to register. |
| every one of | always singular | Every one of the forms has been verified. |
| neither...nor | agrees with the nearer noun | Neither the clerks nor the manager was informed. |
| many a | always singular (older, formal construction) | Many a candidate has failed to read the instructions. |
| the number of | always singular | The number of vacancies is limited this year. |
| a number of | always plural (contrast with "the number of") | A number of vacancies are still unfilled. |
| none of + uncountable | singular | None of the syllabus has been changed. |
| none of + plural countable | usually plural in modern formal usage | None of the candidates were disqualified. |
| a variety of | usually plural (agrees with the following noun) | A variety of topics are covered in this section. |
12.4 Conditional Type Quick Reference
| Type | "If" Clause | Main Clause |
|---|---|---|
| First (real future) | simple present | will + base verb |
| Second (unreal present) | simple past | would + base verb |
| Third (unreal past) | past perfect | would have + past participle |
| Inverted third | Had + subject + past participle | would have + past participle |
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