A Bare-bones Introduction to CLAT English

Introduction

The English section of CLAT holds 40 precious marks.

This section is quite easy to score in if the student follows a disciplined way of study.

The English section is meant to examine an individual’s base in English through MCQ questions.

The fact that the questions are MCQ poses a challenge to students because the options are deliberately kept very similar to each other.

The test lies in whether the student is able to discern the most appropriate answer from those provided.

The students may find the following tips helpful with regard to their preparation for CLAT English:

• Read regularly so that you can gradually develop the habit of speed reading.
• Read extensively to get an idea of the different ways in which a word can be used. Do not restrict your reading to one particular field.
• Keep a diary or notebook where you can write down new words which you come across. Consult the dictionary and write down the meaning of the word along with its origin and part of speech. Take help from a senior and make a sentence or two with each new word you come across.
• Pay attention to the way in which phrases are used and attempt to grasp the meaning of a proverb or idiom from the context in which it is placed. Check for the meaning of the idiom or proverb to see if you are right.
• Encourage your family and peers to correct errors in your spoken English. Take note of these mistakes and try to keep them in mind the next time you speak.
• Read the editorials in newspapers and magazines to enrich your vocabulary.
• Go through word lists for examinations like TOEFL, GRE and SAT. Identify new words and find out their meanings. Solve crosswords, play Scrabble and other word games in your leisure time.
• While reading a passage, try to identify the pattern in which it has been constructed.
• Write a short paragraph on a topic of your choice every day. Ask a senior to go through your writing and point out your errors.

It is common knowledge that CLAT English does not have a fixed syllabus.

However if one were to go through the question papers of the previous years, a number of recurring question types can be identified.

Recurring Questions in CLAT:

Reading Comprehension

Theme

Specific Detail

Tone

Implied Idea

Identifying the structure of the passage

Choosing a title for the passage

Application based questions

Grammar

Use of articles (a, an, the)

Error Correction

Identification of Part of Speech

Subject-Verb Agreement

Tenses

Parallelism

Active and Passive Speech

Direct and Indirect Speech

Punctuation

Fill in the Blanks

Jumbled Sentences

Spelling Correction

Sentence Completion

Collective Nouns and Sounds

Vocabulary/Word-smith-ry

Idioms and Proverbs

Synonyms and Antonyms

Migratory Words

Identifying meanings of words

Legal Vocabulary

Analogies

Homonyms and Homophones

Paired Words

TIP

Keep yourself focused during your preparation time and pay attention to detail.

This will help you greatly in attempting the CLAT English questions.