Next CSE-PPT: 14 March 2027 · Professional & Subprofessional
Civil Service Exam English reviewer on pronoun case (I or me, who or whom), reflexive pronouns, adjectives and adverbs, comparisons, and dangling and misplaced modifiers.
Pronoun errors are easy to make in speech but are marked wrong in the exam. This set covers subject and object pronouns ("she and I", "to Maria and me"), who and whom, reflexive pronouns such as "myself", and pronouns with unclear references.
It also covers adjectives and adverbs ("feel bad", "type quickly"), comparisons, and modifiers that are dangling or misplaced, which can make a sentence say something it does not mean.
Correct answer: C. me
"To" is a preposition, so it takes the object pronoun "me". A quick test is to remove "Maria and": you would say "The award was given to me", not "to I".
Read detailsCorrect answer: C. She
The pronoun is part of the subject, so the subject form "she" is needed. Test it by removing "and I": "She will attend", not "Her will attend".
Read detailsCorrect answer: B. Whom
"Whom" is the object form. Turn the question into a statement: "You met him at the seminar." Since "him" is an object, "whom" is correct. Use "who" where "he" or "she" would fit.
Read detailsCorrect answer: A. whom
In the clause "we interviewed ___", the pronoun is the object of "interviewed" (we interviewed him), so "whom" is correct. "Which" is used for things, not people.
Read detailsCorrect answer: B. whoever
Inside the clause, the pronoun is the subject of "submits" (he submits), so "whoever" is correct, even though the whole clause follows the preposition "to".
Read detailsCorrect answer: B. me
Reflexive pronouns such as "myself" are used only when the subject acts on itself (I hurt myself) or for emphasis (I did it myself). Here, "send the forms to me" is correct.
Read detailsCorrect answer: D. she
In formal English, the pronoun after "than" takes the form it would have if the sentence were completed: "harder than she (does)". In casual speech "than her" is common, but exam items follow the formal rule.
Read detailsCorrect answer: C. We
Remove "employees" to test: "We must attend", not "Us must attend". The pronoun is part of the subject, so "we" is correct.
Read detailsCorrect answer: D. its
When a collective noun acts as one unit, it takes the singular possessive "its". "It's" means "it is" and "their's" is never correct.
Read detailsCorrect answer: A. When Lito met Ben, he was very tired.
In "When Lito met Ben, he was very tired", "he" could refer to either Lito or Ben. Good writing makes the reference clear, as the other three sentences do.
Read detailsCorrect answer: B. bad
Linking verbs such as feel, seem, look and become are followed by adjectives that describe the subject. "I feel bad" describes how I am. "I feel badly" would mean my sense of touch is poor.
Read detailsCorrect answer: A. well
"Well" is an adverb that describes how she did. "Good" is an adjective, used after linking verbs (the result is good) or before nouns (a good result).
Read detailsCorrect answer: C. quickly
An adverb is needed to describe the verb "types", so "quickly" is correct. Most adverbs of manner are formed by adding -ly to an adjective.
Read detailsCorrect answer: C. best
Use the comparative (better) for two items and the superlative (best) for three or more. Since there are three proposals, "the best" is correct.
Read detailsCorrect answer: A. clearer
One-syllable adjectives form the comparative with -er: clear, clearer. "More clearer" is a double comparative and is incorrect.
Read detailsCorrect answer: D. While reviewing the files, an error was found.
In the first sentence, the opening phrase has no doer: it seems to say that "an error" was reviewing the files. A modifier must be followed by the person or thing it describes.
Read detailsCorrect answer: D. Hanging on the wall, the visitor admired the painting.
The first sentence suggests that the visitor was hanging on the wall. The phrase "hanging on the wall" should be placed next to "the painting", as in the second and third sentences.
Read detailsCorrect answer: A. She typed almost the whole report.
"Almost" modifies the word right after it. "Typed almost the whole report" means most of it was typed. "Almost typed" suggests she nearly started typing but did not.
Read detailsCorrect answer: B. Only Ana submitted the report.
The position of "only" changes the meaning. "Only Ana submitted" means Ana alone did it. "Ana submitted only the report" means she submitted nothing else.
Read detailsCorrect answer: D. he
In formal English, a pronoun after a linking verb such as "was" takes the subject form: "It was he who answered." In everyday speech "It was him" is common, but formal usage is tested.
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