Articles, Prepositions, Conjunctions and Commonly Confused Words
Small words decide many exam items. Learn how to pick a/an/the, in/on/at, the right joining word, and the right word among sound-alikes, by meaning, not by feel.
What it is
This lesson is about the small words that hold a sentence together and the look-alike words that are easy to mix up:
- Articles: a, an, the.
- Prepositions: words that show time, place or direction (at, on, in, into, between, among).
- Conjunctions: joining words (and, but, so, because, unless, neither ... nor).
- Interjections: words that show sudden feeling (Ouch! Aha!).
- Commonly confused words: words that sound alike or look alike but mean different things (its/it's, affect/effect), quantity words (fewer/less), and words that repeat a meaning (return back).
Why it matters on the exam
The exam tests these words in sentence completion, error identification and sentence correction items. The choices often look almost the same (a/an, in/on, its/it's), so you cannot rely on how a sentence "sounds". You need a reason for every choice.
At work, these words make letters and memos clear. "Arrive at 8:00" and "the forms were sent to the principal" mean exactly what you want them to mean.
After the audit, the team leader gave each clerk ______ useful checklist for the year-end report.
- an
- a
- the
- some
- much
The rest of this lesson, and every other lesson, is part of ReviewTayo.
Read moreIn the full lesson
- How to recognize it on the test
- What to look for (6 checks)
- All 13 rules and tools
- 4 worked examples, every step explained
- 7 common mistakes and how to fix them
- 4 exam techniques
- Remember: 5 key points
- Practice questions with explanations, and your progress saved
More Verbal Ability lessons
ReviewTayo has 47 lessons that follow the official scope of the exam, each with rules, worked examples, common mistakes and practice. Open one and read the first part.