English & Language Usage is the shortest section — 37 questions in 37 minutes — and the most predictable. Unlike Science, where the content is effectively unbounded, this section draws on a small set of rules that repeat. That makes it the best return on study time of anything on the exam.
What's tested
- Conventions of standard English — spelling, punctuation, capitalisation.
- Knowledge of language — grammar, sentence structure, register and tone.
- Vocabulary acquisition — working out meaning from context, roots and affixes.
The rules that actually appear
Subject–verb agreement. The verb agrees with the subject, not with whatever noun sits nearest. The box of files is heavy — the subject is box, not files.
Pronoun case. Remove the other person and the answer becomes obvious. She gave it to Ben and (I/me) → she gave it to me → "Ben and me".
Comma splices. Two complete sentences joined by only a comma is an error. Fix with a full stop, a semicolon, or a comma plus a conjunction.
Apostrophes. Its is possessive; it's is "it is". This appears on almost every form.
Modifier placement. A descriptive phrase attaches to whatever it sits next to. Walking to class, the rain started — the rain was not walking.
The confusable pairs worth a flashcard each
- affect (verb, to influence) / effect (noun, the result)
- their / there / they're
- your / you're · whose / who's
- than (comparison) / then (time)
- accept (receive) / except (exclude)
- principal (main, or a person) / principle (a rule)
- fewer (countable) / less (uncountable)
Timing
One minute per question, and most are answerable in far less. Bank time on the rule-based items so you have room for the two or three vocabulary-in-context questions that need real thought.