Caretaker English Preparation 2026 – Grammar Lesson & MCQs

Caretaker (BPS-14) English Preparation

Part 1: Grammar Foundations

Build your English foundation before attempting test questions

English carries 20% of the official syllabus for the Sindh High Court Caretaker (BPS-14) test. Because all five subjects have equal weightage, a weak English section can affect a candidate’s overall performance as much as a weak Mathematics, Islamic Knowledge, General Knowledge or Social Studies section.

This lesson teaches seven practical grammar foundations before asking you to complete a final assessment. Read each rule, compare the examples and attempt the guided questions without looking at their answers first.

The official test date listed for Caretaker is Saturday, 22 August 2026. Candidates should confirm the latest instructions through official notices and their roll-number slips.

Official syllabus status

Confirmed: English carries 20% of the official Caretaker syllabus.

Not confirmed: The official syllabus does not specify detailed English topics, the number of English questions, their format or the internal distribution of the English portion.

Parts of speech, agreement, tenses, articles, prepositions, pronouns and sentence errors are practical preparation areas selected by Sindh City Portal for candidate practice. They are not presented as officially confirmed subtopics.

What you will learn

• How the main parts of speech function in a sentence
• How to match a subject with the correct verb
• How to recognise basic tenses and verb forms
• How to choose between a, an and the
• How to use common prepositions correctly
• How to maintain agreement between pronouns and their antecedents
• How to identify common sentence errors

1. Parts of speech

Parts of speech are groups of words classified according to the work they perform in a sentence. A word’s function can sometimes change with its use, so identify what the word is doing rather than relying only on its appearance.

Part of speech	Function	Example
Noun	Names a person, place, thing or idea	The officer arrived.
Pronoun	Replaces a noun	She arrived.
Verb	Expresses an action or state	They work.
Adjective	Describes a noun or pronoun	A careful worker
Adverb	Describes a verb, adjective or another adverb	She spoke clearly.
Preposition	Shows a relationship	The file is on the desk.
Conjunction	Joins words or clauses	Ali and Sara
Interjection	Expresses sudden feeling	Oh! I forgot.

Rule

Identify a word by its function in the sentence. In “They work daily,” work is a verb. In “The work is complete,” work is a noun.

Correct: The careful employee checked the register. “Careful” is an adjective describing “employee.”

Incorrect identification: Calling “careful” an adverb merely because it describes manner. The actual adverb is carefully.

Roman Urdu help: Word ka naam ya shape dekh kar faisla na karein; sentence mein woh kya kaam kar raha hai, yeh dekhein.

Guided practice

1. Identify the part of speech of quietly: “The candidate entered quietly.”
2. Identify the part of speech of but: “He prepared well, but he remained nervous.”
3. Identify the part of speech of honest: “An honest worker earns trust.”

Answers and explanations

1. Adverb. “Quietly” explains how the candidate entered.
2. Conjunction. “But” connects two contrasting clauses.
3. Adjective. “Honest” describes the noun “worker.”

2. Subject–verb agreement

A verb must agree with its subject in number. A singular subject normally takes a singular verb, while a plural subject takes a plural verb.

Rules

• Singular: The caretaker checks the building.
• Plural: The caretakers check the building.
• Words between the subject and verb do not change the subject’s number.
• Each, every, everyone, someone and nobody normally take singular verbs.
• Two subjects joined by and normally take a plural verb.

Correct: The list of duties is on the desk.

Incorrect: The list of duties are on the desk.

The subject is the singular noun “list,” not the nearby plural noun “duties.”

Roman Urdu help: Verb ko qareeb wale noun se nahin, asal subject se match karein. “List of duties” mein subject “list” hai.

Guided practice

1. Each of the rooms ___ locked. (is/are)
2. The guards at the gate ___ alert. (is/are)
3. Ali and Hamza ___ the evening shift. (handles/handle)

Answers and explanations

1. Is. “Each” is singular, even though “rooms” is plural.
2. Are. The subject “guards” is plural.
3. Handle. Two subjects joined by “and” form a plural subject.

3. Basic tenses and verb forms

Tenses show when an action happens. Competitive-test questions often check whether the verb form matches the time expression and sentence structure.

Tense	Main use	Example
Simple present	Habit or general fact	He checks the doors daily.
Present continuous	Action happening now	He is checking the doors.
Simple past	Completed past action	He checked the doors yesterday.
Present perfect	Past action connected to now	He has checked the doors.
Simple future	Future action	He will check the doors.

Rules

• After did, use the base verb: did go, not did went.
• After has or have, use the past participle: has written.
• After a modal such as will, can or must, use the base verb.

Correct: She did not receive the message.

Incorrect: She did not received the message.

Correct: They have completed the inspection.

Roman Urdu help: “Did” ke baad verb ki first form aati hai. Is liye “did not go” sahi hai, “did not went” nahin.

Guided practice

1. He ___ the office every morning. (opens/opened)
2. They have ___ the report. (finish/finished)
3. She did not ___ the register. (sign/signed)

Answers and explanations

1. Opens. “Every morning” indicates a regular action, so the simple present is required.
2. Finished. “Have” must be followed by the past participle.
3. Sign. The auxiliary “did” is followed by the base form.

4. Articles: a, an and the

Articles come before nouns. A and an refer to one non-specific countable noun. The points to something specific, already known or unique in the context.

Rules

• Use a before a consonant sound: a guard, a university.
• Use an before a vowel sound: an officer, an hour.
• Use the for a specific or previously mentioned person or thing.
• The sound—not merely the first written letter—determines whether to use a or an.

Correct: He waited for an hour.

Incorrect: He waited for a hour.

The letter “h” is silent in “hour,” so the word begins with a vowel sound.

Roman Urdu help: Article ka faisla spelling se nahin, sound se hota hai. “University” ka sound “yu” hai, is liye “a university” hota hai.

Guided practice

1. He is ___ honest employee. (a/an)
2. She studies at ___ university in Karachi. (a/an)
3. I saw a file on the desk. ___ file was marked urgent. (A/The)

Answers and explanations

1. An. “Honest” begins with a vowel sound because its “h” is silent.
2. A. “University” begins with the consonant sound “yu.”
3. The. The file has already been introduced, so it is now specific.

5. Common prepositions

Prepositions show relationships involving time, place, direction or connection. Many combinations must be learned as standard usage.

Rules for time and place

• At for a precise time or point: at 9:00, at the gate.
• On for a day, date or surface: on Monday, on the table.
• In for a month, year, longer period or enclosed area: in August, in 2026, in the room.
• Between is commonly used for two distinct people or things; among for members of a group.

Correct: The test is on Saturday.

Incorrect: The test is at Saturday.

Correct: The documents are in the cabinet.

Roman Urdu help: Exact time ke liye “at,” din ya date ke liye “on,” aur month ya year ke liye “in” use hota hai.

Guided practice

1. The meeting begins ___ 10:00 a.m. (at/on)
2. The examination is ___ 22 August. (in/on)
3. The guard stood ___ the entrance. (at/in)

Answers and explanations

1. At. “At” is used for a precise clock time.
2. On. “On” is used with a particular date.
3. At. The entrance is treated as a particular point or location.

6. Pronoun agreement

A pronoun replaces a noun called its antecedent. The pronoun should agree with that antecedent in number and should clearly refer to the intended person or thing.

Rules

• A singular antecedent takes a singular pronoun: The employee submitted his or her form.
• A plural antecedent takes a plural pronoun: The employees submitted their forms.
• In modern general English, singular they is widely used when gender is unknown: Every applicant should bring their identification.
• A pronoun reference should not be vague or confusing.

Correct: The guards completed their rounds.

Incorrect: The guards completed his rounds.

“Guards” is plural, so the pronoun must also be plural.

Roman Urdu help: Pronoun ko us noun ke singular ya plural hone ke mutabiq rakhein jis ki jagah pronoun use ho raha hai.

Guided practice

1. The officers placed ___ files on the table. (their/his)
2. Sara completed ___ duty on time. (her/their)
3. The building has two gates, and both of ___ are locked. (it/them)

Answers and explanations

1. Their. The antecedent “officers” is plural.
2. Her. “Sara” is a singular feminine antecedent.
3. Them. The pronoun refers to the plural noun “gates.”

7. Common sentence-error patterns

Error-detection questions may combine several grammar rules in one sentence. Read the complete sentence and check its subject, verb, tense, articles, prepositions, pronouns and overall structure.

Frequent patterns

• Double past: did not went instead of did not go.
• Agreement error: Each employee have instead of Each employee has.
• Article error: a honest man instead of an honest man.
• Preposition error: discuss about the issue instead of discuss the issue.
• Unnecessary repetition: return back instead of return.
• Incomplete sentence: A dependent phrase or clause presented as a full sentence.

Incorrect: He did not went to the office.

Correct: He did not go to the office.

Incorrect: The staff discussed about the problem.

Correct: The staff discussed the problem.

Roman Urdu help: Error check karte waqt sirf aik word na dekhein. Pehle subject aur verb, phir tense, article, preposition aur pronoun check karein.

Guided practice

1. Correct the sentence: “She did not submitted the form.”
2. Correct the sentence: “Each of the doors are locked.”
3. Correct the sentence: “He returned back to the office.”

Answers and explanations

1. She did not submit the form. Use the base verb “submit” after “did.”
2. Each of the doors is locked. “Each” is singular and takes “is.”
3. He returned to the office. “Back” is unnecessary because “returned” already means came or went back.

Common mistakes Pakistani candidates make

• Choosing a verb according to the nearest noun instead of the true subject
• Using a past-tense verb after did
• Using a or an according to spelling rather than sound
• Translating prepositions directly from Urdu or another language
• Confusing adjectives and adverbs, such as careful and carefully
• Using a singular pronoun for a plural antecedent
• Adding unnecessary words such as return back or repeat again
• Reading only the underlined word instead of checking the complete sentence

Revision summary

• Identify a part of speech by the function it performs.
• Match the verb with the actual subject.
• Use the base verb after did and modal verbs.
• Use the past participle after has and have.
• Choose a or an according to sound.
• Use at for precise time, on for days and dates, and in for months and years.
• Match pronouns clearly with their antecedents.
• Check the whole sentence for agreement, tense, article, preposition and repetition errors.

Independent Practice Assessment

Attempt all 20 original MCQs. Select the best answer in each question, then use Submit Test.

This is an independent learning assessment created by Sindh City Portal. It is not an official, leaked or reproduced NTS paper.

In the sentence “The careful guard checked every door,” the word careful is a:

A. Noun B. Verb C. Adjective D. Adverb

Which word is an adverb in the sentence “The officer answered politely”?

A. The B. Officer C. Answered D. Politely

Choose the correct sentence.

A. Each of the windows are open. B. Each of the windows is open. C. Each of the window are open. D. Each of the windows were open now.

The schedule of duties ___ available at the reception desk.

A. are B. were C. is D. have

Ali and Kamran ___ the night shift every Friday.

A. handles B. handle C. is handling D. has handled

The caretaker ___ the main gate every morning.

A. open B. opening C. opens D. opened yesterday

They have ___ the inspection report.

A. complete B. completed C. completing D. completes

Choose the correct form: “She did not ___ the message.”

A. received B. receives C. receiving D. receive

The staff members are ___ the meeting room now.

A. prepare B. prepared C. preparing D. prepares

He is ___ honest and responsible employee.

A. a B. an C. the D. no article

She wants to study at ___ university near her home.

A. a B. an C. the D. any

A visitor left a bag near the door. ___ bag was later taken to reception.

A. A B. An C. The D. Some

The test is scheduled ___ Saturday.

A. at B. on C. in D. by

The briefing will begin ___ 9:00 a.m.

A. on B. in C. at D. from

The keys are ___ the drawer.

A. in B. on C. at D. between

The employees submitted ___ identity documents.

A. his B. her C. its D. their

Sara checked the register before beginning ___ shift.

A. his B. her C. their D. our

Which sentence is correct?

A. He did not went to the office. B. He did not goes to the office. C. He did not go to the office. D. He did not going to the office.

Choose the sentence without an unnecessary repeated meaning.

A. Please return back before noon. B. Please return before noon. C. Please again repeat the instruction. D. Please revert back immediately.

Choose the grammatically correct sentence.

A. Every guard have a duty card. B. Every guard has a duty card. C. Every guards has a duty card. D. Every guard having a duty card.

Score guide

Score	Guidance
17–20	Strong foundation
13–16	Good, but revise weak areas
9–12	Needs more practice
0–8	Repeat the lesson before moving forward

What comes next

The following Caretaker preparation resources are planned and will be published after editorial review:

• Caretaker English Part 2: Vocabulary and Usage
• Caretaker Islamic Knowledge preparation
• Caretaker Mathematics preparation
• Caretaker General Knowledge preparation
• Caretaker Social Studies preparation

Return to the Sindh High Court Caretaker preparation hub for the verified syllabus, test date and preparation priorities.

Independent preparation disclaimer

This is original independent preparation material created by Sindh City Portal. It is not an official NTS paper and is not affiliated with the Sindh High Court or NTS. Candidates should rely on the relevant official authority for final examination information and instructions.