← HCS syllabus
HCS (Haryana)Stage 2: Main Written Examination
Usage and Vocabulary
What the official syllabus says
Main Written Examination, Paper I: English and English Essay:
- (iv) Usage and Vocabulary.
Topics in detail
Word meaning
- Synonyms and antonyms
- One-word substitutes (for example, for a person, a government or a fear)
- Words often confused: affect and effect, principal and principle, stationary and stationery, complement and compliment
- Homophones and homonyms
- Words with prefixes and suffixes; forming nouns, adjectives and verbs from a root
- Foreign words and phrases common in English (for example, bona fide, ad hoc, status quo)
Idiomatic usage
- Idioms and phrases: meaning and use in sentences
- Phrasal verbs (for example, put off, give in, carry out, look into)
- Collocations: words that go together (take a decision, heavy rain, commit a crime)
- Prepositions after particular words (accused of, agree with, aware of)
- Proverbs and their meaning
Using words in sentences
- Using a given word or idiom in a sentence that shows its meaning
- Filling blanks with the right word
- Choosing between formal and informal words
- Avoiding redundancy (for example, "return back", "each and every")
- Spelling of commonly misspelt words
Building vocabulary
- Noting new words from reading with their meaning and a sentence
- Learning words in families and by their roots
- Using a good dictionary for usage, not only meaning
Words often confused
| Pair | Distinction |
|---|---|
| Affect / effect | Affect is usually a verb (to influence); effect is usually a noun (a result) |
| Principal / principle | Principal: chief, or head of a school; principle: a rule or belief |
| Stationary / stationery | Stationary: not moving; stationery: writing materials |
| Complement / compliment | Complement: completes something; compliment: praise |
| Loose / lose | Loose: not tight; lose: to fail to keep |
| Council / counsel | Council: a body of people; counsel: advice, or a lawyer |
| Elicit / illicit | Elicit: draw out; illicit: unlawful |
Overlaps
Vocabulary in context is also tested in the comprehension questions of the CSAT.