CDS English · Grammar
Completing a sentence: agreement, quantifiers and set phrases
Half a sentence is given and you pick the ending. Many of these endings turn on one small word: a quantifier such as each or neither, an uncountable noun such as news, or a fixed phrase such as cut down on.
Why this matters
CDS sentence-completion sets often hang on a single small word. Each, either and neither take a singular verb; news and luggage have no plural; a phrasal verb has one fixed particle. These are quick marks if you know the rule, and easy traps if you trust your ear.
Concept 1 of 3: Neither, either, each, any, none, one: who the word points to and what verb follows
A quantifier tells you how many people or things the sentence is about. First count the group: is it two, or more than two? Then ask whether the word points to the whole group or to one member at a time. Each, either and neither point to one member, so the verb is singular.
Definition
The terms:
- Quantifier: a word that tells how many or how much (each, either, neither, any, none, all, both).
- Singular verb: has, was, is, does. Plural verb: have, were, are, do.
The rules:
- For two people or things: either (one of the two), neither (not this one and not that one), both.
- For three or more: any, any one, none, all.
- Each of / either of / neither of + plural noun takes a singular verb: Each of the boys has a bat.
- Neither already carries the 'not'. Do not add a second negative after it.
- A general one ('one should ...') is followed by one's, not his or their.
| Word | Rule | Tested in | Sitting |
|---|---|---|---|
| Neither (of two) | Not this one and not that one. Singular verb. Already negative. | I asked two people the way to the station, but neither of them could help me. | 2021 (II) None is the wrong choice here: there were only two people. |
| Neither of us | The clean negative for two people. Not 'both of us do not', not 'either of us did not', no extra 'did'. | Mohan and I couldn't get into the house because neither of us had the keys. | 2021 (II) |
| Any / any one of | One free choice from a group of three or more. Either is only for two. | Many good hotels: you can stay in any one of them. Many career options: you can choose any of them. | 2021 (II), 2022 (II) |
| Each of | One member at a time. Singular verb. | Each of the scholars has done well. | 2023 (II) |
| Either of | One of two. Singular verb, and past here because the question is reported. | He asked whether either of the brothers was at home. | 2023 (II) |
| One ... one's | A general 'one' is followed by one's, not his or their. | One cannot be too careful of one's good name. | 2023 (II) |
| The entire (time span) | Say 'the entire evening'. Never 'all the entire evening', and 'entire' needs 'the'. | Dan was very quiet. He didn't say a word the entire evening. | 2021 (II) |
Count the group first. Two people: either, neither, both. Three or more: any, none, all.
Practice this conceptself-check · 4 quick reps
The same idea in a real exam question:
CDS · 2023 · CDS (II) 2023 — English · Q103Easy
Example 1 · Grammar · Agreement, Determiners and Set Phrases
Directions: complete the incomplete sentence
Each of the scholars _______
The plural noun after 'of' is not the subject
In 'Each of the players ...' the subject is each, not players. The verb stays singular: has, was, is. The plural noun only names the group.
Either and neither are only for two
If the sentence speaks of many hotels or many options, either is wrong. Use any or any one. For two people, none is wrong; use neither.
A second negative after neither
Neither already means 'not'. 'Neither of us did not have the keys' is a double negative, and 'neither of us did have' adds a false emphasis. The clean form is neither of us had.
Concept 2 of 3: Uncountable nouns and comparison forms
Some nouns cannot be counted one by one: news, luggage, advice, information. They have no plural and take a singular verb. Comparison has its own fixed shapes: 'the' before a superlative, 'than' after a comparative, and 'even' or 'much' to make a comparative stronger.
Definition
Uncountable nouns:
- An uncountable noun has no plural form: news, luggage, baggage, furniture, information, advice, sugar.
- It takes a singular verb: The news was good.
- It takes all my, much, some, a piece of in front. Not 'my some luggage', not 'a luggage'.
Comparison:
- Comparative: the -er or 'more' form that compares two (cheaper, earlier). It is followed by than, never 'to' or 'then'.
- Superlative: the -est or 'most' form for the top of a group (cheapest). It takes the, not 'a'.
- Even / much + comparative makes the comparison stronger: even earlier, much better.
| Pattern | Correct form | Wrong forms offered | Sitting |
|---|---|---|---|
| News (uncountable) | Fortunately the news wasn't as bad as we expected. | the news weren't as bad | 2023 (II) |
| Luggage (uncountable) | When I was on holiday, all my luggage was stolen. | my whole luggage were stolen; my some luggage; my part luggage | 2023 (II) |
| The + superlative | We stayed at the cheapest hotel in the town. | at a cheapest hotel | 2023 (I) |
| Even + comparative | I got up very early, but Jack got up even earlier. | got up earlier to me; got up even before | 2023 (II) |
An -s at the end does not make a noun plural: news is singular.
Practice this conceptself-check · 4 quick reps
The same idea in a real exam question:
CDS · 2023 · CDS (II) 2023 — English · Q108Easy
Example 2 · Grammar · Agreement, Determiners and Set Phrases
Directions: complete the incomplete sentence
Fortunately the news _______
A noun that ends in -s but is singular
News looks plural but is one uncountable noun. 'The news was good', never 'were'. The same holds for luggage, information and furniture, which have no plural at all.
Comparative + to
Only a few Latin words take 'to': senior to, junior to, superior to, prefer to. Ordinary comparatives take than: earlier than me, taller than you.
A + superlative
A superlative names the one at the very top, so it takes the: the cheapest, the best. 'A cheapest hotel' is always wrong.
Concept 3 of 3: Set phrases, phrasal verbs and prepositions of place and frequency
Some word groups are fixed by habit, not by logic. A bus comes every ten minutes, a plane flies over a house, a person cuts down on coffee. No rule tells you which small word comes next. You learn the phrase as one unit.
Definition
The terms:
- Phrasal verb: a verb plus a small word (on, off, up, down) that together carry one meaning: cut down on = reduce.
- Collocation: words that normally go together: the right to vote.
The patterns tested:
- Frequency: every + time (every ten minutes) for something that repeats. 'In ten minutes' means once, ten minutes from now.
- Place: over = above and across; near and by = beside.
- Polite request to act: Can I / May I + verb: Can I turn on the lights?
- A fixed phrase takes no extra words: the right to vote, not 'the right to have vote'.
| Phrase | Meaning | Tested in | Sitting |
|---|---|---|---|
| every ten minutes | Again and again, once in each ten minutes | The bus service is very good; there is a bus every ten minutes. | 2021 (II) |
| fly over | Pass above | We live near a busy airport; the planes fly over our house. | 2021 (II) |
| get into / get to (a city) | Arrive at a place. Both forms are standard; 'get at' and 'get in London' are not. | The arrival time of a train in London | 2023 (I) |
| get on (in a job) | Make progress, manage | How are you getting on in your new job? | 2023 (I) |
| cut down on | Use less of something | I am trying to cut down on coffee. | 2023 (I) |
| the right to vote | The legal power to vote | The applicant is a native of this country, so he has the right to vote. | 2023 (II) |
| Can I turn on ...? | A polite offer or request to do something | It is getting dark, can I turn on the lights? | 2022 (II) |
Learn each phrase with its small word attached: cut down on, get on in, fly over.
Practice this conceptself-check · 4 quick reps
The same idea in a real exam question:
CDS · 2023 · CDS (I) 2023 — English · Q109Easy
Example 3 · Grammar · Agreement, Determiners and Set Phrases
Directions: complete the sentence with the correct alternative
I am trying to
'In ten minutes' is not 'every ten minutes'
'In ten minutes' is one event, ten minutes from now. A good bus service runs every ten minutes, again and again.
A particle that looks close
Give up, give in and give out are all real phrasal verbs, but only give up means 'stop doing'. A wrong option often keeps the verb and swaps the small word. Check the meaning of the whole phrase, not just the verb.
Adding words to a fixed phrase
The phrase is the right to vote. 'The right to have vote', 'the right of vote' and 'the right at vote' are all wrong. A set phrase takes no extra words.
Summary — formulas & gotchas at a glance
A revision cheat-sheet for the formulas and gotchas above. Click any concept name to jump back to its full explanation.
Reference tables (3)
Neither, either, each, any, none, one: who the word points to and what verb follows7 rows
| Word | Rule | Tested in | Sitting |
|---|---|---|---|
| Neither (of two) | Not this one and not that one. Singular verb. Already negative. | I asked two people the way to the station, but neither of them could help me. | 2021 (II) None is the wrong choice here: there were only two people. |
| Neither of us | The clean negative for two people. Not 'both of us do not', not 'either of us did not', no extra 'did'. | Mohan and I couldn't get into the house because neither of us had the keys. | 2021 (II) |
| Any / any one of | One free choice from a group of three or more. Either is only for two. | Many good hotels: you can stay in any one of them. Many career options: you can choose any of them. | 2021 (II), 2022 (II) |
| Each of | One member at a time. Singular verb. | Each of the scholars has done well. | 2023 (II) |
| Either of | One of two. Singular verb, and past here because the question is reported. | He asked whether either of the brothers was at home. | 2023 (II) |
| One ... one's | A general 'one' is followed by one's, not his or their. | One cannot be too careful of one's good name. | 2023 (II) |
| The entire (time span) | Say 'the entire evening'. Never 'all the entire evening', and 'entire' needs 'the'. | Dan was very quiet. He didn't say a word the entire evening. | 2021 (II) |
Count the group first. Two people: either, neither, both. Three or more: any, none, all.
Uncountable nouns and comparison forms4 rows
| Pattern | Correct form | Wrong forms offered | Sitting |
|---|---|---|---|
| News (uncountable) | Fortunately the news wasn't as bad as we expected. | the news weren't as bad | 2023 (II) |
| Luggage (uncountable) | When I was on holiday, all my luggage was stolen. | my whole luggage were stolen; my some luggage; my part luggage | 2023 (II) |
| The + superlative | We stayed at the cheapest hotel in the town. | at a cheapest hotel | 2023 (I) |
| Even + comparative | I got up very early, but Jack got up even earlier. | got up earlier to me; got up even before | 2023 (II) |
An -s at the end does not make a noun plural: news is singular.
Set phrases, phrasal verbs and prepositions of place and frequency7 rows
| Phrase | Meaning | Tested in | Sitting |
|---|---|---|---|
| every ten minutes | Again and again, once in each ten minutes | The bus service is very good; there is a bus every ten minutes. | 2021 (II) |
| fly over | Pass above | We live near a busy airport; the planes fly over our house. | 2021 (II) |
| get into / get to (a city) | Arrive at a place. Both forms are standard; 'get at' and 'get in London' are not. | The arrival time of a train in London | 2023 (I) |
| get on (in a job) | Make progress, manage | How are you getting on in your new job? | 2023 (I) |
| cut down on | Use less of something | I am trying to cut down on coffee. | 2023 (I) |
| the right to vote | The legal power to vote | The applicant is a native of this country, so he has the right to vote. | 2023 (II) |
| Can I turn on ...? | A polite offer or request to do something | It is getting dark, can I turn on the lights? | 2022 (II) |
Learn each phrase with its small word attached: cut down on, get on in, fly over.
Watch out for (9)
- The plural noun after 'of' is not the subject→ Neither, either, each, any, none, one: who the word points to and what verb follows
- Either and neither are only for two→ Neither, either, each, any, none, one: who the word points to and what verb follows
- A second negative after neither→ Neither, either, each, any, none, one: who the word points to and what verb follows
- A noun that ends in -s but is singular→ Uncountable nouns and comparison forms
- Comparative + to→ Uncountable nouns and comparison forms
- A + superlative→ Uncountable nouns and comparison forms
- 'In ten minutes' is not 'every ten minutes'→ Set phrases, phrasal verbs and prepositions of place and frequency
- A particle that looks close→ Set phrases, phrasal verbs and prepositions of place and frequency
- Adding words to a fixed phrase→ Set phrases, phrasal verbs and prepositions of place and frequency
Test yourself on Grammar
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