CSS Syllabus English (Precis & Composition) – 100 Marks
The examination in this subject will be based upon a paper carrying 100 marks to Test the candidate’s abilities to handle Precis Writing, Reading Comprehension, Sentence Structuring, Translation, Grammar and Vocabulary, etc.
I. Precis Writing (20 marks)
A careful selected passage with an orientation of generic understanding and enough flexibility for compression shall be given for précising and suggesting an appropriate title. Out of the total 20 marks allocated to this question, 15 shall go to précising the text and 5 to suggesting the title.
II. Reading Comprehension (20 marks)
A carefully selected passage that is rich in substance but not very technical or discipline- specific shall be given, followed by five questions, each carrying 4 marks.
III. Grammar and Vocabulary (20 marks)
Correct usage of Tense, Articles, Prepositions, Conjunctions, Punctuation, Phrasal Verbs, Synonyms and Antonyms etc.
IV. Sentence Correction (10 marks)
The sentences shall be given each having a clear structural flaw in terms of grammar or punctuation. The candidates shall be asked to rewrite them with really needed correction only, without making unnecessary alterations. No two or more sentence should have exactly the same problem, and 2-3 sentences shall be based on correction of punctuation marks.
V. Grouping of Words (10 marks)
A random list of twenty words of moderate standard (neither very easy nor utterly unfamiliar) shall be given, to be grouped by the candidates in pairs of those having similar or opposite meaning, as may be clearly directed in the question.
VI. Pairs of Words (10 marks)
Ten pairs shall be given of seemingly similar words with different meanings, generally confused in communication, for bringing out the difference in meaning of any five of them by first explaining them in parenthesis and then using them in sentences.
VII. Translation (10 marks)
Ten short Urdu sentences involving structural composition, significant terms and figurative/idiomatic expressions shall be given, to be accurately translated into English.
Suggested Readings
| S.No. | Title | Author |
| 1. | English Grammar in Use | Raymond Murphy (Cambridge University Press). |
| 2. | Practical English Usage | M.Swan (Oxford University Press). |
| 3. | The Little, Brown Handbook | H. Ramsey Flower & Jane Aaron (The Little, Brown & Co; Harper Collins.) |
| 4. | A University English Grammar | R. Quirk & S. Greenbaum (ELBS; Longmans) |
| 5. | Write Better, Speak Better | Readers Digest Association. |
| 6. | Modern English in Action | Henry Christ (D.C. Heath & Co.) |