MAGICAL BOOK SERIES: GRAMMAR & VOCABULARY SIMPLIFIED FOR ALL COMPETITIVE EXAMS (SSC BANKING CDS AFCAT AILET CLAT CSAT STATE PCS ETC.)

With exams in mindGenerally if you are good at English you are expected to perform at the exam as well. Test of English Language should not pose too many problems to a person well-versed in English.But there are a few tricky areas where a special orientation is needed. For example you often write correct sentences. And yet when you are confronted with a sentence which may have a minor error you have to struggle to point it out.Again you may have a good vocabulary. But this does not imply that you are necessarily tuned to the questions asked in exams. The world of exams is a world of its own.Bearing these in mind it is always a good idea to get hold of previous questions. Solve them and then solve more of similar questions. If you have done your homework properly you can comfortably expect a good score in the exam.Where this book helpsThis book is an attempt to get the reader interested in the English language. Language is not a monster. You need not be afraid of it. It is a toy. You must know how to play with it.Have you noticed why a child picks up any language superfast while the adult struggles to learn it? It is precisely because of this attitude of playing with the language. Learning a language is based on what I call “game theory”. Whenever you play a game you are first acquainted with the rules. But learning rules is not enough. You have to learn the hits shots strokes and moves as well.Also a learner of the game should not attempt a Tendulkar shot. It is better if you play by the book initially. As you move ahead on the course of the game shots will begin to come on their own. You need not worry for them.In a simpler language we imply that you should stick to short simple sentences in the beginning. You will thus make fewer mistakes. And this will further boost your confidence to learn the language further.We have therefore tried to make the book more of a conversation. The language has been kept simple and playful. Perhaps we wouldn’t even have divided the book into sections and chapters in the conventional way. But exams also have to be borne in mind.Let us now see what we have in each section.GrammarThis is perhaps the first book that says: no need to memorise rules. Language is not a nursery rhyme. Nor is it a multiplication table. Why should we then learn it by heart? If you desire to be a master of the language try to understand it. Study the rules and try to draw conclusions.We have attempted to explain the rules. It is important to concentrate on the “why” of a rule. You may know which part of a sentence is incorrect. But many of you may not be able to correct it. Or you may be in trouble if confronted with a slightly different version. But if you have understood the reason you are on your way to mastering the language.At the end of every chapter there is an exercise. And you are asked to correct the sentences if they are wrong.VocabularyThis is what we consider the most important part of the book. Words are the heart of a language. The more powerful your vocabulary the easier your expression. And the easier your expression the more successful you are likely to be.The “Words in Context” is a chapter where you get to learn important words by way of reading small passages. Reading every passage makes you richer by a few words. And since the words are used in a context their meanings become amply clear to you. Also care has been taken to focus on the meanings that are relevant for general use. The order of words is alphabetical.In subsequent chapters however we have followed the more conventional mode. “Diction” “Idioms & Phrases” “Phrasal Verbs” and “Foreign Words” deal with each entry separately. Instead of merely making it a compilation of maximum possible entries we have focussed on explanation. The reason: it is better to know two words fully than to know ten erroneously.These chapters are then followed by exam-oriented chapters. They are meant to serve as a platform for practice for the students. Note that everything in the book is important. Yes even “Answers and explanations” of the Learner’s Exercises. The detailed explanations themselves are a source of learning more.