What the grammar and correct usage items test
The grammar items on the Philippines Civil Service Exam (CSE-PPT) are written multiple-choice questions inside Verbal Ability, which in 2026 covered English and Filipino (per the 2026 announcement; confirm in the March 2027 announcement). In English, almost every grammar item turns on one of five things: subject-verb agreement, tense with a time word, a fixed preposition, pronoun case, or a Philippine English usage that a standard grammar key marks wrong. Learn the rule behind each family, practise with keyed items, and test every option against the rule rather than against your ear. The Philippine English ear accepts "result to" and "cope up with". The answer key does not. Below are the rules, the Philippine English list, a four-step method for error spotting and 40 practice items with reasons, all written by TalkDrill.
- Next sitting: Sunday 14 March 2027, Professional and Subprofessional levels. Applications from 2 November 2026, accepted until the 350,000 target slots fill (CSC Examination Announcement No. 05, s. 2026).
- Items and time: 170 items in 3 hours 10 minutes (Professional) and 165 items in 2 hours 40 minutes (Subprofessional), per the 2026 announcement; confirm in the March 2027 announcement.
- Passing grade: 80.00, per the 2026 announcement; confirm in the March 2027 announcement.
- Written only: English is tested through reading and choosing. There is no speaking paper.
- No official item count by topic: CSC does not publish how many items are grammar, as far as we could find.
The two formats reviewer sites describe
We could not find an official CSC sample paper. The CSC 2027 examination calendar also warns that CSC "does not recognize and is not liable for postings on other websites". So treat every reviewer, this one included, as practice and not as leaked items. Philippine reviewer sites describe two grammar formats, and our items follow both:
- Correct usage: a sentence with a blank and four options. You choose the word or phrase that makes the sentence grammatical.
- Identifying errors: a sentence split into marked parts, plus a "no error" option. You choose the part that is wrong, or "no error".
Time matters more than it looks. On the 2026 figures, a Professional examinee had about 67 seconds per item on average and a Subprofessional examinee about 58 seconds (our arithmetic: 190 minutes for 170 items, 160 minutes for 165 items). A grammar item whose rule you know should take well under half a minute. That is our target, not a CSC figure, and the seconds you save here pay for the reading passages and the numerical items.
Subject-verb agreement: the rules that decide most items
Agreement items hide the subject. The verb sits next to a plural noun, but the true subject is singular, or the other way round. So the first move is always the same: find the subject, then choose the verb. In Tagalog terms, find the simuno before you look at the pandiwa. The rules below cover almost every agreement item in the reviewer formats.
| Rule | Correct example | The trap |
|---|---|---|
| Ignore the "of" phrase; the subject comes before it. | The list of passers was posted. | "were", because "passers" sits next to the verb. |
| Each, every, everyone, everybody, nobody, either and neither (on their own) are singular. | Each of the applicants brings an ID. Neither of the reviewers has a key. | "bring" and "have", pulled by "applicants" and "reviewers". |
| With either...or and neither...nor, the verb agrees with the nearer subject. | Neither the clerk nor the supervisors were told. Neither the supervisors nor the clerk was told. | Treating the whole pair as plural every time. |
| Together with, as well as, along with and including do not make the subject plural. | The teacher, together with her students, is planting trees. | "are", because two groups are mentioned. |
| "A number of" takes a plural verb; "the number of" takes a singular verb. | A number of applicants are waiting. The number of applicants has grown. | Using the same verb for both. |
| An amount of time, money or distance treated as one unit is singular. | Three hours is not enough. | "are", because "hours" is plural in form. |
| A collective noun acting as one body is singular in the American usage taught in Philippine schools. | The jury has reached its verdict. | "have", which British English allows but the pronoun "its" rules out. |
| Some nouns end in -s but are singular: news, mathematics, economics, physics. | The news is good. | "The news are". |
| After "there is" and "there are", the subject comes after the verb. | There are several errors in the form. | "There is several errors". |
| "One of the" plus a plural noun takes a singular verb, because the subject is "one". | One of the applicants is late. | "are", pulled by "applicants". |
| The name of a country, organisation or title is singular even when it looks plural. | The Philippines is an archipelago. | "are", because of the final -s. |
Worked example (written by TalkDrill)
Item: The quality of the answers ____ more than the speed. (A) matter (B) matters (C) are mattering (D) have mattered
Step 1: cover the "of" phrase. You are left with "The quality ____ more than the speed." Step 2: "quality" is singular. Step 3: only (B) is a singular present verb. The trap is (A), which agrees with "answers", the noun your eye lands on just before the blank. Answer: B.
Tenses and the time words that decide them
Tagalog verbs mark aspect: kumain (the action is finished), kumakain (it is going on) and kakain (it has not started yet). English asks a second question, when, and adds the perfect tenses to connect a past action to now. That is why, in our judgement, sentences with "since" are among the tense items Filipino examinees miss most. The Tagalog habit is to keep the ongoing form (Nagtatrabaho siya rito mula pa noong 2019) and translate it as "She is working here since 2019", which the key marks wrong. Cebuano and Ilocano verbs also lean on aspect, so the same pull applies to Bisaya and Ilocano speakers. The cure is to let the time word choose the tense.
| Time word or pattern | Tense the key wants | Correct example | The common slip |
|---|---|---|---|
| since 2019, for three years (still true now) | Present perfect, or present perfect continuous | She has worked here since 2019. | She is working here since 2019. |
| yesterday, last week, in 2020, two days ago | Simple past | The clerk sent the forms yesterday. | The clerk has sent the forms yesterday. |
| so far, up to now, ever, never (up to this moment) | Present perfect | I have taken three mock tests so far. | I took three mock tests so far. |
| by the time, by next year (a point in the future) | Future perfect | By May I will have finished the review. | By May I will finish the review. |
| when, if, before, after, as soon as, until (with a future meaning) | Simple present inside the time clause | When the proctor arrives, we will start. | When the proctor will arrive, we will start. |
| An unreal condition about now | "were" or a past form, then "would" | If I were you, I would file early. | If I am you, I will file early. |
| The earlier of two past events | Past perfect | The slots had filled before I arrived. | The slots filled before I arrived (unclear order). |
| A past action interrupted by another | Past continuous, then simple past | We were leaving when the power went out. | We leave when the power went out. |
| Habits, routines and general truths | Simple present | Every Sunday my father goes to the market. | Every Sunday my father is going to the market. |
| A finished action, passive voice | was or were plus past participle | The forms were submitted last month. | The forms are submitted last month. |
One caution. American usage accepts the simple past with "already" and "just" ("I already ate", "She just left"), so a key built on American usage should not mark those wrong. Do not over-correct a sentence that is fine. The errors are the mismatches in the right-hand column, where a finished time word meets a perfect tense, or "since" meets a present tense.
The past tense has a spoken side too. Many Filipino speakers drop the -ed ending in speech ("Yesterday I walk to the office"), and the habit can leak into how a sentence "sounds" when you read it silently. Our read-aloud drill for -ed endings takes five minutes and makes the ending audible again.
Prepositions: the fixed pairs worth memorising
Tagalog and Cebuano use one word, sa, where English chooses between in, on, at, to and from. So no first-language instinct helps here. English prepositions (pang-ukol) after a given verb or adjective are mostly fixed, and the only reliable method is to learn the pairs. Start with time and place, then the fixed pairs, then the verbs that take no preposition at all.
Time and place: at, on, in
| Preposition | Time | Place |
|---|---|---|
| at (a point) | at 8:00, at noon, at night, at the end of the day | at the gate, at the counter, at the testing centre |
| on (a day or a surface) | on Sunday, on 14 March, on my birthday | on the form, on the wall, on the second floor |
| in (a longer period or an enclosed space) | in March, in 2027, in the morning, in two weeks | in the room, in Cebu City, in the envelope |
Fixed pairs that appear in usage items
| Correct pair | Example | Wrong form often seen |
|---|---|---|
| graduate from | She graduated from the University of the Philippines. | graduated in, graduated at |
| married to | He is married to a nurse. | married with |
| different from | The new rule is different from the old one. | different with |
| result in (an effect) | The delay resulted in long queues. | resulted to |
| based on | Based on the survey, residents want longer hours. | based from |
| comply with, cope with | Applicants must comply with the rules. She coped with the pressure. | comply to, cope up with |
| consist of, depend on, insist on | The set consists of ten items. | consist in (a different meaning), depend in |
| interested in, capable of, responsible for | She is responsible for the payroll. | interested on, capable to |
| apply for (a post), apply to (an office) | He applied for the clerk post. He applied to the regional office. | apply in |
| agree with (a person), agree to (a proposal) | I agree with you. The board agreed to the plan. | agree on you |
| arrive at (a place), arrive in (a city or country) | We arrived at the hall. We arrived in Davao. | arrived to |
| accused of, charged with | He was accused of theft and charged with estafa. | accused for |
Verbs that take no preposition
These verbs take their object directly. Adding a preposition is the error: discuss the plan (not discuss about), mention the problem (not mention about), emphasise the point (not emphasise on), enter the room (not enter into the room; "enter into an agreement" is a different, correct use), attend the meeting, approach the counter, request a copy (not request for a copy; "a request for a copy" is correct as a noun), reach the office, contact the clerk, join us (not join with us), marry someone (not marry with).
Pronouns: case, agreement and reference
Pronoun items (panghalip) test three things: the right case (I or me, who or whom), agreement with the noun the pronoun stands for, and clear reference. Tagalog and Cebuano siya covers both he and she, so mixing them is a common slip in speech and in writing about a supervisor or a client. In the written items, though, case is what the key tests most.
| Rule | Test it like this | Correct example |
|---|---|---|
| Subject case (I, he, she, we, they, who) for the doer. | Drop the other person: "My sister and I will take" becomes "I will take". | My sister and I will take the exam. |
| Object case (me, him, her, us, them, whom) after a verb or a preposition. | Drop the other person: "asked Ana and me" becomes "asked me". | Between you and me, the second set was hard. |
| "Myself" only reflects or stresses a subject already named. | Is "I" already the subject of the same clause? | I checked it myself. (Not: Ana and myself will attend.) |
| "Who" is a subject; "whom" is an object. | Answer the question with he or him. He = who, him = whom. | To whom should I address the letter? Who do you think will pass? |
| "Its" is possessive; "it's" means "it is". | Can you say "it is" in the gap? | The department released its report. |
| A pronoun agrees with its noun in number. | Find the noun the pronoun replaces. | The agency updated its website. The agencies updated their websites. |
| After "than" and "as" in formal writing, use the case the hidden verb needs. | Finish the clause: "than I am". | She is taller than I. |
Two of these deserve a judgement call. "Than me" is normal in speech, and singular "their" after "everyone" is accepted by many modern style guides. A government exam is a formal test, so if a formal option and an informal option both appear and nothing else differs, in our judgement the formal one ("than I", "his or her") is the safer choice. If the formal option is not offered, do not fight the item; choose the only grammatical answer.
Philippine English usages the key marks wrong
Philippine English is a recognised variety of English, and many of its forms are normal in offices from Manila to Davao. The answer key, though, follows standard grammar as taught in textbooks. The forms below are common in Philippine English and are marked wrong by a standard key. The list is ours, built from standard grammar references; CSC has not published one. If you speak Tagalog, Bisaya, Ilocano, Hiligaynon or Waray at home, expect several of these to sound right to you. That is exactly why they cost marks.
| You may write | The key wants | Why |
|---|---|---|
| result to | result in | Fixed preposition for an effect. |
| cope up with | cope with | "Up" is extra. |
| based from | based on | Fixed preposition. |
| different with | different from | Fixed preposition. |
| in the other hand | on the other hand | Fixed phrase. |
| open the light, close the light | turn on the light, turn off the light | A direct translation of buksan ang ilaw; English uses turn on and turn off for lights and machines. |
| return back, revert back, repeat again | return, revert, repeat | The verb already contains "back" or "again". |
| discuss about, mention about, emphasise on | discuss, mention, emphasise | These verbs take a direct object. |
| informations, equipments, furnitures, advices, evidences | information, equipment, furniture, advice, evidence | Uncountable nouns have no plural; say "pieces of advice" or "items of equipment". |
| I am here since 2020 | I have been here since 2020 | "Since" with a state that continues needs the present perfect. |
| Until now, I live in Manila | I still live in Manila | "Until now" means up to this moment and pairs with the present perfect ("Until now, I have never failed an exam"). |
| The reason is because | The reason is that | "Reason" already means "because". |
| graduated in UST | graduated from UST | Fixed preposition. |
| married with | married to | Fixed preposition. |
| more better, most fastest | better, fastest | Double comparative or superlative. |
| Majority of the applicants | The majority of the applicants | "Majority" needs the article here. |
| Me and my friend went | My friend and I went | Subject case; the other person comes first by convention. |
| Each and every one of them are | Each and every one of them is | "Each" and "one" are singular. |
Two more belong to speech rather than to the answer sheet, but they matter in the job interview after you pass: "for a while" meaning "please hold" (say "one moment, please") and "comfort room" (say "restroom" or "washroom" to a foreign visitor; "CR" is fine with Filipino colleagues). Articles are the other big family for Tagalog and Bisaya speakers, because ang is not the same as "the"; our guide to a, an and the covers them. The first-language detail for each group is on our pages for Tagalog speakers and Bisaya and Ilocano speakers.
A four-step method for identifying errors
Error items reward a fixed routine. Examinees who read once and trust a feeling tend to pick the first part that looks unusual, which is often a correct but formal phrase. Use the same four steps every time:
- Read the whole sentence once at normal speed. Do not stop at the first part that looks odd. Some sentences sound strange and are correct.
- Find the subject and the main verb. Check agreement first, then check the tense against any time word (since, yesterday, by the time, when).
- Run each marked part through the five families. Agreement, tense, preposition, pronoun, then word form (mass nouns, comparatives, adjective or adverb, extra words such as "back" in "return back").
- Choose "no error" only after every part passes. It is a real option, not a trap to avoid. Our set includes one.
Worked example (written by TalkDrill)
Item: (A) Neither the barangay captain (B) nor the clerks (C) was informed (D) about the change. (E) No error
Step 1: the sentence reads naturally, which is the danger. Step 2: the subject is a neither...nor pair, and the verb agrees with the nearer subject, "the clerks", which is plural. So the verb should be "were informed". Step 3: (A), (B) and (D) are fine; "informed about" is a correct pair. Answer: C. Most people who miss this choose (E), because "was" agrees with "captain", the first noun they read.
40 practice items
All 40 items are written by TalkDrill in the two formats above. They are not CSC items. Do one set of ten at a time, with a timer. Five minutes per set is a good target and ten minutes is generous (our targets, not CSC figures). Write your answers down before you open the key.
Set A: subject-verb agreement (choose the correct option)
- Each of the applicants ____ a valid ID on exam day.
(A) bring (B) brings (C) are bringing (D) have brought - The list of passers ____ posted on the portal yesterday.
(A) were (B) are (C) was (D) have been - Neither the clerk nor the supervisors ____ aware of the new memo.
(A) was (B) is (C) were (D) has been - Mathematics ____ the subject many examinees find hardest.
(A) is (B) are (C) were (D) have been - The jury ____ reached its verdict.
(A) have (B) has (C) are (D) were - For many examinees, three hours ____ not enough time to finish a full mock test.
(A) is (B) are (C) have been (D) do - A number of applicants ____ still waiting outside the gate.
(A) is (B) was (C) are (D) has been - Everyone in the two offices ____ to attend the orientation.
(A) need (B) needs (C) are needing (D) have needed - The teacher, together with her students, ____ planting trees this Saturday.
(A) are (B) is (C) were (D) have been - There ____ several errors in the application form.
(A) is (B) was (C) are (D) has been
Set B: tenses (choose the correct option)
- She ____ in the municipal office since 2019.
(A) works (B) is working (C) has worked (D) worked - By the time the results come out, I ____ my review for the next exam.
(A) will finish (B) will have finished (C) finished (D) have finished - If I ____ you, I would file the application in the first week.
(A) am (B) was (C) were (D) will be - When the proctor ____, we will start the test.
(A) will arrive (B) arrives (C) arrived (D) has been arriving - Yesterday the clerk ____ the forms to the regional office.
(A) sends (B) has sent (C) sent (D) is sending - I ____ for an hour when the bus finally came.
(A) waited (B) have waited (C) had been waiting (D) am waiting - The examinees ____ the room when the power went out.
(A) leave (B) have left (C) were leaving (D) are leaving - Every Sunday my father ____ to the market.
(A) go (B) goes (C) is going (D) gone - The forms ____ before the deadline last month.
(A) are submitted (B) were submitted (C) have submitted (D) submit - I ____ three mock tests so far this month.
(A) take (B) took (C) have taken (D) had taken
Set C: prepositions and pronouns (choose the correct option)
- She graduated ____ the University of the Philippines.
(A) in (B) at (C) from (D) on - The exam is ____ Sunday, 14 March 2027.
(A) in (B) at (C) on (D) by - Please wait ____ the gate until your name is called.
(A) in (B) at (C) on (D) into - He is married ____ a nurse from Iloilo.
(A) with (B) to (C) for (D) by - The new procedure is different ____ the old one.
(A) with (B) than (C) from (D) to - Between you and ____, the second set was the hardest.
(A) I (B) me (C) myself (D) mine - The supervisor asked Ana and ____ to stay after the briefing.
(A) I (B) me (C) myself (D) mine - The department released ____ annual report in June.
(A) their (B) it's (C) its (D) theirs - To ____ should I address the letter?
(A) who (B) whom (C) whose (D) which - My sister and ____ will take the exam together.
(A) me (B) I (C) myself (D) mine
Set D: Philippine English usages (identify the error, or choose E)
- (A) The new guidelines (B) will result to (C) longer queues (D) at the regional office. (E) No error
- (A) Many examinees (B) find it hard (C) to cope up with (D) the time limit. (E) No error
- (A) Based from (B) the survey, (C) most residents (D) want a longer library schedule. (E) No error
- (A) The secretary (B) gave us (C) many useful informations (D) about the job. (E) No error
- (A) I am living (B) in Cebu City (C) since (D) I was ten. (E) No error
- (A) Please (B) open the light (C) before the visitors (D) arrive. (E) No error
- (A) The panel will (B) discuss about (C) the proposal (D) on Monday. (E) No error
- (A) The reason (B) he was late (C) is because (D) the jeepney broke down. (E) No error
- (A) We need to (B) return back (C) the documents (D) by Friday. (E) No error
- (A) Neither of the reviewers (B) has (C) an answer key (D) for the last set. (E) No error
Answer key with reasons
| Item | Answer | Reason |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | B | "Each" is singular, whatever follows "of". |
| 2 | C | The subject is "list", not "passers"; "yesterday" needs the past. |
| 3 | C | Neither...nor: the verb agrees with the nearer subject, "supervisors". |
| 4 | A | "Mathematics" is a singular subject name. |
| 5 | B | The jury acts as one body, and "its" confirms the singular. |
| 6 | A | Three hours is one amount of time, so the verb is singular. |
| 7 | C | "A number of" means "several" and takes a plural verb. |
| 8 | B | "Everyone" is singular. |
| 9 | B | "Together with her students" does not change the singular subject, "the teacher". |
| 10 | C | The subject "errors" follows the verb and is plural. |
| 11 | C | "Since 2019" with a continuing state needs the present perfect. |
| 12 | B | "By the time" plus a future point needs the future perfect. |
| 13 | C | Unreal condition: formal keys want "were" for every person. |
| 14 | B | A "when" clause with a future meaning takes the simple present. |
| 15 | C | "Yesterday" is a finished time and needs the simple past. |
| 16 | C | A longer action up to a past moment: past perfect continuous. |
| 17 | C | An action in progress interrupted by a past event: past continuous. |
| 18 | B | A habit with a singular subject: simple present with -s. |
| 19 | B | A finished past action in the passive: "were submitted". |
| 20 | C | "So far this month" links the past to now: present perfect. |
| 21 | C | Graduate from a school. |
| 22 | C | Days and dates take "on". |
| 23 | B | A point in a place takes "at". |
| 24 | B | Married to a person. |
| 25 | C | "Different from" is the form no key marks wrong; "than" is informal and "with" is wrong. |
| 26 | B | After the preposition "between", use the object case. |
| 27 | B | Object of "asked": drop "Ana and" and you get "asked me". |
| 28 | C | Possessive "its" for one department; "it's" means "it is". |
| 29 | B | Object of the preposition "to": whom (answer: to him). |
| 30 | B | Subject case: drop "my sister and" and you get "I will take". |
| 31 | B | Result in, not result to. |
| 32 | C | Cope with, not cope up with. |
| 33 | A | Based on, not based from. |
| 34 | C | "Information" is uncountable: "a lot of useful information". |
| 35 | A | "Since I was ten" needs "I have lived" or "I have been living". |
| 36 | B | Turn on the light, not open the light. |
| 37 | B | "Discuss" takes a direct object: discuss the proposal. |
| 38 | C | "The reason is that"; "reason" and "because" repeat each other. |
| 39 | B | "Return" already means "give back"; drop "back". |
| 40 | E | No error: "neither" on its own is singular, so "has" is right. |
How to read your score (our bands, not CSC's): 36 or more, grammar is not your problem, so move your time to reading and the numerical part. 30 to 35, list your misses by family; two misses in the same family mean one rule to relearn. Below 30, go back through the rule tables above, then retake the set a week later without looking at the key first.
Your practice route to 14 March 2027
TalkDrill is a speaking app, and the CSE-PPT has no speaking paper. We use speaking for two jobs only: saying corrected sentences aloud so that the standard form starts to sound right to you, and preparing for the job interview that comes after eligibility, when you apply for a post. Everything else in this route is reading and choosing, the way the exam works.
- Take a baseline today. Our free grammar test gives you a starting point. Note which families you miss.
- Ten keyed items a day. Start with the 40 above, then move to the timed sets in the CSE English practice bank. Sort every miss by family.
- Train error-spotting speed. Error Spotter asks you to find the grammar error in a sentence, which is the identifying-errors format in game form. Time yourself.
- Say the fix aloud. Each time you miss an item, read the corrected sentence aloud twice. For the endings that Filipino speakers often drop, use the read-aloud drills for -ed endings and -s and plural endings.
- Cover the other English families. Grammar is one of four. The English verbal ability reviewer maps all four, and vocabulary and analogy practice and paragraph organisation and reading go deep on the other three.
- Put it on a calendar. Applications open on 2 November 2026 and close when slots fill, so file early; the schedule and application page has the details and the 4-month roadmap sets out the weeks.
- After you pass, the interview. An agency that shortlists you may interview you, and English answers given out loud are a different skill from choosing options on paper. Practise with the AI mock interview, where you answer out loud as you would in the room.
For offline study, the books in our grammar category and Common English Mistakes and How to Fix Them cover the same rule families with more examples. For the latest official dates and the 2027 calendar, start from the Civil Service Commission home page and our Civil Service Exam hub.