FSOT

The English Usage and Comprehension section evaluates your command of written English: grammar, spelling, punctuation, sentence structure, word choice, and reading comprehension. Some questions are built around passages and documents similar to the cables, reports, and correspondence Foreign Service Officers review and proofread on the job, and several questions may share one passage. The section asks you to identify errors, improve sentences, and understand complex written material quickly and accurately.

Subject-Verb Agreement

Subjects and verbs must agree in number: singular subjects take singular verbs, and plural subjects take plural verbs. The ambassador speaks at the conference tomorrow (singular); the delegates speak at the conference tomorrow (plural).

Rule	Example
Compoundsubjectjoinedbyand	Theambassadorandtheconsulareattendingthemeeting .
takesapluralverb
Subjectsjoinedbyor/nor:theverb	Neithertheambassadornortheattachéswereavailable Neithertheattachésnorthe .
agreeswiththenearersubject	ambassadorwasavailable .
Interveningphrasesdonotaffect	Thepolicy alongwithitsamendments requiresapproval Thecommitteeofseniorofficials , , .
agreement	meetsweekly .
Collectivenouns:singularwhen	Theteamispreparingitsreport Theteamaredividedintheiropinions . .
actingasaunit pluralwhenacting ,
individually
Singularindefinitepronouns:each ,	Eachofthecandidateshassubmittedcredentials .
every either neither one anyone , , , , ,
everyone someone nobody nothing , , ,
Pluralindefinitepronouns:both few , ,	Fewoftheproposalswereaccepted .
many several ,
Variablepronouns(all any most , , ,	Mostofthereportwasredacted Mostofthereportswereredacted . .
none some)followtheobjectofthe ,
preposition

Pronoun Reference and Agreement

Pronouns must agree with their antecedents in number, gender, and person, and every pronoun reference must be clear and unambiguous.

Incorrect	Correct
Whenadiplomatmeetswithofficials theyshouldtakenotes , .	Whendiplomatsmeetwithofficials theyshouldtakenotes Or: , .
(numbermismatch)	Whenadiplomatmeetswithofficials heorsheshouldtakenotes , .
Theambassadortoldtheconsulthathisreportwasdue (whose .	Theambassadortoldtheconsulthattheconsul'sreportwasdue .
report?)

Reflexive pronouns (myself, yourself, himself, herself, itself, ourselves, themselves) are used only when the subject and object are the same or for emphasis: The ambassador excused herself from the meeting. I myself reviewed the document.

Verb Tense Consistency

Keep verb tenses consistent within sentences and paragraphs unless a time shift is logical. Incorrect: The delegation arrived yesterday and will meet with officials. Correct: The delegation arrived yesterday and met with officials. Correct: The delegation arrives tomorrow and will meet with officials.

Parallel Structure

Elements in a series or comparison must be grammatically parallel. Correlative conjunctions (both/and, either/or, neither/nor, not only/but also) also require parallel construction: Not only did the embassy increase security, but it also implemented new protocols.

Incorrect	Correct
Theofficerenjoysreading writing andtotravel , , .	Theofficerenjoysreading writing andtraveling , , .
Thepolicyisbotheffectiveandhasefficiency .	Thepolicyisbotheffectiveandefficient .

Modifier Placement

Place modifiers as close as possible to the words they modify. Misplaced modifiers create confusion or unintended meanings.

Problem	Faulty	Clear
Misplaced	Thediplomatalmostvisitedeverycountryinthe	Thediplomatvisitedalmosteverycountryinthe
	region .	region .
Dangling(noclear	Walkingthroughtheembassy thearchitecture ,	Walkingthroughtheembassy thevisitorswere ,
subject)	impressedthevisitors .	impressedbythearchitecture .
Squinting(could	Officerswhoworkdiligentlyoftenreceive	Officerswhooftenworkdiligentlyreceivepromotions .
modifyeitherside)	promotions .	Or:Officerswhoworkdiligentlyreceivepromotions
		often 1 .

Punctuation

Rule	Example
Commabeforeacoordinatingconjunction	Theambassadorapprovedtheplan buttheundersecretaryraisedobjections , .
(for and nor but or yet so)joining , , , , , ,
independentclauses
Commaafteranintroductoryelement	Afterreviewingthecables theanalystpreparedasummary , .
Commasinaseries;theserial(Oxford)	Thereportcoveredeconomics politics andsecurity , , .
commaispreferredinformalwriting
Semicolonjoinsindependentclauses	Thenegotiationsstalled;neithersidewouldcompromise .
withoutaconjunction
Semicolonsseparateseriesitemsthat	ThedelegationincludedrepresentativesfromParis France;Berlin Germany;andRome , , ,
containinternalcommas	Italy .
Colonintroducesalist explanation or , ,	Thepolicyaddressesthreeareas:trade security anddiplomacy , , .
elaborationafteranindependentclause
Apostrophe:singularandplural	theambassador'sresidence·theambassadors'residences
possessive
Apostrophe:jointvs individualpossession .	SmithandJones'sreport(shared)·Smith'sandJones'sreports(separate)