Grammar I

Grammar I carries about 4 of the 16 English questions (our estimate): agreement of the verb with its subject, the sequence of tenses, direct and indirect speech, and the transformation of sentences. The official model paper tests concord ("It ... two weeks since he left the city") and tense at both mark levels. The rules are few and rigid, so this is the most reliable part of the English paper to score in full.

1.1 Sequence of tense and concord (agreement)

Sequence of tenses

If the main verb is in the past tense, the verb in the subordinate clause is normally in a past form: I knew that he was honest. She said that she had finished. After a present or future main verb, any tense that suits the meaning may follow. Exceptions (the subordinate clause keeps the present): a universal truth (The teacher said that the sun rises in the east); a habitual fact still true; a comparison clause with than or as (He loved her more than he loves me); a conditional or purpose clause with the present (She works hard so that she may succeed becomes so that she might succeed after a past main verb).

Concord

The verb agrees with its subject, not with the noun nearest to it. - Singular subjects: each, every, either, neither, one of, the news, mathematics, physics, economics, measles, sums of money or distance treated as a unit (Ten kilometres is a long walk). Each of the students was given a prize. Neither of the answers is right. - Plural: the police, cattle, people, the poor, a number of (A number of students are absent); but the number of is singular (The number of applicants is increasing). - Either … or, neither … nor, not only … but also: the verb agrees with the nearer subject (Either John or his brothers are responsible). - Joined by and: plural (Tea and coffee are …) unless the pair is one idea (Bread and butter is my breakfast) or each / every precedes (Every man and woman has …). - With, as well as, along with, together with, besides do not change the number: The teacher, with his students, is coming. - Collective nouns (committee, team, jury, family) take a singular verb when the group acts as one, plural when members act separately. - Relative clauses: She is one of those girls who are always on time. He is the only one of the boys who was late. - The + adjective (the rich, the young) is plural. More than one + singular noun takes a singular verb. - Subject–verb inversion: There are two books on the table. Here comes the bus.

1.2 Direct and indirect speech

Remove the quotation marks and the comma, add that (or if / whether or a question word), then change the tense, pronouns and adverbs if the reporting verb is past.

Pronouns shift by sense (first person → the speaker, second → the listener, third unchanged). Tense does not change for universal truths, or when the reporting verb is present or future.

• Statements: He said, "I am busy now." → He said that he was busy then.
• Questions: use asked and make the order of a statement, no auxiliary do: She asked, "Where do you live?" → She asked me where I lived. Yes/no: if / whether. "Where have you been?" asked the teacher → The teacher asked where he had been.
• Commands and requests: told / ordered / asked / requested / advised + object + to-infinitive (negative: not to): "Please shut the door," he said to me → He requested me to shut the door.
• Exclamations and wishes: exclaimed with joy / sorrow / surprise that…, wished, prayed: She said, "Alas! I am ruined." → She exclaimed with sorrow that she was ruined.
• Suggestions: Let us go → He suggested that they should go / proposed that…
• Greetings: wished / greeted; thanks: thanked.

1.3 Kinds of sentences and transformation of sentences

Kinds by function: assertive (statement), interrogative, imperative, exclamatory, optative. By structure: simple (one finite verb clause), compound (two or more independent clauses joined by and, but, or, so), complex (one independent + one or more dependent clauses: noun clause, adjective clause, adverb clause), compound-complex. If you work hard, you will succeed is complex.

Tag questions reverse polarity: She can swim, can't she? / He isn't coming, is he?

Formula and fact sheet

Practice questions

Set A — Recall (14 questions)

1. Neither of the two boys ___ present.awerebarecisdhave been
2. The news ___ true.aarebiscweredhave been
3. He said, "I am busy now." He said that he ___ busy then.awasbiscweredwill be
4. She asked, "Where do you live?" She asked me where ___.ado I livebdid I livecI livedI lived
5. "Please shut the door," he said to me. He ___ me to shut the door.arequestedbsaidctold thatdwished
6. The exclamatory form of "It is a very hot day" isaHow hot day it is!bWhat a hot day it is!cWhat hot day is it!dHow a hot day it is!
7. "If you work hard, you will succeed" is a ___ sentence.asimplebcompoundccomplexdcompound-complex
8. Each of the students ___ given a prize.awerebarechave beendwas
9. The sun ___ in the east.arosebriseschas risendis rising
10. I ___ here since 2020.aliveblivedchave liveddam living
11. The police ___ looking for the thief.aisbwaschasdare
12. He told me, "I will come tomorrow." He told me that he would come ___.athe next daybtomorrowcyesterdaydtoday
13. Either John or his brothers ___ responsible.aarebiscwasdhas been
14. She can swim, ___?acan shebisn't shecdoesn't shedcan't she

Set B — Understanding (8 questions)

1. The number of applicants ___ increasing every year.aisbarecweredhave been
2. He said, "Let us go for a walk." In indirect speech: He ___ that they should go for a walk.asaidborderedcproposeddasked
3. She said, "Alas! I am ruined." The best indirect form is: She ___ that she was ruined.atoldbexclaimed with sorrowcsaiddasked
4. "She is too tired to work" meansaShe is very tired but she worksbShe is tired enough to workcShe is too tired and worksdShe is so tired that she cannot work
5. Which is the simple form of "Because he was ill, he could not attend"?aHe was ill, so he could not attendbHe could not attend, being ill thoughcBecause of his illness he could not attenddIf he was ill he could not attend
6. I knew that he ___ a liar.aisbwaschas beendwill be
7. One of the books on the shelf ___ missing.aisbarecweredhave been
8. Neither the manager nor the employees ___ aware of the change.aisbwaschas beendwere

Set C — Application (6 questions)

1. In "Each of the boys have done his work", the error is corrected by replacing have withahasbhadcaredwere
2. "Where have you been?" asked the teacher. The indirect form: The teacher asked where ___.ahe has beenbhad he beenchave he beendhe had been
3. The teacher said to the class, "Do not make noise." The teacher ___ the class not to make noise.asaid thatborderedcasked thatdtold that
4. "He is the best player in the team" is equivalent toaHe is better than all players in the teambHe is better than other player in the teamcNo other player in the team is as good as hedSome players are as good as he
5. Mathematics ___ my favourite subject.aarebwerechave beendis
6. "Will you come to the party?" she asked him. → She asked him whether he ___ come to the party.awillbwouldccanddid