📜 Comprehensive English Grammar Guide 🖋️

⏰ English Tenses: Present, Past & Future

Present Tense

1. Simple Present Tense

Rule: 3rd Person Singular (He, She, It) → Verb + s/es

I go to college.
I read a lesson. 📖
I eat an apple. 🍎
Raja sings a song.
The sun rises in the east. ☀️
The sun sets in the west.
They jump.
He opens the door.
You run away.
He runs away.
He walks to the garden.

2. Present Continuous Tense

Use am with 'I', is with singular subjects, are with plural subjects.

I am speaking.
Raju is eating.
You are sleeping.
They are watching T.V. 📺
We are playing football.

3. Present Perfect Tense

I have cut my nose.
I have given money.
I have a house.
We have brought it.
He has sent it.
She has sunk.
It has broken.
They have taken it.

4. Present Perfect Continuous Tense

I have been giving money.
I have been listening to music. 🎶
She has been reading.
He has been running.
They have been watching a movie.

Past Tense

1. Simple Past Tense

I went to college.
I read a lesson.
I ate an apple.
Raja sang a song.
I studied the lesson.
He opened the door.
You ran away.
The dog barked. 🐾
I saw a book.
He came from school.
He said to Raja.
I received a message.
Raja danced beautifully.
They worked hard.
You caught it.

2. Past Continuous Tense

I was speaking.
Raju was sending.
You were teaching.
They were coming.
We were dancing.
He was thinking. 🤔

3. Past Perfect Tense

The sun had set.
The show had begun.
I had cut my hair.

4. Past Perfect Continuous Tense

I had been eating.
I had been listening.
She had been running.
They had been reading.
You had been jumping.

Future Tense

1. Simple Future Tense

I shall go to college.
I shall study tomorrow.
We shall come.
You will run.
He will open it.
She will sing. 🎶
We shall eat.
It will come.
Raju will sing.
Raja will come.

2. Future Continuous Tense

He will be eating.
I shall be going.
They will be dancing.
They will be going.
Raja will be acting.
We shall be singing.
Rose will be winning the race.

3. Future Perfect Tense

I shall have eaten tomorrow.
I shall have written my exercise.
They will have broken the car.
We will have known.
We shall have gone tomorrow.

4. Future Perfect Continuous Tense

I shall have been eating.
Raju will have been reading.
Raja will have been studying.
They will have been writing. ✍️
Raja will have been doing it.

🛠️ Common Grammar Drills

I. Using "able to" / "unable to" 💪

can (Present) → am/is/are + able to

could (Past) → was/were + able to

cannot / can't → am/is/are + unable to

could not / couldn't → was/were + unable to

1. I can play.

✅ I am able to play.

2. I could play.

✅ I was able to play.

3. He could tell me.

✅ He was able to tell me.

4. They could tell me.

✅ They were able to tell me.

5. She can work.

✅ She is able to work.

6. I can write a letter.

✅ I am able to write a letter.

7. She could eat a mango.

✅ She was able to eat a mango.

8. She could not eat a sandwich.

✅ She was unable to eat a sandwich.

9. I cannot dance.

✅ I am unable to dance.

10. I cannot write an essay.

✅ I am unable to write an essay.

II. Removing "too" ✂️

too → very, extremely, excessively

too ... to ... (Present) → so ... that ... cannot

too ... to ... (Past) → so ... that ... could not

too (meaning 'also') → also

1. It is too hot outside.

✅ It is very hot outside.

2. These books are too expensive.

✅ These books are very expensive.

3. Raja is too fond of sweets.

✅ Raja is extremely fond of sweets.

4. It is too sour.

✅ It is very sour.

5. The king was too infallible to make a mistake.

✅ The king was so infallible that he could not make a mistake.

6. I am too tired to think of anything.

✅ I am so tired that I cannot think of anything.

7. He spoke too fast to be understood.

✅ He spoke so fast that one could not understand him.

8. He is too proud to beg.

✅ He is so proud that he cannot beg.

9. Hitler was too cruel to spare the Jews.

✅ Hitler was so cruel that he could not spare the Jews.

10. The Chief Minister Mr. Raja was too busy to give us an appointment.

✅ The Chief Minister Mr. Raja was so busy that he could not give us an appointment.

11. Parents nowadays are too busy to pay attention to their children's education.

✅ Parents nowadays are so busy that they cannot pay attention to their children's education.

12. It became too dark to read easily.

✅ It became so dark that one could not read easily.

13. I too won a ticket to go to the cinema.

✅ I also won a ticket to go to the cinema.

14. He too got it right.

✅ He also got it right.

III. Words as Nouns & Verbs ✍️

A Noun is a name of a person, place, animal, or thing. A Verb is an action word.

Hand: (v) Hand me the towel. | (n) Aishwarya’s hand is beautiful.
Can: (v) You can do this. | (n) The can is full of water.
Lock: (v) Lock the door. | (n) The key is with the lock. 🔑
Cook: (v) My mother cooks food. | (n) He is a popular cook. 🍳
Work: (v) He works in a call centre. | (n) I have a lot of work to do.
Visit: (v) He visits the zoo. | (n) His visit was brief.
Name: (v) I will name this cat. | (n) He earned a good name.
Right: (v) Right the correct one. | (n) Take a right turn.
Hold: (v) Hold the pen. | (n) I didn't have any hold.
Return: (v) I will return the book. | (n) I expect no return.
Offer: (v) The company offers a discount. | (n) It is a good offer.
Look: (v) I am looking at you. | (n) Your look is beautiful.
Shop: (v) Raja shops for vegetables. | (n) He opened the shop. 🛒
Produce: (v) Ragavan produced a film. | (n) The farmers store their produce.
Form: (v) Ambani formed a company. | (n) I am unable to fill the form.
Try: (v) I tried a lot. | (n) He gave it one last try.
Lead: (v) He leads me in the race. | (n) Lead is a metal.

↔️ Opposites with Prefixes & Suffixes

A prefix is added to the beginning of a word (e.g., un-able). A suffix is added to the end (e.g., care-less).

able ≠ unable
complete ≠ incomplete
proper ≠ improper
guide ≠ misguide
regular ≠ irregular
ordinary ≠ extraordinary
social ≠ anti-social
legal ≠ illegal
encourage ≠ discourage
interior ≠ exterior
agree ≠ disagree
careful ≠ careless
fearful ≠ fearless
appear ≠ disappear
direct ≠ indirect
perfect ≠ imperfect
septic ≠ antiseptic
ability ≠ inability
useful ≠ useless
important ≠ unimportant
call ≠ miscall
national ≠ international
correct ≠ incorrect
pure ≠ impure
obey ≠ disobey
understand ≠ misunderstand
literate ≠ illiterate
war ≠ antiwar
clear ≠ unclear
willing ≠ unwilling
pleasant ≠ unpleasant
romantic ≠ unromantic
developed ≠ undeveloped
equal ≠ unequal
definite ≠ indefinite
aware ≠ unaware
respect ≠ disrespect
patient ≠ impatient
responsible ≠ irresponsible
lock ≠ unlock
cyclone ≠ anti-cyclone
like ≠ dislike
continue ≠ discontinue
restless ≠ restful
justice ≠ injustice
experienced ≠ inexperienced
valuable ≠ valueless
successful ≠ unsuccessful
necessary ≠ unnecessary
maximum ≠ minimum
powerful ≠ powerless
sensitive ≠ insensitive
vegetarian ≠ non-vegetarian
reserved ≠ unreserved
kind ≠ unkind
friendly ≠ unfriendly
advantage ≠ disadvantage
connect ≠ disconnect
give ≠ receive
normal ≠ abnormal

❓ More Sentence Transformations

V. Affirmative & Negative Sentences 👍👎

1. I like to go to the seashore. (Make it negative)

✅ I don’t dislike going to the seashore.

2. He likes to go to the seashore.

✅ He doesn't dislike going to the seashore.

3. They like to go to the seashore.

✅ They don’t dislike going to the seashore.

4. It is useless.

✅ It is not useful.

5. There is little hurry.

✅ There is no hurry.

6. He had only his daughter with him.

✅ He had no one except his daughter with him.

7. I do not remember. (Make it affirmative)

✅ I fail to remember.

8. I did not remember.

✅ I failed to remember.

9. She does not remember.

✅ She fails to remember.

VI. Question Tags

1. I am in a mood.

I am in a mood, aren’t I?

2. Let’s go for a picnic.

Let’s go for a picnic, shall we?

3. Let us go to the cinema.

Let us go to the cinema, shall we?

4. They always come on time.

They always come on time, don’t they?

5. We sit here every day.

We sit here every day, don’t we?

6. Vijay comes here right at 5.

Vijay comes here right at 5, doesn’t he?

7. They reached here yesterday.

They reached here yesterday, didn’t they?

8. That girl got the prize.

That girl got the prize, didn’t she?

9. I am not tired.

I am not tired, am I?

10. He does not attend the school.

He does not attend the school, does he?

11. Ranji never mixes with her classmates.

Ranji never mixes with her classmates, does she?

12. You should not blame him.

You should not blame him, should you?

13. I shall go to school.

I shall go to school, shan’t I?

14. We are not telling the truth.

We are not telling the truth, are we?

15. He will go to school.

He will go to school, won’t he?

16. Bring me food.

Bring me food, will you?

17. Show me your pen.

Show me your pen, will you?

18. Stay there.

Stay there, will you?

19. Open the door.

Open the door, will you?

VII. Exclamatory & Assertive Sentences 😮

1. What a wonderful story it was! (Make it assertive)

✅ It was a wonderful story.

2. How naughty you are!

✅ You are very naughty.

3. How sweet!

✅ It is really very sweet.

4. He was very slow. (Make it exclamatory)

✅ How slow he was!

5. It was a very lovely painting.

✅ What a lovely painting it was!

6. How lucky I was!

✅ I was very lucky.

7. What a lesson to be learned from Wilma!

✅ It was indeed a great lesson to be learned from Wilma.

8. He was an extraordinary human being.

✅ What an extraordinary human being he was!

9. I am quite tired.

✅ How tired I am!

10. I am very proud of my nice mother.

✅ How proud I am of my nice mother!

11. You are absolutely right.

✅ How right you are!

VIII. Homophones 🗣️

Homophones are words that sound the same but have different meanings and spellings.

There / Their
Fair / Fare
Knew / New
Write / Right
Sum / Some
Weather / Whether
Principle / Principal
Piece / Peace ☮️
Birth / Berth
Hole / Whole
Pray / Prey
Sea / See
Be / Bee 🐝
Where / Were
Hear / Here
Our / Hour
Are / Or

IX. Degrees of Comparison 📈

Adjectives change form (Positive, Comparative, Superlative) to show comparison.

Positive	Comparative	Superlative
Sweet	Sweeter	Sweetest
Small	Smaller	Smallest
Tall	Taller	Tallest
Bold	Bolder	Boldest
Clever	Cleverer	Cleverest
Kind	Kinder	Kindest
Young	Younger	Youngest
Brave	Braver	Bravest
Fine	Finer	Finest
Happy	Happier	Happiest
Great	Greater	Greatest
Easy	Easier	Easiest
Wealthy	Wealthier	Wealthiest
Hot	Hotter	Hottest
Thin	Thinner	Thinnest
Sad	Sadder	Saddest
Fat	Fatter	Fattest
Beautiful	More beautiful	Most beautiful
Eminent	More eminent	Most eminent
Industrious	More industrious	Most industrious
Ferocious	More ferocious	Most ferocious
Difficult	More difficult	Most difficult
Good / Well	Better	Best
Bad	Worse	Worst
Little	Less / Lesser	Least
Much / Many	More	Most
Old	Older / Elder	Oldest / Eldest

Rules for Changing Degrees

Positive	Comparative	Superlative
No other...	...than any other	the ...-est
Very few...	...than many/most other	one of the ...-est

1. Superlative: Raji is the richest woman in Mumbai.

Comparative: Raji is richer than any other woman in Mumbai.
Positive: No other woman in Mumbai is as rich as Raji.

2. Superlative: Swami Raja was one of the most eminent disciples of Ustad Amjad Ali Khan.

Positive: Very few disciples of Ustad Amjad Ali Khan were as eminent as Swami Raja.
Comparative: Swami Raja was more eminent than many other disciples of Ustad Amjad Ali Khan.

3. Superlative: Reading is the best form of recreation.

Comparative: Reading is better than any other form of recreation.
Positive: No other form of recreation is as good as reading.

4. Superlative: Australia is the largest island.

Comparative: Australia is larger than any other island.
Positive: No other island is as large as Australia.

5. Superlative: Australia is one of the largest islands.

Comparative: Australia is larger than many other islands.
Positive: Very few islands are as large as Australia.

6. Comparative: Iron is stronger than many other metals.

Superlative: Iron is one of the strongest metals.
Positive: Very few metals are as strong as iron.

Note: When comparing only two persons or things, there is no superlative degree.

7. Raja is taller than Raji.

✅ Raji is not as tall as Raja.

8. June is hotter than March.

✅ March is not as hot as June.

X. Change the Voice (Active & Passive) 🔄

Changing the voice shifts the focus of the sentence from the doer of the action (Active) to the receiver of the action (Passive).

I love. → I am loved.
I warn. → I am warned.
He calls. → He is called.
She permits. → She is permitted.
They call. → They are called.
I write. → I am written. (by me)
We help. → We are helped. (by us)
They ask. → They are asked. (by them)
Raja loves Raji. → Raji is loved by Raja.
Vijay loves us. → We are loved by Vijay.
Surya loves me. → I am loved by Surya.
The cat kills the rat. → The rat is killed by the cat.
The cats kill the rats. → The rats are killed by the cats.
I write a letter. → A letter is written by me.
I write those letters. → Those letters are written by me.
He broke the glass. → The glass was broken by him.
He breaks the glass. → The glass is broken by him.
The C.M. received the P.M. → The P.M. was received by the C.M.
The peon delivered the letters. → The letters were delivered by the peon.
I closed the door. → The door was closed by me.
Raji wrote a letter. → A letter was written by Raji.
He will finish the work. → The work will be finished by him.
People will forget it. → It will be forgotten.
I shall invite you. → You will be invited by me.
The police will catch me. → I shall be caught by the police.
They will send me. → I shall be sent by them.
They have eaten the fruits. → The fruits have been eaten by them.
I have opened the window. → The window has been opened by me.
He has driven those cars. → Those cars have been driven by him.
I had written a letter. → A letter had been written by me.
She had painted a picture. → A picture had been painted by her.
He had cut those trees. → Those trees had been cut by him.
The teacher had taught the lesson. → The lesson had been taught by the teacher.
The teacher will have taught the lesson. → The lesson will have been taught by the teacher.
Vijay will have finished the task. → The task will have been finished by Vijay.
My friend will have bought a gift. → A gift will have been bought by my friend.
I shall have written a letter. → A letter will have been written by me.
I am watching you. → You are being watched by me.
Raman is building the wall. → The wall is being built by Raman.
The teacher is teaching a new lesson. → A new lesson is being taught by the teacher.
My mother is cutting apples. → Apples are being cut by my mother.
The gardener was cutting grass. → Grass was being cut by the gardener.

XI. Model Auxiliaries 🧐

Model auxiliaries are helper verbs that express ability, possibility, permission, or obligation.

used to: Expresses a discontinued habit (e.g., "I used to play cricket.")
could: Shows possibility or past ability (e.g., "It could rain tomorrow.")
shall: Used for requests, intentions, promises, or formal permissions (e.g., "Shall we begin?")
will: Used for warnings, orders, or intentions (e.g., "You will clean your room.")
must: Expresses compulsion or strong obligation (e.g., "You must finish your homework.")

XII. Figures of Speech 🎭

These are literary devices used to make language more colorful and effective.

Personification: Giving human qualities to inanimate objects. (e.g., "The wind whispered secrets.")
Alliteration: Repetition of the same initial consonant sound. (e.g., "Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers.")
Repetition: Repeating a word or phrase for emphasis. (e.g., "Oh, woeful, oh woeful, woeful day!")
Tautology: Using different words to say the same thing. (e.g., "It was an adequate and sufficient meal.")
Antithesis: Placing opposite ideas together in a sentence. (e.g., "Man proposes, God disposes.")
Hyperbole: An extreme exaggeration for effect. (e.g., "I've told you a million times.")
Interrogation: Posing a question for rhetorical effect, not to get an answer. (e.g., "Am I my brother's keeper?")
Exclamation: A statement made with strong emotion. (e.g., "What a piece of work is man!")
Inversion: Changing the normal order of words in a sentence. (e.g., "Up went the balloon.")
Onomatopoeia: A word that imitates a sound. (e.g., "The bees buzzed and the cats meowed.") 🐝

English Grammar For Board Exam. [New]