1. Tenses — Quick Reference
| Tense | Formula | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Simple Present | Subject + V1 (s/es for 3rd person) | She reads every day. |
| Present Continuous | Subject + is/am/are + V-ing | They are playing cricket. |
| Present Perfect | Subject + has/have + V3 | He has finished the work. |
| Simple Past | Subject + V2 | She wrote a letter. |
| Past Continuous | Subject + was/were + V-ing | I was studying when she called. |
| Past Perfect | Subject + had + V3 | By the time they came, we had left. |
| Simple Future | Subject + will/shall + V1 | We will go tomorrow. |
| Future Perfect | Subject + will have + V3 | By noon, she will have finished. |
Common errors:
- ❌ He go to school every day. ✅ He goes to school every day.
- ❌ She have finished her homework. ✅ She has finished her homework.
2. Active Voice and Passive Voice
Rule for conversion:
- Active: Subject + Verb + Object
- Passive: Object + be-verb + Past Participle + by + Subject
Be-verb by tense:
| Tense | Active | Passive be-verb |
|---|---|---|
| Simple Present | eats | is eaten |
| Simple Past | ate | was eaten |
| Present Perfect | has eaten | has been eaten |
| Simple Future | will eat | will be eaten |
| Present Continuous | is eating | is being eaten |
Examples:
- Active: The dog chased the cat. → Passive: The cat was chased by the dog.
- Active: She will finish the project. → Passive: The project will be finished by her.
3. Reported Speech (Indirect Speech)
Statement Changes
- "I am going," said he. → He said that he was going.
- Tense shifts: am/is → was, are → were, will → would, can → could
Question Changes
- Yes/No question: Use "if" or "whether"
- "Are you coming?" she asked. → She asked if I was coming.
- Wh-question: Use the question word
- "Where is the library?" he asked. → He asked where the library was.
Command Changes
- "Sit down," the teacher said. → The teacher told us to sit down.
- "Don't make noise," she said. → She told us not to make noise.
Pronoun and Time/Place Shifts
| Direct | Indirect |
|---|---|
| I, me, my | he/she, him/her, his/her |
| we, us, our | they, them, their |
| today | that day |
| yesterday | the day before |
| tomorrow | the next day |
| here | there |
| this | that |
4. Articles — A / An / The
Use "a" before consonant sounds: a book, a car, a university (y-sound) Use "an" before vowel sounds: an apple, an honest man, an hour (h is silent) Use "the" for:
- Specific nouns: Pass me the salt.
- Rivers, mountain ranges, oceans: the Nile, the Himalayas, the Pacific
- Unique things: the sun, the moon, the Earth
- Superlatives: She is the best student.
No article for:
- Languages: I speak Tamil. (not "the Tamil")
- Meals: We had lunch at noon.
- General plural nouns: Dogs are loyal. (not "The dogs")
5. Prepositions
| Preposition | Use | Example |
|---|---|---|
| in | enclosed spaces; months/years | in the room; in April |
| on | surfaces; days/dates | on the table; on Monday |
| at | specific points; times | at the door; at 5 pm |
| by | means; nearness; deadline | by car; by the river; by Friday |
| for | duration; purpose | for two hours; for fun |
| since | starting point | since 2020; since morning |
| between | two things | between you and me |
| among | more than two | among the students |
6. Conjunctions
Coordinating: and, but, or, nor, for, yet, so
- She tried hard, but she did not succeed.
Subordinating: because, although, if, when, since, unless, while
- He failed because he did not study.
- Although it was raining, we went out.
Correlative: both…and, either…or, neither…nor, not only…but also
- She is not only intelligent but also hardworking.
7. Degrees of Comparison
| Positive | Comparative | Superlative |
|---|---|---|
| tall | taller | tallest |
| intelligent | more intelligent | most intelligent |
| good | better | best |
| bad | worse | worst |
| far | farther / further | farthest / furthest |
| little | less | least |
| many / much | more | most |
Conversion patterns:
- Positive → Comparative: No other X is as tall as Y. → Y is taller than all others.
- Superlative → Positive: Y is the tallest. → No other is as tall as Y.
8. Parts of Speech — Quick Reference
| Part of speech | Definition | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Noun | Name of a person, place, thing | Priya, Chennai, book |
| Pronoun | Replaces a noun | he, she, they, it |
| Adjective | Describes a noun | tall, beautiful, three |
| Verb | Action or state | run, is, think |
| Adverb | Modifies verb/adjective | quickly, very, well |
| Preposition | Shows relationship | in, on, at, by |
| Conjunction | Joins clauses | and, but, because |
| Interjection | Expresses emotion | Oh!, Wow!, Ouch! |
Frequently Asked Questions
Tenses, Active/Passive Voice, and Reported Speech carry the most marks. Articles, Prepositions, and Degrees of Comparison also appear frequently in 1-mark and 3-mark questions.