Tenses — Quick Reference
| Tense | Structure | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Simple Present | V1 / V1+s | She reads books. |
| Present Continuous | am/is/are + V-ing | She is reading now. |
| Present Perfect | has/have + V3 | She has read the book. |
| Present Perfect Cont. | has/have been + V-ing | She has been reading for an hour. |
| Simple Past | V2 | She read yesterday. |
| Past Continuous | was/were + V-ing | She was reading when I called. |
| Past Perfect | had + V3 | She had read before dinner. |
| Past Perfect Cont. | had been + V-ing | She had been reading for an hour. |
| Simple Future | will + V1 | She will read tomorrow. |
| Future Continuous | will be + V-ing | She will be reading at 6. |
| Future Perfect | will have + V3 | She will have read by tomorrow. |
| Future Perfect Cont. | will have been + V-ing | She will have been reading for 2 hours by noon. |
Active and Passive Voice
Rule
- Active: Subject + Verb + Object
- Passive: Object (becomes Subject) + be + Past Participle (+ by + original Subject)
Tense-wise Passive Forms
| Tense | Active | Passive |
|---|---|---|
| Simple Present | She writes a letter. | A letter is written by her. |
| Simple Past | She wrote a letter. | A letter was written by her. |
| Present Perfect | She has written a letter. | A letter has been written by her. |
| Simple Future | She will write a letter. | A letter will be written by her. |
| Present Continuous | She is writing a letter. | A letter is being written by her. |
| Past Continuous | She was writing a letter. | A letter was being written by her. |
Special Cases
- Modal verbs: can → can be; must → must be; should → should be
- Imperative: "Open the door." → "Let the door be opened."
Direct and Indirect Speech
Reporting Statement
- Direct: He said, "I am happy."
- Indirect: He said that he was happy.
Tense Changes
| Direct | Indirect |
|---|---|
| is / am / are | was / were |
| was / were | had been |
| has / have | had |
| will | would |
| can | could |
| may | might |
| shall | should |
Pronoun Changes
| Direct | Indirect |
|---|---|
| I | he/she |
| we | they |
| you | he/she/they |
| my | his/her |
Reporting Questions
- Yes/No question: "Are you ready?" → He asked if/whether I was ready.
- Wh-question: "Where are you going?" → He asked where I was going.
Reporting Commands
- "Sit down!" → He told/ordered me to sit down.
- "Please help me." → She requested me to help her.
Question Tags
Rules
- Positive sentence → negative tag: She is clever, isn't she?
- Negative sentence → positive tag: He isn't coming, is he?
- Auxiliary verb in tag matches the main sentence auxiliary.
| Sentence | Tag |
|---|---|
| She can swim. | can't she? |
| They have finished. | haven't they? |
| It will rain. | won't it? |
| You are ready. | aren't you? |
| I am right. | aren't I? |
Articles — a / an / the
| Use | Rule | Example |
|---|---|---|
| a | Before consonant sounds | a book, a university |
| an | Before vowel sounds | an apple, an honest man |
| the | Specific/known noun | The book on the table |
| No article | Plural general nouns | Books are important. |
| No article | Proper nouns (usually) | India is large. |
Exceptions
- "a university" — U sounds like "yu" (consonant sound)
- "an hour" — H is silent (vowel sound)
- "an MBA" — M sounds like "em" (vowel sound)
Prepositions — Common Uses
| Preposition | Use | Example |
|---|---|---|
| in | Inside / month / year | in the box, in June, in 2024 |
| on | Surface / day / date | on the table, on Monday, on 5th June |
| at | Point of time / place | at 9 o'clock, at the station |
| since | Point in time (with perfect) | since 2010 |
| for | Duration (with perfect) | for 3 hours |
| by | Not later than / by agent | by 5 PM, written by the author |
Sentence Transformation
Simple → Compound
- Simple: She worked hard and passed.
- Compound: She worked hard and she passed.
Simple → Complex
- Simple: Being tired, she slept early.
- Complex: Because she was tired, she slept early.
Exclamatory → Assertive
- "What a beautiful flower!" → It is a very beautiful flower.
Affirmative → Negative
- "She always comes late." → "She never comes on time."
Frequently Asked Questions
Key topics: tenses (especially simple, perfect, continuous), active and passive voice, direct and indirect speech, question tags, articles (a/an/the), prepositions, and sentence transformation.