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).

Main clause	Subordinate clause
He says that	he is / was / will be busy
He said that	he was / had been / would be busy
I have lived here since	2020 (present perfect + since point, for period)
It is two weeks since	he left (simple past): It is two weeks since he left; It has been two weeks since he left
No sooner had he arrived	than it began to rain (Hardly … when)
By the time we arrived	the film had started

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.

Direct	Indirect (past reporting verb)
simple present	simple past
present continuous	past continuous
present perfect / simple past	past perfect
will / can / may / shall	would / could / might / should
now, today, tomorrow, yesterday	then, that day, the next day / the following day, the day before
this, here, ago, last night	that, there, before, the previous night

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.

Transformation	Example
assertive → exclamatory	It is a very hot day. → What a hot day it is! / How hot the day is!
assertive → interrogative	Nobody can deny it. → Who can deny it?
affirmative → negative	He is the best player. → No other player is as good as he.
positive → comparative / superlative	Few boys are as tall as he. → He is taller than most boys.
too … to → so … that	He is too weak to walk. → He is so weak that he cannot walk.
complex → simple	Because he was ill, he could not attend. → Because of his illness he could not attend.
simple → compound	Besides being rich, he is generous. → He is not only rich but also generous.
complex → compound	Though he is poor, he is honest. → He is poor but honest.
as soon as → participial	As soon as he saw the police, he ran away. → On seeing the police, he ran away.
if → unless	If you do not hurry, you will be late. → Unless you hurry, you will be late.

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

(a) The clock face of Big Ben: tense is the time of an action

(b) The verb write in 12 tenses, generated by rule

(a) Reporters quote what a speaker said: direct becomes indirect speech

(b) Backshift and time-word changes, checked on six sentences

Chapter summary

• The verb agrees with the head noun; "with", "as well as" and "of …" phrases do not count.
• Universal truths keep the present tense in indirect speech.
• Indirect questions use statement order with no do.
• Pick the reporting verb that matches the force of the original (ordered, requested, exclaimed).
• Transformation keeps meaning exactly: only the form changes.

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

Answers and explanations — Set A

1. (c) — neither of + singular verb.

2. (b) — news is a singular uncountable noun.

3. (a) — present → past; now → then.

4. (d) — indirect question: statement order and past tense.

5. (a) — a polite request is reported with requested.

6. (b) — What a + adjective + noun + subject + verb!

7. (c) — one main clause plus an if adverbial clause.

8. (d) — each takes a singular verb.

9. (b) — a universal truth takes the simple present.

10. (c) — since + point of time needs the present perfect.

11. (d) — the police is plural.

12. (a) — tomorrow → the next day.

13. (a) — the verb agrees with the nearer subject, brothers.

14. (d) — positive statement, negative tag with the same auxiliary.

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

Answers and explanations — Set B

1. (a) — the number of is singular (a number of is plural).

2. (c) — Let us is reported as a proposal or suggestion.

3. (b) — "Alas!" expresses sorrow; the reporting verb is exclaimed with sorrow.

4. (d) — too … to means so … that … cannot.

5. (c) — the clause becomes a phrase: because of + noun.

6. (b) — past main verb, past subordinate verb.

7. (a) — the subject is one, not books.

8. (d) — nearer subject employees, plural, with a past-time context.

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

Answers and explanations — Set C

1. (a) — each is singular.

2. (d) — past perfect in the clause, statement order.

3. (b) — a command is reported with ordered / told ... not to; options (a), (c) and (d) are ungrammatical with "that".

4. (c) — the superlative becomes a negative comparison with as … as.

5. (d) — mathematics is singular despite its -s.

6. (b) — will → would.

Group D — Model answers for long questions (10 marks each, for deeper revision)

1. State the rules for the sequence of tenses and for subject–verb agreement (concord), with examples. [10]
2. State the rules for changing direct speech into indirect speech for statements, questions, commands and exclamations, with examples. [10]
3. Explain the kinds of sentences and show how sentences are transformed without changing the meaning. [10]

(a) Clock face

(b) Newspaper

(c) Press conference

Model answer D1: Sequence of tenses and concord (10 marks)

Introduction. The sequence of tenses is the rule that the tense of the verb in a subordinate clause agrees with the tense of the verb in the main clause. Concord is the agreement of a verb with its subject in number and person.

Rules of the sequence of tenses.

1. Past main verb gives a past subordinate verb. He said that he was ill. She knew that I had finished the work.
2. Present or future main verb allows any tense. He says that he was ill. I shall tell him that you have come.
3. A universal truth stays in the present tense. The teacher told us that the earth moves round the sun.
4. Clauses of comparison (than, as) take any tense that fits the sense. She loved him more than she loves me.
5. Clauses of purpose after a past verb use would, could or might. He worked hard so that he might pass.
6. Past perfect shows the earlier action when two past actions are told. The train had left before we reached the station.

Rules of concord.

Rule	Correct sentence	Common error
Each, every, either, neither, one are singular	Each of the boys has a book.	Each of the boys have…
Collective noun as a unit is singular	The committee has decided.	The committee have decided (when acting as one)
A number of is plural, the number of is singular	A number of students are absent. The number of students is small.	The number of students are…
Either…or / neither…nor: verb agrees with the nearer subject	Neither the teacher nor the students were present.	…was present
Words joined by with, along with, as well as do not change the verb	The principal, along with the teachers, is coming.	…are coming
Nouns plural in form but singular in sense	Mathematics is my favourite subject. The news is good.	Mathematics are…
A sum of money, distance or time is one amount	Ten kilometres is a long walk.	Ten kilometres are…
One of the + plural noun takes a singular verb	One of my friends is a pilot.	One of my friends are…

Additional points. Two singular subjects joined by and take a plural verb (Ram and Sita are here), unless they name one person (The poet and singer is dead). In a relative clause, who agrees with its antecedent (He is one of those students who work hard).

Conclusion. A correct sentence keeps the tense of the clauses in step and makes each verb agree with its true subject, so these rules are tested in every entrance paper.

Model answer D2: Direct and indirect speech (10 marks)

Introduction. Direct speech quotes the exact words of a speaker; indirect (reported) speech gives their meaning in the reporter's words, without quotation marks.

General rules (reporting verb in the past).

1. Inverted commas are removed and that is added for statements.
2. Pronouns change to fit the reporter: He said, "I am tired" becomes He said that he was tired.
3. Tenses move one step back (see the table).
4. Words of time and place change.

Direct	Indirect
am, is, are	was, were
simple present (works)	simple past (worked)
present perfect (has worked)	past perfect (had worked)
simple past (worked)	past perfect (had worked)
will, can, may	would, could, might
now, today, tomorrow	then, that day, the next day
yesterday, ago	the day before, before
here, this, these	there, that, those

Questions. The reporting verb becomes asked and the word order becomes that of a statement, with no question mark.

He said to me, "Where do you live?" becomes He asked me where I lived. A yes/no question uses if or whether: She said, "Is it raining?" becomes She asked whether it was raining.

Commands and requests. Use told, ordered, asked, advised with to + infinitive; the negative uses not to. The teacher said, "Open your books." becomes The teacher told us to open our books. He said, "Don't make a noise." becomes He told them not to make a noise.

Exclamations and wishes. Use exclaimed with joy/sorrow that or wished. She said, "Hurrah! We have won!" becomes She exclaimed with joy that they had won. He said, "May you live long!" becomes He prayed that I might live long.

Worked examples.

1. Hari said, "I shall go to Pokhara tomorrow." → Hari said that he would go to Pokhara the next day.
2. "I have lost my pen," said Mina. → Mina said that she had lost her pen.
3. She said to him, "Why are you late?" → She asked him why he was late.
4. The captain said, "Let us win this match." → The captain proposed that they should win that match.

Exception. If the reporting verb is in the present or future, or the statement is a universal truth, the tense does not change: He says, "I am busy" → He says that he is busy.

Conclusion. Changing speech needs four steps: choose the reporting verb, change the pronouns, step the tense back and change the time and place words.

Model answer D3: Kinds of sentences and transformation (10 marks)

Introduction. Sentences are classified by purpose (assertive, interrogative, imperative, exclamatory, optative) and by structure (simple, compound, complex). Transformation changes the form of a sentence without changing its meaning.

By structure.

Kind	Meaning	Example
Simple	One finite verb, one clause	He opened the door and left. (two actions, one subject)
Compound	Two or more main clauses joined by and, but, or, so	He was tired, but he kept walking.
Complex	One main clause plus one or more subordinate clauses	Although he was tired, he kept walking.

Types of transformation with examples.

1. Affirmative ↔ negative. He is the tallest boy. ↔ No other boy is as tall as he. She is always late. ↔ She is never on time.
2. Assertive ↔ interrogative. Nobody can deny this fact. ↔ Who can deny this fact?
3. Assertive ↔ exclamatory. It is a very beautiful flower. ↔ What a beautiful flower it is!
4. Degrees of comparison. Gold is more precious than any other metal. ↔ Gold is the most precious metal. ↔ No other metal is as precious as gold.
5. Simple ↔ compound. Besides being clever, he is hard-working. ↔ He is not only clever but also hard-working.
6. Simple ↔ complex. On seeing the tiger, the boy ran away. ↔ As soon as the boy saw the tiger, he ran away.
7. Compound ↔ complex. Work hard, or you will fail. ↔ Unless you work hard, you will fail.
8. Use of too…to. He is too weak to walk. ↔ He is so weak that he cannot walk.

Conclusion. Transformation does not change meaning, so the best method is to find the central idea first and then rebuild the sentence in the new form.