Unit 2 in 30 seconds: Grammar is the rulebook of English. This unit covers the 7 sentence patterns (every English sentence fits one), determiners (a/an/the, this, my, some...), the 12 tenses with their structures, modals (can, should, must...), and concord (subject–verb agreement). Tenses + concord together decide most of your error-correction and fill-in-the-blank marks.
1. Sentence Patterns — The 7 Basic Structures
Every English sentence is built from five elements: Subject + Verb + Object + Complement + Adjunct. Combining them gives the 7 standard patterns. If you can identify the pattern, you can never go wrong with word order.
| Pattern | Structure | Example |
|---|---|---|
| SV | Subject + Verb | Birds fly. / He sleeps. |
| SVO | Subject + Verb + Object | She reads books. |
| SVC | Subject + Verb + Complement | He is a teacher. (complement describes the subject) |
| SVA | Subject + Verb + Adjunct | She went home. (adjunct = extra info: where/when/how) |
| SVOO | Subject + Verb + Indirect Object + Direct Object | He gave me a pen. (to whom? me — what? a pen) |
| SVOC | Subject + Verb + Object + Complement | They elected him president. (complement describes the object) |
| SVOA | Subject + Verb + Object + Adjunct | She put the book on the table. |
Complement vs Object: a complement describes or renames the subject or object (He is a teacher — teacher = he). An object receives the action (She reads books). Adjunct is optional extra information (time, place, manner) — remove it and the sentence still works.
SVOO me do objects hote hain — pehle kisko (indirect: me), phir kya (direct: a pen). "He gave me a pen" — gave kisko? me. Kya diya? a pen. Aur SVOC me last wala word object ki tareef karta hai — "elected him president": president kaun bana? him. Bas complement = description, object = cheez. Ye farak pakad lo, pattern kabhi galat nahi hoga.
Exam Tip: To identify SVOO vs SVOC: ask "does the last word describe the object?" — They made him captain (captain describes him → SVOC); They gave him money (money is a thing → SVOO). This one question settles it every time.
2. Determiners
Determiners are words placed before a noun to fix its reference — which one, whose, how many. They always come before adjectives: my beautiful house (not "beautiful my house").
2.1 Articles — a, an, the
| Article | Rule | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| a | Before a consonant sound; first mention, one of many | a boy, a university (/ju:/ — consonant sound), a one-rupee note |
| an | Before a vowel sound | an apple, an hour (/aʊə/ — h is silent), an honest man |
| the | Specific/known thing; unique things; superlatives; rivers, seas, mountain ranges | the book (we talked about), the sun, the best, the Ganga, the Himalayas |
| No article (zero) | Plural/general nouns, meals, languages, games, abstract ideas in general | Books are useful. I like music. She plays cricket. Honesty is best. |
Exam Tip: It is the sound, not the letter, that decides a vs an: a university, a European (both start with /j/ sound) but an hour, an MBA (/eɪ/ sound). And "the" is wrong before proper nouns in general (the Rahul ✗) — except rivers, seas, ranges, deserts, and some country names (the USA, the Netherlands).
2.2 Other Determiners
| Type | Words | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| Demonstratives | this, that, these, those | this book, those boys |
| Possessives | my, your, his, her, its, our, their | my pen, their house |
| Quantifiers (countable) | many, few, a few, several, each, every | many books, a few friends (= some, positive) |
| Quantifiers (uncountable) | much, little, a little, a great deal of | much water, a little milk (= some, positive) |
| Quantifiers (both) | some, any, enough, most, all, no | some rice / some apples |
| Numbers / ordinals | one, two...; first, second... | two pens, the first day |
Few vs a few / little vs a little: few/little = almost none (negative: "few friends" — lonely). A few / a little = some (positive: "a few friends" — okay). Each vs every: each = individuals in a small group ("each student"); every = all in a large group ("every student in India"). Some in positive sentences, any in negatives/questions.
Determiners noun ke bodyguard hain — hamesha noun se pehle khade hote hain. Sabse zyada confusion articles me hota hai: yaad rakho a/an = koi ek (pehli baar zikr), the = wahi wala (pehle se pata). "I saw a dog. The dog was black." — pehli baar a, dusri baar the kyunki ab kaunsa dog hai, pata hai. Aur few vs a few: "few" matlab na ke barabar (negative), "a few" matlab thoda bahut (positive) — ek chhota sa "a" poora mood badal deta hai.
3. Tenses — All 12 with Structure and Usage
Tense shows the time of an action. Each of the 3 times (present, past, future) has 4 aspects: simple (fact/habit), continuous (in progress), perfect (completed), perfect continuous (in progress since a point). Learn the structure formula for each — that is what error-correction questions test.
3.1 Present Tenses
| Tense | Structure | Usage | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| Simple Present | Sub + V1 (s/es with he/she/it) | Habits, facts, universal truths | She writes daily. The sun rises in the east. |
| Present Continuous | Sub + is/am/are + V1-ing | Action happening now / temporary | She is writing now. |
| Present Perfect | Sub + has/have + V3 | Completed action with present result; "just/already/yet" | She has written the letter. (result: letter is ready) |
| Present Perfect Continuous | Sub + has/have been + V1-ing | Action started in past, still continuing | She has been writing since morning. |
3.2 Past Tenses
| Tense | Structure | Usage | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| Simple Past | Sub + V2 | Finished action in finished time | She wrote yesterday. |
| Past Continuous | Sub + was/were + V1-ing | Action in progress at a past moment | She was writing at 5 pm. |
| Past Perfect | Sub + had + V3 | Earlier of two past actions | She had written before he came. |
| Past Perfect Continuous | Sub + had been + V1-ing | Long action before a past point | She had been writing for two hours when he came. |
3.3 Future Tenses
| Tense | Structure | Usage | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| Simple Future | Sub + will/shall + V1 | Promise, decision, prediction | She will write tomorrow. |
| Future Continuous | Sub + will be + V1-ing | Action in progress at a future time | She will be writing at 5 pm tomorrow. |
| Future Perfect | Sub + will have + V3 | Action completed before a future point | She will have written by 5 pm. |
| Future Perfect Continuous | Sub + will have been + V1-ing | Long action continuing up to a future point | She will have been writing for two hours by 5 pm. |
Signal words that fix the tense: yesterday, last night, in 2010, ago → Simple Past. since, for, just, already, yet, ever, never → Perfect tenses. at this moment, now, currently → Continuous. by + future time → Future Perfect. Spot the signal word first, then pick the tense.
12 tenses se daro mat — pattern ek hi hai. Simple = seedha kaam (writes/wrote/will write). Continuous = chal raha kaam (is writing/was writing/will be writing). Perfect = ho chuka kaam (has written/had written/will have written). Perfect continuous = kab se chal raha hai (has been writing since...). Exam me sentence me time-signal dhundo: "since morning" dikha → has/have been + ing. "Yesterday" dikha → seedha V2. Signal word pakdo, tense apne aap aa jayega.
Exam Tip: Three classic traps: (1) since + point of time (since 2010, since morning) vs for + duration (for 5 years) — both need perfect continuous; (2) stative verbs (know, like, believe, own) are NOT used in continuous — "I am knowing" ✗, "I know" ✓; (3) after did, the verb is always V1 — "Did he went?" ✗, "Did he go?" ✓.
4. Modals
Modals are helping verbs that express attitude — ability, permission, possibility, obligation, advice. Rules: modals are always followed by V1 (base form), never by to, and they never take -s ("he cans" ✗).
| Modal | Main uses | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| can | Ability, permission (informal), possibility | She can swim. You can go now. |
| could | Past ability, polite request, possibility | He could run fast. Could you help me? |
| may | Permission (formal), possibility | May I come in? It may rain. |
| might | Weaker possibility, polite suggestion | It might rain. (less sure than "may") |
| shall | Offer/suggestion with I/we; formal future | Shall I open the window? |
| should | Advice, duty, expectation | You should study hard. (advice) |
| will | Promise, willingness, prediction, future | I will help you. (promise) |
| would | Polite request, past habit, imaginary situation | Would you help me? When young, he would swim daily. |
| must | Strong obligation, necessity, strong belief | You must wear a helmet. She must be tired. (sure) |
| ought to | Moral duty, advice (like "should") | We ought to respect elders. |
Strength scale for obligation: must (strongest, no choice) → have to (external rule) → should/ought to (advice) → can (permission). Certainty scale: must (almost sure) → may (possible) → might (less possible) → can't (impossible). Exam questions often ask you to pick the modal matching the degree of certainty or obligation.
Modals mood batate hain. Can = kar sakta hoon (ability). May = shayad / permission. Must = karna hi padega (majboori). Should = karna chahiye (salah). Would = polite tareeka ("Would you please..."). Golden rule: modal ke baad hamesha verb ka pehla form — "He can goes" ✗, "He can go" ✓. Ye rule ek baar pakad liya to modal wale error-correction me full marks.
Exam Tip: Must has no past form — for past obligation use had to ("I had to go"). Negative traps: mustn't = not allowed (prohibition), but don't have to = not necessary (no compulsion). "You mustn't smoke here" (banned) vs "You don't have to come" (optional) — examiners love this pair.
5. Concord — Subject-Verb Agreement
Concord means the verb must agree with its subject in number and person: singular subject → singular verb; plural subject → plural verb. Simple in theory — but the exam tests the tricky cases.
| Rule | Example (correct) |
|---|---|
| Singular subject → singular verb (he/she/it + V1-s/es) | He plays. She goes. |
| Plural subject → plural verb (no -s) | They play. The boys go. |
| Either...or / neither...nor → verb agrees with the nearer subject | Neither the teacher nor the students were present. |
| Not only...but also → verb agrees with the nearer subject | Not only Ram but also his friends were there. |
| Subjects joined by and → plural verb | Ram and Shyam are friends. |
| Each, every, everyone, somebody, nobody → singular verb | Everyone is welcome. Each boy has a pen. |
| Some of / most of / half of → verb follows the noun after "of" | Some of the water was spilt. / Some of the boys were absent. |
| Uncountable nouns (news, furniture, advice, information) → singular verb | The news is good. (never "are") |
| Collective noun as one unit → singular; as individuals → plural | The team is winning. / The team are fighting among themselves. |
| A number of → plural; the number of → singular | A number of students were absent. / The number of students is fifty. |
| Distance, money, time as one amount → singular | Ten kilometres is a long walk. Five hundred rupees is enough. |
| Phrases like along with, as well as, together with, in addition to → verb follows the first subject | The teacher, along with the students, was present. |
| There sentences → verb agrees with the noun after the verb | There is a book. / There are two books. |
| Relative pronoun (who/which/that) → verb agrees with its antecedent | It is I who am wrong. / He is one of the boys who play well. |
The golden method: first find the real subject (ignore phrases between commas, prepositional phrases and "along with" type add-ons), then match the verb to it. Most concord errors happen because students match the verb to the nearest noun instead of the real subject.
Concord ka ek hi usool: subject akela → verb me -s, subject group → verb simple. "He play" ✗, "He plays" ✓. Lekin exam seedha nahi poochhta — beech me jaal bichhata hai: "The teacher, along with the students, was/were present." Yahan "students" dekh ke "were" mat lagao — asli subject teacher hai (akela), to "was" aayega. Hamesha poochho: kaun kar raha hai? Uska jawab hi asli subject hai.
Exam Tip: Memorize these five high-frequency traps — they appear almost every year: (1) The news is (not are); (2) A number of students were vs The number is; (3) Neither...nor follows the nearer subject; (4) along with / as well as never changes the verb; (5) It is I who am (not "is" — the verb agrees with "I").