Class 10 English
Grammar PYQs

had left — Past Perfect tense (had + V3). When two actions happened in the past and one occurred before the other, the earlier action uses Past Perfect.

has been studying — Present Perfect Continuous (has/have + been + V-ing). Used for an action that began in the past and is still continuing now. Clue: "for five years now".

boils — Simple Present tense. Scientific facts and universal truths are always expressed in Simple Present, regardless of the context of the rest of the sentence.

goes — Simple Present tense for habitual actions. With third-person singular subjects (he, she, it), add -s/-es to the verb.

have not seen — Present Perfect tense (have/has + V3). Clue word: 'since' indicates a point in the past up to the present, requiring Present Perfect.

was talking — Past Continuous tense (was/were + V-ing). An action that was in progress at a specific past moment, interrupted by another past action (entered).

are playing — Present Continuous tense (am/is/are + V-ing). Clue word: 'now' indicates the action is happening at this moment.

will have reached — Future Perfect tense (will have + V3). Used for an action that will be completed before a specific time in the future. Clue: "By this time tomorrow".

had finished — Past Perfect tense (had + V3). Finishing homework happened before dinner (also in the past), so the earlier action takes Past Perfect.

rains — In Type 1 Conditional sentences (real/possible conditions), the if-clause uses Simple Present tense even though the meaning is future.

has just returned — Present Perfect tense. Clue word: 'just' always signals Present Perfect (has/have + just + V3).

was reading — Past Continuous tense. An ongoing past action (reading) that was interrupted by another past action (called). The interrupted action takes Past Continuous.

is examining — Present Continuous tense (is/am/are + V-ing). 'Right now' is a clue for Present Continuous.

The students are being taught by the teacher. — Present Continuous Passive: Object + am/is/are + being + V3 + by + Subject.

Rima wrote the letter. — The agent ('by Rima') becomes the subject; the original object ('the letter') becomes the object; verb changes to Simple Past.

The project has been completed by them. — Present Perfect Passive: Object + has/have + been + V3 + by + Subject.

Let the door be opened. — Imperative Passive: 'Let' + object + 'be' + V3. The subject 'you' is dropped in imperative sentences.

My bicycle was stolen. — Simple Past Passive: Object + was/were + V3. The agent 'by somebody' is omitted as it adds no useful information.

The government will build the new bridge. — Future Simple Active: Subject + will + V1 + Object.

By whom was this poem written? — Interrogative Passive: 'Who' becomes 'By whom'; auxiliary 'was' comes before the subject 'this poem'.

Let the patient not be disturbed. — Negative Imperative Passive: 'Let' + object + 'not be' + V3.

All employees have been invited to the meeting by the manager. — Present Perfect Passive: have been + V3.

A beautiful song was being sung by her. — Past Continuous Passive: was/were + being + V3.

Raju said that he was reading a very interesting book. — 'am reading' → 'was reading' (Present Continuous → Past Continuous).

Mother asked her son whether he had done his homework and why he was watching TV. — Two questions joined by 'and'; both use indirect question word order (subject + verb).

He exclaimed with joy that they had won the match. — Exclamatory sentences with 'Hurrah!' use 'exclaimed with joy/delight'. Tense shift: have won → had won.

The girl said to her teacher, "I have forgotten to bring my notebook today." — 'that day' → 'today'; 'had forgotten' → 'have forgotten'; pronoun changes back.

Father advised/told me not to waste my time and asked me to study hard for my exams. — Imperative sentences use 'told/advised/ordered + object + not to/to + V1'.

He exclaimed with pity/sorrow that it was a great pity that I had not been able to come the previous day. — 'yesterday' → 'the previous day/the day before'.

since — 'Since' is used with a specific point in time (a year, a date, a named event) with Perfect tenses. 'For' is used with a duration of time (for 5 years, for a long time).

on — 'On' indicates contact with a surface (on the table, on the floor, on the wall). 'In' is for enclosed spaces; 'at' is for a specific point.

of — The fixed expression is 'die of' (a disease, hunger, thirst). Common error: 'died from' is also accepted for causes but 'of' is the standard for diseases.

on — 'On' is used with specific days (on Monday, on Friday) and dates (on 15th August). Remember: at night, in the morning/afternoon/evening, on Monday morning.

with — The correct collocation is 'angry with' (a person). Note: 'angry at' (a situation or thing) is also used, but 'angry with' is standard for people.

between — 'Between' is used when referring to exactly two people or things. 'Among' is used for three or more. ("Divide the prize among the five winners.")

at — Fixed expression: 'good at' + skill/subject. Similarly: bad at, excellent at, poor at.

above / through — 'Above' means at a higher level; 'through' means passing inside. Either can be correct depending on context. 'Above the clouds' = higher than them; 'through the clouds' = moving inside them.

at — 'At' is used for precise points in time: at midnight, at noon, at 6 o'clock, at dawn.

for — 'For' is used with a period/duration of time (for three days, for a week, for two months). 'Since' would require a specific starting point (since Monday).

of — Fixed expression: 'proud of'. Similarly: afraid of, fond of, tired of, ashamed of, jealous of.

to — 'Listen to' is the fixed verb-preposition combination. 'Listen' always takes 'to' before its object. ('Hear' doesn't need 'to': "I heard the music.")

A difficult or unfavourable situation; hardship or misfortune. — e.g., "A true friend stands by you in adversity."

Continued effort to do or achieve something despite difficulties. — e.g., "His perseverance finally paid off when he cleared the exam."

Certain to happen and impossible to avoid. — e.g., "Change is inevitable in life."

Although she was tired, she did not stop working. — 'Although' introduces a contrast/concession clause. The main clause (the surprising result) follows without a comma if it comes first.

The boy is too young to drive a car. — 'Too…to' structure: Subject + is + too + adjective + to + V1. It expresses that something is impossible because of excess of a quality.

He worked hard, but he failed the exam. — 'But' joins two contrasting independent clauses. A comma is placed before 'but' when joining two complete sentences.

I know a girl whose father is a famous doctor. — 'Whose' is the possessive relative pronoun. It replaces 'her/his/their' when referring back to a person in the main clause.

The weather was so hot that we cancelled the trip. — 'So…that' shows degree and consequence: Subject + verb + so + adjective + that + result clause.

He could not pay the rent because he lost his job. — 'Because' introduces the reason clause. It can come at the start ("Because he lost his job, he could not pay the rent.") or in the middle.

After she finished her work, she went home. OR She went home after she finished her work. — 'After' indicates time sequence (second action follows the first).

The man was too weak to walk. — Classic 'too…to' pattern expressing impossibility due to excess quality.

I met a woman who had lost her way. — Relative pronoun 'who' replaces the subject pronoun 'she' in the second sentence to form a relative clause.

put out — 'Put out' means to extinguish or stop a fire. Phrasal verb structure: verb + particle (preposition/adverb).

gave up — 'Give up' means to stop doing or having something. It is followed by a noun or gerund (V-ing).

look up — 'Look up' means to find information about something in a dictionary, directory, or database.

set up — 'Set up' means to start, establish, or organise something (a business, a company, a meeting).

put off — 'Put off' means to postpone or delay something to a later time.

looked after — 'Look after' means to take care of someone or something; to be responsible for their welfare.

pulled down / torn down — 'Pull down' or 'tear down' means to demolish a building or structure.

caught up with / ran after and caught — 'Catch up with' means to reach someone who was ahead. In context of police: they apprehended the thief.

turn off / switch off — 'Turn off' or 'switch off' means to stop a device or light from functioning by using a switch.

Because he was ill, he could not come. — 'Because' and 'so' are both cause-and-effect connectors. Using both in the same sentence creates a redundant double connector. Remove either 'because' (→ "He was ill, so he could not come.") or 'so' (→ "Because he was ill, he could not come.").

I know where he lives. — In a noun clause (embedded/indirect question), use statement word order: Subject + Verb. Do NOT use question word order (does he live). 'Does' is removed and 'live' becomes 'lives'.

Unless you study, you will fail. — 'Unless' already means 'if not'. Adding 'not' creates a double negative that reverses the meaning: "If you do not not study" = "If you study, you will fail" — which is wrong!

The book which I bought yesterday is interesting. — In a relative clause, the relative pronoun 'which' already acts as the object of 'bought'. The extra pronoun 'it' is redundant and must be removed.

He is the boy whose father is a doctor. — To show possession in a relative clause, use 'whose' (not 'who his / who her'). 'Whose' is the possessive relative pronoun for both people and things.

Although he worked hard, he failed. — 'Although' and 'but' are both contrast connectors. Using both is a double connector error. Remove 'but'. (Similarly: 'Though…, —' not 'Though…, but'.)

As soon as she saw me, she ran away. — With 'as soon as', both clauses refer to sequential simple past actions. Past Perfect (had run) is not required here because there is no need to show which action happened earlier — the connector 'as soon as' already establishes the sequence.

Tell me where you went yesterday. — 'Where' itself introduces the noun clause; adding 'that' before a 'wh-' word is incorrect. 'That' is a noun clause introducer used when there is no question word (e.g., "Tell me that you are safe" uses 'that'; "Tell me where you went" uses 'where' directly).

You must finish your homework before dinner. — Modal auxiliaries (must, can, will, shall, may, might, would, should, could) are ALWAYS followed by the bare infinitive — the verb without 'to'.

May — 'May' is used to ask for permission politely. 'Can' is used informally. 'Might' sounds too tentative for a direct request.

When I was young, I could run very fast. — 'Could' is the past form of 'can'. Use 'could' for past ability. The sentence is clearly in past tense ("when I was young"), so 'can' must change to 'could'.

should / ought to — 'Should' and 'ought to' express moral obligation and advice. 'Must' expresses stronger compulsion. Both 'should' and 'ought to' are correct here.

may / might — 'May' and 'might' both express possibility. 'May' is for stronger possibility; 'might' for weaker. Both are acceptable. 'Will' expresses certainty, not possibility.

She will be able to solve the problem. — After 'to' (the infinitive marker), always use the base form (V1) of the verb. 'Solved' is past tense and cannot follow 'to'.

Could / Would — 'Could' and 'Would' are used for polite requests. They are the past forms of 'can' and 'will' but are used in present-time polite/formal contexts. 'Can/Will' are more informal.

You should not waste your time. — After modal auxiliaries (should, must, will, can, etc.), never add 'to' before the verb. The bare infinitive (V1) follows directly: should + not + V1.

Can — 'Can' is used for informal requests and to seek permission casually. 'May' is the formal equivalent. At Class 10 level, 'Can' is the expected answer for informal contexts.