Grammar — Class 10 board notes

Section B of the CBSE Class 10 English paper has a grammar question of 12 one-mark tasks, of which you attempt any 10. The tasks are gap filling (determiners, tenses, modals, concord), editing (spot the error, write the correction) and transformation (usually reported speech). Some items give options, others ask you to write the word.

Routine for every item: read the whole sentence → find the clue (subject, time word, meaning, the noun after the blank) → write the answer → re-read the sentence.

A determiner comes before a noun and any adjective, and fixes which one or how much / how many.

• a / an by the first sound: an hour, an MLA, a uniform, a one-way street.
• the for a particular or unique thing, superlatives, rivers, seas and mountain ranges: the Sun, the best answer, the Narmada.
• No article before most proper names of people and cities, or before uncountable nouns used in general: Advice is free.
• Countable vs uncountable: many / a few / few + countable plural; much / a little / little + uncountable; some / any / enough + both.
• Positive vs negative: a few, a little = some; few, little = hardly any.
• each / every / either / neither + singular noun; each of / neither of + the + plural noun.

Every tense = time (present, past, future) + aspect (simple, continuous, perfect, perfect continuous). Choose by the clue word.

• Simple present: habits, facts, timetables — The canteen opens at 8.
• Present continuous: now, temporary — She is staying with her aunt this month.
• Present perfect: past action, present result, no finished time — I have misplaced my calculator.
• Present perfect continuous: since / for up to now — We have been waiting since noon.
• Simple past: finished time — He topped the test last week.
• Past continuous: in progress at a past moment — I was revising when the lights went out.
• Past perfect: the earlier of two past actions — The bell had rung before I reached.
• Future: will (decision, prediction), be going to (plan, evidence), simple present (timetable), and simple present after if / when — If it rains, we will stay in.

State verbs (know, like, own, believe, understand) are not normally used in continuous forms: I know, not I am knowing.

Modals add meaning to a main verb and are followed by the base form without to: can swim, must leave, should rest (exceptions: ought to, have to).

• can / could: ability (could = past ability), informal permission, polite requests (Could you…?).
• may / might: formal permission (May I…?), possibility (might = less sure).
• must / have to: obligation; must not: prohibition.
• need not / don't have to: no obligation.
• should / ought to: advice, duty.
• would: polite requests (Would you…?), and the past of will in reported speech.

The verb agrees with the real subject. Cover the of-phrase or the along with-phrase and look at what is left.

Key rules: A and B → plural (unless one idea: rice and dal is); each, every, either, neither, everyone, nobody → singular; as well as / along with / with → agree with the first subject; either … or / neither … nor → agree with the nearer subject; collective nouns acting as one unit → singular (the team has); a number of → plural, the number of → singular; amounts → singular (Fifty rupees is enough); news, mathematics, physics → singular.

Order of work: sentence type → reporting verb and link → pronouns → tense backshift → time and place words → punctuation.

• Statement: said / told + person + that — She said, "I am ready." → She said that she was ready.
• Yes/no question: asked + if / whether, statement order — "Is the shop open?" → He asked if the shop was open.
• Wh-question: asked + wh-word, statement order — "Why are you late?" → She asked why I was late.
• Command / request: told / ordered / advised / requested + person + (not) to + verb — "Please wait." → She requested me to wait.

No backshift when the reporting verb is present (says) or for universal truths (The teacher said that light travels faster than sound).

Editing: each line or sentence has one error. Test it against the six families — tense, concord, article, preposition, pronoun, word form / spelling — and write the incorrect word with its correction.

Omission: one word is missing. It is usually an article, preposition, helping verb, pronoun or conjunction. Read in pairs of words, find the jolt, and write word before + missing word + word after.

Frequent errors: discuss about, reached to, return back (extra preposition); a advice, an university (articles); did not went, has came (verb forms); principle / principal, their / there, its / it's (look-alike words).