Comprehensive English Grammar Tutorial

A. Fill in the blanks with a, an, or the (write ✗ if no article is needed).

1. She is ____ honest woman who never tells lies.
2. I saw ____ old man sitting under ____ tree. ____ old man was reading ____ newspaper.
3. ____ Himalayas are the highest mountains in the world.
4. He wants to become ____ engineer when he grows up.
5. We have ____ English class ____ hour ago.
6. ____ sun rises in ____ east and sets in ____ west.
7. She plays ____ piano very well.
8. It is ____ unique opportunity that we must not miss.
9. ____ poor are not always unhappy; ____ rich are not always happy.
10. He is ____ best student in ____ class.
11. I need ____ information about ____ SEE examination.
12. Kathmandu is ____ capital of ____ Nepal.
13. He goes to ____ church every Sunday morning.
14. What ____ beautiful garden this is!
15. ____ more she studied, ____ more she learned.

B. Identify and correct the article errors in these sentences.

1. She is a best singer I have ever heard.
2. He is studying in an university in the USA.
3. The gold is a precious metal.
4. He returned home an hour ago after a usual walk.
5. Please pass me a sugar from a bowl.

A. Use the correct tense of the verb given in brackets.

1. She ______ (study) English for five years now.
2. By the time the fire brigade arrived, the house ______ (burn) completely.
3. I ______ (not see) him since we graduated in 2020.
4. Look! The child ______ (cry). Go and comfort her.
5. The train ______ (leave) at 8:00 a.m. every morning.
6. He ______ (read) a novel when the lights went out.
7. By next June, I ______ (complete) my SEE examination.
8. She ______ (cook) dinner when her mother called her.
9. They ______ (not finish) the project yet. It ______ (still go) on.
10. Water ______ (boil) at 100 degrees Celsius.

B. Choose the correct tense form from the options given.

1. I _____ my homework before dinner. (finish / finished / had finished / have finished)
2. She _____ in this school since 2018. (teaches / taught / has been teaching / had taught)
3. By 2030, scientists _____ a cure for cancer. (find / found / will find / will have found)
4. He _____ when I entered. (sleep / slept / was sleeping / had slept)
5. We _____ cricket every Sunday. (play / are playing / have played / played)

A. Add the correct question tag to each sentence.

1. You have been waiting for a long time, ______?
2. Let's celebrate our success, ______?
3. Nobody told you about the meeting, ______?
4. She used to live in Pokhara, ______?
5. Everything will be alright, ______?
6. He doesn't need to go, ______?
7. I am the class monitor, ______?
8. There were many students at the fair, ______?
9. You have to submit the form today, ______?
10. Open the window, ______?
11. She ought to see a doctor, ______?
12. Ram and Sita will come to the party, ______?
13. Nothing can stop us now, ______?
14. She must have been tired after the journey, ______?
15. We needn't worry about the exam, ______?

B. Write short answers to these questions.

1. Do you speak Nepali? (Yes)
2. Has she eaten lunch? (No)
3. Will they arrive on time? (Yes)
4. Did he win the race? (No)
5. Can you help me? (Yes)

A. Change to Passive Voice.

1. The government is building new roads. (Present Continuous)
2. She has already submitted the form. (Present Perfect)
3. They were playing cricket when I arrived. (Past Continuous)
4. The police arrested the thief last night. (Simple Past)
5. You should complete this task by Friday. (Modal)
6. Someone has broken the window. (Present Perfect)
7. Who killed the tiger? (Simple Past interrogative)
8. Please do not make noise in the library. (Imperative)
9. The teacher gave the students a gold medal. (Two objects — use indirect object as subject)
10. People believe that honesty is the best policy. (Impersonal passive)

B. Change to Active Voice.

1. A new school is being established in our village.
2. The cake had been eaten by the children.
3. By whom was this book written?
4. She was asked her name by the officer.
5. Rice is grown in Nepal.

A. Choose the correct verb form from the brackets.

1. Each of the players ______ (has / have) a separate locker.
2. A number of students ______ (was / were) absent yesterday.
3. The news about floods ______ (is / are) very sad.
4. Neither the teacher nor the students ______ (was / were) happy.
5. Mathematics ______ (seem / seems) difficult to many students.
6. Two-thirds of the city ______ (was / were) flooded.
7. The jury ______ (has / have) not yet reached a verdict.
8. Rice and curry ______ (is / are) a popular Nepali dish.
9. The number of road accidents ______ (is / are) increasing every year.
10. Many a soldier ______ (was / were) killed in the battle.
11. Bread and butter ______ (is / are) all he eats in the morning.
12. It is I who ______ (am / is / are) responsible for this.
13. The quality of these apples ______ (is / are) very poor.
14. Both the books ______ (is / are) available in the library.
15. Five hundred rupees ______ (is / are) not enough for this trip.

A. Fill in the blank with the correct causative structure.

1. I want to ______ my car ______ before the monsoon. (have / service)
2. The teacher ______ the students ______ their homework again. (make / do)
3. Can you ______ the plumber ______ the pipe? (get / fix)
4. His boss ______ him ______ all the reports by himself. (make / write)
5. She ______ her daughter ______ out late. (not let / stay)

B. Rewrite using the causative verb given in brackets.

1. A photographer took my picture. (have)
2. The teacher forced us to memorise the poem. (make)
3. She asked someone to translate the letter. (get)
4. The manager permitted the staff to leave early. (let)
5. Someone stole his phone. (have — unwanted event)

A. Fill in the blank with the correct relative pronoun (who / whom / whose / which / that / what).

1. The man ______ you met yesterday is a famous writer.
2. This is the book ______ changed my life completely.
3. Do you know the student ______ bag was left in the classroom?
4. I don't understand ______ she said at the meeting.
5. Kathmandu, ______ is the capital of Nepal, is a beautiful city.
6. She is the best teacher ______ I have ever had.
7. The dog ______ bit him was very large.
8. He is a person ______ everyone respects.
9. This is the place ______ the accident happened.
10. All ______ you need to do is practise every day.

B. Join the pairs of sentences using an appropriate relative pronoun.

1. The man is my father. He is standing near the gate.
2. I found a wallet. It had no address inside.
3. She is a girl. Her courage amazed everyone.
4. The film was very exciting. We watched it last night.
5. This is the school. I studied here for ten years.

A. Fill in the correct preposition (at / in / on).

1. She was born ______ 15th August, 1990 ______ Kathmandu.
2. The meeting is ______ 9 o'clock ______ Monday morning.
3. He always reads the newspaper ______ the evening.
4. Nepal is situated ______ South Asia ______ the Himalayan region.
5. The clock ______ the wall shows it is exactly noon.
6. She arrived ______ the airport ______ time for her flight.
7. School usually begins ______ April in Nepal.
8. He was standing ______ the bus stop ______ midnight.

B. Fill in the correct preposition from the box. [during, beside, among, by, since, against, despite, into, for, between]

1. The students distributed prizes ______ themselves.
2. He has not eaten anything ______ this morning.
3. She sat ______ her best friend throughout the ceremony.
4. The report must be submitted ______ Friday.
5. He worked ______ the government for twenty years.
6. They played football ______ heavy rain.
7. She walked ______ the room quietly.
8. Choose ______ these two options.
9. He has been waiting ______ two hours.
10. Nepal fought ______ colonialism and won its freedom.

A. Fill in a suitable connective from the brackets.

1. He is poor ______ honest. (but / and / so)
2. Study hard ______ you will fail the exam. (although / unless / or)
3. She wore a coat ______ it was cold. (so / because / but)
4. ______ he was ill, he came to school. (Since / Although / Because)
5. ______ Nepal is a small country, it has a rich culture. (However / Although / Therefore)
6. Hurry up ______ you will miss the bus. (or / and / so)
7. He worked very hard; ______, he failed the exam. (however / so / because)
8. She spoke ______ she knew everything. (as though / because / since)

B. Join the following pairs of sentences using a suitable connective.

1. He is rich. He is not happy. (use: but / although)
2. She studied all night. She wanted to pass the exam. (use: so that)
3. The bell rang. The students ran out immediately. (use: as soon as)
4. He did not work hard. He failed. (use: because / since)
5. You must apologise. She will not forgive you. (use: unless / otherwise)

A. Change to Indirect Speech.

1. He said, "I am going to school now."
2. She said to me, "You have forgotten your umbrella."
3. The teacher said, "The earth moves around the sun."
4. My mother said, "I cooked rice yesterday."
5. He said, "I will help you tomorrow."
6. She asked, "Are you ready for the examination?"
7. The teacher asked, "Why were you absent yesterday?"
8. The doctor said, "Take these tablets three times a day."
9. Mother said, "Don't play in the rain."
10. "What a lovely day!" she exclaimed.

B. Change to Direct Speech.

1. He told me that he had lost his wallet that morning.
2. She asked me whether I could lend her some money.
3. The teacher advised the students to revise their notes daily.
4. He said that he would go to Pokhara the following week.
5. The doctor told the patient not to eat oily food.

A. Complete the conditional sentences using the correct tense.

1. If you ______ (heat) iron, it ______ (expand). (Type 0)
2. If it ______ (snow) tomorrow, the school ______ (close). (Type 1)
3. If I ______ (be) the Prime Minister, I ______ (build) better roads. (Type 2)
4. If they ______ (start) earlier, they ______ (not miss) the train. (Type 3)
5. She ______ (help) you if she ______ (have) more time. (Type 2)
6. If you ______ (not eat) properly, you ______ (become) weak. (Type 1)
7. I ______ (buy) a new phone if I ______ (save) enough money. (Type 1)
8. If he ______ (study) harder last year, he ______ (pass) the SEE. (Type 3)

B. Rewrite using the conditional type given.

1. I don't have wings, so I can't fly. (Type 2 — use: If I...)
2. She didn't take the medicine, so she didn't recover. (Type 3)
3. You must work hard. Then you will succeed. (Type 1 — join with if)
4. He doesn't know her number; that's why he can't call her. (Type 2)
5. They arrived late. Therefore they missed the opening ceremony. (Type 3)

A. Make questions for the underlined parts.

1. She was born in Kathmandu.
2. The principal addressed the students.
3. The train leaves at 7 o'clock.
4. He has been waiting for two hours.
5. She plays the piano very well.
6. He went to the market to buy vegetables.
7. This dictionary costs Rs 250.
8. The museum is five kilometres from here.

B. Change to negative (use the word in brackets).

1. She always arrives late. (never)
2. I saw someone at the door. (no one)
3. He knows everything about cricket. (nothing)
4. They went somewhere last night. (nowhere)
5. Both answers are correct. (neither)

A. Fill in the blanks with suitable modals from the list. [can, could, may, might, must, should, will, would, need, used to]

1. You ______ always be polite to your elders. (advice)
2. She ______ speak five languages when she was young. (past ability)
3. He ______ be in the library — I saw him going there. (logical certainty)
4. ______ I borrow your dictionary, please? (polite request)
5. There ______ be a cinema here, but now it's a park. (past state)
6. You ______ not smoke in this area. (prohibition)
7. Take a raincoat — it ______ rain later. (possibility)
8. ______ you like more tea? (polite offer)
9. We ______ not waste water. (moral obligation)
10. She ______ not come tomorrow — she is unwell. (possibility)

B. Rewrite using the modal with perfect infinitive.

1. I'm sure she arrived home safely. (must have)
2. It was possible that he lost the way. (might have)
3. It was your duty to tell the truth — but you didn't. (should have)
4. It was impossible that she cheated — she's too honest. (can't have)
5. She bought flowers, but it wasn't necessary. (needn't have)

A. Fill in the comparative or superlative form.

1. Mount Everest is ______ (high) mountain in the world.
2. She is ______ (intelligent) than her brother.
3. Of all the subjects, he likes Mathematics ______ (well).
4. His health is getting ______ (bad) every day.
5. This cloth is ______ (cheap) than that one.
6. She sings ______ (beautifully) of all the girls in the choir.
7. He is ______ (junior) all his colleagues. (use to)
8. The Koshi is ______ (wide) than the Bagmati.

B. Choose adjective or adverb from brackets.

1. She looked at him ______ (angry / angrily).
2. The test was ______ (surprising / surprisingly) easy.
3. He is a ______ (hard / hardly) worker.
4. She felt ______ (terrible / terribly) after the accident.
5. He drives too ______ (fast / fastly). It's dangerous.

C. Insert the adverb in the correct position.

1. She arrives on time. (always)
2. He has been late for class. (never)
3. She is very careful about her work. (usually)
4. The box is big for the shelf. (not enough)
5. I have seen him here. (only once)