Grammar · Class 10 English · Words and Expressions: quick revision, 60 bites

Three Times, Four Shapes

Time is not the same as tense.

Takeaway. Pick the time first, then the shape of the action.

Present Perfect

The tense that joins then to now.

*I have misplaced my ticket* (it is still missing). *Have you ever tried jackfruit chips?* (experience up to now).

Takeaway. No yesterday, no ago, no last week.

For and Since

How long, or since when?

Takeaway. 'Since six years' is always wrong.

Present Perfect With a Finished Time

The mistake that costs the most marks.

Takeaway. Name the time, use the past simple.

When to Use the Past Perfect

Two past events? Order them.

Takeaway. One past event alone never needs had.

Past Continuous Meets Past Simple

A long action, cut short.

*I was ironing my uniform when the doorbell rang.* Ironing is the background stretch; the bell is the short event.

Takeaway. Long background: continuous. Short event: simple.

Future Forms and Their Jobs

Five ways to talk about tomorrow.

Takeaway. Choose the form by the job, not by habit.

Time Clauses Drop Will

The trap in almost every paper.

Takeaway. Will lives in the main clause only.

Stative Verbs

Some verbs refuse -ing.

Takeaway. States stay simple.

Since Answers Since When

A quick check for since.

Before you write *since*, ask *since when?* If the phrase answers it (*since Holi*, *since 2022*), keep it. If it answers *how long?* (*two days*), you need *for*.

Takeaway. When? since. How long? for.

Keep the Narrative Steady

Tense in a story.

*The bell rang, the gates opened and the children rush out* mixes past and present. Editing tasks plant exactly this slip.

Takeaway. The first verb fixes the tense of the story.

Universal Truths After Said

Truths do not age.

*Our guide told us that the Ganga rises in the Gangotri glacier.* The fact is always true, so it stays in the present even after a past reporting verb.

Takeaway. Facts that never change keep the present tense.

What Modals Add

Same verb, different attitude.

Takeaway. The modal tells us how the speaker sees the action.

Modal Grammar

Three rules, no exceptions but one.

Takeaway. Break a rule and the mark goes, however right the meaning.

Mustn't and Needn't

Forbidden or unnecessary?

Takeaway. Swapping them reverses the message.

Be Able To

The borrowed form.

*After the surgery, she will be able to run again.*

Takeaway. Never will can.

Must and Have To

Two ways to say necessary.

Takeaway. Both become had to in the past.

Deduction

Must without obligation.

*The shop is dark and the shutter is down. It must be closed.* No rule here; just a confident conclusion.

Takeaway. Must and can't measure certainty too.

Choosing a Modal

A two-step method for any gap.

Takeaway. Meaning first, grammar second.

Perfect Modals

Looking back with a modal.

Takeaway. Perfect modals judge the past.

May or Must?

When two modals look possible.

If a sentence says someone's chances are bright, the result is still only possible, so *may* fits. *Must* would claim certainty, and nothing in the sentence supports it.

Takeaway. Do not over-claim.

Only Ought Needs To

Remember the odd one out.

Say it aloud: *can go, could go, may go, might go, must go, should go, will go, would go, ought TO go.* The rhythm breaks at *ought*, and that is the rule.

Takeaway. Ought is the only core modal with to.

Need and Dare

Two verbs, two faces.

Takeaway. Pick one pattern and stay in it.

Requests and Offers

Polite English at work.

Takeaway. The softer the modal, the more polite the request.

What Concord Means

Singular with singular, plural with plural.

*The river is flooding.* One river, singular verb. *The rivers are flooding.* Many rivers, plural verb.

Takeaway. Find the subject first, always.

Choosing is or are

A four-step check.

Takeaway. Strip, check, then match.

Ignore the Of-Phrase

The phrase in the middle.

*The bag of old clothes **is** in the car.* The subject is *bag*, not *clothes*.

Takeaway. Cover the middle phrase and read again.

And versus Or

Two subjects, two rules.

Takeaway. And adds; or chooses.

Singular Pronouns and Determiners

Words that always mean one.

Takeaway. One at a time, so one verb form.

The Number of / A Number of

One small word changes everything.

*The number of visitors **is** growing. A number of visitors **are** outside.*

Takeaway. The = one total; a = many.

Nouns Ending in -s

Looks plural, is not.

Takeaway. An -s ending does not make a plural.

Uncountable Nouns

Never pluralise these.

*news, information, advice, furniture, luggage, equipment, knowledge, progress, traffic, scenery*

Takeaway. Uncountable means singular verb, no -s.

Collective Nouns

One unit or many members?

Takeaway. Keep the pronoun in step: its with has, their with have.

Plural-Only Nouns

Always plural.

Picture a police van full of *people* driving past *cattle*, while an officer adjusts his *trousers* and *spectacles*. Every noun in the scene takes a plural verb.

Takeaway. No singular form, no singular verb.

Amounts as One

Money, miles and minutes.

Takeaway. One sum, one distance, one period: singular.

Concord in Editing Passages

Where the examiner hides it.

In an editing task, check every *is/are*, *was/were* and *has/have* against its subject. The planted error is often a verb after a long phrase, such as *The price of the new phones are high*.

Takeaway. Long gap between subject and verb: suspect a concord error.

The Four Changes

Four things to check, every time.

Takeaway. Verb, tense, pronoun, time and place.

Say and Tell

The most common reporting error.

Takeaway. Tell somebody; say something.

Backshift Table

One step back.

Takeaway. Past reporting verb, past-shifted words.

No Backshift

When the tense stays.

Takeaway. Do not shift what does not need shifting.

Time and Place Words

Near becomes far.

Takeaway. The reporter is somewhere else, at another time.

Reporting Questions

Turning a question into a report.

Takeaway. A reported question is a statement.

Yes/No and Wh-

Two question types side by side.

*"Is the shop open?" she asked.* becomes *She asked if the shop was open.*

Takeaway. If for yes/no; the wh-word for the rest.

Reporting Commands and Requests

Orders and polite requests.

Takeaway. Verb + person + (not) to + base verb.

Reporting Let's

Suggestions trip everyone.

Takeaway. Suggest never takes person + to.

Pronoun Shifts

Who is I now?

*Asha said to me, "You can keep my book."* becomes *Asha told me that I could keep her book.*

Takeaway. Point the pronouns at the right people.

Completing the Given Frame

How the item looks on the paper.

The paper often gives the start of the reported sentence: *She warned him ______.* Keep the verb you are given, and write only what completes it: *not to open the door.*

Takeaway. Complete the frame; do not rewrite it.

Reporting Verbs With Purpose

Choosing the right verb.

Takeaway. The reporting verb carries the tone.

What Determiners Do

Small words that decide a lot.

Takeaway. A singular countable noun almost always needs one.

A or An

Listen, don't look.

Takeaway. The sound decides, not the letter.

When to Use The

The definite article.

Takeaway. The points to one both people can identify.

No Article

Often left out, correctly.

Takeaway. Do not add the where English leaves it out.

Countable and Uncountable Quantifiers

Count it or measure it?

Takeaway. Ask first: can I count it?

Few, A Few, Little, A Little

One small word flips the meaning.

Takeaway. A adds hope.

Some and Any

Some or any?

Takeaway. Offers and requests keep some.

This, That, These, Those

Near and far.

Point at your own desk: *this pen, these pens.* Point across the room: *that pen, those pens.* Singular with *this/that*, plural with *these/those*.

Takeaway. Near or far, one or many.

How to Edit a Passage

A routine for every line.

Takeaway. One line, one error, one correction.

How to Do Omission

Finding the gap.

Takeaway. Show exactly where the word goes.

Writing the Answer

Format matters.

Takeaway. Give exactly what is asked.

Its, It's, Less, Fewer

Four traps in one sentence.

Takeaway. Count before less; no apostrophe in the possessive its.