In short: The grammar section in CBSE Class 10 English carries 10 marks out of 80. That is 12.5% of your paper from a section that has fixed rules and predictable patterns. If you practice the rules in this guide, these 10 marks are almost guaranteed. This covers all tenses, active-passive voice, reported speech, sentence transformation, subject-verb agreement, determiners, and the gap filling patterns that appear every year.
Grammar in the CBSE Class 10 English Paper
The grammar section falls under Section B (Writing and Grammar). Here is where grammar questions appear:
| Question | Type | Marks |
|---|---|---|
| Q5 | Gap filling (3-4 questions) | 3-4 |
| Q6 | Editing or Omission | 3-4 |
| Q7 | Sentence reordering or transformation | 3-4 |
| Total Grammar | 10 |
These questions test:
- Tenses (most common)
- Subject-verb agreement
- Modals
- Active and passive voice
- Reported speech (direct and indirect)
- Determiners (articles, quantifiers)
- Sentence transformation and reordering
All 12 Tenses — Complete Reference
Tenses are the foundation of English grammar and the most tested topic. Here are all 12 tenses with structure and examples:
Present Tenses
| Tense | Structure | Example | Signal Words |
|---|---|---|---|
| Simple Present | Subject + V1/V1s | She writes every day. | always, usually, every day, often |
| Present Continuous | Subject + is/am/are + V-ing | She is writing now. | now, at the moment, currently |
| Present Perfect | Subject + has/have + V3 | She has written the letter. | already, just, yet, recently, since, for |
| Present Perfect Continuous | Subject + has/have + been + V-ing | She has been writing for 2 hours. | since, for, all morning |
Past Tenses
| Tense | Structure | Example | Signal Words |
|---|---|---|---|
| Simple Past | Subject + V2 | She wrote yesterday. | yesterday, last week, ago, in 2020 |
| Past Continuous | Subject + was/were + V-ing | She was writing when I called. | when, while, as |
| Past Perfect | Subject + had + V3 | She had written before I arrived. | before, after, by the time, already |
| Past Perfect Continuous | Subject + had + been + V-ing | She had been writing for 2 hours before he came. | for, since, before |
Future Tenses
| Tense | Structure | Example | Signal Words |
|---|---|---|---|
| Simple Future | Subject + will/shall + V1 | She will write tomorrow. | tomorrow, next week, soon |
| Future Continuous | Subject + will be + V-ing | She will be writing at 5 PM. | at this time tomorrow |
| Future Perfect | Subject + will have + V3 | She will have written by evening. | by tomorrow, by next week |
| Future Perfect Continuous | Subject + will have been + V-ing | She will have been writing for 3 hours by then. | by, for |
Tense Rules for Gap Filling
When you see a gap filling question, follow this process:
- Read the entire sentence (and surrounding sentences for context)
- Identify the time reference (yesterday = past, now = present, tomorrow = future)
- Check for signal words (since, for, while, before, after, already, just, yet)
- Check the subject (singular or plural) for agreement
- Choose the correct tense based on all clues
Example from sample papers:
"The train ______ (leave) before we ______ (reach) the station."
Answer: The train had left before we reached the station. (Past Perfect + Simple Past — the action that happened first takes Past Perfect)
Voice Change — Active to Passive
Basic Structure
| Active | Passive |
|---|---|
| Subject + Verb + Object | Object + be (tense) + V3 + by + Subject |
Voice Change by Tense
| Tense | Active | Passive |
|---|---|---|
| Simple Present | She writes letters. | Letters are written by her. |
| Present Continuous | She is writing a letter. | A letter is being written by her. |
| Present Perfect | She has written a letter. | A letter has been written by her. |
| Simple Past | She wrote a letter. | A letter was written by her. |
| Past Continuous | She was writing a letter. | A letter was being written by her. |
| Past Perfect | She had written a letter. | A letter had been written by her. |
| Simple Future | She will write a letter. | A letter will be written by her. |
| Future Perfect | She will have written a letter. | A letter will have been written by her. |
| Modals | She can write a letter. | A letter can be written by her. |
Special Cases in Voice Change
Imperative sentences:
- Active: Open the door. → Passive: Let the door be opened.
- Active: Do not touch it. → Passive: Let it not be touched.
- Active: Please help me. → Passive: You are requested to help me.
Questions:
- Active: Did she write the letter? → Passive: Was the letter written by her?
- Active: Who wrote this book? → Passive: By whom was this book written?
Sentences with two objects:
- Active: She gave me a book. → Passive: I was given a book by her. (OR) A book was given to me by her.
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Reported Speech — Direct to Indirect
Basic Rules
When converting direct speech to indirect speech, change:
- Reporting verb (said → told/informed/asked/ordered)
- Tense (backshift by one step)
- Pronouns (first/second person change based on context)
- Time/place references (today → that day, here → there, etc.)
Tense Backshift Rules
| Direct Speech | Indirect Speech |
|---|---|
| Simple Present → | Simple Past |
| Present Continuous → | Past Continuous |
| Present Perfect → | Past Perfect |
| Simple Past → | Past Perfect |
| Past Continuous → | Past Perfect Continuous |
| Will → | Would |
| Can → | Could |
| May → | Might |
| Shall → | Should/Would |
Pronoun Changes
| Direct | Indirect (if speaker is "he/she") |
|---|---|
| I → | he/she |
| me → | him/her |
| my → | his/her |
| we → | they |
| us → | them |
| our → | their |
| you → | I/me/he/she (depends on context) |
Time and Place Changes
| Direct | Indirect |
|---|---|
| now → | then |
| today → | that day |
| tomorrow → | the next day / the following day |
| yesterday → | the previous day / the day before |
| here → | there |
| this → | that |
| these → | those |
| ago → | before |
| last night → | the previous night |
| next week → | the following week |
Reported Speech Examples
Statements:
- Direct: He said, "I am going to school."
- Indirect: He said that he was going to school.
Questions:
-
Direct: She asked, "Where do you live?"
-
Indirect: She asked where I lived. (no question mark, no "do")
-
Direct: He asked, "Are you coming?"
-
Indirect: He asked if/whether I was coming.
Commands/Requests:
-
Direct: The teacher said, "Sit down."
-
Indirect: The teacher ordered us to sit down.
-
Direct: She said, "Please help me."
-
Indirect: She requested me to help her.
Subject-Verb Agreement
Key Rules
| Rule | Example |
|---|---|
| Singular subject → singular verb | The boy runs fast. |
| Plural subject → plural verb | The boys run fast. |
| Two subjects joined by "and" → plural | Ram and Shyam are friends. |
| Either...or / Neither...nor → verb agrees with nearest subject | Neither the boys nor the girl is here. |
| Collective nouns → singular verb (usually) | The team is playing well. |
| Each / Every → singular verb | Each student has a book. |
| Uncountable nouns → singular verb | The news is good. |
| "A number of" → plural verb | A number of students are absent. |
| "The number of" → singular verb | The number of students is fifty. |
| Titles of books/films → singular verb | "The Three Musketeers" is a great novel. |
Determiners — Articles and Quantifiers
Article Rules
| Rule | Example |
|---|---|
| "A" before consonant sounds | a boy, a university (yu- sound) |
| "An" before vowel sounds | an apple, an hour (silent h) |
| "The" for specific nouns | the Ganges, the Earth, the sun |
| "The" for superlatives | the tallest, the best |
| "The" for unique things | the Prime Minister, the Taj Mahal |
| No article for general plurals | Dogs are loyal. (not "The dogs") |
| No article before languages/subjects | She speaks Hindi. He studies physics. |
Common Article Mistakes in Exams
- "He is an honest man." (not "a honest" — silent H)
- "She goes to the temple every day." (specific temple) OR "She goes to temple every day." (general)
- "Gold is a precious metal." (not "the gold" — general statement)
Sentence Reordering and Transformation
Sentence Reordering Tips
When given jumbled words or phrases to rearrange:
- Find the subject first (who/what is doing the action)
- Find the verb (the action)
- Arrange as: Subject + Verb + Object + other details
- Time/place usually goes at the end or beginning
- Read aloud to check if it sounds natural
Sentence Transformation Types
Simple to Compound: Use conjunctions (and, but, or, so, yet)
- Simple: Being tired, she went to sleep.
- Compound: She was tired, so she went to sleep.
Simple to Complex: Use subordinating conjunctions (because, although, when, if, that)
- Simple: Despite the rain, we played.
- Complex: Although it was raining, we played.
Affirmative to Negative (without changing meaning):
- He is the tallest boy. → No other boy is as tall as him.
- Everyone loves her. → There is no one who does not love her.
Practice Strategy for Full 10 Marks
Daily Grammar Practice (15 minutes)
| Day | Topic | Practice |
|---|---|---|
| Monday | Tenses | 10 gap filling exercises |
| Tuesday | Voice Change | 10 conversions |
| Wednesday | Reported Speech | 10 conversions |
| Thursday | Subject-Verb Agreement | 10 exercises |
| Friday | Articles and Determiners | 10 exercises |
| Saturday | Mixed practice from sample papers | 1 full grammar section |
| Sunday | Review mistakes from the week | Mistake journal |
Where to Find Practice Questions
- CBSE sample papers (cbseacademic.nic.in)
- Previous year board papers (grammar section)
- Padhaao's grammar practice mode
- Your school's grammar worksheets
For the complete English paper strategy, see the English paper pattern guide and the English scoring strategy.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many marks does grammar carry in CBSE Class 10 English?
Grammar carries 10 marks out of 80 in the theory paper. It appears in Section B along with the writing section (which carries another 10 marks).
Which grammar topics are most frequently tested?
Tenses are tested almost every year, followed by voice change and reported speech. Subject-verb agreement and articles appear in gap filling and editing questions. Sentence reordering or transformation appears as 1 question.
Is grammar the same for CBSE and state boards?
The grammar concepts are the same, but the question patterns differ. CBSE uses MCQ-based and editing/omission formats. State boards may have direct transformation exercises. Focus on the format your board uses.
Can I score full marks in grammar?
Yes. Grammar has fixed rules. Unlike literature or writing (which are subjective), grammar answers are either correct or incorrect. If you practice the rules and patterns, 10/10 is achievable.
How do I prepare for editing and omission questions?
For editing: Read the sentence and identify the error (wrong tense, wrong article, wrong preposition, subject-verb disagreement). For omission: Read the sentence and identify the missing word (usually an article, preposition, or auxiliary verb). Practice 5 editing/omission exercises daily.
Should I memorize grammar rules or understand them?
Both. Understanding helps you apply rules to new sentences you have never seen. But you also need to memorize specific patterns (like reported speech backshift rules) because they are mechanical. Practice makes these rules automatic.
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