🌱 Beginner

Foundation Grammar

1. Parts of Speech

Every English word belongs to one of 8 groups called Parts of Speech. Knowing them is the foundation of all grammar.

🏠

Noun

Names a person, place, thing or idea

🏃

Verb

Shows an action or state of being

🌈

Adjective

Describes or modifies a noun

⚡

Adverb

Modifies a verb, adjective, or adverb

👤

Pronoun

Replaces a noun (he, she, they)

📍

Preposition

Shows relationship (in, on, at, under)

🔗

Conjunction

Joins words or clauses (and, but, or)

❗

Interjection

Expresses emotion (Oh! Wow! Ouch!)

Identifying Parts of Speech

Word	Part of Speech	Reason
Maria	Noun (Proper)	Name of a person
quickly	Adverb	Modifies the verb "ran"
ran	Verb	Shows action
beautiful	Adjective	Describes the noun "garden"
in	Preposition	Shows location relationship
Wow	Interjection	Expresses emotion

🖊 Quick Practice

1. What part of speech is "fast" in: "She runs fast."

2. "Between" in "The cat sat between the chairs" is a:

2. Sentence Structure

A sentence needs at least a Subject and a Verb. The four basic sentence patterns cover most English sentences.

Basic Sentence Patterns

S + V — Birds fly.
S + V + O — She reads books.
S + V + C — He is a doctor.
S + V + IO + DO — She gave him a gift.

Subject
Who/What?

→

Verb
Action/State

→

Object/Complement
What/Whom?

Examples

• Ali (S) + loves (V) + football (O)

• She (S) + is (V) + a teacher (C)

• They (S) + gave (V) + him (IO) + a prize (DO)

⚠ Every sentence begins with a capital letter and ends with a full stop (.), question mark (?), or exclamation mark (!).

🖊 Fill in the Blank

Identify the verb in: "The children played in the park."

3. Articles — a, an, the

Articles appear before nouns. A/An are indefinite (non-specific). The is definite (specific).

A vs AN

Use a before consonant sounds: a book, a car, a university (u = "yoo" sound)
Use an before vowel sounds: an apple, an hour, an umbrella

THE — when to use it

Specific or already known: Close the door.
Unique things: the sun, the moon
Second mention: I saw a cat. The cat was orange.
Superlatives: the best, the tallest
No article for general nouns: Coffee is popular (not "the coffee")

Situation	Article	Example
First mention	a / an	I saw a cat.
Second mention	the	The cat was orange.
Vowel sound	an	She is an engineer.
General plural	no article	Dogs are loyal.
Unique things	the	The moon is bright.

Correct vs Incorrect

She is a honest girl.

She is an honest girl. ('h' is silent → vowel sound)

He is the engineer. (first mention, general)

He is an engineer.

🖊 Choose the correct article

1. I bought ___ umbrella. ___ umbrella is blue.

2. She plays ___ piano every evening.

4. Simple Tenses

Tenses tell us when an action happens. The three simple tenses are the most fundamental.

Present Simple — habits, facts, routines

S + base verb (+ s/es for he/she/it)

Signal words: always, usually, often, every day/week, sometimes

Examples

• I walk to school every day.

• She reads a book every night. (he/she/it → +s)

He walk to school.

He walks to school.

Past Simple — completed past actions

S + past form of verb (regular: +ed)

Signal words: yesterday, last week/year, ago, in 2010

Examples

• They played football yesterday. (regular)

• She bought a new bag last week. (irregular)

Future Simple — decisions, predictions, promises

S + will + base verb

Signal words: tomorrow, next week, soon, in the future

🖊 Choose the correct tense

1. She ___ to school every day. (present habit)

2. They ___ the match yesterday.

5. Nouns & Pronouns

Nouns name things. Pronouns replace nouns to avoid repetition.

Types of Nouns

Proper — Ali, Kuala Lumpur, Monday
Common — dog, city, book
Countable — apple/apples, chair/chairs
Uncountable — water, rice, information (no plural)
Collective — a class of students, a herd of cattle
Abstract — love, happiness, freedom

Pronoun Type	Examples	Use
Subject	I, you, he, she, it, we, they	Subject of sentence
Object	me, you, him, her, it, us, them	Object of verb
Possessive	mine, yours, his, hers, ours, theirs	Shows ownership
Reflexive	myself, yourself, himself, herself	Subject = Object

6. Adjectives & Degrees of Comparison

Adjectives describe nouns. They have three degrees: Positive, Comparative, and Superlative.

Degree	Rule	Example
Positive	Basic form	tall, happy, beautiful
Comparative	short adj + er / more + long adj	taller, more beautiful
Superlative	the + short + est / the most + long	the tallest, the most beautiful

📌 Irregular: good → better → the best | bad → worse → the worst | far → farther → the farthest

Examples

• This mountain is tall. (positive)

• Mount Kinabalu is taller than this. (comparative)

• Everest is the tallest mountain in the world. (superlative)

🖊 Fill in the blank

Complete: "This is the ___ (good) book I have ever read." (superlative)

7. Prepositions

Prepositions show relationships of place, time, and direction.

Type	Prepositions	Example
Place	in, on, at, under, above, beside, between, behind	The book is on the table.
Time	at, on, in, before, after, during, since, for	Class starts at 8.
Direction	to, from, into, out of, through, across, towards	She walked towards the door.

📌 AT/ON/IN for Time: at = exact time (at 3pm) | on = days/dates (on Monday) | in = months/years (in July, in 2024)

8. Singular & Plural Rules

Most nouns form their plural by adding -s, but there are important rules and irregular forms to know.

Regular Plural Rules

Noun Ending	Rule	Examples
Most nouns	+ s	book→books, car→cars, dog→dogs
-s, -ss, -sh, -ch, -x, -z	+ es	bus→buses, church→churches, box→boxes
consonant + y	y → ies	city→cities, baby→babies, country→countries
vowel + y	+ s	day→days, key→keys, boy→boys
-f or -fe	f → ves	leaf→leaves, knife→knives, wife→wives
-o (most)	+ es	tomato→tomatoes, hero→heroes
-o (music/photos)	+ s	photo→photos, piano→pianos, radio→radios

Irregular Plurals

Singular	Plural	Singular	Plural
man	men	woman	women
child	children	tooth	teeth
foot	feet	mouse	mice
goose	geese	ox	oxen
person	people	cactus	cacti

📌 Same form (singular = plural): sheep, fish, deer, series, species, aircraft, scissors

📌 Uncountable nouns have NO plural: information, advice, furniture, news, equipment, luggage, knowledge

🖊 Write the plural

1. What is the plural of "child"?

2. What is the plural of "city"?

3. "Can I have some ___?" (advice — singular or plural?)

9. Punctuation

Punctuation marks control the rhythm, meaning, and clarity of writing. Using them correctly is essential.

Mark	Name	Use	Example
.	Full Stop	End of a statement	She went home.
?	Question Mark	End of a question	Where are you?
!	Exclamation Mark	Strong emotion/command	Watch out!
,	Comma	Pause, lists, clauses	I bought apples, oranges, and grapes.
'	Apostrophe	Contractions & possession	don't / Ali's book
" "	Quotation Marks	Direct speech	She said, "Hello."
:	Colon	Introduce a list or explanation	I need: milk, eggs, and bread.
;	Semicolon	Link two related sentences	She was tired; she went to bed.

Apostrophe Rules

Contraction: do not → don't | I am → I'm | she will → she'll | they are → they're
Possession (singular): Ali's book (the book belonging to Ali)
Possession (plural ending in s): the students' books (books of the students)
No apostrophe for possessive pronouns: its, yours, hers, theirs (NOT it's = it is)

Correct vs Incorrect

Its raining outside.

It's raining outside. (It's = It is)

The dog wagged it's tail.

The dog wagged its tail. (possessive — no apostrophe)

🖊 Punctuation Practice

1. Which is correct: "the girl's bag" or "the girls bag"?

2. "I am" contracted is:

📖 Intermediate

Core Grammar Skills

1. All 12 Tenses — Complete Reference

12 tenses = 3 time frames (present, past, future) × 4 aspects (simple, continuous, perfect, perfect continuous).

Present Simple

S + V(s/es)She walks daily. / Water boils at 100°C.

Present Continuous

S + am/is/are + V-ingShe is walking now.

Present Perfect

S + have/has + V3She has walked 5km today.

Present Perfect Continuous

S + have/has + been + V-ingShe has been walking for 2 hours.

Past Simple

S + V2 (past form)She walked yesterday.

Past Continuous

S + was/were + V-ingShe was walking when it rained.

Past Perfect

S + had + V3She had walked before sunrise.

Past Perfect Continuous

S + had + been + V-ingShe had been walking for an hour.

Future Simple

S + will + V1She will walk tomorrow.

Future Continuous

S + will be + V-ingShe will be walking at 7am.

Future Perfect

S + will have + V3She will have walked 10km by noon.

Future Perfect Continuous

S + will have been + V-ingShe will have been walking for 3hrs.

Signal Words by Tense

Tense	Signal Words
Present Simple	always, usually, every day, often, sometimes, never
Present Continuous	now, at the moment, currently, right now, today
Present Perfect	just, already, yet, ever, never, recently, since, for
Past Simple	yesterday, last (week/year), ago, in + year
Past Continuous	while, when, as, at that time
Past Perfect	before, after, by the time, already, when (first action)
Future Simple	tomorrow, next (week/year), soon, in the future
Future Perfect	by tomorrow, by next week, by the time

🖊 Choose the correct tense

1. By the time she arrived, he _____ already left.

2. She _____ for two hours when the phone rang.

3. I ___ her since last Monday. (action that started in past, continues now)

2. Modal Verbs

Modal verbs express ability, possibility, permission, and obligation. They never change form and always take a bare infinitive.

Subject + Modal + Base Verb (no -s, no -ing, no -ed)

Modal	Use	Example
can	Ability / Informal permission	She can swim well.
could	Past ability / Polite request	He could run fast as a child.
may	Formal permission / Possibility	You may leave the room.
might	Weaker possibility	It might rain later.
must	Strong obligation / Certainty	You must wear a seatbelt.
should	Advice / Expectation	You should study harder.
would	Polite request / Hypothetical	Would you help me?
will	Future / Decision / Promise	I will finish this today.
shall	Suggestion (I/we) / Formal future	Shall we go now?

⚠ Common Error: NEVER add -s to modal verbs. NOT "She cans swim" or "He musts go." Always: "She can swim." / "He must go."

🖊 Choose the correct modal

1. You ___ stop at the red light. (strong obligation / law)

2. ___ you please pass the salt? (polite request)

3. Conjunctions

Conjunctions join words, phrases, or clauses. There are three types: Coordinating (FANBOYS), Subordinating, and Correlative.

FANBOYS — Coordinating Conjunctions

For · And · Nor · But · Or · Yet · So

Conjunction	Use	Example
and	Addition	He is tall and handsome.
but	Contrast	She tried but failed.
or	Alternative	Tea or coffee?
because	Reason	He was late because he missed the bus.
although/though	Concession	Although it rained, they played.
if	Condition	If you study, you will pass.
unless	Negative condition	You'll fail unless you study.
so	Result	It was late, so I went home.
both...and	Correlative	Both Tom and Jerry are funny.
either...or	Correlative (choice)	Either you apologise or leave.
neither...nor	Correlative (negative)	Neither he nor she was there.

4. Subject-Verb Agreement

The verb must always agree with its subject in number. This is one of the most commonly tested OL grammar points.

Core Rules

Singular subject → singular verb: The dog barks.
Plural subject → plural verb: The dogs bark.
Two subjects joined by and → plural: Tom and Jerry are friends.
Two subjects joined by or/nor → verb agrees with the nearer subject
Collective nouns (class, team, family) → usually singular: The team is ready.
"Each", "every", "either", "neither", "one of" → singular verb
"The number of" → singular | "A number of" → plural

Common Errors Fixed

Either Tom or his friends has done this.

Either Tom or his friends have done this. (friends = nearer = plural)

The number of students are increasing.

The number of students is increasing. ("The number" = singular)

Each of the students have a book.

Each of the students has a book. (Each → singular)

🖊 Choose the correct verb

1. The committee _____ meeting every Friday.

2. Neither the teacher nor the students _____ happy.

5. Question Forms

Two main question types: Yes/No questions and Wh- questions.

Yes/No Questions

Auxiliary/Modal + Subject + Main Verb...?

Is she a teacher? | Do you like coffee? | Did they go? | Will he come?

Wh- Questions

Wh-word + Auxiliary + Subject + Main Verb...?

Word	Asks about	Example
What	Thing/Action	What are you doing?
Who	Person (subject)	Who called you?
Where	Place	Where do you live?
When	Time	When did she arrive?
Why	Reason	Why are you late?
How	Manner	How do you spell it?
Which	Choice	Which bag is yours?
Whose	Possession	Whose book is this?

6. Adverbs

Adverbs modify verbs, adjectives, or other adverbs. They answer: how? when? where? how often? how much?

Type	Examples	Sentence
Manner	quickly, slowly, carefully, well, hard	She speaks clearly.
Time	now, soon, yesterday, already, still	He will arrive soon.
Place	here, there, everywhere, outside	Come here.
Frequency	always, usually, often, sometimes, never	She always smiles.
Degree	very, quite, rather, too, enough	It is very cold.

📌 Most adverbs of manner: adjective + -ly → quick→quickly, careful→carefully. Exceptions: good→well, fast→fast, hard→hard

7. Gerunds & Infinitives

A gerund is a verb ending in -ing used as a noun. An infinitive is "to + base verb". Certain verbs require one or the other.

Verbs followed by GERUND (V-ing)

enjoy · avoid · finish · suggest · mind · keep · consider · deny · admit · risk · practise · miss · imagine · involve · recommend

• She enjoys swimming. (NOT enjoys to swim)

• He admitted stealing the money.

Verbs followed by INFINITIVE (to + V)

want · decide · plan · hope · agree · refuse · promise · offer · manage · fail · learn · need · expect · choose · afford

• She wants to leave. (NOT wants leaving)

• They agreed to help.

Verbs that take BOTH (with slight meaning change)

Verb	+ Gerund meaning	+ Infinitive meaning
stop	stop doing something completely: She stopped smoking.	pause to do something: She stopped to smoke.
remember	recall a past action: I remember locking the door.	remember a duty: Remember to lock the door.
try	experiment: Try adding more salt.	make an effort: Try to arrive on time.
like/love/hate	general feeling (informal)	specific preference (formal)

🖊 Gerund or Infinitive?

1. She enjoys _____ (swim) every morning.

2. He decided _____ (leave) early.

8. Determiners

Determiners come before nouns to clarify quantity, specificity, or amount. They are especially important for countable vs uncountable nouns.

Determiner	Use with	Positive/Negative	Example
some	Countable plural & Uncountable	Positive sentences & offers	I have some books. / Some water.
any	Countable plural & Uncountable	Negative sentences & questions	I don't have any books. / Do you have any water?
much	Uncountable only	Negative & questions	There isn't much time.
many	Countable plural only	Negative & questions	There aren't many students.
a lot of / lots of	Both	Positive sentences	She has a lot of friends.
a few	Countable plural	Positive (small number)	I have a few ideas. (positive — some)
few	Countable plural	Negative (almost none)	I have few ideas. (negative — barely any)
a little	Uncountable	Positive (small amount)	There is a little hope.
little	Uncountable	Negative (almost none)	There is little hope. (pessimistic)
enough	Both	Sufficient amount	Is there enough food?

🖊 Choose the correct determiner

1. There isn't _____ sugar left. (uncountable, negative)

2. She has _____ friends — she is very popular. (large number, positive)

9. Linking Words & Transition Words

Linking words connect ideas within and between sentences. They make writing flow naturally and show the relationship between ideas.

➕ Addition

alsofurthermoremoreoverin additionbesidesas well as

🔄 Contrast

buthoweveralthough / thougheven thoughon the other handneverthelessdespite / in spite of

⚡ Cause / Effect

becausesinceasthereforesoas a resultconsequently

🕐 Time

whenwhileafterbeforeas soon asuntilonce

📌 Conclusion

in conclusionin summaryto sum upfinallyoverall

Examples

She was late. However, she did not miss the bus.

He studied hard; as a result, he passed all his exams.

Although it was raining, they continued the match.

🖊 Choose the correct linking word

1. She was ill; _____, she came to school. (contrast)

2. _____ he was tired, he finished the report. (contrast with subordinating conjunction)

10. Formal vs. Informal English

Knowing when to use formal or informal English is important. OL exams test letter writing which requires formal language.

Informal	Formal
Hi / Hey	Dear Mr / Dear Sir or Madam
Thanks	Thank you / I am grateful
I want to...	I would like to...
Can you...?	Could you please...? / I would appreciate if...
Sorry	I sincerely apologise
ASAP	at your earliest convenience
Lots of love / Cheers	Yours sincerely / Yours faithfully
gonna / wanna / kinda	going to / want to / kind of
kids	children
get	obtain / receive

Formal Letter Format (OL Exam)

Salutation: Dear Mr./Ms. [Surname], OR Dear Sir/Madam (unknown)
Opening: I am writing to inform you that... / I am writing with regard to...
Body: State points clearly. Use formal vocabulary. No contractions (don't → do not).
Closing: I look forward to hearing from you. / Please do not hesitate to contact me.
Sign-off: Yours sincerely (named person) / Yours faithfully (unknown)

🖊 Identify the register

1. "I wanna ask about the job." — Is this formal or informal?

2. Which ending is correct for a formal letter to a named person?

🎓 Advanced

Advanced Grammar

1. Active & Passive Voice

Active: subject does the action. Passive: subject receives the action.

Passive Formation

Object → Subject + be (correct tense) + V3 + (by + Agent)

Tense	Active	Passive
Present Simple	She writes a letter.	A letter is written.
Past Simple	He built this house.	This house was built.
Present Perfect	They have planted trees.	Trees have been planted.
Future Simple	She will paint the wall.	The wall will be painted.
Present Continuous	They are building a road.	A road is being built.
Past Continuous	He was eating the cake.	The cake was being eaten.
Modal	You must submit the form.	The form must be submitted.

🖊 Practice

1. Passive of "They built the bridge in 1990."

2. Passive of "Someone is repairing the car."

2. Direct & Indirect (Reported) Speech

Direct speech uses exact words. Indirect speech reports them with tense backshift, pronoun & time changes.

Direct Tense	→ Indirect Tense
Present Simple	Past Simple
Present Continuous	Past Continuous
Present Perfect	Past Perfect
Past Simple	Past Perfect
will	would
can	could
must	had to

Examples

Statement: She said, "I am tired today." → She said that she was tired that day.

Question: She asked, "Do you like coffee?" → She asked if I liked coffee.

Command: He said, "Open the door." → He told me to open the door.

🖊 Convert to Indirect Speech

1. He said, "I can swim."

2. She said, "I will call tomorrow."

3. Conditional Sentences

Type	If clause	Main clause	Meaning
Zero	If + Pres. Simple	Present Simple	General truth
First	If + Pres. Simple	will + base	Real future
Second	If + Past Simple	would + base	Hypothetical
Third	If + Past Perfect	would have + V3	Unreal past

Zero: If you heat water to 100°C, it boils.

First: If it rains, I will stay home.

Second: If I were rich, I would travel the world.

Third: If she had studied harder, she would have passed.

📌 Use were (not was) for all subjects in Second Conditional formal English.

🖊 Conditionals quiz

1. "If they had left earlier, they would have caught the train." — Type:

2. "If I _____ (be) you, I would apologise." (Second Conditional)

4. Question Tags

Positive statement → negative tag. Negative statement → positive tag. Tag uses same auxiliary as main sentence.

Statement	Tag
She is sleeping,	isn't she?
They were late,	weren't they?
You have eaten,	haven't you?
He can swim,	can't he?
She doesn't work here,	does she?
I am your teacher,	aren't I?
Let's go,	shall we?

🖊 Add the correct tag

1. "You have finished your homework, _____?"

2. "She never comes to class, _____?"

5. Relative Clauses

Pronoun	Used for	Example
who	People (subject)	The man who called is outside.
whom	People (object/formal)	The person whom I met was kind.
whose	Possession	The girl whose bag was stolen cried.
which	Things / Animals	The book which I read was great.
that	People or Things (defining)	The car that I bought is red.

📌 Non-defining clauses use commas and CANNOT use "that": My brother, who is a doctor, lives in KL.

6. Phrasal Verbs

Phrasal Verb	Meaning	Example
give up	stop trying / quit	Don't give up on your dreams.
call off	cancel	They called off the match.
put off	postpone	Don't put off your work.
break down	stop functioning	His car broke down.
take after	resemble a relative	She takes after her mother.
figure out	understand / solve	Can you figure out this puzzle?
carry out	perform / execute	They carried out the experiment.
look up	search for information	Look up the word in a dictionary.
turn down	reject / refuse	She turned down the offer.
come across	find by chance	She came across an old photo.

7. Commonly Confused Words

Word	Meaning	Example
affect (verb)	to influence	The rain affected the match.
effect (noun)	a result	The effect of the rain was clear.
their	possessive (belongs to them)	It is their house.
there	place	Go there.
they're	they are	They're late.
its	possessive (belongs to it)	The dog wagged its tail.
it's	it is	It's raining outside.
accept (verb)	to receive / agree	She accepted the award.
except (prep)	excluding	Everyone came except Tom.
then	at that time / next	We ate, then went home.
than	comparison	She is taller than he is.
advice (noun)	a recommendation	She gave me good advice.
advise (verb)	to give advice	I advise you to rest.

🖊 Choose the correct word

1. The new law will ___ all citizens. (influence)

2. _____ coming to the party tonight. (they are)

8. Sentence Transformation (OL Exam Format)

OL exams ask you to rewrite sentences keeping the same meaning. These are the most common transformation types.

Active ↔ Passive

Active: The police arrested the thief. → Passive: The thief was arrested by the police.

Degree of Comparison

Superlative: Everest is the highest mountain. → Comparative: No other mountain is higher than Everest.

Joining Sentences

He was tired. He continued working. (despite) → Despite being tired, he continued working.

Too…to / Enough

She is too young to drive. → She is not old enough to drive.

🖊 Transformation Practice

1. "He is so weak that he cannot carry the box." → Rewrite using "enough":

2. "Tom is the cleverest boy in the class." → Comparative form:

9. Error Correction

#	Incorrect	Error Type	Corrected
1	She don't like coffee.	S-V Agreement	She doesn't like coffee.
2	I have went there yesterday.	Wrong tense	I went there yesterday.
3	He is more taller than his brother.	Double comparison	He is taller than his brother.
4	She told me that can she help.	Reported speech word order	She told me she could help.
5	The informations are correct.	Uncountable noun	The information is correct.
6	He enjoys to play football.	Gerund after enjoy	He enjoys playing football.
7	She waited since three hours.	Wrong preposition	She waited for three hours.
8	You should to study harder.	Modal + base verb	You should study harder.

🖊 Find the error

1. "Each of the students have submitted their assignment." — Error:

2. "She is more better than her sister." — Error:

📝 Exam

Exam Practice Tests

Four timed practice tests modelled on the GEC OL exam format. 10 questions each.

Test 1 — Beginner Level

10 Questions

Topics: Parts of Speech, Articles, Simple Tenses, Nouns, Adjectives, Prepositions

Test 2 — Intermediate Level

10 Questions

Topics: All 12 Tenses, Modals, Conjunctions, S-V Agreement, Adverbs

Test 3 — Advanced Level

10 Questions

Topics: Passive, Reported Speech, Conditionals, Question Tags, Relative Clauses, Error Correction

Test 4 — Mixed Level (OL Style)

10 Questions

All levels combined — closest to the actual GEC OL exam format.

📚 Reference

Quick Reference

Tense Timeline Diagram

PAST

Past Simple
worked

Past Continuous
was working

Past Perfect
had worked

Past Perf. Cont.
had been working

NOW

PRESENT

Pres. Simple
works

Pres. Continuous
is working

Pres. Perfect
has worked

Pres. Perf. Cont.
has been working

FUTURE

Future Simple
will work

Future Continuous
will be working

Future Perfect
will have worked

Future Perf. Cont.
will have been working

Tense Formula Sheet (All 12)

#	Tense	Formula (+)	Signal Words
1	Present Simple	S + V(s/es)	always, usually, every day
2	Present Continuous	S + am/is/are + V-ing	now, at the moment, currently
3	Present Perfect	S + have/has + V3	just, already, yet, ever, since, for
4	Present Perfect Cont.	S + have/has been + V-ing	for, since, all day/morning
5	Past Simple	S + V2 (ed/irregular)	yesterday, last, ago, in [year]
6	Past Continuous	S + was/were + V-ing	while, when, at that time
7	Past Perfect	S + had + V3	before, after, already, by the time
8	Past Perfect Cont.	S + had been + V-ing	for, since (before a past event)
9	Future Simple	S + will + base	tomorrow, next, soon, in [future]
10	Future Continuous	S + will be + V-ing	at this time tomorrow, still
11	Future Perfect	S + will have + V3	by [future time], before
12	Future Perfect Cont.	S + will have been + V-ing	for [duration] by [future time]

Irregular Verbs Table

Base (V1)	Past Simple (V2)	Past Participle (V3)
be	was / were	been
become	became	become
begin	began	begun
break	broke	broken
bring	brought	brought
build	built	built
buy	bought	bought
catch	caught	caught
choose	chose	chosen
come	came	come
cut	cut	cut
do	did	done
draw	drew	drawn
drink	drank	drunk
drive	drove	driven
eat	ate	eaten
fall	fell	fallen
feel	felt	felt
find	found	found
fly	flew	flown
forget	forgot	forgotten
get	got	got / gotten
give	gave	given
go	went	gone
grow	grew	grown
have	had	had
hear	heard	heard
hold	held	held
keep	kept	kept
know	knew	known
leave	left	left
lend	lent	lent
let	let	let
lose	lost	lost
make	made	made
mean	meant	meant
meet	met	met
pay	paid	paid
put	put	put
read	read	read
ride	rode	ridden
ring	rang	rung
rise	rose	risen
run	ran	run
say	said	said
see	saw	seen
sell	sold	sold
send	sent	sent
set	set	set
show	showed	shown
sing	sang	sung
sit	sat	sat
sleep	slept	slept
speak	spoke	spoken
spend	spent	spent
stand	stood	stood
swim	swam	swum
take	took	taken
teach	taught	taught
tell	told	told
think	thought	thought
throw	threw	thrown
understand	understood	understood
wake	woke	woken
wear	wore	worn
win	won	won
write	wrote	written

Common OL Exam Mistakes & Fixes

❌ Wrong	✅ Correct	Rule
She don't know.	She doesn't know.	3rd person singular needs -s
I am agree.	I agree.	Agree is not an adjective — no 'am'
He is more taller.	He is taller.	Never double comparative
I have went there.	I went there. / I have gone.	Present Perfect needs V3
She said that she will come.	She said she would come.	Backshift: will → would
I am boring.	I am bored.	Person = bored; situation = boring
He suggested to go.	He suggested going.	Suggest + gerund (not infinitive)
She is waiting since 9 a.m.	She has been waiting since 9 a.m.	since = Present Perfect Continuous
He is a honest man.	He is an honest man.	Vowel sound /ɒ/ takes 'an'
Despite of the rain, she came.	Despite the rain, she came.	Despite (no 'of') / In spite of

🎯 GCE O/L Exam Skills

How to attack the Sri Lankan O/L English paper

1. Test-by-Test Strategy

The GCE O/L English paper has a fixed shape every year. Paper I (1 hr, 50 marks) covers Tests 1–8; Paper II (2 hr, 100 marks) covers Tests 9–16. Memorise the shape and you walk in with the timing already decided.

Paper I — Tests 1–8 · 1 hour · 50 marks · 7 min per test

Test	Task	Marks	Tip
1	Match notices / pictures to places / instructions	5	Eliminate the obvious ones first; the last two often confuse.
2	Dialogue fill-in (word box)	5	Read the WHOLE dialogue before filling any blank.
3	Picture-based fill-in	5	Skim the box for nouns first, then verbs, then adjectives.
4	Underline correct word / spot mistake	5	Watch for tense + agreement traps.
5	Note-making from a dialogue	5	Bullets, not full sentences.
6	Notice / message — 40–50 words	5	HEADLINE in caps · date · time · place · contact · signature.
7	Reading comprehension + 3-option MCQ	5	Read the questions FIRST, then scan for answers.
8	Short paragraph — 50–60 words	5	Topic sentence → 2–3 details → personal close.

Paper II — Tests 9–16 · 2 hours · 100 marks · 15 min per test

Test	Task	Marks	Tip
9	Underline correct word in passage	5	Read the whole passage once before choosing.
10	Reported speech rewriting	5	Step verb back one tense + change pronouns + change time words.
11	Word-box fill-in (½ × 14 = 7 marks)	7	Spot & cross out used words; one box-word is always extra.
12	Verb-form passage	5	Anchor every verb to a time word (since / by then / now).
13	Match descriptions to adverts / dictionary use	5	Look for ONE matching word per description.
14	Letter / data description — ~100 words	10	3 short paragraphs · close with insight, not numbers.
15	Long comprehension (T/F + word-find + pronoun reference)	8	Underline answers on the passage as you go.
16	Article / essay / speech / story / dialogue — ~200 words	15	Hook → 3 points → memorable close.

⏰ Time discipline: Paper I = 7 minutes per test. Paper II = 15 minutes per test, BUT 10 minutes for Test 11 / 12 / 13 and 20 minutes each for Test 14 / 16. Leave 10 minutes at the end for review.

2. Note-Making from a Dialogue (Test 5)

Test 5 every year gives a 6-line dialogue and asks you to extract 5–6 facts. The trap is writing full sentences instead of crisp notes.

The 3-step routine

Read the dialogue twice. First for the topic, second for the facts.
Match each blank to the speaker who gives it. Most facts come from the second speaker in each turn.
Write SHORT — noun phrases, not sentences. "Saturday, 8.00 a.m." not "The meeting is on Saturday at 8.00 a.m."

Worked example

Dialogue: "Where did you go this time?" / "We selected a small island in Puttalam. We hired a van; it took 5 hours to reach the town. Then we spent the night in the circuit bungalow and went to see the island on a boat the next morning."

Place visited : A small island in Puttalam ✓ (NOT "We selected a small island in Puttalam")

Mode of travel to town : By hired van; 5 hours ✓

Mode of travel to island : By boat the next morning ✓

⚠ Examiners deduct ½ mark when you write full sentences. Keep notes telegraphic.

3. Comprehension Question Types

Test 7 and Test 15 together carry 13 marks. The question types repeat year after year — once you know each shape, half the marks come for free.

Question type	How to answer	Marks
True / False (T/F)	Underline the exact passage sentence; if it matches → T, if contradicts → F. "Not given" = no info either way.	½ each
3-option MCQ	Eliminate the obviously wrong, then pick from the remaining two.	1 each
"Find a word that means…"	The answer is EXACTLY ONE word from the passage. Never your own synonym.	1 each
"Write the sentence which…"	Copy the WHOLE sentence verbatim, including punctuation.	1 each
Pronoun reference ("'it' refers to…")	Look back to the previous sentence. Answer is a NOUN PHRASE, never a full sentence.	1 each
Best title	Should cover the whole passage, not one paragraph. Eliminate titles that fit only part.	1
"What does the writer mean…?"	Open-ended: answer in your own one sentence using ideas from the passage.	1–2 each

Pronoun reference — worked example

"Vandalism is mostly aimed at public property. It can also occur at individual level."

Q: 'It' refers to: vandalism ✓

"Vandalism that occurs at public places." ✗ (full sentence — examiner cuts marks)

The 4-pass technique

Read the questions before reading the passage.
Read the passage once, underlining anything that looks like an answer.
Answer the easy ones (T/F, find-a-word) first.
Save the open-ended questions for last; give each one a full but single sentence.

4. Word Formation & Suffixes

Test 9 and Test 11 reward fast spelling of derived words. Learn the eight suffix families below and the marks come automatically.

Suffix	Adds to	Becomes	Examples
-ness	adjective	noun	kind → kindness · sad → sadness · happy → happiness
-ment	verb	noun	develop → development · agree → agreement
-tion / -sion / -ssion	verb	noun	introduce → introduction · decide → decision · discuss → discussion
-ity	adjective	noun	responsible → responsibility · safe → safety · cruel → cruelty
-ance / -ence	verb	noun	attend → attendance · differ → difference
-cian	noun (field)	person	music → musician · politics → politician · electric → electrician
-ous	noun	adjective	danger → dangerous · fame → famous
-ful	noun	adjective	care → careful · beauty → beautiful
-able	verb	adjective	enjoy → enjoyable · respect → respectable · punish → punishable
-ly	adjective	adverb	quick → quickly · happy → happily · true → truly
un- / in- / im- / dis-	any	opposite	happy → unhappy · possible → impossible · agree → disagree · legal → illegal

Spelling traps

y → i before -ness, -ly, -ous: happy → happiness, beauty → beautiful, mystery → mysterious.
Drop final -e before -able, -ous, -ation: love → lovable, fame → famous, decorate → decoration. EXCEPTION: notice → noticeable (keep e after c/g).
Double the consonant before -ed, -ing: stop → stopped, swim → swimming.
-ful takes ONE l (NEVER "carefull"). The adverb takes TWO: careful → carefully.

5. Homophones & Confused Words

Words that sound the same but mean different things — examiners love them. Get them wrong and an otherwise excellent essay loses two marks.

Pair / Triple	Meaning	Example
their · there · they're	belonging to them · in that place · they are	Their car is over there — they're waiting.
your · you're	belonging to you · you are	Your bag — you're late.
its · it's	belonging to it · it is / it has	The cat licked its paw. It's tired.
to · too · two	direction · also/very · the number 2	I went to Galle too, with my two friends.
weather · whether	rain / sun / heat · if	I don't know whether the weather will hold.
principal · principle	head of school / main · a rule, belief	The principal reminded us of one important principle.
stationary · stationery	not moving · pens, paper	The car stood stationary. I bought new stationery.
peace · piece	quiet · a part	A piece of cake in peace.
hear · here	listen · this place	Can you hear me from here?
affect · effect	(verb) to influence · (noun) result	Bad weather affects our mood. The effect is visible.
advice · advise	(noun) guidance · (verb) to give guidance	I take her advice. She advised me to read more.
practice · practise	(noun, British) the act · (verb, British) to do	Cricket practice at 4. We practise daily.
compliment · complement	kind words · go well with	She received a compliment on the dress that complements her eyes.
desert · dessert	dry sandy place · sweet course	Crossing the desert; serving a dessert.
lose · loose	(verb) opposite of win/find · (adj) not tight	Don't lose your phone! The screw is loose.
quiet · quite	silent · fairly	A quiet room. It is quite cold.
then · than	at that time / next · used in comparison	First we ate, then we slept. He is taller than me.
accept · except	receive willingly · not including	I accept the gift. Everyone came except Tharindu.

📝 Sri Lankan student favourite confusion: "principal" (head of school) vs "principle" (a rule). Memory trick — the principal is your pal.

6. Irregular & Collective Plurals

Test 1 / 9 / 11 routinely test these. Memorise the lists — there is no rule for half of them.

Irregular plurals — six families

Family	Examples
-f / -fe → -ves	leaf → leaves · loaf → loaves · shelf → shelves · calf → calves · wife → wives · knife → knives · life → lives
Exceptions (keep -fs)	roof → roofs · chief → chiefs · belief → beliefs · gulf → gulfs · scarf → scarves OR scarfs
Vowel change	foot → feet · tooth → teeth · goose → geese · man → men · woman → women · mouse → mice · louse → lice
-en plurals	child → children · ox → oxen
No change	sheep · deer · fish · aircraft · series · species · means · salmon
Latin / Greek	phenomenon → phenomena · bacterium → bacteria · datum → data · analysis → analyses · crisis → crises · thesis → theses · appendix → appendices · vertebra → vertebrae · fungus → fungi · nucleus → nuclei
Compound nouns	father-in-law → fathers-in-law · passer-by → passers-by · commander-in-chief → commanders-in-chief · notary public → notaries public

Collective nouns — animals

Group	Animal
a herd of	cattle, elephants, buffalo, deer
a flock of	birds, sheep, geese
a swarm of	bees, locusts, insects
a school of	fish, whales, dolphins
a pack of	wolves, dogs, cards
a pride of	lions
a brood of	chickens, hens
a drove of	pigs, cattle (driven together)
a kit of	pigeons

Collective nouns — things & people

Group	Item
a bunch of	bananas, flowers, grapes, keys
a fleet of	ships, vehicles, lorries
a chain of	islands, mountains, shops
a galaxy of	stars
a shelf of	books
a panel of	experts, judges
a team of	players
a crew of	sailors
a choir of	singers
a cast of	actors
a gang of	thieves, robbers
a bouquet of	flowers

7. Formal Letter Conventions

Test 14 letters lose easy marks for layout. Memorise the eight blocks and you will never lose one again.

Formal-letter layout — 8 blocks

Your address — top right, three lines, comma at end of each except the last (full stop).
Date — below your address, format "12th December 2026" (NOT 12/12/26).
Recipient's address — left, slightly below your address. "The Manager," / "The Principal," etc.
Salutation — "Dear Sir / Madam," (formal) or "Dear Mr. Perera," (named).
SUBJECT in CAPITALS — "APPLICATION FOR THE POST OF JUNIOR RECEPTIONIST".
Body — three short paragraphs: reference → details → closing line.
Sign-off — "Yours faithfully," (Sir/Madam) OR "Yours sincerely," (named).
Signature line — your full name with initials.

Sign-off matching rule

Salutation	Sign-off	When
Dear Sir / Madam,	Yours faithfully,	You don't know the name
Dear Mr. Perera,	Yours sincerely,	You know the name
Dear Sajini,	Love, / Yours,	Personal / informal letter

Useful formal phrases

• "I write with reference to your advertisement in the Sunday Observer of 9th December 2026."

• "I should be grateful if you would consider my application."

• "I am free for an interview on any weekday afternoon."

• "Looking forward to a positive reply,"

• "I remain," → for added formality before the sign-off.

⚠ Examiner traps: "Looking forward FOR a reply" ✗ → it is "Looking forward TO". "Yours faithfully" with a NAMED person ✗ → use "sincerely".

8. Time Markers Cheat Sheet

Every Test 12 verb-form passage tests one thing: can you spot the time-anchor word and use the right tense? Memorise this single table.

Time marker	Tense it triggers	Example
now · right now · at the moment · currently	Present continuous	I am studying right now.
every day · usually · often · always · never	Present simple	She usually walks to school.
yesterday · last week · in 2020 · two days ago · then	Past simple	We met last week.
while · as · when (...was V-ing)	Past continuous	While she was reading, the lights went out.
since + point in time · for + length	Present perfect / perfect continuous	I have lived here since 2018 / for 8 years.
ever · never · just · already · yet · so far · recently	Present perfect	Have you ever been to Yala?
by then · before · after · when (clause 1 finished first)	Past perfect	By the time we arrived, the bell had rung.
by + future time	Future perfect (will have + V3)	By 2030 I will have finished my MBBS.
tomorrow · next week · soon · in 2030	Simple future (will + V)	I will see you tomorrow.
this time tomorrow	Future continuous (will be + V-ing)	We will be answering our English paper this time tomorrow.

The four classic traps

"since 5 years" ✗ → use "for 5 years" (length) or "since 2020" (point).
"After I will finish, I'll call" ✗ → after time clauses (when, after, by the time, as soon as), use the present: "After I finish, I'll call."
"I am knowing him for years" ✗ → stative verbs (know, believe, own) don't take -ing. Use perfect: "I have known him for years."
"Yesterday I have gone" ✗ → "yesterday" + simple past. "Yesterday I went."