ICSE (Grammar Questions)

 

 ICSE

Grammar Questions and their Answers

 

1.      Change of voice (passive and active)

• Begin with the words underlined or suggested:

1.1.    My friend’s construction company is building a dam across this river.

1.2.    They all felt the tremor a few minutes after the actual earthquake happened.

1.3.   She has played the lead role in that play.

1.4.   Many of my friends living abroad write to me very short letters.

1.5.   My father was teaching some poor students from the nearby villages.

1.6.   She had asked him the question many times. (Or begin with ‘He’.)

1.7.   We will finish most of next year’s work by the end of this year.

1.8.   She will have finished her lessons three years from now.

1.9.   We feel that incidents such as this should not happen again. (Begin with ‘It’.)

2.      Comparison of adjectives (positive, comparative and superlative)

• Use the other two degrees in each case:

2.1.   Very few people in India are as rich as me.

2.2.   This idea is the best.

2.3.   No other girl in my class is as studious as Rekha.

2.4.   Sumesh is smarter than all the other boys in the class.

2.5.   He speaks faster than everyone else.

2.6.   Australia is the smallest continent in the world.

2.7.   Red Ambassador cars consume less fuel than any other colour Ambassador cars.

2.8.   This is the bitterest butter. (Have some fun!)

3.      Reported speech (direct and indirect with tense changes)

• Report the following speeches. (be careful about tense, person, sentence types)

3.1.   Somu said to his brother,” You stay here till I come back”.

3.2.   Seema asked her son, ”Where were you when I called you?”

3.3.   Senan asked his teacher, ”Will you come and meet my father today or the next day?”

3.4.   Suresh said, ”I must go and see my father.”

3.5.   Syama said to her daughter, “Please bring me a glass of water.”

3.6.   The commander said to him, “Come and see me in the morning.”

3.7.   The leader said to the followers, “I met the minister yesterday and we discussed this issue in     

            detail.”

3.8.   My mother said, “What a wonderful idea!”

3.9.   My father said, “How bright she is!”

3.10.      The little girl said, “I am going to play a new game.”

3.11.      The man said, “ We were looking for a gap in the wall to get out from this place.”

3.12.      Manu said, “I already have enough troubles of my own.”

3.13.      The teacher said, “The Americans speak English and the Chinese speak Chinese.”

3.14.      My uncle said, “I have a Chinese friend who speaks Spanish.”

3.15.      My cousin said, “There will not be any programme after today’s meeting.”

3.16.      The old woman said, “My son came to my rescue.”

3.17.      The constable asked the old man, “What were you doing here?”

3.18.      My neighbour asked me, “Did you see my friend?”

3.19.      Leela asked me, “Didn’t you see him?”

3.20.      Tanya asked her, “Have you seen my puppy?”

3.21.      Kavya asked her, “Do you go there often?”

3.22.      Balu asked him, “Were you playing football?”

3.23.      Anita asked him, “Did you see my bag?”

3.24.      Amu said, “Let’s watch a movie.”

3.25.      Anu asked her friend, “Is it true that you are going abroad?”

4.      Inverted sentences and negative words (the use of hardly, scarcely, never….)

• Rewrite the following sentences beginning with the word underlined. 

4.1.   I have never visited this place.

4.2.   It was only then that I saw him.

4.3.   I barely knew it was his plan.

4.4.   Barking dogs seldom bite.

4.5.   They hardly visit such places.

5.      Conjunctions (so…that, as well as, too…to)

• Combine the following pairs sentences using the words in brackets.

5.1.   They all liked the song that we sang. They all liked the painting that we did. (as well as)

5.2.   You may run very fast. Still you will not catch the train (however)

5.3.   My friend works in an office. My neighbour also works in an office. (not only.. but also)

5.4.   He is running very slowly. He will not reach the finishing point in time. (too…. to)

5.5.   We were tired. We took shelter under a tree. (so)

5.6.   This computer is too slow. It cannot be used for office work. (so….. that)

5.7.   We arrived at the station. The train left just then. (No sooner…)

5.8.   The teacher entered the class. The students stood up. (as soon as)

5.9.   The newspaper reached the stands. Soon it was sold out. (hardly)

5.10.      He was not interested in painting. But he kept a set of brushes with him. (although)

5.11.      You have to fill in an application form. Otherwise you will not be called in. (unless)

5.12.      He was not bright. He was not rich. (neither…nor)

5.13.      He has copied this from a book. Or he downloaded it from the Internet. (either.. or)

5.14.      They had been looking for a new machine. Their old one broke down last night. (since)

5.15.      He had no chances of winning. Still he took part in the competition. (nevertheless)

5.16.      He is studying very well. His brother is very lazy. (whereas)

5.17.      The bus was late. I missed the show. (therefore)

5.18.      He works hard. He wants to be rich. (in order that)

5.19.      He speaks harshly. He wants to irritate me. (in order to)

5.20.      He ran away. I thought he had been shot. (as if)

5.21.      He ran fast. He will not be caught. (so that)

5.22.      You are bringing in a new idea. You think I will raise your pay. (so that)

5.23.      It is too late. Still we must go out. (as it is)

5.24.      Always speak the truth. Or people will not respect you. (lest)

5.25.     The telephone rang often. Each time my brother answered it. (whenever)

5.26.      They do not have much time. They must work hard. (therefore)

5.27.      He saw the warden. He ran away immediately. ( (4) as soon as, no sooner than, hardly, scarcely)

5.28.      Turn to the right. You will see the tank. (if)

5.29.      She cannot win the prize. She may work day and night. (even if)

5.30.      He will pass. He works so hard. (for)

6.      Participles (‘ –ing’ forms)

• Combine using a participle

6.1.   The house door was open. The valuables were stolen.

6.2.   He found his revolver. He loaded it.

6.3.   The people elected him. They gave him their full support.

6.4.   He was walking in the forest.  He saw a wild elephant.

6.5.   I finished my work. I went for a walk.

6.6.   It was a very hot day. I remained in my room.

6.7.   They were very busy. I couldn’t meet them.

6.8.   He had spent all his money. He decided to go home.

6.9.   He staggered back. He fell to the ground.

6.10.  We started early. We arrived at noon.

7.      Antonyms (words which are opposite in meaning)

• Replace the underlined word with the one given in brackets without changing the meaning.

7.1.   I will never forget the way you helped me today. (remember)

7.2.   Everyone wants to be rich. (poor)

7.3.   The culprit was punished. (exonerated)

7.4.   His application was accepted. (rejected)

7.5.   He was drunk. (sober)

8.      Sentence types (change one type to another)

• Change the punctuation without changing the meaning much.

8.1.   If this is how you take suggestions, how will you ever learn a lesson? (full stop)

8.2.   How cool the inside of this building is! (full stop)

8.3.   They all liked it. (question mark)

8.4.   This is a really wonderful idea. (exclamation mark)

8.5.   How strange! (full stop)

9.      One part of speech for another (adjective for noun or adverb for noun or verb for noun)

• Rewrite using the word given in brackets.

9.1.   He was running very fast. (speed)

9.2.   This idea interested me (interest)

9.3.   My friend is wealthy enough to start a new business. (wealth)

9.4.   We do not listen to their suggestions. (suggest)

9.5.   They arrived earlier than usual. (arrival)

9.6.   This old man is very wise. (wisdom)

9.7.   I loved them so much. (love)

9.8.   It takes good communication skills for your speech to be brief. (brevity)

9.9.   I encouraged him much. (courage)

9.10.We were very grateful to him. (gratitude)

10.  Miscellaneous

• Fill in the blanks with the correct word, phrase or its forms.

10.1.     _______________ my warning, he went out. (In spite, despite)

10.2.     I found this _______ hundreds of books. (between, among)

10.3.     I was sitting ________ two old monks. ( between, among)

10.4.     I was sitting ________ two old monks (among, beside)

10.5.     _________ the three monks, I was sitting on the bench. (between, besides)

10.6.     Listen! I think the telephone _________ ( ring)

10.7.     He saw that they ________ the wrong road. (take)

10.8.     There was ______ water in the cup and I drank it. (little)

10.9.     __________ boys in the class went out when the bell rang. (few)

10.10. This is a ____________ interesting topic. (fairly, rather)

10.11. Your house is ________ from the school than mine. (further, farther)

10.12.  No ________ than sixty passengers were injured. (lesser, fewer)

10.13.  He is my ________ brother. (elder, older)

10.14.  My sister is _______ than me (elder, older)

10.15.  Amit is the _______ boy in the class. (eldest, oldest)

Answers

1.      Change of voice (passive and active)

• Begin with the words underlined or suggested:

1.1.    A dam is being built across this river by my friend’s construction company

1.2.    The tremor was felt by them a few minutes after the actual earthquake happened.

1.3.   The lead role in that play has been played by her.

1.4.   Very short letters are written by many of my friends living abroad.

1.5.   Some poor students from the nearby villages were being taught by my father.

1.6.   The question had been asked to him many times by her.

He had been asked the question many times by her.

1.7.   Most of next year’s work will be finished by us by the end of the year.

1.8.   Her lessons will have been finished by her three years from now.

1.9.   It is felt that incidents such as this should not happen again. (Begin with ‘It’.)

2.      Comparison of adjectives (positive, comparative and superlative)

• Use the other two degrees in each case:

2.1.   I am one of the richest people in India.

I am richer than many other people in India.

2.2.   No other idea is as good as this.

       This is better than all the other ideas.

2.3.   Rekha is more studious than all the other girls in the class.

Rekha is the most studious girl in the class.

2.4.   No other boy in the class is as smart as Sumesh.

        Sumesh is the smartest boy in the class.

2.5.   No one else speaks as fast as he does.

       He speaks the fastest.

2.6.   No other continent in the world is as small as Australia.

Australia is the smaller than any other in the world.

2.7.   Ambassador cars of no other colour consume as little fuel as red Ambassador cars.

 Red Ambassador cars consume the least fuel.

2.8.   No other butter is as bitter as this butter.

        This is bitter than any other butter.

3.      Reported speech (direct and indirect with tense changes)

• Report the following speeches. (be careful about tense, person, sentence types)

3.1.   Somu told his brother to stay there till he came back.

3.2.   Seema asked her son where he had been when she called him.

3.3.   Senan asked his teacher whether he would come and meet his father that day or the next.

3.4.   Suresh said that he had to go and see his father.

3.5.   Syama asked her daughter bring her a glass of water.

3.6.   The commander ordered him to go and see him in the morning.

3.7.   The leader said to the followers that he had met the minister the previous day and they had    

            discussed that issue in detail.

3.8.   My mother exclaimed that it was a really wonderful idea.

3.9.   My father exclaimed that she was really bright.

3.10.   The little girl said that she was going to play a new game.

3.11.   The man said that they had been looking for a gap in the wall to get out from that place.

3.12.   Manu said that he already had enough troubles of his own.

3.13.   The teacher said that the Americans speak English and the Chinese speak Chinese.

3.14.   My uncle said that he had a Chinese friend who spoke Spanish.

3.15.   My cousin said that there would not be any programme after that day’s meeting.

3.16.   The old woman said that her son had come to her rescue.

3.17.   The constable asked the old man what he had been doing there.

3.18.   My neighbour asked me whether I had seen his friend.

3.19.   Leela asked me whether I hadn’t seen him.

3.20.   Tanya asked her whether she had seen her puppy.

3.21.   Kavya asked her whether he went there often.

3.22.   Balu asked him whether he had been playing football.

3.23.   Anita asked him whether he had seen her bag.

3.24.   Amu said that they should watch a movie.

3.25.   Anu asked her friend whether it was true that she (he) was going abroad.

4.      Inverted sentences and negative words (the use of hardly, scarcely, never….)

• Rewrite the following sentences beginning with the word underlined. 

4.1.   Never have I visited this place.

4.2.   Only then did I see him.

4.3.   Barely did know it was his plan.

4.4.   Seldom do barking dogs bite.

4.5.   Hardly do they visit such places.

5.      Conjunctions (so…that, as well as, too…to)

• Combine the following pairs sentences using the words in brackets.

5.1.   They all liked the song that we sang as well as the painting that we did. 

5.2.   However fast you may run very, you will not catch the train.

5.3.   Not only my friend but also my neighbour works in an office.

5.4.   He is running too slowly to reach the finishing point in time.

5.5.   We were tired, so took shelter under a tree. 

5.6.   This computer is so slow that it cannot be used for office work. 

5.7.   No sooner did we arrive at the station than the train left.

5.8.   As soon as the teacher entered the class the students stood up.

5.9.   Hardly had the newspaper reached the stands when it was sold out. 

5.10.         Although he was not interested in painting, but he kept a set of brushes with him.

5.11.         Unless you fill in an application form, you will not be called in.

5.12.         He was neither bright nor rich.

5.13.         He has either copied this from a book or downloaded it from the Internet. 

5.14.         They had been looking for a new machine, since their old one broke down last night. 

5.15.         He had no chances of winning; nevertheless he took part in the competition. 

5.16.         He is studying very well whereas his brother is very lazy.  

5.17.         The bus was late; therefore I missed the show.

5.18.         He works hard in order that he will be rich. 

5.19.         He speaks harshly in order to irritate me. 

5.20.         He ran away as if he had been shot. 

5.21.         He ran fast so that he will not be caught. 

5.22.         You are bringing in a new idea so that I will raise your pay. 

5.23.         Late as it is, we must go out. 

5.24.         Always speak the truth lest people should not respect you. 

5.25.        Whenever he telephone rang, my brother answered it. 

5.26.         They do not have much time; therefore they must work hard. 

5.27.         As soon as he saw the warden he ran away

            No sooner did he see the warden than he ran away.

            Hardly had he seen the warden when he ran away.

            Scarcely had he seen the warden when he ran away.

5.28.         If you turn to the right you will see the tank. 

5.29.         She cannot win the prize even if she works day and night.

5.30.         He will pass; for he works so hard. 

6.      Participles (‘ –ing’ forms)

• Combine using a participle

6.1.   The house door being open, the valuables were known.

6.2.   Having found his revolver, he loaded it.

6.3.   The people elected him, giving him their full support.

6.4.   Walking in the forest, he saw a wild elephant.

6.5.   Having finished my work, I went for a walk.

6.6.   It being a very hot day, I remained in my room.

6.7.   They being very busy, I couldn’t meet them.

6.8.   Having spent all his money, he decided to go home.

6.9.   Staggering back, he fell to the ground.

6.10.     Having started early, we arrived at noon.

7.      Antonyms (words which are opposite in meaning)

• Replace the underlined word with the one given in brackets without changing the meaning.

7.1.   I will always remember the way you helped me today. 

7.2.   No one wants to be poor.

7.3.   The culprit was not exonerated.

7.4.   His application was not rejected.

7.5.   He was not sober.

8.      Sentence types (change one type to another)

• Change the punctuation without changing the meaning much.

8.1.   If this is how you take suggestions, you will never learn a lesson.

8.2.   The inside of this building is really cool.

8.3.   Who didn’t like it?

8.4.   What a wonderful idea!

8.5.   This is very strange.

9.      One part of speech for another (adjective for noun or adverb for noun or verb for noun)

• Rewrite using the word given in brackets.

9.1.   He was running at a great speed.

9.2.   This idea was of interest to me.

9.3.   My friend has enough wealth to start a new business. 

9.4.   We do not listen to what they suggest. 

9.5.   Their arrival was earlier than usual. 

9.6.   This old man has great wisdom.

9.7.   I gave them so much love.

9.8.   It takes good communication skills for your speech to have brevity. 

9.9.   I gave him so much courage. 

9.10.We had great gratitude for him.

10.  Miscellaneous

• Fill in the blanks with the correct word, phrase or its forms.

10.1.     Despite my warning, he went out.

10.2.     I found this among hundreds of books.

10.3.     I was sitting between two old monks.

10.4.     I was sitting beside two old monks.

10.5.     Besides the three monks, I too was sitting on the bench. 

10.6.     Listen! I think the telephone is ringing.

10.7.     He saw that they had the wrong road.

10.8.     There was a little water in the cup and I drank it. 

10.9.     The few boys in the class went out when the bell rang. 

10.10. This is a fairly interesting topic. 

10.11. Your house is farther from the school than mine.

10.12.  No fewer than sixty passengers were injured. 

10.13.  He is my elder brother.

10.14.  My sister is older than me.

10.15.  Amit is the oldest boy in the class.   

SK/Grammar questions and answers/ICSE2005/RVS