A Remedial English
Grammar
CHAPTERS
ARTICLES
AGREEMENT OF VERB AND SUBJECT
CONCORD OF NOUNS, PRONOUNS AND POSSESSIVE
ADJECTIVES
CONFUSION OF ADJECTIVES AND ADVERBS
DIFFICULTIES WITH COMPARATIVE AND SUPERLATIVES
CONFUSION OF PARTICIPLES: ACTIVE & PASSIVE
PREPOSITIONS
NEGATIVE VERBS
TENSES 1, 2 & 3
THE INFINITIVE
Tenses 1
Present tense: Simple and Continuous
Simple
 Universal truth
E.g. The earth moves round the sun
 Habitual/recurrent action
The school starts functioning at 9.30 am
 For permanent situations
This river flows to the Arabian sea
Tenses 1
Continuous
 Activity happening at the time of speaking
E.g. The bell is ringing at the temple
 Temporary situations
E.g. Boniface is standing near the bridge
Tenses 1
Exceptions
 For verbs come and go, if the sentences
begin with here and there, simple present
tense is used
E.g. Here they come.
There goes the bus.
 Verbs denoting physical senses use simple
form
E.g. I see a tram coming
Tenses 1
When ‘feel’ means ‘experience a sensation’ and
‘think’ means ‘be of the opinion’, then simple
tense is used.
E.g. I feel tired.
I think you should reconsider your
decision.
 Simple and continuous can refer to future in the
active form
E.g. The PM visits Kerala next month.
The PM is visiting Kerala next month.

Tenses 1
Past tense: Simple and Continuous
Activity as in progress in the past
E.g. When we arrived they were having
lunch.
 Habitual activity/past belief
E.g. We had our lunch at 12.30 in those
days

Tenses 1
Activity on one particular occasion viewed
retrospectively
E.g. The train arrived ten minutes late

Activity viewed in its entirety after its
completion
E.g. I slept for three hours
