Playbook

Grammar — Rules bundle (PoS, S-V, prepositions, speech, voice, articles)

58 q across the 7 thin grammar subtopics. Each tests one of the foundational rules — Parts of Speech (15), S-V (10), Prepositions (10), Direct/Indirect speech (7), Correct Sentence Identification (7), Articles+Determiners (6), Active/Passive (3).

questions in the bank
58
tagged HARD
7%
subtopic(s) covered
7
worked examples
0

When you’ll see it

A thin grammar question — parts of speech identification, preposition usage, direct/indirect speech conversion, voice change, article/determiner choice.

How this question type works

58 q across 7 thin subtopics. Each tests one foundational rule. They're bundled into one playbook because (a) each subtopic is too small for its own deep-dive, and (b) the prep is the same — read a standard grammar reference once, drill the bank.

Highest-yield within the bundle: Parts of Speech (15 q — identify noun/verb/adjective/adverb in context), S-V (10 q — same as Errors S-V), Preposition Usage (10 q — same as Errors WCPP). These three account for 60% of the bundle.

Direct↔Indirect Speech (7 q at 28% HARD) is the hardest sub-skill in the bundle. The conversion rules are mechanical (tense backshift + pronoun shift + adverb shift) but tedious. If short on time, drill conversions on 10 sentences and move on.

The sub-skills

The rules and habits that decide whether you get this question right.

  • Parts of speech identification (in context)

    Same word, different POS depending on usage. 'I run fast' (verb) vs 'I went for a run' (noun). Identify by position and function, not by guess.

  • Direct ↔ indirect speech conversion

    Tense backshift + pronouns shift to third person + adverbs shift (yesterday → the day before, today → that day, here → there).

  • Active ↔ passive voice

    Subject swap + 'be' + past participle + 'by' agent. Only transitive verbs convert. Modal in passive: 'must be done', not 'must do'.

Traps to expect

Distractor shapes specific to this playbook. The page-wide Traps section covers the bank-level patterns.

  • Same-word, wrong-POS option

    An option that's the right word but in the wrong POS form. 'kindly' (adverb) vs 'kindness' (noun) — both feel right in casual reading.

Drill every grammar — rules bundle (pos, s-v, prepositions, speech, voice, articles) question

58 questions from the bank, scoped to 7 bundled subtopics.

Related playbooks

Often paired with this one — drill these next if you found the worked examples above tractable.