SEE English Grammar Complete Guide - Tenses, Voice, Speech, Prepositions
Complete SEE English Grammar guide covering all tenses, active/passive voice, direct/indirect speech, prepositions, and practice exercises for SEE 2026.
Subesh Yadav··Updated June 10, 2026·14 min read
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
SEE English Grammar Overview#
Grammar carries 20-25 marks in SEE English. Master these core topics for guaranteed marks.
1. Tenses#
12 Tenses Overview#
| Tense | Structure | Example | Use |
|---|---|---|---|
| Present Simple | S + V1/V1+s/es | She writes | Habits, facts |
| Present Continuous | S + is/am/are + Ving | She is writing | Now, temporary |
| Present Perfect | S + has/have + V3 | She has written | Completed, relevant |
| Present Perfect Continuous | S + has/have been + Ving | She has been writing | Started past, continuing |
| Past Simple | S + V2 | She wrote | Completed past |
| Past Continuous | S + was/were + Ving | She was writing | At specific past time |
| Past Perfect | S + had + V3 | She had written | Before another past |
| Past Perfect Continuous | S + had been + Ving | She had been writing | Duration before past |
| Future Simple | S + will + V1 | She will write | Prediction, promise |
| Future Continuous | S + will be + Ving | She will be writing | At future time |
| Future Perfect | S + will have + V3 | She will have written | By future time |
| Future Perfect Continuous | S + will have been + Ving | She will have been writing | Duration by future time |
Key Time Markers#
| Tense | Time Markers |
|---|---|
| Present Simple | always, usually, often, every day, on Sundays |
| Present Continuous | now, at the moment, currently, look!, listen! |
| Present Perfect | already, yet, just, since, for, ever, never |
| Past Simple | yesterday, last week, in 2020, ago |
| Past Continuous | at 5 PM yesterday, while, when |
| Past Perfect | before, after, by the time |
| Future Simple | tomorrow, next week, soon, in future |
| Future Perfect | by tomorrow, by next year, by then |
Exam Tip
SEE often tests: Present Simple vs Continuous, Past Simple vs Perfect, Future Simple vs Continuous. Know the markers!
Passive Voice in All Tenses#
| Tense | Active | Passive |
|---|---|---|
| Present Simple | writes | is written |
| Present Continuous | is writing | is being written |
| Present Perfect | has written | has been written |
| Past Simple | wrote | was written |
| Past Continuous | was writing | was being written |
| Past Perfect | had written | had been written |
| Future Simple | will write | will be written |
| Modal (can/could) | can write | can be written |
Voice Change Practice
Active: She writes a letter.
Passive: A letter is written by her.
Active: They are building a house.
Passive: A house is being built by them.
Active: He has finished the work.
Passive: The work has been finished by him.
Active: She will teach English.
Passive: English will be taught by her.
2. Voice Change Rules#
Active to Passive Steps#
- Object becomes Subject
- Verb changes to be + V3
- Subject becomes Object (by + agent)
- Tense remains same
- Pronouns change: I → me, we → us, he → him, she → her, they → them
Complete Transformation
Active: Ram helps Sita.
Passive: Sita is helped by Ram.
Active: The teacher is teaching us.
Passive: We are being taught by the teacher.
Active: Someone stole my pen.
Passive: My pen was stolen. (agent unknown - omit)
Special Cases#
| Active | Passive |
|---|---|
| Imperative (Open the door) | Let the door be opened |
| Let + object + V1 (Let him go) | Let him be allowed to go |
| Infinitive (to + V1) | to be + V3 |
| Gerund (Ving) | being + V3 |
| Double object (gave me a book) | I was given a book / A book was given to me |
3. Reported Speech (Direct/Indirect)#
Basic Rules#
| Direct | Indirect | Rule |
|---|---|---|
| "I am happy," she said. | She said that she was happy. | Present → Past |
| "I will go," he said. | He said that he would go. | will → would |
| "I can swim," she said. | She said that she could swim. | can → could |
| "I must study," he said. | He said that he had to study. | must → had to |
| "Do you like it?" she asked. | She asked if/whether I liked it. | Question: if/whether |
| "Where do you live?" he asked. | He asked where I lived. | Wh-question: keep wh-word |
| "Open the door," he said. | He told/ordered me to open the door. | Imperative → to + V1 |
| "Don't touch it," she said. | She warned/advised me not to touch it. | Negative: not to + V1 |
Time/Place Changes#
| Direct | Indirect |
|---|---|
| now | then |
| today | that day |
| yesterday | the day before / the previous day |
| tomorrow | the next day / the following day |
| last week | the week before / the previous week |
| next week | the following week |
| here | there |
| this | that |
| these | those |
| ago | before |
Reporting Verbs#
| Direct | Indirect Reporting Verbs |
|---|---|
| Statement | said, told, informed, stated, declared |
| Question | asked, inquired, wanted to know |
| Command/Request | ordered, told, asked, requested, advised, warned |
| Exclamation | exclaimed, cried out, shouted |
Reported Speech Practice
Direct: "I am reading a book," she said.
Indirect: She said that she was reading a book.
Direct: "Will you help me?" he asked.
Indirect: He asked if/whether I would help him.
Direct: "Please open the window," she said.
Indirect: She requested me to open the window.
Direct: "What a beautiful day!" he exclaimed.
Indirect: He exclaimed that it was a very beautiful day.
4. Prepositions#
Time Prepositions#
| Preposition | Use | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| at | Exact time | at 5 PM, at noon, at midnight |
| on | Days, dates | on Monday, on July 15, on my birthday |
| in | Months, years, seasons, parts of day | in July, in 2026, in summer, in the morning |
| by | Deadline | by 5 PM, by Friday |
| since | From past point | since Monday, since 2020 |
| for | Duration | for 2 hours, for 3 years |
| during | Within period | during the meeting, during summer |
| before/after | Relative time | before lunch, after school |
| from...to/until | Period | from 9 to 5, until Friday |
Place Prepositions#
| Preposition | Use | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| at | Point | at home, at school, at the bus stop |
| on | Surface | on the table, on the wall, on the floor |
| in | Enclosed space | in the room, in Kathmandu, in Nepal |
| above/over | Higher than | above the clouds, over the bridge |
| below/under | Lower than | below the surface, under the table |
| between | Two things | between Ram and Sita |
| among | More than two | among friends |
| near/by | Close to | near the temple, by the river |
| in front of/behind | Position | in front of the house |
| next to/beside | Side by side | beside me |
Movement Prepositions#
| Preposition | Use | Example |
|---|---|---|
| to | Destination | go to school |
| into | Entering | walk into the room |
| onto | Moving to surface | climb onto the roof |
| out of | Leaving | walk out of the room |
| from | Origin | come from Nepal |
| through | Passage | walk through the tunnel |
| across | Crossing | swim across the river |
| along | Following | walk along the road |
| around | Circular | walk around the park |
Common Preposition Errors#
| Incorrect | Correct | Reason |
|---|---|---|
| He is good in English | He is good at English | good at |
| She is married with him | She is married to him | married to |
| He is interested to learn | He is interested in learning | interested in |
| She depends on her parents | She depends on her parents | depends on |
| He is different from me | He is different from me | different from |
| I prefer tea than coffee | I prefer tea to coffee | prefer X to Y |
| He died from cancer | He died of cancer | die of (illness) |
| The train arrived to Kathmandu | The train arrived in/at Kathmandu | arrive in/at |
5. Sentence Transformation#
Common Transformations#
| From | To | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Affirmative | Negative | He is honest → He is not dishonest |
| Active | Passive | She writes → It is written by her |
| Direct | Indirect | "I am tired" → He said he was tired |
| Simple | Complex | He worked hard to pass → He worked hard so that he could pass |
| Simple | Compound | Being tired, he slept → He was tired, so he slept |
| Complex | Simple | He came when it was morning → He came in the morning |
| Superlative | Comparative | Everest is highest → Everest is higher than any other |
| Positive | Comparative | As tall as → Not taller than |
| Exclamatory | Assertive | What a beautiful day! → It is a very beautiful day |
| Interrogative | Assertive | Who doesn't love his country? → Everyone loves his country |
Degrees of Comparison#
| Positive | Comparative | Superlative |
|---|---|---|
| tall | taller | tallest |
| beautiful | more beautiful | most beautiful |
| good | better | best |
| bad | worse | worst |
| little | less | least |
| much/many | more | most |
Transformation Practice
Superlative to Comparative:
Everest is the highest mountain. → Everest is higher than any other mountain.
Positive to Comparative:
As tall as → Not taller than
Exclamatory to Assertive:
What a fool he is! → He is a great fool.
6. Error Correction#
Common Error Patterns#
| Error Type | Incorrect | Correct | Rule |
|---|---|---|---|
| Subject-Verb | The team are playing | The team is playing | Collective noun = singular |
| Each of the boys are | Each of the boys is | Each/every = singular | |
| Tense | He is working since morning | He has been working since morning | Since + Perfect Continuous |
| If I was you, I would go | If I were you, I would go | Subjunctive: If I were | |
| Preposition | He is good in English | He is good at English | good at |
| She married with him | She married him / got married to | marry + object / married to | |
| Article | He is a honest man | He is an honest man | an before vowel sound |
| The gold is precious | Gold is precious | No 'the' for materials in general | |
| Pronoun | Everyone should do their work | Everyone should do his/her work | Singular antecedent |
| Between you and I | Between you and me | Object pronoun after preposition | |
| Number | Five rupees are enough | Five rupees is enough | Amount = singular |
| Many a student have come | Many a student has come | Many a + singular verb | |
| Word Order | He only eats rice | He eats only rice | Only before word it modifies |
| Double Negative | I don't know nothing | I don't know anything | One negative only |
| He hasn't got no money | He hasn't got any money | One negative only |
Common Confusables#
| Word Pair | Difference | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Affect/Effect | Affect = verb, Effect = noun | Rain affects crops. Effect of rain. |
| Advice/Advise | Advice = noun, Advise = verb | Give advice. I advise you. |
| Practice/Practise | Practice = noun, Practise = verb | Practice makes perfect. Practise daily. |
| Lose/Loose | Lose = verb, Loose = adjective | Don't lose it. Loose shirt. |
| Their/There/They're | Possessive/Place/They are | Their book. There it is. They're happy. |
| Your/You're | Possessive/You are | Your book. You're late. |
| Its/It's | Possessive/It is | Its color. It's raining. |
| Who/Whom | Subject/Object | Who called? Whom did you see? |
Practice Exercises#
Exercise 1: Tense Forms
- She usually _____ (go) to school by bus.
- Look! It _____ (rain).
- I _____ (finish) my homework just now.
- They _____ (play) football when it started raining.
- By next year, he _____ (complete) his degree.
Exercise 2: Voice Change
- Who wrote this book?
- Someone is cleaning the room.
- They have cancelled the meeting.
- The police caught the thief.
- You must submit the form by Friday.
Exercise 3: Reported Speech
- "I am tired," she said.
- "Will you come tomorrow?" he asked.
- "Please help me," she said.
- "Where do you live?" he asked.
- "What a beautiful flower!" she exclaimed.
Exercise 5: Error Correction
- He is working conditionals
- Each of the students have a book.
- If I was you, I would study harder.
- She is married with a doctor.
- The news are very good.
- Everyone should bring their own lunch.
- I don't know nothing about it.
Exercise 4: Prepositions
- He is good _____ English.
- She is interested _____ music.
- He died _____ cancer.
- I prefer tea _____ coffee.
- The train arrived _____ Kathmandu at noon.
Exercise 6: Transformation
- Change to passive: They are building a new school.
- Change to indirect: "I will help you," he said.
- Change to comparative: Kathmandu is the biggest city.
- Change to negative: He is always punctual.
- Change to exclamatory: It is a very hot day.
SEE Grammar Checklist#
Before Exam - Must Revise
- All 12 tense forms with examples
- Passive voice for all tenses
- Direct → Indirect speech rules
- 50 common prepositions with verbs/adjectives
- 20 error correction patterns
- 10 sentence transformations
- 15 confusing word pairs
- Subject-verb agreement rules
- Article usage rules
- Question tags
Last-Minute Tips#
"Grammar is the logic of speech, even as logic is the grammar of reason." - Richard Chenevix Trench
Good luck with your SEE English Grammar preparation!
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