23 Essential Grammar Rules Every SEE Entrance Exam Student Must Know!

⭕️ Rule 1: When we combine the words in a phrase by hyphenating them to make it an adjective or a noun, we must use the singular noun.

Examples:

a. I saw a two-rupee note in the way.

b. It was a nine-week exhibition.

⭕️Rule 2: When pronouns of different persons are used in a sentence, we arrange them following ways:

◾️Good Sense: 2+3+1

Examples:

a. You, he and I shall study for the exam. (231)

b. He and I have finished our work. (31)

c. You and he have done a great job. (23)

(Here, 1, 2 and 3 represent 1st, 2nd and 3rd Person Pronouns respectively.)

◾️Bad Sense: 1+2+3

Examples:

a. I, you and he have made a blunder. (123)

b. You and he have done this mischief. (23)

◾️ Plural Pronouns: 1+2+3

Examples:

a. We, You and they should now get down to work. (123)

⭕️Rule 3: When we make comparison between two Subjective cases, we use subject case of a pronoun after as/than;

Examples:

i. He is taller than I. 

ii. She is as tall as he. 

⚠️Note: If comparison is made between two objective cases, we use objective case of a pronoun after as/than;

Examples:

a. I know you as much as him.

b. She likes me more than them

⭕️Rule 4: The Subjective case of pronoun is used after 'be' verbs.

Examples:

(a) It is I who am responsible for the mistake.

(b) It was they who were at the meeting yesterday.

(c) It is I.

⭕️Rule 5: Uses of Each other and One another

◾️Each other is used for two persons or things.

Example:

a. We love each other. (two persons)

◾️ One another is used for more than two persons or things.

Example: The students of class 10 bade one another good bye.

 ⭕️Rule 6: Uses of Either and Neither

◾️Either means 'any one of two'. 

Example:

a. Either of these two pens is red.

⚠️Note: If we mean to say 'any one of more than two' we use either 'any' or 'one'.

Example:

a. One of these three friends is naughty.

 ◾️Neither means 'not any one of the two'.

Example:

a. Neither of these two girls is active.

⚠️Note: If we mean to say 'not any one of more than three', we use 'none'.

Example:

a. None of his four sons looked after him.

⭕️Rule 7:  Uses of One and Ones

◾️One is used to avoid repeating the same Singular noun multiple times in a sentence.

Example: 

a. She likes a blue pen but I like the black one.

 ◾️Ones is used to avoid repeating the same Plural noun multiple times in a sentence.

Example:

a. These are new books but those are new ones.

⭕️Rule 8: Order of Adjective

The order of adjectives is as follows:

1. Determiner (a, an, the, my, your, etc.)

2. Quantity (two, ten, a dozen, many, etc.)

3. Opinion (beautiful, nice, smart, etc.)

4. Size (big, small, tall, short, etc.)

5. Shape (round, square, rectangular, etc.)

7. Age (old, new, young, etc.)

8. Color (red, blue, green, etc.)

9. Origin (Italian, American, Mexican, etc.)

10. Material (wooden, metal, plastic, etc.)

11. Purpose or qualifier (cooking, swimming, sleeping, etc.)

Examples:

- A beautiful big white sailboat

- An old French antique mirror

- A small round wooden table

- A smart young Chinese engineer

- A tall thin metal vase

- A delicious homemade apple pie

- A cute little pink stuffed bunny

- A stylish Italian leather jacket

⭕️Rule 9: Use of as if/as though

◾️ S + v1/v5 + o + as if/ as though + S + were + o. (Unreal situation at present with be verb)

◾️S + v1/v5 + o + as if/as though + s + v2 + o. (Unreal situation at Present)

◾️ s + v2 + o + as if/ as though + s + had + v3 + o. (Unreal situation in the past)

Examples:

She looks as if she were sick.

She walks as though she studied modeling.

He talked about the concert as if he had taken part in it.

⭕️Rule 10: Use of little /a little/ few/ a few

◾️Uses of Little/Few

✅ Little/A little + Uncountable Noun

✅ Few/ A few + Countable Noun (Plural)

◾️ To refer negative ideas, ‘little' means not much /'few' means 'not many'

Examples:

Hurry up. There is little time left. ( not much time )

He isn't famous. He has few friends. ( not many friends)

◾️Use of a little /a few

 'A little' means some or a small amount of. 'A few' means some or a small number of

• Used for Positive ideas

Examples:

a. Let's have a drink. We have a little time left.

( It means some time/ a small amount of time that is enough time to have a drink.)

b. I enjoy life here. I have a few friends and we meet quite often. 

( It means some friends/ a small number of friends, that is enough to have a good time.)

⭕️Rule 11: Use of Another/Other

◾️Another + singular countable noun

( The statement is general.)

◾️ The other + singular countable noun

( The statement is specific. )

◾️Other + plural countable noun

( The statement is general.)

◾️ The other+ plural countable noun

( The statement is specific. )

Examples:

I don't want this cup of coffee. Give me another cup/another one/ another.

I don't want this book. Give me the other book / the other one/ the other you had shown me previously.

⭕️Rule 13: But/However joins affirmative statements to negative

Examples:

a. He can sing but he can't dance.

b. She speaks French. However, she doesn't write it.

⭕️Rule 14: Some Contractions

• am + not = aren’t 

• 'd + better = had better 

• 'd + rather = would rather 

• 'd + v1 = would v1 

• 'd + v3 = had + v3 

• 's + v3 = has + v3 (active voice) 

• ‘s + v3 (passive voice) 

• ‘s + v3 (passive voice with past time adverbial) 

• 's + v4 = is + v4 

• ‘s + v4 (past time adverbial)

⭕️Rule 15: 231 RULE of Personal Pronoun for Question Tag

(Here, 1 = first person; 2 = second person; 3 = third person) 

 ◾️2 + 3 + 1 = 1 (we) 

e.g. You, he and I are doing our duties well, aren’t we? 

◾️ 2 + 3 = 2 (you) 

e.g. You and he didn’t complete your work, did you? 

 ◾️3 + 1 = 1 (we) 

e.g. He and I love you, don’t we? 

 ◾️2 + 1 = 1 (we) 

e.g. You and I go to Jhutki, don’t we?

◾️ 3 + 3 = 3 (they) 

e.g. Ram and Sita are friends, aren’t they?

⭕️Rule 16:  Noun/Pronoun + as well as/ together with/ along with/ besides/ accompanied by/ except + Noun/Pronoun

✅ Question Tag is used according to the first subject 

e.g. Rohit as well as his wife goes to Janakpur, doesn’t he?

⭕️Rule 18: Sentences in Reporting Structure

✅Question tag is used according to the Reporting clause.

e.g. He told me that she was ill, didn’t he?

⭕️Rule19: I/we + believe/ think/ guess/ know/ reckon/ suppose + (that) clause.

✅Question Tag is made according to the Reported clause.

e.g. I think she will come, won’t she?

⚠️Note: S + (except I/We) + believe/ think/ guess/ know/ reckon/suppose + (that) clause.

✅Question Tag is used according to these verbs (believe/think/guess/know/reckon/suppose)

e.g. She thinks that I shall come, doesn’t she?

 

⭕️Rule 20: Complex Sentences

✅Question Tag is made according to the Main clause.

e.g.When the policeman came, the thief had run away, hadn’t he?

She will meet you if you call her, won’t she?

⭕️Rule 21: Wish - conditional

(a) To expect the desirous situation in the present.

◾️ S + Wish + s + would + v1 + ....

e.g. I wish students would keep quiet in the class.

I wish she would meet me.

(b) Present Wish

◾️S + wish + S + were + o. (Be verb)

 ◾️S + wish + s + v2 + O. (other verbs)

e.g.

I wish I were the Prime minister of Nepal.

I wish I had a car.

(c) To regret the past situation

◾️S + wish + past perfect.

e.g. I wish I hadn't left my village.

I wish I had met her earlier.

(d) Desire to have ability about something in the present situation.

◾️ S + Wish + s + could + v1 + ... 

e.g.

I wish I could reach the top of Mt. Everest.

Note: Wish can be replaced with if only.

I wish I had a car./

If only I had a car.

Rule 22: 'Would rather' used for Preferences

I) Present Preference

• S + would rather + v1 + other words + than + v1 + other words.

Examples:

a. She would rather watch television than play the guitar today.

(She prefers watching television to playing the guitar.)

II) Past Preference

• S + would rather + have + v3 + other words + than + v3 + other words.

Example:

a. She would rather have watched television than played the guitar today.

⭕️Rule 23: Used to

◾️Used to + v1 (for Past habitual actions)

Example:

Ram used to talk with me. (Regular past habit of Ram)

◾️Used to + v4 

• S + be+ used to + v4 + .... (is habituated to)

• S + get + used to + v4 + ..... (became habituated to)

Examples:

a. I am used to eating breakfast at 8 O'clock in the morning. (is habituated)

b. I got used to eating breakfast at 8 O'clock in the morning. (became habituated to)