Parts of Speech and Tenses Notes for Competitive Exams
Komal Gupta
UPSC Exam Expert & Content Editor
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English grammar is tested in SSC, banking, railways, defence, state-level and many other competitive examinations through sentence correction, fill in the blanks, error spotting, cloze tests and para jumbles. Two chapters sit at the base of every grammar question: parts of speech and tenses. If you understand these well, most other topics become easy. This note explains the eight parts of speech with examples, the twelve tenses with their structure and uses, the rules where students commonly make mistakes, and a set of practice sentences, in simple language.
Eight Parts of Speech
Every word in a sentence belongs to one of eight classes, based on its job in the sentence.
| Part of speech | Function | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| Noun | Names a person, place, thing, idea or quality | Ravi, Delhi, book, honesty, team |
| Pronoun | Replaces a noun | he, she, it, they, who, which, myself |
| Adjective | Describes a noun or pronoun | tall, honest, three, this, some |
| Verb | Shows action, state or occurrence | run, is, have, become, study |
| Adverb | Describes a verb, adjective or another adverb | quickly, very, always, here |
| Preposition | Shows the relation of a noun or pronoun to another word | in, on, at, by, with, between |
| Conjunction | Joins words, phrases or clauses | and, but, because, although, unless |
| Interjection | Expresses a sudden feeling | Oh!, Alas!, Hurrah!, Wow! |
The same word can be different parts of speech in different sentences. In "He runs fast", fast is an adverb, but in "He is a fast runner", it is an adjective. In "Light the lamp", light is a verb; in "The light is bright", it is a noun. So always decide by the job of the word in the sentence.
Noun and Pronoun: Key Points
Nouns are of five kinds: proper (India), common (city), collective (team, jury), material (gold, water) and abstract (honesty). Some nouns are uncountable, such as information, advice, furniture, luggage, knowledge and news; they do not take a plural form or the article "a", so say "a piece of advice" and not "an advice". Pronouns must agree with the noun in number, gender and person. Use who for people and which for things, and use whom for the object: "The man whom I met was kind." Reflexive pronouns end in -self or -selves: "He hurt himself". Avoid mixing "one" and "he" in the same sentence.
Adjective and Adverb: Key Points
Adjectives have three degrees: positive (tall), comparative (taller) and superlative (tallest). Use "than" with the comparative: "She is taller than me". Words like senior, junior, superior and inferior are followed by "to", not "than". Use less for uncountable and fewer for countable nouns: "less water" but "fewer students". Much goes with uncountable and many with countable nouns. Adverbs like hardly, scarcely and barely have a negative sense, so do not use another negative with them. "Hardly had he arrived when it rained" is correct; the pattern is "hardly... when".
Preposition and Conjunction: Key Points
Use at for a point or time (at 5 p.m., at the station), on for days and surfaces (on Monday, on the table) and in for months, years and enclosed spaces (in May, in 2024, in the room). Between is for two and among is for more than two. Typical combinations: afraid of, good at, interested in, capable of, aware of, different from, prefer to, congratulate on. Conjunctions like although and but should not be used together in one sentence. "Although he was tired, he finished" is correct, not "Although he was tired, but he finished". Unless already has a negative meaning, so do not add "not" after it.
The Verb and Its Forms
A verb has three main forms: base (go), past (went) and past participle (gone). Regular verbs add -ed (walked, walked), while irregular verbs change (write, wrote, written). Auxiliary verbs (is, am, are, was, were, have, has, had, do, does, did, will, shall) help form tenses; modal verbs (can, could, may, might, must, should, would) show ability, permission, possibility or duty. The subject and the verb must agree in number, a rule we will study in the next chapter.
Twelve Tenses at a Glance
| Tense | Simple | Continuous | Perfect | Perfect continuous |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Present | She writes. | She is writing. | She has written. | She has been writing. |
| Past | She wrote. | She was writing. | She had written. | She had been writing. |
| Future | She will write. | She will be writing. | She will have written. | She will have been writing. |
Uses of the Tenses
Simple present is for habits, facts and general truths: "The sun rises in the east." Present continuous is for actions happening now or planned: "He is reading a book". Present perfect is for past actions with a present result and for experiences, with words like already, yet, just, ever, never, since and for: "I have finished my work". Present perfect continuous shows an action started in the past and still going on: "They have been waiting since morning." Simple past is for finished actions at a definite time: "She went to Mumbai last year." Do not use present perfect with definite past time words such as yesterday, last week or in 2020. Past continuous is for an action in progress at a past moment: "I was sleeping when you called." Past perfect is for the earlier of two past actions: "The train had left before I reached." Past perfect continuous shows a long action before another: "He had been working for five hours when the power failed." Simple future is for predictions and decisions: "I will call you." Future continuous is for an action in progress in the future: "This time tomorrow, I will be travelling." Future perfect is for an action that will be completed by a future time: "By next June, I will have finished the course." Future perfect continuous shows the duration up to a future time.
Important Rules on Tenses
- After if (first conditional), use present in the if-clause and future in the main clause: "If it rains, we will stay home."
- Do not use "will" after when, if, before, after and until in time clauses: say "I will call you when I reach", not "when I will reach".
- Verbs of perception and state (know, believe, like, want, see, hear, own) are not used in the continuous: say "I know him", not "I am knowing him".
- With since, use present perfect (or past perfect) tense in the main clause: "He has lived here since 2015."
- With for and a period of time, use perfect or perfect continuous: "She has been teaching for ten years."
- For universal truths, always use the simple present even in past reporting: "The teacher said that the earth moves around the sun."
- In indirect speech, tenses usually shift back by one step: "He said, 'I am ill'" becomes "He said that he was ill".
Practice Sentences
Correct the errors: (1) "He is knowing the answer." The correct form is "He knows the answer." (2) "I am living here since 2018." The correct form is "I have been living here since 2018." (3) "She has gone to Delhi yesterday." The correct form is "She went to Delhi yesterday." (4) "He gave me an advice." The correct form is "He gave me some advice." (5) "Hardly he had reached when it rained." The correct form is "Hardly had he reached when it rained." (6) "He is senior than me." The correct form is "He is senior to me." If you identified these errors, you are using the rules well.
Common Mistakes
Students confuse the simple past with the present perfect, use the continuous with stative verbs, add an extra helping verb, mix up fewer and less, and use the wrong preposition. They also forget that sentences with "if" need agreement between clauses. To avoid errors, first find the subject and the verb of the sentence, then check the time marker (yesterday, since, by next week), and decide the tense.
Quick Revision
- Eight parts of speech: noun, pronoun, adjective, verb, adverb, preposition, conjunction, interjection.
- Present perfect is not used with a definite past time; stative verbs are not used in continuous tense.
- Use "to" after senior, junior, superior and inferior; use "fewer" for countable nouns.
- No "will" in time clauses after when, if, before, after and until.
Grammar is a skill, not a set of rules to memorise. Read good English every day, write short sentences using the rules, and practise error-spotting regularly. In a few weeks, you will notice the correct form almost by ear.
Related Notes to Read Next
Continue your preparation with these related notes from the same subject:
- Subject-Verb Agreement and Error Spotting Notes
- Vocabulary Notes: Synonyms and Antonyms for Competitive Exams
- Idioms and Phrases Notes for Competitive Exams
- All English notes
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
What are the eight parts of speech?
The eight parts of speech are noun, pronoun, adjective, verb, adverb, preposition, conjunction and interjection.
What is the difference between an adjective and an adverb?
An adjective describes a noun or pronoun, while an adverb describes a verb, an adjective or another adverb.
How many tenses are there in English?
There are three main tenses, present, past and future, each with four forms: simple, continuous, perfect and perfect continuous, making twelve tenses.
When do we use the present perfect tense?
We use the present perfect for past actions with a result in the present, experiences and actions that started in the past and continue now, usually without a definite past time.
What is the difference between simple past and present perfect?
Simple past is for finished actions at a definite time in the past, while present perfect connects a past action with the present and does not use a definite past time.
Which verbs are not used in continuous tenses?
Stative verbs such as know, believe, like, love, want, own, hear and see (in the sense of perceive) are normally not used in continuous tenses.
What is the difference between "less" and "fewer"?
"Less" is used with uncountable nouns like water, and "fewer" is used with countable nouns like students.
Which preposition follows "senior" and "junior"?
Words like senior, junior, superior and inferior are followed by "to" and not "than".
What is the rule for "hardly" and "scarcely"?
They are followed by "when" or "before", and need inversion in the form "Hardly had he arrived when...". Do not use another negative word with them.
Why is "advice" not used with "an"?
"Advice" is an uncountable noun. We say "a piece of advice" or "some advice" instead of "an advice".
Can we use "will" after "if" or "when"?
No. In time and conditional clauses, use the simple present, as in "If it rains" and "when I reach", and not "will".
How can I improve my grammar for exams?
Learn the rules with examples, read English newspapers daily, practise error spotting and fill in the blanks and revise your mistakes regularly.
Komal Gupta
UPSC Exam Expert & Content Editor
Komal is a senior UPSC exam strategist with 8+ years of experience helping aspirants crack CSE, CDS and NDA exams. She writes in-depth notification breakdowns, exam pattern guides and preparation strategies.