ICSE Class 10 Functional Grammar: Verb Forms, Prepositions and Transformation

What Functional Grammar is about

Weightage: Functional grammar is Question 5: 20 of the 80 marks of English Paper 1 (verb forms 4, prepositions 4, joining 4, transformation 8). All items compulsory.Source: CISCE ICSE 2027 Specimen Question Paper, English Language (T27 011), Question 5

Key concepts

Verb forms in a passage: tense consistency and the past perfect

Most ICSE passages are narratives in the past, so most blanks take the simple past (found, looked, cried). Use the past perfect (had + past participle) for an action completed before another past action: 'He had travelled far … since that day he had first heard…'. Use the past continuous (was/were + -ing) for an action in progress ('the deer was warning the jungle folk'). After prepositions use the -ing form ('on catching my eye'), and after verbs such as 'started' either -ing or 'to' ('started calling'). Check irregular forms and spellings: 'thought' (not 'thinked'), 'lying' (not 'lieing'), 'cried' (not 'cryed').

Worked example

Fill in: 'When we (1) ___ (reach) the station, the train (2) ___ (leave) already, so we (3) ___ (sit) on a bench and (4) ___ (wait) for the next one.'

Try it first, then show the solutionSolution

1. (1) A completed past action: reached.
2. (2) 'already' and an earlier action: had left.
3. (3), (4) Simple past sequence: sat, waited.

Answer: (1) reached (2) had left (3) sat (4) waited

Prepositions and phrasal verbs

Part (ii) tests fixed combinations: verbs, adjectives and nouns that take a particular preposition, and phrasal verbs whose particle changes the meaning. From recent papers: prefer death to dishonour; dispose of; impress upon; sit at a desk; comply with; quarrel over a price; go by appearances; bring out an edition (2027 specimen); named after; hang over; speak up; accused of; under control; a bridge across/over; crazy about; tired of; opt out (2023, 2025). Read the whole sentence first: the 2025 examiners noted 'for' instead of 'after' (named after) and 'into' instead of 'under' (under control).

Worked example

Fill in one word each: (a) She is junior ___ me. (b) He insisted ___ paying the bill. (c) The meeting was called ___ because of the storm. (d) I congratulate you ___ your success.

Try it first, then show the solutionSolution

1. (a) junior/senior take 'to'.
2. (b) insist on.
3. (c) call off = cancel.
4. (d) congratulate on.

Answer: (a) to (b) on (c) off (d) on

Joining sentences without and, but or so

Choose a connector that shows the real relationship between the two ideas:

• Cause: because, as, since, being + adjective, having + past participle ('The pupil was impolite. The teacher admonished her.' → 'The teacher admonished the pupil because she was impolite.').
• Contrast: though/although, in spite of/despite + noun or -ing ('He has failed many times. Still he hopes…' → 'Although he has failed many times, he hopes to succeed.').
• Immediate sequence: No sooner did/had … than; Hardly/Scarcely had … when; As soon as.
• Addition: Besides + -ing; Not only … but also; as well as.
• Negative pairs: Neither … nor (the verb agrees with the nearer subject, so 'Neither Arjun nor Arif knows').
• Relative clauses: who (people), which (animals, things), whose, where ('a hen which laid an egg every day').

Worked example

Join: 'The rain came down. All the people ran away.' (without and, but or so)

Try it first, then show the solutionSolution

1. Relationship: immediate sequence, or cause.
2. Options: 'As soon as the rain came down, all the people ran away.' or 'When the rain came down, all the people ran away.'

Answer: 'As soon as the rain came down, all the people ran away.'

Reported (indirect) speech

With a past reporting verb: shift tenses back (present → past, past → past perfect, will → would, can → could); change pronouns to fit the speaker; change time and place words (tomorrow → the next day, here → there, now → then). Questions become statements in word order: 'asked … why she had not reached', never 'why had she' and never 'that why'. Commands use 'told/asked/ordered + to-infinitive' ('The teacher told us to come early the next day'). In the 2027 specimen the correct answer was 'Heena asked Sohini why she had not reached the office before 8 o'clock.'

Worked example

Report: He said to me, "I don't believe you."

Try it first, then show the solutionSolution

1. 'said to me' → 'told me'.
2. 'I' → 'he'; 'you' → 'me'.
3. 'don't believe' (present) → 'did not believe'.

Answer: He told me that he did not believe me.

Active and passive voice

Object becomes subject + correct form of be in the same tense + past participle. Keep the tense exactly: 'were discussing' (past continuous) → 'were being discussed'; 'taught' → 'were taught'; 'is helping' → 'is being helped'. The 2023 examiners noted 'some confusion in who helped whom', and the 2025 examiners noted errors 'mainly in handling tense'.

Worked example

Change the voice, beginning 'The wounded man…': 'Some boys were helping the wounded man.'

Try it first, then show the solutionSolution

1. Object 'the wounded man' becomes subject.
2. Past continuous → was being + past participle.
3. Agent: by some boys.

Answer: The wounded man was being helped by some boys.

Degrees of comparison

Learn the three equivalent patterns:

• Superlative: 'This is the most beautiful painting in the exhibition.'
• Comparative: 'This painting is more beautiful than any other painting in the exhibition.'
• Positive: 'No other painting in the exhibition is as beautiful as this.'

Watch quantity words: 'Very few pupils can paint as well as Abhilash' means Abhilash paints better than most (not all) other pupils; that was the 2027 specimen answer. 'He is as wise as Solomon' with 'wiser' becomes 'Solomon was not wiser than he is' (the 2023 key).

Worked example

Begin with 'No other…': 'Mount Everest is the highest mountain in the world.'

Try it first, then show the solutionSolution

1. Superlative → positive with 'No other … as … as'.

Answer: No other mountain in the world is as high as Mount Everest.

Special constructions: If/Unless, In spite of/Despite, No sooner/Hardly, so…that/too…to, question tags, rather

• Unless = if … not: 'If the boys do not reach on time, they will be punished.' → 'Unless the boys reach on time, they will be punished.' (Do not add a second 'not'.) And back: 'Unless we leave early, we might get caught…' → 'If we do not leave early, we will get caught in traffic.' (2027 key).
• In spite of / Despite + noun or -ing; never 'despite of'. 'She is weak, but she is courageous.' → 'Despite being weak, she is courageous.'
• No sooner … than; Hardly/Scarcely … when. With past events use 'had' + past participle: 'No sooner had Rajan lifted the box than he felt a pain.' With present habits: 'Hardly does he reach home when his friends call him.'
• too … to ↔ so … that … cannot/could not, keeping the tense: 'He is too shy to participate' → 'He is so shy that he cannot participate' (present stays present).
• Question tags: positive statement → negative tag, with the same auxiliary: 'We often go out, don't we?'; tag the main clause: 'She said she would not be available, didn't she?'
• would rather … than: 'I prefer aerobics to yoga' → 'I would rather do aerobics than yoga' (never 'rather prefer').

Worked example

Begin with 'Never…': 'We will never forget what we saw.'

Try it first, then show the solutionSolution

1. Negative adverb first → inversion: Never + will + subject + verb.
2. Keep the meaning; the 2023 key used the past perfect for the earlier action ('had seen'), and the examiners noted that most candidates chose the simple past instead.

Answer: Never will we forget what we had seen. (This is the answer in the 2023 marking scheme.)

Functional Grammar in real life

Each concept, met in an everyday situation. Read the situation, answer the question in your own words, then compare with the model answer. The one-line hook is what to remember.

Topics in this chapter

• Board Grammar: Traps in Joining and Transformation Items (ICSE Class 10)

How the board asks Functional Grammar

The question patterns to expect, and the method that works for each.

Tricks to remember Functional Grammar

Short memory aids. Say each one aloud once, then use it on a question the same day.

• No sooner THAN, Hardly WHEN

  'Sooner' is a comparative (like 'better', 'faster'), and comparatives take 'than'. 'Hardly' and 'scarcely' are not comparatives, so they take 'when'.

  Use it when: Picking the right connector in joining and transformation MCQs.

• Despite has no 'of'

  In spite OF = Despite: the 'of' is already inside 'in spite of'.

  Use it when: The 'despite of' trap.

• Tag the boss clause

  The question tag follows the main (boss) clause, not the clause inside it.

  Use it when: Tags on 'She said that…' and 'I think…' sentences.

• Neither-nor: nearest neighbour

  The verb agrees with the subject next door to it.

  Use it when: 'Neither the teacher nor the pupils were…' / 'Neither Arjun nor Arif knows…'.

Functional Grammar: board-level solved questions

Ordered from board level to HOTS. Cover the solution, write your own, then compare step by step.

Where the marks are

How a typical answer is marked: the value points the examiner looks for and the marks each earns.

Where students lose marks in Functional Grammar

The slips examiners see most often, and what to write instead.

• ✗Mistake: Simple past where the past perfect is needed

  Students write every verb in the simple past. The 2023 examiners noted 'went' instead of 'had gone' and 'prepared' instead of 'had prepared'.

  Wrong working

  They thanked the cook, who prepared the meal.

  Right working

  They thanked the cook, who had prepared the meal.

  ✓Do this: If one past action finished before another past action in the same passage, use had + past participle for the earlier one.

  Usually costs: ½ mark per blank.

• ✗Mistake: Wrong spelling of verb forms

  The 2025 examiners listed 'lieing' for 'lying' and 'cryed' for 'cried'; 2023 listed 'thinked'.

  ✓Do this: Learn the rules: -ie → -ying (lie → lying, die → dying); consonant + y → -ied (cry → cried); and the common irregular verbs.

  Usually costs: ½ mark per blank; a misspelt form is marked wrong.

• ✗Mistake: Choosing a preposition from habit, not from the sentence

  Students write 'for' (named for), 'out' (spoke out), 'into' (into control), 'off' instead of 'into'. The 2025 examiners listed all of these.

  ✓Do this: Read the whole sentence; learn prepositions as fixed partners (named after, under control, speak up).

  Usually costs: ½ mark each.

• ✗Mistake: 'Despite of' and 'No sooner … when'

  Students mix two patterns: 'in spite of' + 'despite'; 'no sooner … than' + 'hardly … when'. Both traps have appeared among the options: 'Despite of' in 2023, 'No sooner … when' in the 2027 specimen.

  Wrong working

  Despite of being weak, she is courageous. / No sooner did he arrive when the bell rang.

  Right working

  Despite being weak, she is courageous. / No sooner did he arrive than the bell rang.

  ✓Do this: 'Despite' never takes 'of'. 'No sooner' always takes 'than'; 'Hardly/Scarcely' takes 'when'.

  Usually costs: 1 mark per item.

• ✗Mistake: Reported questions in question order, or with 'that'

  Students keep the inverted order of the direct question or add 'that'.

  Wrong working

  She asked me that why had I not come.

  Right working

  She asked me why I had not come.

  ✓Do this: In reported questions: question word + subject + verb, no 'that', no question mark, tenses shifted back.

  Usually costs: 1 mark.

• ✗Mistake: Changing the tense or meaning in transformations

  Students choose 'could not' for 'cannot' in too … to → so … that, or 'will not be punished' with 'unless'. The 2023 examiners noted both.

  ✓Do this: After transforming, read both sentences: same tense, same meaning, same negative or positive sense.

  Usually costs: 1 mark per item.

• ✗Mistake: Mismatched option letter and sentence

  In MCQs, students write '(c)' and then copy the sentence of (d), or write only dots. The 2025 examiners noted this.

  ✓Do this: Write the option letter and the full correct sentence, and check that they match.

  Usually costs: The item mark.

Practice questions on Functional Grammar

Write each answer on paper first. Open the hint only if you are stuck, and the answer only when you have finished.

1. Q1 · 1 mark · MCQBoard level

   Begin with 'In spite of…': 'The puppy made several attempts but it could not climb over the fence.'
   (a) In spite of making several attempts, the puppy could not climb over the fence.
   (b) In spite of not being able to climb over the fence, the puppy made several attempts.
   (c) In spite of her several attempts, the puppy cannot climb over the fence.
   (d) In spite of several attempts the puppy makes, it cannot climb over the fence.

   Hint

   Keep the meaning and the past tense. (2027 specimen item)

   Answer

   (a) In spite of making several attempts, the puppy could not climb over the fence.

2. Q2 · 1 mark · MCQHarder board level

   Join: 'Arjun does not know the rules. Arif does not know the rules.'
   (a) Arjun and Arif, both does not know the rules.
   (b) Arjun as well as Arif, does not know the rules.
   (c) Neither Arjun nor Arif knows the rules.
   (d) Neither Arjun nor Arif know the rules.

   Hint

   With neither … nor, the verb agrees with the nearer subject. (2027 specimen item)

   Answer

   (c) Neither Arjun nor Arif knows the rules. ('Arif' is singular, so 'knows'.)

3. Q3 · 1 mark · MCQHarder board level

   Use 'so … that': 'School bags are often too heavy for students to carry.'
   (a) School bags are often so heavy that students carry them.
   (b) School bags are often so heavy that students cannot carry them.
   (c) School bags are so heavy that students could not carry them.
   (d) School bags are often so heavy so that students cannot carry them.

   Hint

   too … to has a negative meaning; keep the present tense. (Based on a 2025 paper item.)

   Answer

   (b) School bags are often so heavy that students cannot carry them.

4. Q4 · 1 mark · MCQHarder board level

   Begin with 'As soon as…': 'No sooner did the film star arrive than the crowd cheered.'
   (a) As soon as the film star arrived, then the crowd cheered.
   (b) As soon as the crowd cheered, the film star arrived.
   (c) As soon as the film star arrived, the crowd cheered.
   (d) As soon as the film star arrives, the crowd cheered.

   Hint

   Which action came first? No 'then' after 'As soon as'. (Based on a 2025 paper item.)

   Answer

   (c) As soon as the film star arrived, the crowd cheered.

5. Q5 · 1 mark · MCQHarder board level

   Use 'rather': 'I prefer aerobics to yoga.'
   (a) I would rather prefer aerobics than yoga.
   (b) I would rather do aerobics than yoga.
   (c) I rather aerobics than yoga.
   (d) I would rather do yoga than aerobics.

   Hint

   'would rather' already means 'prefer'. (Based on a 2025 paper item.)

   Answer

   (b) I would rather do aerobics than yoga.

6. Q6 · 1 mark · MCQBoard level

   Begin with 'The rules…': 'The coach taught the children the rules of the game.'
   (a) The rules of the game were taught to the children by the coach.
   (b) The rules of the game are taught to the children by the coach.
   (c) The rules of the game had taught the children by the coach.
   (d) The rules of the game were teaching the children by the coach.

   Hint

   Simple past active → was/were + past participle. (Based on a 2025 paper item.)

   Answer

   (a) The rules of the game were taught to the children by the coach.

7. Q7 · 1 mark · MCQHOTS / competency

   Begin with 'Abhilash…': 'Very few pupils in the class can paint as well as Abhilash.'
   (a) Abhilash paints better than all other pupils in the class.
   (b) Abhilash paints better than most other pupils in the class.
   (c) Abhilash cannot paint as well as some of the pupils in the class.
   (d) Abhilash is the best painter in the class.

   Hint

   'Very few' means some can, so he is not the best. (2027 specimen item)

   Answer

   (b) Abhilash paints better than most other pupils in the class.

8. Q8 · 2 marks · Short answerBoard level

   Fill in one word each: (a) Our brave soldiers prefer death ___ dishonour. (b) I am sorry I cannot comply ___ your request. (c) One should not go ___ appearances. (d) The publishers recently brought ___ a new edition of the dictionary.

   Hint

   Fixed partners: prefer … to, comply with; phrasal verbs. (2027 specimen items)

   Answer

   (a) to (b) with (c) by (d) out

9. Q9 · 1 mark · Short answerHOTS / competency

   Begin with 'Unless…': 'If you do not water these plants daily, they will wither.' A student writes: 'Unless you do not water these plants daily, they will wither.' Correct it and explain the error.

   Hint

   What does 'unless' already contain?

   Answer

   'Unless you water these plants daily, they will wither.' 'Unless' already means 'if … not', so adding 'not' creates a double negative and reverses the meaning.

10. Q10 · 2 marks · Short answerHOTS / competency

    Write the correct form of the verbs: 'The guests (1) ___ (arrive) just as we (2) ___ (finish) decorating the hall. Mother, who (3) ___ (cook) since morning, (4) ___ (rush) to greet them.'

    Hint

    Which action was completed first? Which went on for a long time before the arrival?

    Answer

    (1) arrived (2) had finished (3) had been cooking (4) rushed

Test your recall

Answer in your head or on paper first, then open the card. Pulling an answer out of memory makes it stick far better than re-reading.

1. 1.What are the four parts of ICSE Question 5 and their marks?Show answer

   (i) verb forms 4, (ii) one-word blanks 4, (iii) joining sentences 4, (iv) transformation 8.

2. 2.Which conjunction goes with 'No sooner'?Show answer

   'than'.

3. 3.What tense change happens to 'did not reach' in reported speech after 'asked'?Show answer

   It becomes 'had not reached'.

4. 4.What is the passive of 'were discussing the results'?Show answer

   'The results were being discussed'.

5. 5.Which word means 'if … not'?Show answer

   'Unless'.

6. 6.What tag goes with 'We often go out for dinner on weekends'?Show answer

   'don't we?'

Quick revision checklist

The night before the exam: can you do each of these without looking?

• ☐Can you spot when a blank needs the past perfect rather than the simple past?
• ☐Can you list ten verb + preposition pairs from recent ICSE papers?
• ☐Can you name the relationship (cause, contrast, sequence) before joining two sentences?
• ☐Can you report a question without 'that' and in statement order?
• ☐Can you convert too … to into so … that without changing the tense?
• ☐Can you add a question tag to a sentence with a reporting clause?

Functional Grammar: frequently asked questions