ICSE Class 9 Functional Grammar: Verbs, Prepositions and Transformations

What Functional Grammar is about

Weightage: Question 5: 20 of the 80 marks of Paper 1 in the board pattern (verb forms 4, prepositions 4, joining 4, transformation 8). All items compulsory.Source: CISCE ICSE 2028 English syllabus (Paper 1, Question 5); CISCE ICSE 2027 Specimen Question Paper, English Paper 1

Key concepts

Verb forms in a passage

Read the whole passage first to fix its time frame (usually a past narrative). Then, for each blank:

• Keep the main tense consistent.
• Use the past perfect (had + past participle) for an action completed before another past action: 'When we reached, the train had left.'
• Use the past continuous for an action in progress when another happened: 'I was reading when the lights went out.'
• Check subject-verb agreement ('Each of the boys was ...') and the passive where the subject receives the action ('The letter was posted yesterday').
• After modals (can, must, should), use the base form: 'He could swim.'

Worked example

Fill in: 'By the time the firemen ___ (arrive), the shed ___ (burn) to the ground, and the owner ___ (stand) helplessly at the gate.'

Try it first, then show the solutionSolution

1. Past narrative: arrival is the reference point.
2. Burning finished before the arrival: past perfect.
3. Standing was in progress: past continuous.

Answer: arrived; had burnt (had burned); was standing.

Prepositions and phrasal verbs

Many prepositions are fixed by the word before them; learn them as pairs:

• Adjective + preposition: afraid of, fond of, good at, angry with a person / at a thing, different from, responsible for, aware of.
• Verb + preposition: insist on, depend on, prevent ... from, consist of, agree with a person / to a proposal.
• Time: at 5 p.m., on Monday / 5th May, in May / 2027 / the morning; since a point of time, for a period.
• Place: at the gate, in the room, on the shelf; between two, among many.
• Phrasal verbs change meaning with the particle: put off (postpone), put up with (tolerate), look after (care for), call off (cancel), give up (stop).

Worked example

Fill in: 'She has been living here ___ 2019. She is very fond ___ music and is good ___ the violin. The concert was called ___ because of rain.'

Try it first, then show the solutionSolution

1. A point of time: since.
2. fond of; good at.
3. call off = cancel.

Answer: since; of; at; off.

Joining sentences without and, but, so

Combine two or more sentences into one, keeping the meaning, using other connectors:

• Relative pronouns: who, which, whose, that ('The girl who won the race is my cousin.').
• Participles: 'Seeing the dog, the thief ran away.' / 'Having finished her work, she went out.'
• Subordinators: although, because, unless, until, when, as soon as, so ... that, too ... to.
• Correlatives: not only ... but also, either ... or, neither ... nor.

The joined sentence must be a single, grammatical sentence with no change in meaning.

Worked example

Join without and/but/so: 'He was tired. He continued to work.'

Try it first, then show the solutionSolution

1. The relationship is contrast.
2. Use 'although' or 'in spite of/despite + -ing/noun'.

Answer: Although he was tired, he continued to work. / In spite of being tired, he continued to work.

Reported (indirect) speech

With a past reporting verb ('said', 'asked'):

• Backshift tenses: is → was; am going → was going; have done → had done; did → had done; will → would; can → could.
• Change pronouns to fit the reporter, and time/place words: today → that day; tomorrow → the next day; yesterday → the previous day; here → there; now → then; this → that.
• Questions: 'asked + if/whether' (yes/no) or 'asked + wh-word', with statement word order and no question mark.
• Commands/requests: 'told/ordered/requested + object + to + verb'; negative: 'not to'.
• Universal truths keep the present tense.

Worked example

Report: (a) Ravi said, 'I am leaving for Pune tomorrow.' (b) The teacher said to me, 'Where did you keep the register?' (c) Mother said to us, 'Don't go near the river.'

Try it first, then show the solutionSolution

1. (a) am → was; I → he; tomorrow → the next day.
2. (b) asked + where; did keep → had kept; statement order.
3. (c) negative command: told ... not to.

Answer: (a) Ravi said that he was leaving for Pune the next day. (b) The teacher asked me where I had kept the register. (c) Mother told us not to go near the river.

Active and passive voice

Object of the active becomes subject of the passive; use the right form of be + past participle, keeping the tense:

• Simple present: is/are + pp ('Rice is grown here.')
• Simple past: was/were + pp.
• Present perfect: has/have been + pp.
• Continuous: is/was being + pp ('The road is being repaired.').
• Modal: modal + be + pp ('This must be done today.').
• Commands: 'Let + object + be + pp' or 'You are requested/ordered to ...'.

Keep the agent ('by ...') only if it matters.

Worked example

Change the voice: (a) The gardener is watering the plants. (b) Someone has stolen my bicycle. (c) Close the door.

Try it first, then show the solutionSolution

1. (a) present continuous → is/are being + pp.
2. (b) present perfect → has been + pp; drop 'by someone'.
3. (c) command → Let ... be + pp.

Answer: (a) The plants are being watered by the gardener. (b) My bicycle has been stolen. (c) Let the door be closed.

Special constructions

Transformation items often test fixed patterns:

• No sooner ... than: 'As soon as he arrived, it rained.' → 'No sooner had he arrived than it rained.' (Hardly/Scarcely ... when.)
• Too ... to / so ... that: 'He is too weak to walk.' = 'He is so weak that he cannot walk.'
• Unless = if ... not: 'If you do not hurry, you will miss the bus.' → 'Unless you hurry, you will miss the bus.'
• Degrees of comparison: 'Delhi is one of the largest cities in India.' = 'Delhi is larger than most other cities in India.' / 'Very few cities in India are as large as Delhi.'
• In spite of / despite + noun or -ing; although + clause.
• Not only ... but also, neither ... nor, question tags ('She can swim, can't she?'), would rather.

Worked example

Rewrite: (a) As soon as the bell rang, the pupils rushed out. (Begin: No sooner ...) (b) The box was so heavy that I could not lift it. (Use: too) (c) Although it was late, they kept working. (Begin: In spite of ...)

Try it first, then show the solutionSolution

1. (a) No sooner + had + subject + pp ... than.
2. (b) too + adjective + for + person + to-infinitive.
3. (c) In spite of + noun/-ing.

Answer: (a) No sooner had the bell rung than the pupils rushed out. (b) The box was too heavy for me to lift. (c) In spite of its being late (In spite of the late hour), they kept working.

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

• Verb Forms, Prepositions, Joining and Transformation (ICSE Class 9)

How the school exam 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.

• Too-to, so-that

  'Too' travels with 'to'; 'so' sits with 'that'.

  Use it when: Avoids 'too ... that' errors.

• No sooner, than; hardly, when

  'No sooner' is a comparative idea, so it takes 'than'; 'hardly/scarcely' take 'when'.

  Use it when: Special constructions.

• Unless already says 'not'

  Unless = if not; never add another 'not'.

  Use it when: Conditional transformations.

Functional Grammar: exam-level solved questions

Ordered from exam 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: Ignoring the passage's time frame

  Pupils fill each blank in isolation and mix present and past.

  Wrong working

  Yesterday we go to the market and buy apples.

  Right working

  Yesterday we went to the market and bought apples.

  ✓Do this: Read the whole passage before filling any blank.

  Usually costs: ½ mark per blank, often several blanks.

• ✗Mistake: Missing the past perfect

  Pupils use the simple past for an action that happened earlier than another past action.

  Wrong working

  When I reached the hall, the show already started.

  Right working

  When I reached the hall, the show had already started.

  ✓Do this: Ask: which past action came first? That one takes 'had + past participle'.

  Usually costs: ½-1 mark per item.

• ✗Mistake: Wrong word order in reported questions

  Pupils keep the question order.

  Wrong working

  He asked me what was my name.

  Right working

  He asked me what my name was.

  ✓Do this: In reported questions, subject before verb, and no question mark.

  Usually costs: The whole item.

• ✗Mistake: Changing the meaning in transformations

  Pupils fit the pattern but lose a 'not', a comparison or the agent.

  Wrong working

  Unless you don't hurry, you will be late.

  Right working

  Unless you hurry, you will be late.

  ✓Do this: After rewriting, read both sentences and ask: do they say exactly the same thing?

  Usually costs: The whole item.

• ✗Mistake: Using 'and', 'but' or 'so' when joining

  Pupils forget the instruction.

  ✓Do this: Use who/which/whose, participles, although, because, unless, not only ... but also.

  Usually costs: The whole item.

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 · 2 marks · Short answerExam level

   Fill in the correct form: 'When I (1) ___ (reach) the station, I realised I (2) ___ (leave) my ticket at home. The train (3) ___ (already arrive) and passengers (4) ___ (board) it.'

   Hint

   Earlier past → past perfect; in progress → past continuous.

   Answer

   (1) reached (2) had left (3) had already arrived (4) were boarding

2. Q2 · 1 mark · MCQExam level

   Choose the correct preposition: 'He has been ill ___ last Monday.' (a) for (b) since (c) from (d) by

   Hint

   A point of time with the present perfect continuous.

   Answer

   (b) since

3. Q3 · 1 mark · Very short answerExam level

   Rewrite in the passive: 'They will announce the results tomorrow.'

   Hint

   will + be + past participle.

   Answer

   The results will be announced tomorrow.

4. Q4 · 2 marks · Short answerHarder exam level

   Rewrite in reported speech: The guide said to the tourists, 'Do not touch the paintings, and please keep your voices low.'

   Hint

   Two commands: a prohibition and a request.

   Answer

   The guide told the tourists not to touch the paintings and requested them to keep their voices low.

5. Q5 · 1 mark · Very short answerHarder exam level

   Rewrite: 'Very few cities in India are as old as Varanasi.' (Begin: Varanasi is ...)

   Hint

   'Very few ... as ... as' → 'one of the' + superlative, or comparative + 'than most'.

   Answer

   Varanasi is one of the oldest cities in India. (or: Varanasi is older than most other cities in India.)

6. Q6 · 1 mark · Very short answerHarder exam level

   Join using 'not only ... but also': 'She sings well. She paints beautifully.'

   Hint

   Parallel structure after each part.

   Answer

   She not only sings well but also paints beautifully.

7. Q7 · 2 marks · Short answerHOTS / competency

   Rewrite: 'If you don't apologise, I will not speak to you.' (Use: unless). Then explain why 'Unless you don't apologise' is wrong.

   Hint

   Unless already contains 'not'.

   Answer

   Unless you apologise, I will not speak to you. 'Unless' means 'if ... not', so adding 'don't' creates a double negative and reverses the meaning.

8. Q8 · 1 mark · Very short answerHOTS / competency

   Rewrite: 'The sum was so difficult that nobody could solve it.' (Use: too)

   Hint

   too + adjective + for + person + to.

   Answer

   The sum was too difficult for anybody to solve.

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.Which four areas does the syllabus name for Question 5?Show answer

   Prepositions, conjunctions, verbs and structure of sentences.

2. 2.What tense shows a past action completed before another past action?Show answer

   The past perfect (had + past participle).

3. 3.Report: He said, 'I can swim.'Show answer

   He said that he could swim.

4. 4.Passive of 'They are building a bridge.'Show answer

   A bridge is being built (by them).

5. 5.Complete: 'No sooner had she left ___ ...'Show answer

   than.

6. 6.Which preposition: 'different ___ '?Show answer

   from.

Quick revision checklist

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

• ☐Can you fill a past-narrative passage, using past perfect and past continuous correctly?
• ☐Can you recall twenty fixed adjective/verb + preposition pairs?
• ☐Can you join two sentences in four different ways without and/but/so?
• ☐Can you report statements, questions and commands correctly?
• ☐Can you change any tense into the passive?
• ☐Can you rewrite with No sooner, too...to, Unless and degrees of comparison?

Functional Grammar: frequently asked questions