Grammar and Usage — Class 12 MCQs with Answers

Grammar and Usage — important questions & MCQs with answers (Class 12 English)

2 solved questions from this chapter's difficulty levels, each with its answer and explanation. Tap an option to check yourself.

0 of 2 answered

1. Q1 of 2Medium

   You ______ smoke here; it is strictly prohibited.

   Aneed notBshould not haveCmust notDcould not
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   Answer: must not

   Explanation: 'Must not' expresses prohibition, which is what a strict ban requires.

2. Q2 of 2Medium

   He has ______ money left, so he cannot buy the ticket.

   Aa littleBlittleCfewDa few
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   Answer: little

   Explanation: 'Little' without the article carries a negative sense — hardly any — which is why he cannot buy the ticket.

Grammar and Usage notes: key concepts (Class 12 English)

Extra practice in the grammar that underpins every piece of writing you produce. The Class 12 board paper has no separate grammar section, but each Section B question carries 1 mark for Accuracy of Spelling and Grammar — four marks in all — and grammar errors cost marks in Section C answers too.

Where grammar is worth marks

Notice 1, Invitation 1, Letter 1, Article/Report 1 — four marks across Section B are awarded for Accuracy of Spelling and Grammar alone.

Past perfect for the earlier action

Of two completed past actions, the earlier takes the past perfect: 'By the time we reached the station, the train HAD LEFT.'

'Since' and the present perfect continuous

An action begun in the past and still going on takes 'has/have been + -ing': 'She has been teaching here SINCE 2019.' Never 'is teaching since'.

General truths

Scientific and general truths stay in the simple present: 'Water boils at 100 degrees Celsius.'

The number of / a number of

'The number of' is singular ('The number of applicants HAS risen'); 'a number of' is plural.

Neither… nor

The verb agrees with the NEARER subject: 'Neither the teacher nor the students WERE present.'

Singular traps

'Each of the boys was given a prize.' 'One of my friends is a doctor.' 'Mathematics is my favourite subject.' 'Scenery' and 'information' are uncountable and take singular verbs.

Modals by function

must not = prohibition; could = past ability; must = confident deduction; should have + past participle = an unfulfilled past obligation; must = a rule laid down.

Little and few

Without the article they are negative — 'He has LITTLE money left' means hardly any. With 'a' they are positive.

Articles go by sound

'an hour' (silent h, vowel sound) but 'a university' (the /juː/ consonant sound). Spelling does not decide the article.

Prepositions that are fixed

ill SINCE Monday (point of time) but FOR a week (length); good AT a subject; divided INTO parts; apologise FOR an act TO a person; arrive AT a place but IN a city.

Five errors to know by heart

'one of my friendS'; 'senior TO me', not 'than'; 'have been living', not 'am living since'; 'discussed the problem', not 'discussed about'; 'the scenery IS', not 'are'.