PUT YOUR GRAMMAR TOGETHER
B1 grammar check
Three versions, 20 questions each, mixing topics from the B1 syllabus. Allow about 15 minutes per version. Your place is saved on this device.
Answers and explanations appear after completion, with links to lessons worth revisiting. This checks familiar practice material; it does not assign a CEFR level or complete individual lessons.
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The population ___ rapidly at the moment.
Your answer: Unanswered
Correct answer: is growing
Completed sentence: The population is growing rapidly at the moment. The present simple describes regular behaviour and stable states; the continuous describes temporary activity, change or a repeated action viewed emotionally with always. State verbs normally stay simple, but dynamic meanings can allow continuous forms.
When I arrived, they ___ already eaten.
Your answer: Unanswered
Correct answer: had
Completed sentence: When I arrived, they had already eaten. Use past simple for the main sequence, past continuous for background in progress, and past perfect for an earlier event. Past perfect clarifies time order but is not needed for every earlier action when the sequence is already obvious.
I've booked a table. We ___ dinner with Jo tomorrow.
Your answer: Unanswered
Correct answer: are having
Completed sentence: I've booked a table. We are having dinner with Jo tomorrow. Will often expresses a spontaneous decision, promise or belief; going to expresses an intention or evidence-based prediction; present continuous describes an arrangement. Timetables use the present simple. More than one future form can be possible with a difference in emphasis.
I'll text you when I ___.
Your answer: Unanswered
Correct answer: arrive
Completed sentence: I'll text you when I arrive. Review time relationships across simple, continuous and perfect forms. A perfect tense looks back from a reference point; a continuous form presents activity as ongoing. Future clauses after when/if normally use a present form rather than will.
You ___ show your ticket; it is required.
Your answer: Unanswered
Correct answer: must
Completed sentence: You must show your ticket; it is required. Must/have to express strong obligation; should gives advice. Mustn't prohibits, whereas don't have to removes necessity. Use had to for past obligation. Needn't also means no necessity, not prohibition.
If you study, you ___ improve.
Your answer: Unanswered
Correct answer: will
Completed sentence: If you study, you will improve. Use a present form in if and future time clauses, with a future/modal form in the main clause. Unless means if not. A present perfect time clause can emphasise completion before the next event.
The road is being ___.
Your answer: Unanswered
Correct answer: repaired
Completed sentence: The road is being repaired. The passive is be in the required tense + past participle: is made, was made, has been made, will be made, is being made. Keep the tense information in be or its auxiliaries. Passive does not mean past tense.
She told me ___ wait.
Your answer: Unanswered
Correct answer: to
Completed sentence: She told me to wait. Backshift is common after past reporting verbs, but is not always required if a statement remains true or relevant. Say takes a clause; tell takes a person. Reported questions use statement order, and requests use object + to-infinitive.
Remember ___ the door before leaving.
Your answer: Unanswered
Correct answer: to lock
Completed sentence: Remember to lock the door before leaving. Verb patterns depend on the verb and sometimes change meaning. Remember doing recalls a past event; remember to do concerns a duty. Stop doing ends an activity; stop to do interrupts another activity for a purpose. Avoid takes -ing; decide takes to-infinitive.
___ honesty is important. (in general)
Your answer: Unanswered
Correct answer: —
Completed sentence: — honesty is important. (in general) A/an introduces a singular countable item; the identifies a known or specific one; no article is used for general plurals and uncountables. Article choice can change meaning: go to school as a pupil versus visit the school building. Choose — for no article.
My brother, ___ lives in York, is visiting.
Your answer: Unanswered
Correct answer: who
Completed sentence: My brother, who lives in York, is visiting. Defining clauses identify a noun and have no commas; non-defining clauses add extra information and use commas. Do not use that or omit the relative pronoun in non-defining clauses. Whose expresses possession; where refers to place.
You're coming, ___?
Your answer: Unanswered
Correct answer: aren't you
Completed sentence: You're coming, aren't you? A question tag repeats an auxiliary with a pronoun, usually changing polarity. Use do/does/did when the statement has no auxiliary. Negative words such as never take a positive tag. Common exceptions include aren't I and shall we after let's.
This is much ___ than mine.
Your answer: Unanswered
Correct answer: cheaper
Completed sentence: This is much cheaper than mine. Use comparatives for differences and superlatives for extremes in a group. Much/far/a little can modify comparatives; very cannot normally do so. Less/the least express a lower degree; as ... as expresses equality.
___ being tired, she continued.
Your answer: Unanswered
Correct answer: Despite
Completed sentence: Despite being tired, she continued. Although/even though introduce clauses; despite/in spite of introduce noun phrases or -ing. Because gives a reason; because of takes a noun phrase. To/in order to express purpose, while so that introduces a clause, often with a modal.
It depends ___ the weather.
Your answer: Unanswered
Correct answer: on
Completed sentence: It depends on the weather. Many verbs select a preposition: depend on, listen to, apologise for, belong to and wait for. A preposition takes a noun, pronoun or -ing form. Do not insert a preposition after direct-object verbs such as discuss.
I ___ my keys yesterday.
Your answer: Unanswered
Correct answer: lost
Completed sentence: I lost my keys yesterday. Use the present perfect to connect the past with now, including unfinished time and experience. Use the past simple for finished events and dates. An unfinished period can contain a finished past event, so context rather than a time word alone determines the tense.
By the age of six, she ___ read.
Your answer: Unanswered
Correct answer: could
Completed sentence: By the age of six, she could read. Can describes present ability; could often describes general past ability. For one successful past achievement, use was/were able to or managed to, though could is natural with perception verbs and in negatives. Use be able to after modals and in perfect forms.
If I ___ a car, I would drive there.
Your answer: Unanswered
Correct answer: had
Completed sentence: If I had a car, I would drive there. Use if + past and would + base verb to imagine an unreal or unlikely present/future situation. Could and might can replace would with ability or uncertainty meanings. Use were for hypothetical be, especially in formal style.
Someone stole my bike. My bike ___.
Your answer: Unanswered
Correct answer: was stolen
Completed sentence: Someone stole my bike. My bike was stolen. Use active voice when the agent is your focus and passive when the action's recipient or result matters. In a passive, the active object becomes the subject and the tense is preserved. Omit unknown or unimportant agents; add by for the agent when needed.
She cut ___ while cooking.
Your answer: Unanswered
Correct answer: herself
Completed sentence: She cut herself while cooking. Reflexive pronouns refer back to the subject: myself, yourself, himself, herself, itself, ourselves, yourselves, themselves. They can emphasise who acted or mean alone after by. Do not use a reflexive when the object is a different person.
The population ___ rapidly at the moment.
Not quite. Keep learning.
Correct answer: is growing
Completed sentence: The population is growing rapidly at the moment. The present simple describes regular behaviour and stable states; the continuous describes temporary activity, change or a repeated action viewed emotionally with always. State verbs normally stay simple, but dynamic meanings can allow continuous forms.
Not quite. Keep learning.
Correct answer: had
Completed sentence: When I arrived, they had already eaten. Use past simple for the main sequence, past continuous for background in progress, and past perfect for an earlier event. Past perfect clarifies time order but is not needed for every earlier action when the sequence is already obvious.
Not quite. Keep learning.
Correct answer: are having
Completed sentence: I've booked a table. We are having dinner with Jo tomorrow. Will often expresses a spontaneous decision, promise or belief; going to expresses an intention or evidence-based prediction; present continuous describes an arrangement. Timetables use the present simple. More than one future form can be possible with a difference in emphasis.
Not quite. Keep learning.
Correct answer: arrive
Completed sentence: I'll text you when I arrive. Review time relationships across simple, continuous and perfect forms. A perfect tense looks back from a reference point; a continuous form presents activity as ongoing. Future clauses after when/if normally use a present form rather than will.
Not quite. Keep learning.
Correct answer: must
Completed sentence: You must show your ticket; it is required. Must/have to express strong obligation; should gives advice. Mustn't prohibits, whereas don't have to removes necessity. Use had to for past obligation. Needn't also means no necessity, not prohibition.
Not quite. Keep learning.
Correct answer: will
Completed sentence: If you study, you will improve. Use a present form in if and future time clauses, with a future/modal form in the main clause. Unless means if not. A present perfect time clause can emphasise completion before the next event.
Not quite. Keep learning.
Correct answer: repaired
Completed sentence: The road is being repaired. The passive is be in the required tense + past participle: is made, was made, has been made, will be made, is being made. Keep the tense information in be or its auxiliaries. Passive does not mean past tense.
Not quite. Keep learning.
Correct answer: to
Completed sentence: She told me to wait. Backshift is common after past reporting verbs, but is not always required if a statement remains true or relevant. Say takes a clause; tell takes a person. Reported questions use statement order, and requests use object + to-infinitive.
Not quite. Keep learning.
Correct answer: to lock
Completed sentence: Remember to lock the door before leaving. Verb patterns depend on the verb and sometimes change meaning. Remember doing recalls a past event; remember to do concerns a duty. Stop doing ends an activity; stop to do interrupts another activity for a purpose. Avoid takes -ing; decide takes to-infinitive.
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Correct answer: —
Completed sentence: — honesty is important. (in general) A/an introduces a singular countable item; the identifies a known or specific one; no article is used for general plurals and uncountables. Article choice can change meaning: go to school as a pupil versus visit the school building. Choose — for no article.
Not quite. Keep learning.
Correct answer: who
Completed sentence: My brother, who lives in York, is visiting. Defining clauses identify a noun and have no commas; non-defining clauses add extra information and use commas. Do not use that or omit the relative pronoun in non-defining clauses. Whose expresses possession; where refers to place.
Not quite. Keep learning.
Correct answer: aren't you
Completed sentence: You're coming, aren't you? A question tag repeats an auxiliary with a pronoun, usually changing polarity. Use do/does/did when the statement has no auxiliary. Negative words such as never take a positive tag. Common exceptions include aren't I and shall we after let's.
Not quite. Keep learning.
Correct answer: cheaper
Completed sentence: This is much cheaper than mine. Use comparatives for differences and superlatives for extremes in a group. Much/far/a little can modify comparatives; very cannot normally do so. Less/the least express a lower degree; as ... as expresses equality.
Not quite. Keep learning.
Correct answer: Despite
Completed sentence: Despite being tired, she continued. Although/even though introduce clauses; despite/in spite of introduce noun phrases or -ing. Because gives a reason; because of takes a noun phrase. To/in order to express purpose, while so that introduces a clause, often with a modal.
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Correct answer: on
Completed sentence: It depends on the weather. Many verbs select a preposition: depend on, listen to, apologise for, belong to and wait for. A preposition takes a noun, pronoun or -ing form. Do not insert a preposition after direct-object verbs such as discuss.
Not quite. Keep learning.
Correct answer: lost
Completed sentence: I lost my keys yesterday. Use the present perfect to connect the past with now, including unfinished time and experience. Use the past simple for finished events and dates. An unfinished period can contain a finished past event, so context rather than a time word alone determines the tense.
Not quite. Keep learning.
Correct answer: could
Completed sentence: By the age of six, she could read. Can describes present ability; could often describes general past ability. For one successful past achievement, use was/were able to or managed to, though could is natural with perception verbs and in negatives. Use be able to after modals and in perfect forms.
Not quite. Keep learning.
Correct answer: had
Completed sentence: If I had a car, I would drive there. Use if + past and would + base verb to imagine an unreal or unlikely present/future situation. Could and might can replace would with ability or uncertainty meanings. Use were for hypothetical be, especially in formal style.
Not quite. Keep learning.
Correct answer: was stolen
Completed sentence: Someone stole my bike. My bike was stolen. Use active voice when the agent is your focus and passive when the action's recipient or result matters. In a passive, the active object becomes the subject and the tense is preserved. Omit unknown or unimportant agents; add by for the agent when needed.
Not quite. Keep learning.
Correct answer: herself
Completed sentence: She cut herself while cooking. Reflexive pronouns refer back to the subject: myself, yourself, himself, herself, itself, ourselves, yourselves, themselves. They can emphasise who acted or mean alone after by. Do not use a reflexive when the object is a different person.
Not quite. Keep learning.
Correct answer: boring
Completed sentence: The lecture was boring. I nearly fell asleep. An -ing adjective commonly describes the cause of a feeling; an -ed adjective describes the person experiencing it. A film can be boring and viewers bored. Not every -ed/-ing adjective follows this pattern, so learn the meaning too.
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Correct answer: in
Completed sentence: She is interested in art. Learn adjective-preposition combinations as phrases: interested in, good at, afraid of, proud of and similar to. Use -ing after a preposition. An adjective may have more than one pattern with a different meaning, such as good at and good for.
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Correct answer: have written
Completed sentence: I have written five reports today. (completed total) Present perfect simple emphasises completion, results or how many; continuous emphasises duration or recent activity. Use have/has been + -ing for the continuous. State verbs normally use the simple, and both forms can sometimes describe a continuing situation.
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Correct answer: must
Completed sentence: His coat is here, so he must be nearby. (strong deduction) Use must for a strong positive deduction, might/may/could for possibility, and can't for a strong negative deduction. These are judgements from evidence, not statements of obligation. Mustn't normally expresses prohibition, not the opposite of deductive must.
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Correct answer: will
Completed sentence: If I have time tomorrow, I will call. The first conditional presents a future situation as a real possibility. The second presents it as more remote or hypothetical. Compare if I have time, I'll help with if I had time, I'd help. The choice reflects the speaker's view, not a guaranteed probability.
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Correct answer: no
Completed sentence: There is no milk left; the bottle is empty. Choose quantifiers by countability and intended meaning. A lot of works with both kinds of nouns. Few/little emphasise scarcity; a few/a little indicate some. No means not any and is used with a positive verb form.
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Correct answer: such
Completed sentence: It was such a lovely day. Use so + adjective/adverb and such + noun phrase. A singular countable noun needs such a/an. Use so much with uncountable nouns and so many with plural countable nouns. A that-clause can express the result.
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Correct answer: during
Completed sentence: I slept during the flight. During is followed by a noun phrase naming an event or period. While introduces a clause or reduced -ing clause. For states duration. During does not directly introduce subject + finite verb.
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Correct answer: used to
Completed sentence: I used to cycle to work, but now I drive. Usually describes a current habit. Used to + base verb describes a former habit/state. Be used to + noun/-ing means be accustomed to; get used to describes becoming accustomed. Here to is a preposition, so use -ing after it.
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Correct answer: would
Completed sentence: If I had known, I would have helped. The third conditional imagines a different past: if + had + past participle, would have + past participle. Could have and might have indicate ability or possibility. The actual past cannot be changed; the construction explores alternatives.
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Correct answer: Both
Completed sentence: Both my parents are teachers. (two people) All refers to a complete group, while both means exactly two. Use all/both + noun or all/both of + definite noun/pronoun. Both normally takes a plural verb. With object pronouns, keep of: both of us, all of them.
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Correct answer: two-hour
Completed sentence: It's a two-hour journey. A number-based compound adjective before a noun normally uses a singular unit and hyphens: a ten-minute walk. After the noun, an ordinary measure uses a plural: the walk takes ten minutes. Do not add plural -s inside the compound.
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Correct answer: since
Completed sentence: I've lived here since 2020. For measures duration; since gives the starting point of a period continuing to a reference time. From marks a starting boundary, often paired with to/until. Since can introduce a clause; for cannot introduce a starting date as a duration.
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Correct answer: leave
Completed sentence: You'd better leave now or you'll miss the train. Had better + base verb gives strong advice, often implying an unwanted consequence. Its negative is had better not. It's time + past form says something should happen now; it's time to + base verb is also possible.
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Correct answer: Neither
Completed sentence: Neither answer is correct; both are wrong. Both means two together, either means one or the other, and neither means not one and not the other. Either/neither + singular noun takes a singular verb; of + plural noun/pronoun is possible. Use a singular verb after neither of in formal exercises.
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Correct answer: stay
Completed sentence: I'd rather stay here. Would rather/sooner + bare infinitive expresses preference. Use not before the bare infinitive for a negative preference. With a different subject, use a past form for a present/future preference: I'd rather you stayed. Compare prefer to do.
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Correct answer: no
Completed sentence: There is no reason to worry. No comes before a noun; none stands alone or is followed by of. Any occurs in negatives/questions and can mean unrestricted choice in positive clauses. Do not use no and not together for a standard negative meaning.
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Correct answer: on
Completed sentence: The room is dark. Turn the light on. Phrasal verbs combine a verb and particle with a particular meaning. This set covers everyday separable verbs: turn off, put on, take off, pick up and give back. Pronoun objects go between the verb and particle.
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Correct answer: another
Completed sentence: Could I have another cup of tea? Another means one more or a different singular item. Other comes before a plural/uncountable noun; others stands alone. The other can identify the second of two; the others refers to the rest of a specific group.
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Correct answer: after
Completed sentence: Can you look after my cat? This set covers inseparable combinations: look after means care for, look for means search for, run into means meet unexpectedly, get over means recover from and come across means find by chance. Keep the object after the full expression.
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Correct answer: walking
Completed sentence: We carried on walking despite the rain. This set covers carry on, put off, give up, work out and find out. Some take -ing complements: carry on working, put off leaving, give up smoking. Work out can mean solve; find out means discover information.
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Correct answer: speaks
Completed sentence: She speaks three languages fluently. The present simple describes regular behaviour and stable states; the continuous describes temporary activity, change or a repeated action viewed emotionally with always. State verbs normally stay simple, but dynamic meanings can allow continuous forms.
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Correct answer: saw
Completed sentence: I was walking home when I saw the accident. Use past simple for the main sequence, past continuous for background in progress, and past perfect for an earlier event. Past perfect clarifies time order but is not needed for every earlier action when the sequence is already obvious.
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Correct answer: will
Completed sentence: This box is heavy. I will carry it for you. Will often expresses a spontaneous decision, promise or belief; going to expresses an intention or evidence-based prediction; present continuous describes an arrangement. Timetables use the present simple. More than one future form can be possible with a difference in emphasis.
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Correct answer: was making
Completed sentence: She was making dinner when the lights went out. Review time relationships across simple, continuous and perfect forms. A perfect tense looks back from a reference point; a continuous form presents activity as ongoing. Future clauses after when/if normally use a present form rather than will.
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Correct answer: don't have to
Completed sentence: You don't have to bring food; lunch is provided. Must/have to express strong obligation; should gives advice. Mustn't prohibits, whereas don't have to removes necessity. Use had to for past obligation. Needn't also means no necessity, not prohibition.
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Correct answer: arrives
Completed sentence: I'll wait until she arrives. Use a present form in if and future time clauses, with a future/modal form in the main clause. Unless means if not. A present perfect time clause can emphasise completion before the next event.
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Correct answer: been
Completed sentence: The report has been published. The passive is be in the required tense + past participle: is made, was made, has been made, will be made, is being made. Keep the tense information in be or its auxiliaries. Passive does not mean past tense.
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Correct answer: worked
Completed sentence: He asked where I worked. Backshift is common after past reporting verbs, but is not always required if a statement remains true or relevant. Say takes a clause; tell takes a person. Reported questions use statement order, and requests use object + to-infinitive.
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Correct answer: meeting
Completed sentence: I remember meeting her last year. Verb patterns depend on the verb and sometimes change meaning. Remember doing recalls a past event; remember to do concerns a duty. Stop doing ends an activity; stop to do interrupts another activity for a purpose. Avoid takes -ing; decide takes to-infinitive.
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Correct answer: The
Completed sentence: We saw a dog. The dog followed us. A/an introduces a singular countable item; the identifies a known or specific one; no article is used for general plurals and uncountables. Article choice can change meaning: go to school as a pupil versus visit the school building. Choose — for no article.
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Correct answer: whose
Completed sentence: This is the woman whose car was stolen. Defining clauses identify a noun and have no commas; non-defining clauses add extra information and use commas. Do not use that or omit the relative pronoun in non-defining clauses. Whose expresses possession; where refers to place.
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Correct answer: doesn't she
Completed sentence: She works here, doesn't she? A question tag repeats an auxiliary with a pronoun, usually changing polarity. Use do/does/did when the statement has no auxiliary. Negative words such as never take a positive tag. Common exceptions include aren't I and shall we after let's.
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Correct answer: most
Completed sentence: She is the most experienced person here. Use comparatives for differences and superlatives for extremes in a group. Much/far/a little can modify comparatives; very cannot normally do so. Less/the least express a lower degree; as ... as expresses equality.
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Correct answer: to
Completed sentence: We left early to avoid traffic. Although/even though introduce clauses; despite/in spite of introduce noun phrases or -ing. Because gives a reason; because of takes a noun phrase. To/in order to express purpose, while so that introduces a clause, often with a modal.
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Correct answer: to
Completed sentence: Please listen to me. Many verbs select a preposition: depend on, listen to, apologise for, belong to and wait for. A preposition takes a noun, pronoun or -ing form. Do not insert a preposition after direct-object verbs such as discuss.
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Correct answer: has lived
Completed sentence: She has lived here for ten years and still lives here. Use the present perfect to connect the past with now, including unfinished time and experience. Use the past simple for finished events and dates. An unfinished period can contain a finished past event, so context rather than a time word alone determines the tense.
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Correct answer: managed to
Completed sentence: Despite the jam, we managed to catch the last train. (one achievement) Can describes present ability; could often describes general past ability. For one successful past achievement, use was/were able to or managed to, though could is natural with perception verbs and in negatives. Use be able to after modals and in perfect forms.
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Correct answer: were
Completed sentence: She would help if she were free. Use if + past and would + base verb to imagine an unreal or unlikely present/future situation. Could and might can replace would with ability or uncertainty meanings. Use were for hypothetical be, especially in formal style.
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Correct answer: by
Completed sentence: A storm damaged the roof. The roof was damaged by a storm. Use active voice when the agent is your focus and passive when the action's recipient or result matters. In a passive, the active object becomes the subject and the tense is preserved. Omit unknown or unimportant agents; add by for the agent when needed.