11+ grammar
Word classes, sentence structure, tenses and figurative language. Explore each topic with the Grammar Explorer, then take untimed and timed 11+ exam-style tests.
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Practice tool · progress not savedClear explanations and examples of grammar, sentence structure and figurative language. When you’re ready, take the tests below: their scores are saved to your TestLife account so you can track progress.
English Grammar Explorer
Build 11+ English skills with clear grammar, sentence structure and figurative language examples.
Untimed test
Untimed · score saved15 questions picked at random from a large pool, so every attempt is different. No time limit.
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Timed test
Timed · score saved15 questions in 4 minutes. Practise under exam conditions once you’re confident.
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Year 4 test
Timed · Year 4 · score savedA shorter timed test for younger children.
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Grammar for the 11+
Grammar is the set of rules that helps us write and speak clearly. In the 11+ exam, strong grammar helps children understand questions properly and answer sentence-correction tasks accurately.
What 11+ grammar questions test
- Word classesnouns, verbs, adjectives, adverbs, pronouns, prepositions, conjunctions
- Sentence typessimple and compound sentences joined with and, but, because
- Tensesidentifying and changing past, present and future
- Subject–verb agreement“She runs”, not “She run”
- Punctuation cluescapital letters, full stops, commas, apostrophes
Exam tips
- Read each sentence carefully before choosing an answer.
- Look for punctuation clues.
- Check that the verb matches the subject.
- Cross out answers that sound wrong, then choose from what’s left.
For more practice, try BBC Bitesize grammar.
Word classes: definitions and examples
Nouns
- Definition: A noun is a word that represents a person, place, thing, or idea.
- Examples:
- Person: teacher, doctor
- Place: school, city
- Thing: book, chair
- Idea: freedom, happiness
“The doctor went to the hospital to see his patient.”
Collective Nouns
- Definition: A collective noun refers to a group of people, animals, or things.
- Examples:
- team, family, flock, bunch, group
“The team celebrated their victory after the match.”
Verbs
- Definition: A verb is a word that expresses an action or a state of being.
- Examples:
- Action verbs: run, eat, play
- State of being verbs: is, are, was, were
Adverbs
- Definition: An adverb modifies a verb, an adjective, or another adverb. It often tells us how, when, where, or to what extent something happens. An adverb, generally, would modify a verb or an adjective.
- Examples:
- quickly, very, today, here
“She walked elegantly down the isle.“
Adjectives
- Definition: An adjective is a word that describes or modifies a noun or pronoun.
- Examples:
- red, tall, beautiful, fast
“The tall man walked into the room.”
Prepositions
- Definition: A preposition is a word that shows the relationship between a noun (or pronoun) and another word in the sentence, often showing direction, location, or time.
- Examples:
- in, on, at, under, between, after
“The cat is under the table.”
Pronouns
- Definition: A pronoun is a word used to replace a noun to avoid repetition.
- Examples:
- I, he, she, it, they, them, us
“She loves to read books.”
Conjunctions
- Definition: A conjunction is a word used to connect words, phrases, or clauses.
- Examples:
- and, but, or, so, because
“I wanted to go to the party, but I had to study.”
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