Important English Tricks for Competitive Exams 2025 – A Complete Easy Guide

Introduction

Here I will share some important English tricks for competitive exams. These are simple rules and shortcuts that help you answer English questions quickly. However, always remember that these rules apply to about 99% of questions. There are some exceptions where grammar rules are not completely reliable. A few sentences or words may not strictly follow the rules.

That is why it is important to first understand the concept before applying any trick. Here, the tricks are nothing but grammar rules explained in an easy way. So, learn these rules carefully and apply them in the exam. In this guide, I will try to cover the entire set of English tricks for competitive exams. If not, I will continue this topic in Part 2. Now, let’s begin with Tenses.

Tenses

There are three main tenses in English: Past, Present, and Future. Each of these is further divided into four types: Simple, Continuous, Perfect, and Perfect Continuous. This makes a total of 3 × 4 = 12 tenses. However, you do not need to memorize all twelve tenses for competitive exams. Out of these, there are six important tenses that are most commonly asked and very useful. I will explain these tenses with English tricks and simple rules.

But before that, remember one thing — just try to understand the concept of tenses. Once you understand the idea, it becomes easy to answer questions. Now, let’s look at the six most important tenses.

1. Simple Present Tense

Rule: Subject + V¹ (base form) / V¹ + s/es (for he, she, it)
Example: She reads books every day.

2. Present Continuous Tense

Rule: Subject + is/are/am + V¹ + ing
Example: They are playing cricket now.

3. Present Perfect Tense

Rule: Subject + has/have + V³ (past participle)
Example: I have finished my homework.

4. Present Perfect Continuous Tense

Rule: Subject + has/have been + V¹ + ing + since/for + time
Example: He has been studying for two hours.

5. Past Perfect Tense

Rule: Subject + had + V³ (past participle)
Example: She had completed her work before I arrived.

6. Future Perfect Tense

Rule: Subject + will have + V³ (past participle)
Example: They will have reached home by 8 PM.

These are the six important tenses for exams. The remaining tenses are also useful, but you only need to understand their basic concept rather than memorizing every detail. Now, let’s move on to the next important topic for competitive exams: Active and Passive Voice.

Active and Passive Voice

Here I will give you a table showing how verbs in Active Voice change to Passive Voice and vice versa. This is one of the simplest English tricks to remember. Always keep in mind that Passive Voice uses the third form of the verb (V3).

Note : If there is already be or been in a sentence, changing it into Passive Voice is usually not possible. That is why the Passive Voice of Perfect Continuous Tenses does not exist.

This table shows how verbs in Active Voice change to Passive Voice and vice versa. Revise it well and practice a few more examples to gain perfection. This table is one of the most useful English tricks or rules for mastering Active and Passive Voice. Now, let’s move on to the next important topic: Direct and Indirect Speech.

Direct and Indirect Speech

If we learn some English tricks or rules, we can easily answer questions from Direct and Indirect Speech. Now, let’s go through the important rules.

1. Change of Reporting Verb

• Use “told” when there is an object.
• Use “asked” in case of a question.
  Example:
  Direct: He said, “I am busy.”
  Indirect: He told me that he was busy.

2. Change of Pronouns

• Pronouns change according to the subject and object of the reporting verb.
  Example:
  Direct: She said, “I will help you.”
  Indirect: She said that she would help me.

3. Change of Tenses (Backshift Rule)

• Present changes to Past
• Past changes to Past Perfect
• Will changes to Would
• Shall changes to Should
• May changes to Might
• Can changes to Could
  Example:
  Direct: He said, “I am reading.”
  Indirect: He said that he was reading.

4. Change of Time and Place Words

• Today → that day
• Tomorrow → the next day
• Yesterday → the previous day
• Now → then
• Here → there
  Example:
  Direct: She said, “I will meet you tomorrow here.”
  Indirect: She said that she would meet me the next day there.

5. Questions

• Remove the question mark.
• Use “if” or “whether” for Yes-No questions.
  Example:
  Direct: He said, “Are you ready?”
  Indirect: He asked if I was ready.

6. Imperatives (Commands or Requests)

• Use verbs like told, ordered, requested, advised.
  Example:
  Direct: She said, “Please help me.”
  Indirect: She requested me to help her.

Indirect to Direct Speech Rules

1. Add quotation marks (“…”).
2. Change tenses back to the original form.
3. Replace time and place words back to their direct form.
   • That day → today
   • Then → now
   • There → here
4. Restore reporting verbs.

Example:
Indirect: He said that he was busy.
Direct: He said, “I am busy.”

Quick Trick to Remember

• Direct → Indirect: Tense goes 1 step back.
• Indirect → Direct: Tense comes 1 step forward.

Note : The tenses of Direct Speech do not change if the reporting verb is in the Present Tense or the Future Tense.

• Direct : says/will says
• Indirect : says/will says

This section explained how to change Direct Speech into Indirect Speech and vice versa. Now, let’s move on to the next topic: Articles.

Articles

Articles are words placed before nouns to define them as specific or general.
There are two types of articles:

1. Definite Article → “The”
2. Indefinite Articles → “A” and “An”

1. Indefinite Article: A / An

• A is used before words that begin with a consonant sound.
• An is used before words that begin with a vowel sound (a, e, i, o, u).

Examples:

• I saw a dog in the park.
• She bought an apple from the market.
• He is a university student. (Note: “university” starts with a vowel letter but the sound is “yu”, so we use “a”).
• It took me an hour to finish. (Note: “hour” starts with consonant letter h, but the sound is vowel, so we use “an”).

Use A / An when you talk about something for the first time or in general.

2. Definite Article: The

• “The” is used before specific nouns that are known to the speaker and listener.
• It is also used for unique things.

Examples:

• Please close the door. (a particular door known to both)
• The sun rises in the east.
• He went to the hospital to see his friend.
• The Ganga is a holy river.

Use “The” when the noun is unique, specific, or already mentioned.

3. Zero Article (No article)

Sometimes we do not use any article.

• With proper nouns: India, Ram, Mount Everest.
• With languages and subjects: She speaks English. He studies Mathematics.
• With general plural and uncountable nouns: Dogs are loyal animals. Milk is good for health.

Quick Trick to Remember

• Use A / An → when talking about something general or unknown.
• Use The → when talking about something specific, unique, or already known.
• Use No Article → with names, subjects, languages, or general ideas.

Example Sentences Together:

1. I saw a cat on the wall.
2. The cat was sleeping peacefully.
3. She gave me an orange.
4. We climbed the Himalayas.
5. Water is essential for life.

This section was about Articles, and it is important to clearly understand the difference between a, an, and the. Now, let’s move on to the next topic: Prepositions.

Prepositions

A preposition is a word placed before a noun or pronoun to show its relation with another word in the sentence. Now types of Prepositions with Examples are

1. Prepositions of Place / Position

They show where something is.
Examples:

• The pen is on the desk.
• The boy is in the room.
• The picture is above the bed.
• The ball is under the chair.

2. Prepositions of Time

They show when something happens.
Examples:

• I was born in 2000.
• We will meet at 5 PM.
• He worked here for two years.
• The shop is closed on Sundays.

3. Prepositions of Direction / Movement

They show where something goes.
Examples:

• He is going to school.
• The dog ran into the garden.
• The child jumped onto the bed.
• She walked towards the station.

4. Prepositions of Cause, Reason, Purpose

Examples:

• He died of cancer.
• She was absent because of illness.
• The match was cancelled due to rain.

5. Prepositions of Manner, Instrument, Agent

Examples:

• He came by car.
• The letter was written with a pen.
• The poem was written by Shakespeare.

6. Prepositions of Comparison / Contrast

Examples:

• She is taller than her brother.
• He is different from me.

7. Phrasal Prepositions (Preposition Groups)

These are made up of two or more words.
Examples:

• According to her, this is true.
• He succeeded because of his hard work.
• In spite of his efforts, he failed.

Common Exam Mistakes with Prepositions

1. Wrong: He is good in English.
   Correct: He is good at English.
2. Wrong: She is married with a doctor.
   Correct: She is married to a doctor.
3. Wrong: We discussed about the problem.
   Correct: We discussed the problem.

Quick Tricks to Remember

• At → small place or time (at 5 PM, at the station).
• In → big place or longer time (in Delhi, in January).
• On → surface or day (on the table, on Monday).

Example Sentences Together:

1. The cat is sleeping on the sofa.
2. I will meet you at the bus stop.
3. He was born in March.
4. She travelled by train.
5. They worked hard for success.

This section is about some important English tricks or English rules of Prepositions.

Conclusion

This is about a few important English tricks or English rules for competitive exams. They may look like basics, but remember that basics are very important for building a strong foundation. Revise them daily, because there are chances you might forget. Keep practicing questions regularly to strengthen your memory and speed. All the best for your exams!

FAQs – English Tricks & Rules for Competitive Exams

Contact us

If you want to Contact us please – Click Here