English Grammar Exercises
20 years of free practice, beginner (A1-A2) through advanced (C1-C2). Pick a topic below: each one has its own hub with a grammar explanation, common mistakes to avoid, and every related exercise. Downloadable PDFs available in our ESL SHOP.
Core grammar
Verb Tenses
80+ exercises
All 12 English tenses, from present simple to future perfect continuous, plus subject-verb agreement, auxiliaries (do/does/did), and mixed practice.
IELTS · TOEFL · Cambridge · TOEIC
Modal Verbs
Can, could, should, must, might, and the rest: ability, permission, obligation, advice, and speculation about the present or past.
Cambridge · TOEIC
Conditionals
Zero, first, second, and third conditionals, plus mixed conditionals for talking about hypothetical past and present situations together.
IELTS · Cambridge
Passive Voice
Turning active sentences passive across every tense, and knowing when the passive actually reads more naturally than the active.
IELTS · TOEIC
Reported Speech
Reporting statements, questions, and commands, including the tense backshift that trips up even confident learners.
IELTS
Causative Form
Have/get something done: talking about actions someone else does for you, not actions you do yourself.
Cambridge
Sentence building
Clauses
11 exercises
Relative clauses (who/that/which), noun clauses, and adverb clauses: connecting ideas into longer, more natural sentences.
IELTS · TOEFL · Cambridge
Gerund or Infinitive
Knowing when a verb needs the -ing form and when it needs "to + verb," including verbs that genuinely take either.
TOEFL
Punctuation & Sentence Mechanics
15 exercises
Comma splices, dangling and misplaced modifiers, capitalization, apostrophes, and English word order.
Conjunctions & Question Words
12 exercises
Because vs. so, subordinating conjunctions, and getting who/whom/whose and other question words right.
TOEIC
Words & word choice
Articles
16 exercises
A, an, the, or nothing at all: the rules, the sound-based exceptions, and when to drop the article entirely.
IELTS · TOEIC
Prepositions
18 exercises
On, at, in, for, since, and the rest, covering time, place, and the fixed combinations that just have to be memorized.
IELTS · TOEIC
Nouns
14 exercises
Countable vs. uncountable, plurals (including irregular ones), and collective nouns like "team" or "family."
TOEFL
Pronouns
20+ exercises
Subject, object, possessive, reflexive, and relative pronouns, plus pronoun agreement, case, and reference.
Adjectives & Adverbs
26 exercises
Choosing adjective vs. adverb, possessive adjectives, and participle adjectives (bored vs. boring).
Quantifiers & Degree Words
17 exercises
Much, many, a lot of, some, any, either, neither, so, such, more, most: how much is "some," exactly?
Phrasal Verbs
27 exercises
Two- and three-word verbs like "give up" and "look forward to," grouped by everyday theme and situation.
Cambridge
Word Choice & Vocabulary
26 exercises
Commonly confused words (their/there/they're, lose/loose), homonyms, misspellings, and useful prefixes and suffixes.
Frequently Asked Grammar Questions
What's the difference between the simple past and the present perfect?
The simple past describes something that started and finished at a specific point in the past, so it's the tense to reach for whenever a time word like "yesterday," "in 2019," or "last week" is doing the work. The present perfect is for actions with no fixed time attached, or ones that still matter right now. "I visited Paris in 2019" is simple past; "I have visited Paris three times" is present perfect, because the exact date isn't the point, the experience is. Practice the distinction directly with the simple past vs. present perfect exercise.
How many verb tenses are there in English?
Most course books teach 12: a simple, continuous, perfect, and perfect continuous form for each of past, present, and future. Some linguists argue English only has two true grammatical tenses, past and present, with the rest built through auxiliary verbs and aspect rather than verb inflection, but for learning purposes the 12-tense framework is the one used in almost every ESL textbook and exam. Our Verb Tenses hub covers all 12 across 130+ exercises.
When do you use "a" instead of "an"?
It comes down to sound, not spelling: use "a" before a word that starts with a consonant sound and "an" before a word that starts with a vowel sound, which is why it's "a university" but "an hour." There's more nuance to articles than just a/an, though. See the full rules, common exceptions, and quick-reference table in the Articles hub.
What's the difference between "for" and "since"?
Both show up with the present perfect to talk about duration, but they answer different questions. "For" is followed by a length of time (for two years, for a while), while "since" is followed by a starting point (since 2020, since Monday). A quick check: if you can put a number in front of it, it's probably "for"; if you're naming the specific moment something began, it's "since." Practice with the for vs. since exercise.
What's the difference between "will" and "going to" for talking about the future?
"Going to" is generally used for plans and intentions that are already decided, like "I'm going to visit my parents this weekend." "Will" is more common for decisions made in the moment, promises, and predictions based on opinion rather than evidence, like "I think it will rain later." When there's already visible evidence for a prediction, such as dark clouds overhead, "going to" usually fits better than "will." Try the will vs. going to exercise.
Are these exercises useful for a specific exam like IELTS, TOEFL, or Cambridge?
Many of them, yes. Grammar topics like conditionals, passive voice, reported speech, and verb tenses show up constantly across IELTS, TOEFL, Cambridge, and TOEIC. Look for the "Exam-relevant" tag on the topic cards above, or see our dedicated Exam Prep section for an honest, exam-by-exam breakdown of exactly what's tested and where these exercises genuinely help.
Are these grammar exercises free?
Yes, every exercise on this page and across all the topic hubs is completely free, with instant answer checking and no sign-up required.
What's the best way to practice English grammar?
Pick one topic at a time rather than jumping around. Read the short grammar explanation on that topic's hub page first, then work through a few exercises and check your answers immediately rather than at the end. Repetition across a few days beats a single long session, and mixing in real reading or listening practice helps the grammar stick in context rather than staying purely mechanical.
