Intermediate Grammar Test with Answers: English Grammar Guide

If you’ve already mastered the basics of English grammar, this intermediate-level grammar test will help you check your understanding and spot areas to improve. It covers tenses, modals, conditionals, clauses, voice, prepositions, adjectives/adverbs, gerunds/infinitives, reported speech, collocations, and agreement. Each item includes the correct answer and a short explanation so you can learn as you review.

Section 1: Verb Tenses

1. By the time we arrived, the movie ___ already ___.
   A) has / started
   B) had / started
   C) was / starting
   D) started
   Answer: B
   Explanation: Past perfect (had started) shows an earlier past action before another past point (arrived).

2. She ___ in New York for three years before moving to London.
   A) lived
   B) has lived
   C) had lived
   D) was living
   Answer: C
   Explanation: Past perfect for the earlier past period completed before another past action.

3. I ___ dinner when she called.
   A) had
   B) am having
   C) was having
   D) have had
   Answer: C
   Explanation: Past continuous indicates an ongoing past action interrupted by another past event.

4. We ___ each other since high school, but we lost touch last year.
   A) know
   B) knew
   C) have known
   D) had known
   Answer: C
   Explanation: Present perfect connects a state from the past to the present; “lost touch” is a separate past event.

5. This time next week, I ___ on a beach in Bohol.
   A) lie
   B) am lying
   C) will be lying
   D) will lie
   Answer: C
   Explanation: Future continuous for an action in progress at a specific future time.

6. He usually ___ to work, but today he ___ the bus because his car broke down.
   A) drives / is taking
   B) is driving / takes
   C) drove / took
   D) drives / takes
   Answer: A
   Explanation: Present simple for habits; present continuous for a temporary, current change.

Section 2: Modal Verbs

7. You ___ finish the report today. The deadline is next week.
   A) mustn’t
   B) don’t have to
   C) must
   D) should
   Answer: B
   Explanation: “Don’t have to” expresses lack of necessity.

8. He ___ speak four languages fluently.
   A) can
   B) must
   C) may
   D) should
   Answer: A
   Explanation: “Can” expresses ability.

9. If you want to pass the test, you ___ study harder.
   A) must
   B) may
   C) can
   D) would
   Answer: A
   Explanation: “Must” shows strong necessity.

10. They left the lights on. Someone ___ still be inside.
    A) can
    B) must
    C) should
    D) might
    Answer: D
    Explanation: “Might” expresses possibility; “must” would be stronger certainty, which we don’t have.

Section 3: Conditionals

11. If it ___ tomorrow, we’ll stay at home.
    A) rains
    B) will rain
    C) rained
    D) rain
    Answer: A
    Explanation: First conditional uses present simple in the if-clause and will + base in the result.

12. If I ___ more time, I would learn another language.
    A) have
    B) had
    C) will have
    D) would have
    Answer: B
    Explanation: Second conditional for present hypotheticals uses past simple after if.

13. If they had left earlier, they ___ the train.
    A) would catch
    B) will catch
    C) would have caught
    D) caught
    Answer: C
    Explanation: Third conditional for unreal past uses had + past participle and would have + past participle.

14. If you heat ice, it ___.
    A) melts
    B) will melt
    C) melted
    D) would melt
    Answer: A
    Explanation: Zero conditional for general truths uses present simple in both clauses.

15. I’ll call you if I ___ any news.
    A) will hear
    B) heard
    C) hear
    D) would hear
    Answer: C
    Explanation: First conditional uses present simple in the if-clause for a future condition.

Section 4: Sentence Structure and Clauses

16. The man ___ lives next door is a doctor.
    A) who
    B) which
    C) where
    D) whom
    Answer: A
    Explanation: “Who” introduces a relative clause referring to a person (subject position).

17. I don’t know ___ she is coming or not.
    A) that
    B) whether
    C) what
    D) if that
    Answer: B
    Explanation: “Whether” introduces alternatives and is more natural here.

18. The book ___ I borrowed from you was fascinating.
    A) what
    B) who
    C) which
    D) where
    Answer: C
    Explanation: “Which/that” for things in relative clauses.

19. That’s the restaurant ___ we had our first date.
    A) who
    B) which
    C) where
    D) whom
    Answer: C
    Explanation: “Where” introduces a place-relative clause.

Section 5: Passive Voice

20. The cake ___ by my mother yesterday.
    A) made
    B) is made
    C) was made
    D) had made
    Answer: C
    Explanation: Past simple passive for a completed past action with focus on the action, not the doer.

21. English ___ in many countries around the world.
    A) speaks
    B) is spoken
    C) is speaking
    D) spoke
    Answer: B
    Explanation: Present simple passive for a general truth.

22. The documents ___ before the meeting started.
    A) have been prepared
    B) were prepared
    C) was prepared
    D) prepared
    Answer: B
    Explanation: Past simple passive; plural subject requires “were.”

Section 6: Prepositions and Articles

23. He’s interested ___ learning new languages.
    A) on
    B) in
    C) at
    D) about
    Answer: B
    Explanation: The fixed phrase is “interested in.”

24. I’ll see you ___ Monday morning.
    A) in
    B) at
    C) on
    D) by
    Answer: C
    Explanation: “On” with days and dates.

25. She’s ___ honest person.
    A) a
    B) an
    C) the
    D) —
    Answer: B
    Explanation: “An” before vowel sounds; “honest” starts with a vowel sound.

26. We arrived ___ the airport just ___ time.
    A) to / in
    B) at / on
    C) at / in
    D) to / on
    Answer: C
    Explanation: “Arrive at” for points/places; “in time” means early enough.

Section 7: Adjectives and Adverbs

27. She drives ___ than her brother.
    A) more carefully
    B) carefuler
    C) most carefully
    D) careful
    Answer: A
    Explanation: Use “more + adverb” for comparative adverbs.

28. This is the ___ movie I’ve ever seen.
    A) bad
    B) worse
    C) worst
    D) badly
    Answer: C
    Explanation: Superlative form of “bad” is “worst.”

29. He looked ___ after running for an hour.
    A) tiredly
    B) tired
    C) tiring
    D) tiringly
    Answer: B
    Explanation: Linking verbs (look, seem, feel) take adjectives, not adverbs, to describe the subject.

Section 8: Gerunds and Infinitives

30. I enjoy ___ to music in my free time.
    A) listen
    B) to listen
    C) listening
    D) listened
    Answer: C
    Explanation: “Enjoy” is followed by a gerund.

31. He decided ___ abroad next year.
    A) go
    B) going
    C) to go
    D) goes
    Answer: C
    Explanation: “Decide” is followed by the infinitive.

32. She suggested ___ out for dinner.
    A) to go
    B) go
    C) going
    D) gone
    Answer: C
    Explanation: “Suggest” is followed by a gerund or a that-clause.

Section 9: Reported Speech

33. She said, “I’m studying English.” → She said she ___ English.
    A) studies
    B) studied
    C) is studying
    D) was studying
    Answer: D
    Explanation: Present continuous backshifts to past continuous in reported speech.

34. “I will call you tomorrow,” he said. → He said he ___ call me the next day.
    A) will
    B) would
    C) shall
    D) should
    Answer: B
    Explanation: “Will” becomes “would” in reported speech; “tomorrow” becomes “the next day.”

Section 10: Word Forms and Collocations

35. His explanation was very ___.
    A) clear
    B) clearly
    C) clarity
    D) clearing
    Answer: A
    Explanation: We need an adjective to modify the noun “explanation.”

36. She speaks English ___ fluently.
    A) surprising
    B) surprised
    C) surprisingly
    D) surprise
    Answer: C
    Explanation: Adverb “surprisingly” modifies “fluently,” describing degree in a comment-like way.

Section 11: Agreement, Parallelism, and Word Order

37. Neither the teacher nor the students ___ present today.
    A) is
    B) are
    C) were
    D) be
    Answer: B
    Explanation: In “neither…nor,” the verb agrees with the subject closest to it (“students” → plural → are).

38. The new policy aims to reduce costs, improve service, and ___ waste.
    A) to eliminate
    B) eliminating
    C) eliminate
    D) eliminated
    Answer: C
    Explanation: Maintain parallel structure with base forms after “aims to” when listing coordinated infinitive complements (reduce, improve, eliminate).

Section 12: Mixed Review and Usage

39. Hardly ___ the meeting begin when the fire alarm went off.
    A) had
    B) has
    C) did
    D) would
    Answer: A
    Explanation: Negative adverbial inversion: “Hardly had + subject + past participle” for an event that had just started when another happened.

40. She’s the only one in the team ___ can code and design equally well.
    A) which
    B) who
    C) whom
    D) that whom
    Answer: B
    Explanation: “Who” refers to people and functions as the subject of the relative clause.

41. I wish you ___ me before changing the schedule.
    A) tell
    B) told
    C) had told
    D) would tell
    Answer: C
    Explanation: “Wish” + past perfect refers to regret about a past action that didn’t happen.

42. We’re used ___ late during product launches.
    A) to work
    B) to working
    C) working
    D) work
    Answer: B
    Explanation: “Be used to” is followed by a noun or gerund; here: “to working.”

43. The manager had the report ___ by noon.
    A) finish
    B) finished
    C) to finish
    D) finishing
    Answer: B
    Explanation: Causative “have + object + past participle” to show someone arranged for something to be done.

44. Scarcely anyone ___ the instructions before starting the task.
    A) read
    B) reads
    C) has read
    D) had read
    Answer: D
    Explanation: With a past reference point implied (“before starting”), past perfect emphasizes completion prior to that point.

45. If you ___ to me, we wouldn’t be in this situation now.
    A) listen
    B) listened
    C) had listened
    D) would have listened
    Answer: C
    Explanation: Mixed conditional: unreal past condition with present result (had listened → wouldn’t be).

46. There’s too ___ traffic to get downtown quickly at this hour.
    A) many
    B) much
    C) few
    D) little
    Answer: B
    Explanation: “Traffic” is uncountable; use “much.”

47. He apologized ___ late and promised it wouldn’t happen again.
    A) to be
    B) for being
    C) about be
    D) for be
    Answer: B
    Explanation: “Apologize for” + gerund.

48. The results were not only accurate ___ also replicable.
    A) but
    B) and
    C) so
    D) or
    Answer: A
    Explanation: Correlative pair “not only…but also.”

How to Use This Test

1. Review your incorrect answers by category (tenses, modals, etc.) so you can target weak spots.

2. Rewrite the example sentences with your own content to make the rules stick.

3. Practice explaining the rule aloud in one sentence—teaching is learning.

4. Revisit the test in a few days; spaced repetition reinforces memory.

5. Read authentic English (articles, guides, instructions) and notice how these forms appear naturally.

If you answered at least 32 correctly, you’re operating solidly in the B1–B2 range. Keep strengthening complex areas like conditionals, inversion, and reported speech to push into upper-intermediate and advanced levels.

What level is an intermediate grammar test, and who should take it?

An intermediate grammar test targets learners around the B1–B2 range on the CEFR scale. You should take it if you can handle everyday conversations, read short articles, and write basic emails, but still make errors with tenses, modals, conditionals, reported speech, and sentence structure. If beginner tests are too easy and advanced ones feel overwhelming, this level is likely right for you.

How should I use the answer key and explanations effectively?

First, complete the test under timed conditions without looking at notes. Afterward, check answers and read every explanation—especially for questions you got right by guessing. Categorize your mistakes (e.g., tenses, articles, prepositions). Then, rewrite each incorrect sentence correctly and make two new examples of your own to reinforce the pattern.

What are the most common tense mistakes at the intermediate level?

Learners often confuse past simple, past continuous, and past perfect. Typical errors include using has/have + past participle for events that finished before a past moment (should be past perfect), or using will in the if-clause of first conditionals. Another frequent issue: overusing present perfect with specific past time expressions like “yesterday” or “in 2019,” which require past simple.

When do I use past perfect instead of past simple?

Use past perfect (had + past participle) to show that one action happened before another past moment. If two past events are mentioned, the earlier one can take past perfect to clarify sequence: “By the time we arrived, the movie had started.” If the timeline is already clear (e.g., adverbs like “before,” “after”), past simple may also be acceptable, but past perfect adds precision.

How do I choose between “must,” “have to,” “should,” and “don’t have to”?

Must shows strong internal obligation or logical deduction (“You must be tired”). Have to indicates external necessity (“I have to finish this by 5”). Should gives advice (“You should back up your files”). Don’t have to means something is not necessary, while mustn’t means it is prohibited. Mixing up “don’t have to” and “mustn’t” is a common mistake.

What’s the difference between first, second, and third conditionals?

First conditional (real future): If + present simple, will + base verb (“If it rains, we’ll stay in”). Second conditional (present unreal): If + past simple, would + base verb (“If I had more time, I would learn Korean”). Third conditional (past unreal): If + past perfect, would have + past participle (“If they had left earlier, they would have caught the train”). Choose based on time and reality of the situation.

How do I avoid common errors with relative clauses (who, which, that, whom, where)?

Use who for people (subject), whom for formal object cases (often optional in modern English), which for things, that for essential information (restrictive), and where for places. Example: “The engineer who designed the bridge lives nearby,” “The bridge, which opened in 2012, is popular,” and “That’s the cafe where we met.” Keep commas for nonessential information.

When should I use the passive voice at the intermediate level?

Use passive voice when the doer is unknown, irrelevant, or obvious: “The documents were prepared before the meeting.” It’s common in formal or scientific contexts to emphasize results over agents. Avoid overusing passives in everyday writing; prefer active voice for clarity and energy unless focus on the action or result is necessary.

Which prepositions and articles cause the most trouble, and how can I fix them?

Prepositions of time and place—in/on/at—are classic pain points: “On Monday,” “At 9 a.m.,” “In 2025,” “Arrive at the airport,” “Arrive in Cebu.” Articles: use a/an for first mention or non-specific items (“an honest person”), the for something specific or previously known. Build “collocation maps” (e.g., interested in, apologize for, good at) and review them regularly.

How do I choose between adjectives and adverbs (careful vs. carefully, tired vs. tiredly)?

Adjectives describe nouns and follow linking verbs (be, seem, look, feel): “He looks tired.” Adverbs modify verbs, adjectives, or other adverbs: “She drives carefully.” If the word describes the subject’s state after a linking verb, use an adjective, not an adverb. For comparative and superlative forms, use patterns like “more carefully” and “most carefully.”

What are the main rules for gerunds and infinitives I should memorize?

Some verbs take gerunds (enjoy, suggest, avoid, consider): “I enjoy listening.” Others take infinitives (decide, plan, hope, promise): “She decided to go.” A few accept both with a meaning change (remember, stop, try). Create two lists—gerund-only and infinitive-only—and practice with spaced repetition. Use a notebook or spaced-repetition app to reinforce patterns.

How does reported speech change tenses, time words, and pronouns?

When reporting past statements, backshift tenses: present → past, will → would, can → could. Time references also shift: “today” → “that day,” “tomorrow” → “the next day,” “yesterday” → “the day before.” Pronouns change to match the new speaker and listener: “I will call you tomorrow,” he said → He said he would call me the next day.

What is subject–verb agreement with “neither…nor,” “either…or,” and collective nouns?

With either…or and neither…nor, the verb typically agrees with the subject closest to it: “Neither the manager nor the employees are ready.” Collective nouns vary by dialect and intent: in American English, they’re usually singular (“The team is winning”); plural use can emphasize individuals (“The team are arguing”) and is more common in British English.

How do inversion patterns like “Hardly had…” or “No sooner had…” work?

After negative or limiting adverbials placed at the start, invert auxiliary and subject: “Hardly had the meeting begun when the alarm sounded,” “No sooner had I sat down than the phone rang.” These forms are formal and emphasize immediacy. Ensure you include the appropriate pairings: “no sooner… than,” “scarcely/hardly… when.”

What are the best strategies to improve accuracy and fluency after taking the test?

Use a three-step loop: diagnose, drill, deploy. Diagnose by categorizing errors. Drill with focused micro-practice: 10–15 items on a single rule (e.g., third conditional). Deploy the form in real output: write an email, a short diary entry, or a social post using the target structure. Add spaced review two days and one week later for retention.

How can I build long-term tense control beyond rules memorization?

Create a “timeline notebook.” For each tense, draw a simple timeline, write three original examples, and note signal words (e.g., “already,” “by the time,” “for/since”). Read daily and highlight authentic examples of your target tense. Speaking practice matters too—record yourself summarizing recent events using past tenses and future plans using future forms.

What are practical tips for mastering articles and countability?

Identify whether the noun is countable or uncountable in your context: “advice” and “information” are uncountable, while “idea” and “example” are countable. Use much with uncountables and many with countables. For specificity, ask: Is the listener supposed to know which one? If yes, use the. Keep a personal list of nouns that change meaning with countability (e.g., “chicken” as food vs. animal) and review with examples.

How do collocations help prevent “unnatural” English?

Collocations are word partnerships that native speakers expect, like make a decision, strong coffee, highly likely, apologize for, and capable of. Build a collocation bank organized by themes (work, study, travel). Replace literal translations with common pairings. Practice by writing short paragraphs that incorporate five collocations each, then check for variety and accuracy.

What is parallelism, and why does it matter?

Parallelism means using consistent grammatical forms in lists or paired ideas: “reduce costs, improve service, and eliminate waste.” It improves clarity and rhythm, and it prevents errors such as mixing gerunds and infinitives in one series. When editing, underline coordinated items and verify that forms match (all -ing forms, all base verbs, or all noun phrases).

How can I track progress and know when I’m ready for upper-intermediate material?

Retake the test after one to two weeks of targeted practice; aim for above 80% with fewer than two repeated error types. Supplement with extensive reading and short writing tasks. If you can use conditionals, reported speech, complex noun phrases, and passive forms accurately in real communication (speaking or writing) across several days, you’re ready to move into upper-intermediate territory.

What daily practice routine works well for busy learners?

Spend 15–20 minutes in three blocks: five minutes of micro-drills on one weak area (e.g., articles), five minutes of reading a short authentic text and underlining a target structure, and five to ten minutes of output (a short paragraph or voice note) using that structure. Rotate focus areas across the week and review errors on Sundays.

How can I adapt this test for classroom or self-study use?

For classes, assign sections as stations (tenses, modals, conditionals) and have learners explain reasoning in pairs. For self-study, set a timer, take the test, and color-code mistakes by category. Transform each missed question into a mini-lesson: rule summary, two fresh examples, and one contrast sentence showing what not to do. Save these as flashcards for spaced review.