Term pack

Year 10 English

Name: ________________________

Skills in this pack

Formal and informal register
Connectors between sentences
Keeping the tense consistent
Formal letters: complaint and enquiry
Continuing a story
Conditionals: zero, first and second
Modals in the past
Reported questions and commands
Punctuating complex sentences
Integrated grammar: filling gaps in a passage
Choosing the precise word
Editing at sentence level
Reading across paragraphs

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Year 10 English · 1 of 13

Formal and informal register

Choose formal or informal wording to suit who you are writing to.

1.Match each everyday phrase to its formal equivalent.
- find out
- put off
- ask for
- get better
- look into
- put up with
- investigate
- discover
- tolerate
- request
- postpone
- improve
2.Rewrite "kids" with the more formal word.
3.Write a single formal verb that means "find out".
4.Which feature belongs to informal writing?
- a) formal vocabulary such as commence
- b) contractions such as don't and can't
- c) long noun phrases
- d) full forms such as do not and cannot
5.In a formal letter of complaint, which sentence is better?
- a) I want a refund.
- b) Give me my money back.
- c) Refund me quickly please.
- d) I would be grateful if you could arrange a refund.
6.Which greeting suits a letter to a principal you have never met?
- a) Hello you
- b) Dear Sir or Madam
- c) Hey Principal
- d) Hi there
7.Which closing suits a formal letter?
- a) Later
- b) Cheers
- c) Sincerely
- d) Bye for now
8.You are writing to a company about a faulty product. Which opening is right?
- a) Hi, your thing broke.
- b) Hey, fix this.
- c) Your product is useless.
- d) I am writing to report a fault in a product I purchased from you.

Formal and informal register · Year 10 English · www.arenapublications.com/learn

Year 10 English · 2 of 13

Connectors between sentences

Link ideas across sentences with the connector that shows the right relationship.

1.Put the sentences of this paragraph in order. The connectors will tell you where each one belongs.
- One reason is that rainwater runs straight into drains instead of soaking into the ground.
- Cities across the country are running short of water.
- Moreover, old pipes leak away a large share of the supply.
- Consequently, several cities now collect rainwater on rooftops.
2.Rain fell for six hours without stopping. ____, the match was abandoned.
- a) Similarly
- b) Meanwhile
- c) For example
- d) Consequently
3.The hall was very small. ____, it was badly lit.
- a) Moreover
- b) Therefore
- c) For example
- d) However
4.The road was flooded. ____, the bus could not reach the village.
- a) Similarly
- b) Nevertheless
- c) Consequently
- d) For instance
5.The team practised every day. ____, they lost the final.
- a) Therefore
- b) Moreover
- c) Consequently
- d) Nevertheless
6.Sort each connector by the relationship it signals.
Groups: Adds an idea · Contrasts an idea · Shows a result · Gives an example
- nevertheless
- in addition
- as a result
- consequently
- for example
- on the other hand
- furthermore
- for instance
7.Write one connector that means the same as "as a result".
8.Match each connector to what it signals.
- however
- therefore
- moreover
- for instance
- meanwhile
- in conclusion
- an example of what came before
- a further point of the same kind
- a contrast with what came before
- the result of what came before
- the closing point of a piece
- something happening at the same time

Connectors between sentences · Year 10 English · www.arenapublications.com/learn

Year 10 English · 3 of 13

Keeping the tense consistent

Spot the verb that breaks the tense of a passage, and correct it.

1.Correct the odd verb: "He picks up the bat, walks to the crease and hit the first ball for four." Write the corrected verb.
2.Match each verb to its simple past form.
- walk
- begin
- choose
- teach
- keep
- freeze
- kept
- began
- taught
- froze
- chose
- walked
3.Rewrite in the past tense: "She writes a letter." Write the whole sentence.
4.Sort each verb by its tense.
Groups: Past tense · Present tense
- goes
- went
- brings
- saw
- brought
- sees
5.Which version keeps one tense throughout?
- a) The bell rang and the children run out.
- b) The bell ring and the children ran out.
- c) The bell rang and the children ran out.
- d) The bell rings and the children ran out.
6.Sort each sentence by whether it keeps to one tense.
Groups: Tense is consistent · Tense is broken
- She sang, danced and acts in the play.
- She sang, danced and acted in the play.
- They arrive early, find their seats and wait.
- I opened the box and looked inside.
- They arrive early, found their seats and wait.
- I open the box and looked inside.
7.Put the sentences of this past-tense passage in order. The time words will tell you where each one belongs.
- By evening the storm had passed and the streets were quiet.
- At first the sky was clear and the sun was warm.
- Then a grey cloud crept over the hill.
- Within minutes the rain was falling in sheets.
8.Which verb breaks the tense? "Every morning she wakes up early, made her bed and goes for a run."
- a) wakes
- b) none — the tense is consistent
- c) goes
- d) made

Keeping the tense consistent · Year 10 English · www.arenapublications.com/learn

Year 10 English · 4 of 13

Formal letters: complaint and enquiry

Lay out a formal letter, and write one that complains or enquires in the right register.

Before you start

Every formal letter has the same eight parts, in the same order down the page. Find out what each one is called — all eight, in any order, with nothing to get right.

1. The sender's address
2. The date
3. The receiver's address
4. The subject line
5. The greeting
6. The body of the letter
7. The closing
8. The signature and name

The greeting, the subject line and the body sit against the left-hand edge in every convention. Where the addresses and the date sit is the part that varies — Indian and British school letters put the sender's address at the top right, while many American letters line everything up on the left.

1.In the letter convention taught in Indian and British schools, a letter beginning "Dear Sir" ends with a fixed two-word closing. Write those two words.
2.A formal letter names its topic on one short line, placed between the address and the greeting. What is that line called? Write two words.
3.Match each sentence from a letter of complaint to the job it does.
- I am writing to complain about the delay in delivery.
- The order was placed on 3 April and has still not arrived.
- This has caused considerable inconvenience.
- I should be grateful if you would deliver it this week or refund the amount.
- I look forward to your early reply.
- asks for action
- closes politely
- explains the effect
- gives the facts
- states the purpose
4.In the letter convention taught in Indian and British schools, a letter that begins "Dear Mr Sharma" ends with which closing?
- a) Yours sincerely
- b) Yours faithfully
- c) Lots of love
- d) See you soon
5.This is the layout of a formal letter. Tap the part where the greeting goes.
Write the number of the part.
6.Which is the best subject line for a letter about a street light that has stopped working?
- a) Street light outside the school gate — not working since 10 May
- b) Complaint
- c) Regarding an important matter
- d) Please read this letter carefully
7.Sort each sentence by whether its register suits a formal letter.
Groups: Suits a formal letter · Too informal for one
- Anyway, thanks a lot.
- I should be grateful for an early reply.
- I wish to bring the following to your notice.
- Just wanted to let you know.
- Kindly look into the matter at your earliest convenience.
- Write back quick!
8.Match each paragraph of a formal letter to what belongs in it.
- the subject line
- the first paragraph
- the middle paragraph
- the last paragraph
- the closing
- one short phrase naming what the letter is about
- why you are writing at all
- what you are asking to be done
- the fixed phrase that stands above your signature
- the details, the dates and the evidence

Formal letters: complaint and enquiry · Year 10 English · www.arenapublications.com/learn

Year 10 English · 5 of 13

Continuing a story

Carry on a story that somebody else began, keeping its narrator, its tense and everything it has already established.

1.A story begins: "I had never seen the river so high. My father would not let me cross." Which continuation keeps both the narrator and the tense?
- a) I am waiting on the bank while he walks down to look.
- b) He walks down to the bank and points.
- c) She waited on the bank while he walked down to look.
- d) I waited on the bank while he walked down to look.
2.Put the stages of a story continuation in the order they usually come.
- Then show how the character reacts to it.
- Finally, close on a line that settles the situation the opening set up.
- Next, let something happen that the opening was leading towards.
- First, pick up exactly where the opening stopped.
3.A story is written in the past tense. Rewrite "I walk to the window and open it" so that it fits, changing only the two verbs. Write the whole sentence.
4.A story reads: "I found the envelope under the door mat. My name was on it in handwriting I did not know." Which continuation actually moves the story on?
- a) The envelope was white and rather crumpled at one corner.
- b) It had been a very strange week altogether.
- c) I tore it open and read the first line twice.
- d) I stood there for a while, thinking about the envelope.
5.Match each fault in a story continuation to its name.
- The narrator changes from I to she halfway through.
- The verbs move from past to present.
- A door said to be locked is walked straight through.
- Three paragraphs describe the room and nothing happens.
- A brand new character solves everything in the last line.
- a shift in person
- no movement in the plot
- an ending the story has not earned
- a shift in tense
- a contradiction
6.A story begins: "I opened the gate and stepped into the empty garden. The dog was gone." Each card below is meant to be the narrator's very next sentence, and each one breaks exactly one rule. Sort them by which one.
Groups: Changes the narrator · Changes the tense · Contradicts what was already said
- The garden was crowded with people, as it always was.
- I patted the dog and shut the gate behind me.
- She crossed the garden and called again.
- He searched behind the water tank.
- I am searching behind the water tank.
- I cross the garden and call again.
7.Which continuation keeps both the narrator and the tense of this opening? "We had been walking since dawn, and none of us had spoken for an hour."
- a) They stopped at the bend to look back at the valley.
- b) We stopped at the bend to look back at the valley.
- c) I am stopping at the bend to look back at the valley.
- d) We stop at the bend to look back at the valley.
8.A story opening reads: "I had never seen the river so high." Name the person the story is written in. Write one word.

Continuing a story · Year 10 English · www.arenapublications.com/learn

Year 10 English · 6 of 13

Conditionals: zero, first and second

Choose the right verb forms for a zero, first or second conditional sentence.

1.Second conditional — imagining something that is not the case. If we ____ a garden, we would grow our own vegetables.
- a) had
- b) have
- c) will have
- d) would have
2.Sort each sentence by whether it treats the situation as a real possibility or as something imagined. The verb forms will tell you.
Groups: A real possibility · Imagined — not the case
- If I finish my homework early, I will watch the match.
- If we lived on the moon, we would need a spacesuit.
- If I had wings, I would fly to school.
- If elephants could talk, they would tell us a great deal.
- If she runs fast enough, she will win the race.
- If the shop has bread, I will buy a loaf.
3.Zero conditional — something that is always true. If you drop a stone into water, it ____.
- a) sank
- b) sinks
- c) would sink
- d) will sink
4.Which sentence is a zero conditional?
- a) If I cut my hair short, I would look quite different.
- b) If you cut the rope, the boat will drift away.
- c) If you cut an onion, your eyes water.
- d) If you will cut the paper, I will fold it.
5.One of these conditionals breaks the three conditional patterns above. Which one?
- a) If it rained, we would stay at home.
- b) If it rains, we stay at home.
- c) If it rains, we will stay at home.
- d) If it will rain, we will stay at home.
6.Each card is the result half of a conditional sentence. Sort by which kind of conditional it belongs to.
Groups: First conditional · Second conditional
- she would tell you the truth
- the plants would die
- the plants will die
- she will tell you the truth
- we will miss the train
- we would miss the train
7.Match each if-clause to the main clause that completes it.
- If you leave milk in the sun,
- If you add salt to water,
- If you switch the fan on,
- If the train is delayed,
- If we lived nearer the school,
- If I found a wallet in the street,
- we will wait on the platform.
- its boiling point rises.
- the room cools down.
- we would walk there every morning.
- it turns sour.
- I would hand it in at the police station.
8.Complete this first conditional using the verb "get". Write two words. If you practise every day, you ____ better quickly.

Conditionals: zero, first and second · Year 10 English · www.arenapublications.com/learn

Year 10 English · 7 of 13

Modals in the past

Use should have, must have, could have and might have to talk about what happened, or what did not.

1.Complete with the verb "finish" in the right form. Write two words. She looks relieved, so she must ____ her examinations.
2.Ravi missed the deadline because he began the work on the last evening. Which sentence says what he ought to have done?
- a) He could not have started earlier.
- b) He should have started earlier.
- c) He must have started earlier.
- d) He might have started earlier.
3.Match each past modal to what the speaker is doing with it.
- must have gone
- might have gone
- should have gone
- could have gone
- cannot have gone
- concluding, with near certainty
- criticising the choice that was made
- ruling it out altogether
- naming a chance that was never taken
- guessing, with real doubt
4.Sort each sentence by the time it is talking about.
Groups: About the past · About now or later
- You must have been tired after that walk.
- You must be tired after that walk.
- She should see a doctor.
- They might have been at home.
- She should have seen a doctor.
- They might be at home.
5.The pitch is soaked and there is nobody on it. Which sentence draws the most confident conclusion?
- a) It might have rained.
- b) It could have rained.
- c) It should have rained.
- d) It must have rained.
6.Put the cards in order to make one correct sentence.
- left
- should have
- We
- earlier.
- an hour
7.Every one of the past modals in this skill is built the same way: a modal, then one fixed word, then a past participle. Write that fixed middle word.
8.Rewrite this so that it talks about the past. "You should apologise." Write the three words that replace "should apologise".

Modals in the past · Year 10 English · www.arenapublications.com/learn

Year 10 English · 8 of 13

Reported questions and commands

Report a question, a request and a command, using the right reporting verb and word order.

1.Report this: The teacher said, "Open your books."
- a) The teacher told us to open our books.
- b) The teacher told us open your books.
- c) The teacher told us opening our books.
- d) The teacher asked us open our books.
2.Sort each set of spoken words by the reporting verb it would need.
Groups: Reported with "asked" · Reported with "told" or "ordered"
- "Shut the door."
- "What is your name?"
- "Have you eaten?"
- "Sit down at once."
- "Bring me the file."
- "Where are the keys?"
3.Match each spoken line to its reported form.
- "Where is the station?" she asked.
- "Close the gate," he said.
- "Please wait here," she said.
- "Can you swim?" he asked.
- She requested me to wait there.
- He told me to close the gate.
- She asked where the station was.
- He asked whether I could swim.
4.Report this: Mother said, "Please help me."
- a) Mother requested me to help her.
- b) Mother said me to help her.
- c) Mother told me please help her.
- d) Mother asked please to help her.
5.Report this: He asked, "Where do you live?"
- a) He asked where I live?
- b) He asked where I lived.
- c) He asked where did I live.
- d) He asked where do I live.
6.Report this command in three words: "Stand up," he said. → He told me ____.
7.Which sentence is correctly reported?
- a) He asked me what is my name.
- b) He asked me what my name is?
- c) He asked me what was my name.
- d) He asked me what my name was.
8.Which sentence reports a request rather than an order?
- a) She told me that she was tired.
- b) She asked me where I was going.
- c) She requested me to open the window.
- d) She ordered me to leave.

Reported questions and commands · Year 10 English · www.arenapublications.com/learn

Year 10 English · 9 of 13

Punctuating complex sentences

Place the commas, semicolons and full stops that a sentence of more than one clause needs.

1.Match each faulty sentence to the correction it needs.
- It was late, we went home.
- Although it was late we went home.
- We went home it was late.
- We went home, because, it was late.
- take out both commas
- add a comma after the opening clause
- put a full stop between the two halves
- replace the comma with a semicolon
2.Rewrite this with the subordinate clause first, adding the comma it then needs. "We stayed indoors because the wind was fierce." Write the whole sentence.
3."The lights went out, we finished the game by lamplight." Three of these corrections work. Which one leaves the sentence still wrong?
- a) The lights went out; we finished the game by lamplight.
- b) The lights went out, so we finished the game by lamplight.
- c) The lights went out. We finished the game by lamplight.
- d) The lights went out, we finished the game, by lamplight.
4.Each sentence joins a subordinate clause to a main clause. Sort by whether a comma is needed at the join.
Groups: A comma is needed · No comma is needed
- If you finish early you may go home.
- Because the tap was leaking we called a plumber.
- We called a plumber because the tap was leaking.
- The children ran out when the bell rang.
- When the bell rang the children ran out.
- You may go home if you finish early.
5.Put the cards in order to make one correct sentence.
- on the list.
- the shop was crowded,
- Although
- we found
- everything
6.Match each mark to the job it does between clauses.
- a comma
- a semicolon
- a full stop
- a colon
- a pair of dashes
- introduces a list or an explanation of what came before
- throws in an aside, more informally than commas would
- ends one sentence so that the next can begin
- joins two main clauses that are closely related
- closes off an opening subordinate clause
7.Which mark joins these two closely linked sentences without any joining word? "The library was silent. Nobody had come in all afternoon."
- a) an apostrophe
- b) a hyphen
- c) a comma
- d) a semicolon
8.Where does the comma belong? "When the results of the district competition were finally announced the whole class cheered."
- a) after "class"
- b) after "When"
- c) after "announced"
- d) after "competition"

Punctuating complex sentences · Year 10 English · www.arenapublications.com/learn

Year 10 English · 10 of 13

Integrated grammar: filling gaps in a passage

Work out what kind of word a gap needs from the words around it, and fill it in the right form.

1.Fill the gap with one word: "There is very ____ water left in the tank, so use it carefully."
2.Match each gapped sentence to the kind of word its gap needs.
- The parcel ____ delivered yesterday.
- She ran ____ than her brother.
- ____ the heavy rain, the match went ahead.
- He is the ____ boy in the class.
- The book ____ you lent me was excellent.
- a superlative adjective
- a helping verb
- a relative pronoun
- a preposition of contrast
- a comparative adverb
3.Fill the gap with the past continuous of "walk". Write two words. "We ____ along the river when the storm broke."
4.Fill the gap: "Anjali had never owned ____ umbrella before that rainy week."
- a) the
- b) any
- c) a
- d) an
5.Match each clue expression to the verb form it forces.
- since last April
- yesterday evening
- at this very moment
- every single day
- tomorrow afternoon
- simple present
- present continuous
- simple future
- simple past
- present perfect
6.Fill the gap: "____ she had studied for weeks, she still felt nervous before the paper."
- a) Because
- b) So
- c) Although
- d) Unless
7.Fill the gap: "The results ____ announced on the school notice board tomorrow morning."
- a) will be
- b) were
- c) is
- d) have been
8.Sort each gapped sentence by the tense its gap needs. The time expression is the clue.
Groups: Simple past · Present perfect
- They ____ in this town for a year and then moved away.
- I ____ that film twice, and I would gladly see it again.
- They ____ in this town since 2015.
- She ____ the letter last Tuesday.
- I ____ that film on Sunday.
- She ____ the letter, so you can read it now.

Integrated grammar: filling gaps in a passage · Year 10 English · www.arenapublications.com/learn

Year 10 English · 11 of 13

Choosing the precise word

Replace a vague intensifier and a weak adjective with the single word that says it properly.

1.Sort each precise word by the ordinary adjective it strengthens.
Groups: Means very happy · Means very sad · Means very surprised
- miserable
- astonished
- overjoyed
- delighted
- heartbroken
- astounded
2."The examination hall was very quiet." Which replacement keeps the meaning exactly?
- a) shy
- b) still
- c) silent
- d) calm
3.Sort each phrase by whether a stronger single word could replace it.
Groups: Vague — a stronger single word exists · Already precise
- silent
- very big
- gigantic
- very wet
- very quiet
- drenched
4.Put the steps of sharpening a weak adjective in the right order.
- First, find the intensifier — very, really, so, extremely.
- Then ask what that adjective would be if it were pushed to its limit.
- Next, read the adjective it is propping up.
- Finally, write the single stronger word in place of both, and delete the intensifier.
5.Match each vague sentence to its sharper version.
- The stew was very tasty.
- The joke was very funny.
- The task was very easy.
- The noise was very loud.
- The water was very cold.
- The joke was hilarious.
- The task was effortless.
- The water was icy.
- The noise was deafening.
- The stew was delicious.
6."The manuscript was VERY OLD." Which single word says the same thing?
- a) previous
- b) former
- c) elderly
- d) ancient
7.Sort each word by whether it already carries the idea of "very" inside it.
Groups: Already means very — no intensifier needed · An ordinary adjective
- cold
- pleased
- big
- enormous
- delighted
- freezing
8.Replace "very afraid" with one precise word beginning with the letter t.

Choosing the precise word · Year 10 English · www.arenapublications.com/learn

Year 10 English · 12 of 13

Editing at sentence level

Find the fault in a whole sentence — a missing word, a needless one, or a word standing in the wrong place — and put it right.

1.One word must be taken out. Write the word to remove. "The two of them both agreed on the plan."
2.Sort each sentence by whether it needs editing.
Groups: Correct as it stands · Needs editing
- He gave me glass of water.
- He gave me a glass of water.
- They have finish their homework.
- We discussed about the problem for an hour.
- We discussed the problem for an hour.
- They have finished their homework.
3.One word is missing. Which is it? "She is fond music and dancing."
- a) in
- b) for
- c) of
- d) with
4.One word is missing. Write the whole corrected sentence. "I have been waiting you since morning."
5.One word is missing from this sentence. Write it. "He has been living here two years."
6.Match each faulty sentence to the correction it needs.
- He is one of best players in the team.
- Please return back the book.
- The books were given to the students that were torn.
- I am waiting my friend at the gate.
- Running down the stairs, the bag slipped.
- name the person who was running
- add a word after "waiting"
- add a word before "best"
- take out a word the verb already says
- move the description next to the books
7.Which sentence accidentally says something its writer did not mean?
- a) As I walked home in the rain, the old bridge looked strange.
- b) Walking home in the rain, I saw the old bridge for the first time.
- c) Walking home in the rain, the old bridge looked strange to me.
- d) The old bridge looked strange as I walked home in the rain.
8.In careful writing, "only" goes immediately before the words it limits. If the meaning is that she read one page and no more, which version places it correctly? "She read the first page of the letter."
- a) She only read the first page of the letter.
- b) Only she read the first page of the letter.
- c) She read only the first page of the letter.
- d) She read the first page of the only letter.

Editing at sentence level · Year 10 English · www.arenapublications.com/learn

Year 10 English · 13 of 13

Reading across paragraphs

Answer a question whose evidence is split between two paragraphs, and follow a reference back across the break.

1.Paragraph 1: "The committee met the villagers and the engineers on Monday. It had asked the engineers to bring the plans." Paragraph 2: "They had brought drawings of the new bridge." Who does "They" mean?
- a) the drawings
- b) the committee
- c) the villagers
- d) the engineers
2.Paragraph 1 ends: "The road had been blocked for a week." Paragraph 2 begins: "____, the supplies reached the camp on Thursday." Which opening fits?
- a) In other words
- b) For example
- c) Because of this
- d) In spite of this
3.Paragraph 1: "The train was due at nine." Paragraph 2: "By half past ten the platform was still empty." At the moment the second paragraph describes, how many minutes overdue was the train? Write the number.
4.A passage runs in three paragraphs: the first describes the village before the flood, the second the night of the flood, the third the rebuilding. Sort each question by the paragraph that answers it.
Groups: Paragraph 1 · Paragraph 2 · Paragraph 3
- How many houses stood in the village?
- How long did the repairs take?
- How did the families get out?
- What crops were grown there?
- Who paid for the new bridge?
- At what hour did the water reach the road?
5.Read: "Kamala keeps bees on her roof. Her neighbours' mango tree fruited heavily this year, for the first time in a decade." Sort each statement by what the passage does with it.
Groups: Stated in the passage · Not stated — you joined the two facts yourself
- The bees helped the tree to fruit.
- The roof is close enough to the tree to matter.
- Kamala keeps bees.
- The tree had not fruited well for ten years.
- The mango tree fruited heavily this year.
- The bees are on her roof.
6.Read: "The old cinema closed in 1998. For twenty years the building stood empty. In 2018 a bookshop opened in it, and the owner kept the red velvet seats up in the balcony." Match each question to its answer.
- How long did the building stand empty?
- What is in the building now?
- What was kept from the cinema?
- Where in the building were they kept?
- the red velvet seats
- twenty years
- in the balcony
- a bookshop
7.Paragraph 1: "Sunita had never once left the district." Paragraph 3: "She stepped off the train and stood quite still, looking up." What does the third paragraph gain from the first?
- a) It tells you how long the journey took.
- b) It tells you that everything she is looking at is new to her.
- c) It tells you what the weather was like.
- d) It tells you that she had bought a ticket.
8.Read: "Anil arrived at the ground in his school shoes. The other boys were already lacing their boots. He watched from the bench all afternoon." Sort each statement by what the passage does with it.
Groups: Stated in the passage · Not stated — you worked it out
- Anil wore school shoes.
- Anil would rather have been playing.
- Anil did not play that afternoon.
- The other boys were lacing their boots.
- Anil had no boots with him.
- Anil watched from the bench.

Reading across paragraphs · Year 10 English · www.arenapublications.com/learn

Answer keys — Year 10 English

In the same order as the worksheets.