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Grammar Basics for the KET Exam

Grammar underlies all four A2 Key skills. Common A2 grammar points include: verb tenses (present simple, past simple, present continuous), modals (can, could, should, would), prepositions of place and time, articles (a/an/the), and question formation. Errors in these basic structures drop scores significantly.

Locale-specific study guides

Pass-rate data, regulatory context, and study tips for Grammar Basics all change by candidate locale. Pick your context:

Common failure modes

These are the patterns that cause most candidates to lose marks on this topic. Recognising them in advance is half the work.

!Confusing present simple and present continuous for habitual vs current actions
!Missing the third-person singular -s (he go → he goes)
!Article errors: using "a" before vowel sounds, missing "the" for specific nouns

Study tips

1Drill the present simple/continuous contrast daily: "I walk to school" (habit) vs "I am walking" (now).
2Memorize the irregular past tenses: go → went, have → had, buy → bought, see → saw.
3Practice the difference between a/an (first mention, general) and the (known, specific, second mention).

Sample KET Grammar Basics questions

These sample items mirror the format and difficulty of real KET questions. Practice with thousands more on the free Koydo question bank.

1
She _____ TV when her phone rang.
- Awatches
- Bwatched
- Cwas watchingCorrect
- Dis watching
Why this answer?
"Was watching" (past continuous) is correct for an action in progress when another action interrupted it. The interrupting action (phone rang) is in the past simple.
2
Can you pass me _____ salt, please?
- Aa
- Ban
- CtheCorrect
- Dsome
Why this answer?
"The salt" is correct — the speaker is referring to a specific salt that both speakers know about (it is on the table). "A" would imply it is not a specific known salt.

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