KCSE GRAMMAR TRIAL 1
1.a) Fill in the blanks with the correct word from the brackets
- He……………….……(flung/flang) the mud onto the wall.
- The murderer was………………………..(hung/hunged) for his crime. iii) The leader…………………..(dealt/dealed) the cards out to the players briskly. iv) The boy…………………….….(leaped/lept/leapt) across the ditch v) She…………………………(bore/borne) the burden patiently
b) Complete the passage below with the most appropriate word from the list given: (breath, breathe, cloth, clothe, bathe, bath)
Namboka felt dizzy and she took a walk so as to…….. fresh air. It was while walking that she noticed that her ……………as smelling badly. She went to her room, brushed her teeth and decided to……………… her sweaty body. She put…………… water in a basin, undressed and then wrapped herself with a clean……………before going to clean her body. After five minutes, she emerged clean and put on her best……………
c) Supply the missing prepositions in the following sentences:-
i) Opemi has a great passion………………………….….. debtors ii) My mother prohibited me……………………………… talking to strangers iii) Walukanga was born…………………..… humble and God fearing parents iv) The head dress of Acoli is similar……………. that of the Luo.
KCSE GRAMMAR TRIAL 2
2.(a) (i) I am sure it was an exciting experience for her (Rewrite the sentence using ‘must’)
- People always want more; it doesn’t matter how rich they are
(Rewrite the sentence using ‘however’)
- The boy jumped from school to school every year. (Rewrite to end with school)
(b) Give the meaning of the underlined idiomatic expressions in the sentence
- There was no love lost between the two friends
- The President and Prime Minister resolved to bury the hatchet.
(c) Change the following to direct speech
(i) Jumping and clapping, the Pastor remarked that Jesus was on his way (ii) The Prefect said that the student was absent the previous day.
(d) Using the verb in brackets, form a phrasal verb to replace the underlined word
- The workers felt that the management despised them (look)
- It takes a lot of challenge to nurture a child into an adult (bring)
- The politicians dirty tricks did not succeed (come)
(e) Fill in the blank spaces with the appropriate form of the word in brackets
- The boy said that he was (true) ______________in love.
- The _____________ (maintain) of the vehicle is quite expensive.
- She was quite ________________ (gratitude) for the honour bestowed on her.
(f) Fill in the blank spaces with the appropriate preposition
- Tom agreed ____________Lona’s idea of punishing the culprit
- The performers feel indebted _______________the school for the use of the hall
KCSE GRAMMAR TRIAL 3
3 a) Identify, underline and correct the four words that have been mis-spelt in the paragraph below:-
b) Rewrite the following sentences as instructed
i)The UN security council has declared Sudan a failed state (begin
Sudan……….)
ii) Please sit down …… (add a question tag) iii) The boy is very foolish. He believes everything I tell him. (Rewrite as 1 sentence using enough to)
c.) Replace the underlined words with a suitable phrasal verb
i) I was completely deceived by the confident trickster ii) The first thing my uncle did on leaving prison was to visit us iii) He tried to disguise himself as a beggar but his soft, clean hands betrayed him iv) Please submit your scripts at the end of the exam
d) Use the correct form of the words given in brackets
- The husband tried to restrain his………………………..wife (aggression)
- Such a policy can………………………..….. (Danger) the poor iii) The guest of honour was given a………….. (Tumult) welcome by the waiting crowd iv) (Literate)………………… means the state of being unable to read and write.
KCSE GRAMMAR TRIAL 4
4. a) Fill in the blanks with the correct form of the word in brackets
i) Has the motor boat…………………………………….in the lake. (sink) ii) The company has employed a specialist for the…………………….of its machine.
(maintain) iii) Uganda is contending against the………………..of Kenyan goods in the markets.
(dominate)
iv) In Kenya……………………….…….elections are usually hotly contested. (mayor)
b) Rewrite the following sentences by replacing the underlined verbs with appropriate phrasal verb
i) You need to reduce the expenses. – Cut down ii) He asked Alice to marry him but she rejected him. -Turned him down iii) It is not good to desert one’s family. – Walk out on
c) Rewrite the following sentences according to the instruction given after each
i) If he is not ill, he will come (rewrite using ‘provided’) ii) Joan has several friends. All of them are ballet dancers. Her mother is the president of our judo club.
(Combine into one sentence using relative pronouns)
iii) The principal asked me to see him the following day. (Change into direct speech) iv) The visitor treads on the carpet with his muddy shoes. (Write in the past tense)
d) Explain the difference in meaning in these pairs of sentences :
- Harry, our elder brother, has arrived. Harry, our elder brother has arrived.
- My uncle stopped to drink.
My uncle stopped drinking.
5. 1. Rewrite the following sentences according to the instruction given
i) Omondi is a weak student. He can hardly write meaningfully. (Rewrite as one sentence using, “such…………) ii) One of my cousins has gone to the USA. (Begin, A cousin……..) iii) Jane has been writing a composition. (Change in to a passive voice)
2. Replace the underlined word with phrasal verb formed from the verbs given
i) I have left the relationship because my boyfriend is unfaithful. (Walk) ii) My father scolded me because I had not done the assignment (tell)
3. Supply the correct question tag
- Let us go to school………………………….
- Stand up………………………………..
4. Use the correct form of the word given in brackets
i) The maid……………………………………..(hang) the blouse on the cloths line yesterday. ii) It…………(cost)our school a lot of money to sponsor drama up to the nationals level last year.
iii) We could not…………… …………………………….(large) the portrait any further. iv) You can’t……………………….. (Prison) a child below fifteen years of age for truancy.
5. Change the following to direct speech or indirect speech accordingly (i) The stranger asked my mother where my father had gone (direct speech) ii) “We shall meet again next week,” said the chairperson(indirect speech)
6 i) The following idiom is wrongly stated, rewrite it correctly
Ibrahim doesn’t struggle at all. He expects to get everything on a silver plate ii) Explain the meaning of the idiom underlined in the sentence below
Why are you quick to fly off the handle at me? said Dr Stockmann,
6. a) Fill in the spaces with the correct form of the word in brackets
- All……………..…………. (pay) are supposed to count their money before they leave the bank
- His………………………..………………………… (pronounce) did not make sense to the audience.
- Jane has a …………………………………………………………… (wool) jacket
b) Rewrite the following sentences according to the instructions after each. Do not
change the meaning of the original sentence i) He managed to persuade her to go (Begin: He succeeded………..) ii) Silence is necessary in the library (Begin: You must………….) iii) Rimau has always strongly supported the college football team (use: staunch)
c) Replace the underlined word in each of the following sentences with an appropriate phrasal verb
- The presidential jet will land at 7.30am.
- The young man fabricated the story just to save himself from the angry crowd.
- After a heated argument, the students decided to check the meaning of the word from the oxford dictionary.
d) Use one word to replace the underlined ones without changing the meaning
- The magistrate found him guilty of failure to fulfill his part of the contract……..
- The doctor concluded that the boy died when he was deprived of air iii) My brother was among the group of actors performing, “an enemy of the people”
e) Rewrite the following sentences correcting all the errors
i) He is looking for an employment in Nairobi ii) This exercise comprises of rigorous training in the morning iii) Sometimes last year, we agreed to improve our relationship with our neighbours
7. a) Rewrite the following as instructed.
- The mother cannot take credit for it and neither can the daughter.
(Rewrite beginning: Neither…………….)
- Karendi is the …………… of the twins. (Use pretty in its correct form)
- The warrior was mutilated by the lion…………..(He is recuperating from the attack)
b) Use the correct form of the words in brackets to complete the following sentences.
i) Due to lack of proper diet, Atieno’s child is ……………..……. (nourish). ii) Tuju is one man whose ………………………………(pronounce) is superb. iii) Wanja is a very……….… (discipline) student, no wonder she is always punished.
- Replace the underlined words with the most appropriate phrasal verbs formed from the words in brackets.
i) The brothers do not agree in principles. (Get) ii) He refused to withdraw the injurious words on his opponent. (Take) iii) Marion despises her step sister because she is illiterate from the (look).
- Arrange the adjectives in brackets to fill in the gap in each sentence.
- He bought ………… dress as a Christmas gift for his mother. (large, cotton, blue, pretty.)
- The ………… man is the king’s only heir. (light skinned, handsome, young, short iii) Let us take a seat at the…………………………(oval beautiful, mahogany) table
e) Use the verbs in brackets to form correct idiomatic expressions to complete each of the sentences below:
i) Although Peter and John are brothers, they never quite ………………….. (see). ii) The maize scandal case is certainly a………(crack) because there seems no
headway.
iii) When someone habitually steals he will one day ………………………(face).
8. (a) Re-write the following sentences according to instructions. (i) Even if the board does not meet, I will present my complaint. Begin;
Whether…………………………………………………………………………………………………
- She opened the gate. Darkness fell. Join into one beginning; Barely
- Either Mary or John have the keys. Correct the sentence
(b) The following sentences are in the active voice. Change them into the passive
- Nobody did the work
- The police arrested the thief
- They collect rubbish every Thursday
(c) Punctuate the following sentences correctly:-
- alonje said i will return next month
- let us listen to him ivan argued he sounds reasonable”
(d) Use the correct form of the word given in brackets to fill in the gap in each sentence
(i) The dog barked …………………………………………………….(menace) (ii) Most of the students we come across ……………………………………(be) lazy.
(iii) God’ power is ………………………………………………………..(compare)
(e)Re-write the following sentences replacing the bold words with gender sensitive words
- She sneaked because the watchman was a sleep.
- The master on duty made me kneel the whole day for making noise in class. (f) Use appropriate phrasal verbs to replace the underlined words in the sentences below
- This child resembles the father.
- The teachers can no longer tolerate John’s behaviour.
- What a relief that Joan passed all her exams.
9. Re-write the following sentences according to the instructions given after each (i) Hassan did not complain. He did not report to the police. (Re-write as one sentence using a conjunction)
- It was my sister who made it possible for my schooling. (Use ‘but for’)
- Ibadan is a very large town in Africa. (Use the superlative degree)
(b) Explain the meaning of the underlined idiomatic expressions:- (i) Many people in this country live from hand to mouth.
(ii) The manager realized that Mbuthia was a hard nut to crack.
(c) Fill in the blank spaces with the appropriate form of the word in the bracket
- We should give ______________________to our academic work (PREFER)
- His ____________________surprised His Excellency (ELOQUENT)
- People rushed to the street when they heard the ________of the two lorries.(COLLIDE)
(d) Replace the underline word in each of the following sentences with a phrasal verb:- (i) The old man died quietly last night.
- We felt completely disappointed by John’s performance.
- Juma always visits during meals.
(e) Re-write the following sentences correctly:-
- The student knocked on the door continuously as the others watched
- The child inflated the balloon too much that it burst
(f) Fill in the blanks with the most appropriate preposition :- (i) She has lived in Samburu ________________ten years.
(ii) It is improper to hurl abuses ____________people.
10 a) Fill in each of the blank spaces with a phrasal verb which means the same as the word given*
The driver ………………………..… (started) the lights and saw the carjackers
Many girls ………………………(leave) school before completing their secondary education
We study till late in the night to ……………………………. (compensate) the lost time b) Rewrite the following sentences following instructions given in brackets
i) Agnes accepted to marry Abdalla. She did not know he had two other wives already.
(Rewrite as one sentence beginning: Oblivious of ……………..) ii) “Akinyi why do you always quarrel Edwin?” he asked iii) He is quite handsome (Begin: How———-)
c) Fill in the following sentences with appropriate linking words
i) She could have improved ………………………..she had listened to her teachers ii) Weche is rude to his instructor;………………, he is a loving husband and father back home
iii) Students are prone to break rules; ……………., they should be under strict surveillance and encouraged to do right
d) Rewrite the following sentences correctly
i) If today was Sunday, I would have gone to church ii) We returned back to school before 7.00 P.M iii) I wish I was as well prepared for K.C.S.E as you e) Fill in the blanks with the most appropriate personal pronoun
i) Between you and ……………………..(me/ I) who is taller? ii) Rose and ……………………………………. (she/ her) left for Nairobi.
iii) The winners are Arendi and………………………….. (her/ she)
11. a) Rewrite the following sentences according to instructions. Do not change the meaning
i) “I don’t know why she came,” Okoth replied. (Rewrite in reported speech) ii) Nevele sang this song. (Change into passive) iii) Peter does not have any money. (Change into affirmative form) iv) I was not surprised that Nanjendo trekked that far. (Rewrite beginning: That….
- Complete the following sentences using the appropriate form of the words in brackets
i) Swiss watches are famous for their ________________ (precise). ii) Such ______________________ (repeat) serves no purpose. iii) The ___________________ (clear) of the speech impressed us.
- The police said it was a strange __________________(occur)
- Use an appropriate word to complete each of the following sentences
i) She was in great pain ___________ did not complain. ii) Matumbayi earns his living ___________ selling second hand clothes. iii) The preacher spoke for hours; _______________I did not get what he was saying
- “For ______________ have you brought this food?” Tortoise asked the servers
- Rewrite the following sentences, inserting all punctuation marks in the correct places
i) the river between the teacher said was Ngugi wa thiongo’s first novel ii) tom had one great desire to become a doctor iii) its pity we have to live on charity he lamented
12. a) Rewrite the following according to the given instructions without changing the meaning
i) It was the first time the school performed well (Begin: Never before…………) ii) It is better to spend a holiday at the coast than to go overseas,
(Begin: Spending …. Use ‘preferable’ in place of better) iii) Mulwa’s leg is still in a cast after last month’s match. He will have to watch the match from the grandstand (combine into one sentence, using a relative pronoun) iv) ‘There’s a little food left for you in the kitchen.’ William’s mother told him.
(Rewrite in indirect speech)
b) Rewrite the following sentences correctly:
- Jairo is more better educated than Saisi.
- He has the tendency of visiting people late hours. iii) When she came in, it was all calm but all over a sudden the house became noisy.
c) Replace the underlined words with suitable phrasal verbs formed from the words in brackets
i) The latest achievement deserves a celebration (call). ii) The patient regained consciousness at 2pm (come).
iii) I will work hard to compensate the wasted time (make).
- Explain the difference in meaning of the following pair of sentences
i) I only heard the news briefly ii) I only heard the news in brief
- Fill in the blank spaces with the correct preposition
i) The teacher congratulated him……………………………… his graduation. ii) No other being can be compared …………………………………. God. iii) They disagreed…………..………………….… who should be chosen the prefect.
KCSE GRAMMAR TRIAL
13. (a) Complete each of the following sentences by selecting the correct
alternative from the words in the brackets (5mks)
- Our school will move to a new_____________________next year. (cite,site)
- Have you ____________ permission from the teacher? (sought, sort)
- The ___________________store in the city is well-stocked. (stationary,stationery)
- Mary is the _______________ of the two sisters. (tallest, taller)
- Neither the teacher nor the cook __________________arrived. (have,has)
(b) Rewrite each of the following sentences as instructed. Do not change the meaning (5mks)
- The residents saw the burglar enter the house (Rewrite in the passive voice)
- He drank the water yesterday. (Rewrite beginning: The water was……….)
- As soon as the teams arrived, the competition began. (Rewrite beginning: No sooner………..
- Boys are playful and quick on their feet. They are also curious and like to explore.
(Combine using ……………..”not only”………………….)
- The tourist knows some Kiswahili. He understands what I say. (Rewrite as one sentence using…….”enough”…..)
(c) Fill in the blank spaces with an appropriate prepositional phrase made
with the word in brackets (3mks)
- They crossed the river __________________a boat. (means)
- _________________the school rules and regulations every student should be in full school uniform. (Accordance)
- ___________the prefect’s negligence, he was demoted. (account) (d) Explain the difference in meaning between these sentences (2mks) (i) The hawker was selling ten day-old chicks.
(ii) The hawker was selling ten-day old chicks.
KCSE GRAMMAR TRIAL
14. A) Identify, underline and correct the four words that have been mis-pelt in the in the paragraph below. (4 mks)
We didn’t give him the priviledge of representing us on the District Environmental Committee because he has a tendency of disagreeing either everyone. He embarrasses himself by pretending to be so knowledgeable.
B. Rewrite the following sentences as instructed. (3 mks)
i) She realized that she had made such a serious blunder. (Rewrite using “what”) ii) Just in case you change your mind, call this number. (Begin: should ……….) iii) I don’t know either of them, (End ……………….. to me)
C. Fill in the blank spaces with the correct preposition. (4 mks)
- Nyawira, get ……………………. The wet wall immediately!
- My sisters and I will share this piece of land………………………………… ourselves. iii) We wondered if there was need ………………………… such equipment.
iv) Mwela dipped the bucket ……………………………… the well.
D. Use the correct form of nouns given in brackets. (4 mks)
- These ……………………(student) phones were confisticated.
- There are many ………………………(hero) who fought for our independence. iii) How many ……………………..(editor-in-chief) were invited?. iv) This must be your ……………………….. (father – in-law) car.
KCSE GRAMMAR TRIAL 15
15. (a) Rewrite the following sentences according to the instructions given. Do not
change the meaning. (3mks)
- The teacher found out how intelligent Omollo was when he started the discussion
(Begin: It was not………………………………………………
- The prefect forgave Achimo, but only because she apologized
(Begin: If…………………………………………………
- “Congratulations! All the best in all you do!” the principal told the graduands. (Rewrite in reported speech)
(b) Use the correct form of the verb given in brackets to fill in the blanks in
the following sentences (4mks)
- The drama club patron wanted a written __________from the students following their misconduct during the festivals. (apologize)
- Your explanation is based on too many ___________. (presume)
- The government has lost all ____ following the increasing cases of corruption in high places.(credible)
- Expectant mothers should not do ______________work. (strain)
- Rewrite each of the following sentences, replacing the underlined word with a
suitable phrasal verb (3mks)
- The suspect confessed after a long interrogation.
- Nyambura rejected Waiyaki’s proposal for marriage (iii) Our principal does not tolerate indiscipline
- Put the adjectives given in brackets in the correct order to fill in the blank space in each sentence (2mks)
- He bought a _______________dress for his mother (large, cotton, blue, party)
- The ____________________man is the King’s heir (Light-skinned, handsome, young, short)
- Fill in the blank spaces with the correct preposition (3mks) (i) Every member is entitled ________one acre of land.
- John is very excited __________going to India.
- He has been down ______________malaria for the last three days.
16. (a) Rewrite the following sentences according to the instructions given after each:- (4mks)
- The main is not to blame. The boys are also not to blame. (combine into one sentence using neither….nor…..)
- He paid the bill and this surprised me. (Re-write the sentence starting with:
His….)
- He comes to school late. This has been a concern for many people.
(Join the two using a gerund)
- He won the race. I am not surprised (Begin: That……..)
(b) Replace the underlined words with a suitable phrasal verb (3mks) (i) I was completely deceived by the thief.
- The teacher ordered the students to submit their scripts at the end of the exam.
- I will visit you if I got time.
- Change the following sentences into the passive (3mks) (i) The organization bore the burden (ii) The trainee pilot flew the plane.
(iii) Tom is riding the bicycle.
- Indicate whether the verb in the following sentences has been used transitively or transitively. (3mks)
- Tomas drives his car every day………………………………………………
- The girl wept bitterly…………………………………………………
- We have to grow maize every year…………………………………………………
(e) Underline the adjectival phrases on the following sentences (2mks) (i) Thank you for being so kind.
(ii) My mechanic is quite skillful.
- a) Complete each of the following sentences by selecting the correct
alternative from the words in the brackets (5mks)
- Our school will move to a new_____________________next year. (cite, site)
- Have you ____________ permission from the teacher? (sought, sort)
- The ___________________store in the city is well-stocked. (stationary, stationery)
- Mary is the _______________ of the two sisters. (tallest, taller)
- Neither the teacher nor the cook __________________arrived. (have, has)
(b) Rewrite each of the following sentences as instructed. Do not change the meaning (5mks)
- The residents saw the burglar enter the house (Rewrite in the passive voice)
- He drank the water yesterday. (Rewrite beginning: The water was……….)
- As soon as the teams arrived, the competition began. (Rewrite beginning: No sooner………..
- Boys are playful and quick on their feet. They are also curious and like to
explore. (Combine using ……………..”not only”………………….)
- The tourist knows some Kiswahili. He understands what I say. (Rewrite as one sentence using…….”enough”…..)
(c) Fill in the blank spaces with an appropriate prepositional phrase made with the word in brackets (3mks)
- They crossed the river __________________a boat. (means)
- _________________the school rules and regulations every student should be in full school uniform. (Accordance)
- ___________the prefect’s negligence, he was demoted. (account) (d) Explain the difference in meaning between these sentences (2mks) (i) The hawker was selling ten day-old chicks.
(ii) The hawker was selling ten-day old chicks.
- (a). Use the correct form of the word given in brackets to fill in the gap in each sentence.
(i) The _____________of the right of expression in a violation of human rights (den) (ii) Saving the child from the burning house was a __________________ act. (hero)
(iii) They were asked to ________________________ the alarm (active)
(i).We can control the spread of HIV/AIDS by educating the public
(Begin: The spread of ………………………….………..)
(ii). The man was arrested. His cattle destroyed the maize in the school farm.
(Rewrite as one sentence)
(iii). Mount Kilimanjaro is the highest Mountain in Africa.
(Rewrite using “higher “instead of “highest” )
(b). Fill in the blanks with the correct alternative from the choices given.
(i) Who ______________________ a fire outside my house? (Light/lighted/lit). (ii) Since the introduction of community policing in our estates _________ of theft
have reduced. (Incidence/incident/incidents)
(iii) An elephant looks after ________________________calf. (it’s / its)
(c). Rewrite the following sentences to remove gender bias (i) A professor should give his students opportunities to develop their skills.
(ii) My sister was appointed Chairman of the water project committee, (iii) The fireman took a long time to arrive at the scene of the accident.
(d). (i) Jomo Kenyatta the first president of Kenya was a great orator. (Punctuate the sentence)
- The teacher of English taught about The Town in Half a Day and Other short stories (punctuate the title(s) in the sentence)
- Chinua Achebe, wole Soyinka, Babadejo Babafenyi these are some of the renowned Nigerian writers.
(Punctuate using the dash)
