P6 Paper 2 Grammatical Rules

English grammar can feel overwhelming — even for strong students. With so many rules to remember, countless exceptions, and sometimes conflicting “expert” advice, it’s no surprise that both students and teachers can feel unsure at times.

As Primary 6 students approach their PSLE Paper 2 in a few months, many are focusing on refining their grammar skills — a crucial component that can make a significant difference in their overall score.

To support this final stretch of revision, I’ve compiled a list of commonly tested grammatical rules. These are areas where students frequently make mistakes, so reviewing them carefully can improve accuracy during the exam.

Rather than trying to memorise everything at once, students should focus on understanding how these rules work in context. Pay attention to common patterns, practise applying the rules in different question types, and always check your answers for careless mistakes.

P6 English: list of common grammatical rules to ace the Paper 2

1) Neither of/Either of

When we use “either of” or “neither of”, we always use a singular verb.

Why?
Because “either” means one of the two, and “neither” means not one — both refer to a single person or thing.

Examples

Either of the students is right.
Neither of the doctors has arrived.

2) Neither..nor / Either..or

Rule:
When using “neither…nor” or “either…or”, the verb agrees with the noun closest to it.

Why?
This is the proximity rule. The verb is influenced by the subject nearest to it, not the one at the beginning of the sentence.

Examples:

Neither Jane nor the boys have arrived.
Either the tigers or the elephant is making all that noise 

Be Careful: *Neither Jane nor I am going to the show

3) Each / everyone / every / no one

Rule:
“Each”, “everyone”, “every”, and “no one” always take a singular verb.

Why?
Even though they may refer to many people or things, they focus on individual items one at a time.

Example

Each of the buildings is surrounded by a high fence.
Every table has a tablecloth

4) All of / Some of / A lot of

With “all of”, “some of”, and “a lot of”, the verb depends on the noun after “of”.

Look at the true subject (the noun that comes after “of”), not the phrase at the start.

Examples

All of the equipment has been moved
Some of the pies are burnt
A lot of pie has disappeared

5) Question tag & negative adverbs of time

Certain adverbs possess a negative or restrictive meaning, even if the sentence structure looks positive. Common ones include never, rarely, seldom, hardly, barely, scarcely.

Sentences containing these adverbs are treated as negative. Therefore, the question tag must be POSITIVE.

Examples

• You never call me, do you? 
• She rarely eats meat, does she? 
• He hardly ever complains, does he? 
• They seldom visit, do they? 

6) Here/ There

The true subject follows the verb

Examples

There is a pie
‘Pie’ is considered singular, thus the verb ‘is’ is used.
There are five pies ‘Pies’ are considered plural, thus the verb ‘are’ is used
Here is a ladder
Here are the ladder

8) The number vs A number

The expression the number is followed by a singular verb while the expression a number is followed by a plural verb.

Examples

The number of people we need is 10. (The number = singular verb)
A number of people have written in about this subject. (A number = plural verb)
The number of people lined up for tickets was four hundred. (The number = singular verb)
A number of suggestions were made. (A number = plural verb)