Grammar is one of the hidden score-boosters in PTE. You might speak fluently, but if you use the wrong tense, miss an article, or confuse word forms, the scoring engine (and the human validators introduced in the 2025 update) will cut marks.
Here’s a clear, step-by-step explanation of the grammar rules you must master for PTE Academic.
🔹 1. Sentence Structure (Word Order)
👉 English sentences normally follow Subject + Verb + Object.
- ❌ Always he late comes.
- ✅ He always comes late.
Why it matters in PTE: In tasks like Repeat Sentence and Summarise Written Text, if you break word order, your meaning changes and you lose grammar marks.
🔹 2. Subject–Verb Agreement
👉 The verb must match the subject (singular/plural).
- ❌ The result show a positive trend.
- ✅ The result shows a positive trend.
Tip: Always look at the subject.
- Singular → is/was/has/shows
- Plural → are/were/have/show
Why in PTE: Mistakes here are common in Write From Dictation and Fill in the Blanks (Reading & Writing).
🔹 3. Verb Tenses
👉 Tenses show when something happens.
✅ Present Tenses
Simple Present → She reads books every evening (facts, routines).
Present Continuous → She is reading a book right now (progressive actions).
Present Perfect → She has read three books this week (past action with present effect).
Present Perfect Continuous → She has been reading for two hours.
✅ Past Tenses
Past Simple → She read a novel yesterday.
Past Continuous → She was reading when the phone rang.
Past Perfect → She had read the book before the exam started.
Past Perfect Continuous → She had been reading for an hour before dinner.
✅ Future Tenses
Future Simple → She will read that book tomorrow. (predictions)
Future Continuous → She will be reading at 8 pm tonight.
Future Perfect → She will have read ten books by next month.
Future Perfect Continuous → She will have been reading for three hours by the time you arrive.
🔗 Want to dive deeper? Check out our full guide:
👉 Complete Guide to English Verb Tenses (with Formulas & Uses)
Why in PTE: In Describe Image or Retell Lecture, you need the right tense to sound logical and accurate.
🔹 4. Articles (a, an, the)
👉 Articles point to whether something is general or specific.
- a/an = one, but not specific (a book, an apple)
- the = specific, already known (the book on the desk)
- no article = for general plurals/uncountable nouns (Books are useful. Water is essential.)
- ❌ She gave me an advice.
- ✅ She gave me advice. (advice = uncountable)
Why in PTE: Wrong articles lower marks in Summarise Written Text and Essay.
🔹 5. Prepositions
👉 Prepositions show time, place, direction, or cause.
- At = specific time/place → at 6 pm, at the station
- In = months, years, large areas → in 2025, in Sydney
- On = days, surfaces → on Monday, on the table
- ❌ She is good in English.
- ✅ She is good at English.
Why in PTE: Preposition mistakes show up in Fill in the Blanks and Repeat Sentence.
🔹 6. Modals (can, should, must, will, might)
👉 Modals express possibility, ability, advice, or obligation.
- You must submit essays on time. (obligation)
- You should practise daily. (advice)
- She can speak three languages. (ability)
- It might rain tomorrow. (possibility)
Why in PTE: Useful in Respond to a Situation (RTS) to sound natural and polite.
🔹 7. Passive Voice
👉 Use passive when the action is more important than the doer.
- Active: Researchers conducted the study.
- Passive: The study was conducted by researchers.
Why in PTE: In Summarise Written Text and Essay, passive voice helps you keep focus on results rather than people.
🔹 8. Conditional Sentences (If-clauses)
👉 Use “if” to talk about conditions and results.
- Zero Conditional: Always true → If you heat water, it boils.
- First Conditional: Possible → If it rains, we will stay inside.
- Second Conditional: Unreal (present/future) → If I had more time, I would practise more.
- Third Conditional: Unreal (past) → If he had studied, he would have passed.
Why in PTE: In Essay and Repeat Sentence, conditionals make your sentences sound more academic.
🔹 9. Punctuation
👉 Correct punctuation = clear meaning.
- ❌ The report shows growth, however it highlights risks.
- ✅ The report shows growth. However, it highlights risks.
Why in PTE: In Summarise Written Text, one wrong punctuation mark can make your single sentence invalid.
🔹 10. Commonly Confused Words
👉 Know the difference between similar words:
- Affect (verb) vs Effect (noun)
- Advice (noun) vs Advise (verb)
- Fewer (countable) vs Less (uncountable)
Why in PTE: In Fill in the Blanks (RW) and Essay, these are traps that test your precision.
🚀 How to Master Grammar for PTE
✔ Do daily Write From Dictation → Best way to train spelling + grammar.
✔ Summarise short passages → Practise sentence structure.
✔ Learn collocations → Sound natural in Fill in the Blank tasks.
✔ Keep sentences short and clear → Complex grammar = more mistakes.
✅ Final Thoughts
In the PTE 2025 update, grammar matters more than ever. With human reviewers checking content, wrong grammar = lost points across multiple skills.
But the good news? Grammar is learnable. Focus on these 10 rules, practise them daily, and you’ll build the accuracy needed for a 79+ score.
At Best PTE Coach, our lessons combine fluency + grammar drills so you can speak naturally while staying 100% correct.
🎁 Free Download: PTE Grammar Rules Worksheet
Want to practise these rules offline? I’ve created a student-friendly worksheet (with 60 practice exercises) that you can download for free.
👉 Download the Free PTE Grammar Worksheet (PDF)
📞 Need Personal Guidance?
Join our PTE Grammar Mastery Sessions at Best PTE Coach and get:
- Personalized feedback
- Proven strategies
- Step-by-step grammar drills for PTE 2025
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