Grammar Interview Questions for English Teachers

Being an English teacher at an Indian private school means you need to really know your grammar to teach students well. When you’re interviewed, you might get asked some grammar questions to see how much you know. Here are a few common grammar interview questions for English teachers along with the model and crisp answers to get you ready.

This is a special post related to grammar interview questions. You can check out the general questions asked to a teacher during an interview here.

Common Grammar Interview Questions for English Teachers

Here are some frequently asked grammar questions in interviews to check the proficiency of English teachers.

• What is a verb? Can you give examples of different types of verbs?

A verb is a word that shows an action, event or state. There are three types of verbs:

1. Action verbs (e.g., swim, dance, sing)

2. Helping verbs (e.g., is, am, are, was, were)

3. Modal verbs (e.g., can, could, may, might)

• What is the difference between a phrase and a clause?

A phrase is a group of words that does not contain a subject and a verb. e.g. The boy in red shirt. On the other hand, a clause is a group of words that contains both a subject and a verb and expresses a complete thought. e.g. Anuj works as an engineer. It can be an independent clause or a subordinate clause.

• What are the different types of pronouns?

Pronouns are words that take the place of nouns. There are several types of pronouns, including personal pronouns (e.g., I, you, he, she, it), possessive pronouns (e.g., mine, yours, his, hers, its), demonstrative pronouns (e.g., this, that, these, those), and relative pronouns (e.g., who, whom, whose, which, that).

(note: You can skip giving examples for making your answer crisp. Give examples only when asked for.)

• Explain the difference between ‘its’ and ‘it’s’.

‘Its’ is a possessive pronoun, used to show that something belongs to or is associated with something previously mentioned (e.g., The dog wagged its tail).

‘It’s’ is a contraction of ‘it is’ or ‘it has’ (e.g., It’s raining today).

• What are the basic parts of speech in English grammar?

There are eight parts of speech:

1. Nouns (e.g., book, table, happiness)
2. Pronouns (e.g., he, she, it, they)
3. Verbs (e.g., run, eat, sleep)
4. Adjectives (e.g., beautiful, tall, happy)
5. Adverbs (e.g., quickly, happily, slowly)
6. Prepositions (e.g., in, on, at, by)
7. Conjunctions (e.g., and, but, or)
8. Interjections (e.g., wow, hey, ouch)

(You can even skip giving examples of each part of speech to avoid lengthy answers.)

• Can you explain the concept of subject-verb agreement?

Subject-verb agreement means that the subject and the verb in a sentence must agree in number (singular or plural). For example, “He walks” (for singular subject) and “They walk” (for plural subject).

• What are the different types of sentences based on structure?/ What are four basic sentence structures?

The different types of sentences based on structure are:

1. Simple sentences (having one independent clause) e.g. Reena can sing very well.
2. Compound sentences (having two or more independent clauses joined by conjunctions) e.g. Reena sings well and has performed at various events.
3. Complex sentences (having one independent clause and one or more dependent clauses) e.g. Although Reena sings well, she is shy on stage.
4. Compound-complex sentences (having two or more independent clauses and one or more dependent clauses) e.g. Reena sings well, but she is shy when performing in public.

• Explain the use of articles ‘a’, ‘an’, and ‘the’.

‘A’ and ‘an’ are indefinite articles used before singular nouns to indicate that the noun is nonspecific (e.g., I saw a cat in the street.)

‘The’ is a definite article used before singular or plural nouns to indicate that the noun is specific or particular (e.g. The cat in the street was chasing a mouse.)

• What is the difference between active voice and passive voice?

In active voice, the subject performs the action of the verb (e.g., The police caught the thief).

In passive voice, the subject receives the action of the verb (e.g., The thief was caught by the police).

• Explain the concept of tense in English grammar. / What is Tense?

Tense indicates the time at which an action or event takes place. There are three main tenses: past, present, and future. Each tense can be further divided into four aspects: simple, continuous (progressive), perfect, and perfect continuous.

• Can you give examples of common grammatical errors that students make?

Common grammatical errors that students make include:

1. Confusing ‘their’, ‘there’, and ‘they’re’
2. Misusing apostrophes (e.g., its vs. it’s)
3. Incorrect subject-verb agreement
4. Confusing ‘affect’ and ‘effect’
5. Misplacing modifiers

• What is the difference between ‘affect’ and ‘effect’?

(sometimes new questions are spinned from the previous ones. :-0

1. Affect is a verb. For example: “The new policy will affect all employees.”
2. Effect is a noun. For example: “The new policy had a significant effect on the company’s profits.”

• Give examples of misplacing modifiers.

Misplacing modifiers can lead to confusion or ambiguity in a sentence. Here is an example:

Misplaced Modifier: “I only ate cookies for breakfast.”

This suggests that the speaker only consumed cookies, excluding other possible actions.

Corrected: “I ate only cookies for breakfast.”

Here, “only” properly modifies “cookies,” indicating that no other food was eaten for breakfast.

• What is a dangling modifier? Can you provide an example?

A dangling modifier is a word or phrase that does not clearly modify another word or phrase in a sentence. For example, “Running down the street, the bus was missed.” Here, “running down the street” does not logically modify “the bus,” leading to confusion.

Aptitude Based Interview Questions 

Here are some aptitude based grammar interview questions asked to English teachers in order to check their perspective on teaching grammar in a classroom.

• Why is it important to teach Grammar to the students?

Teaching grammar is crucial because it gives language a clear structure and helps students communicate effectively. Moreover, mastering grammar improves both reading and writing abilities.

• What is the best method to teach Grammar?

The best method to teach grammar is by emphasizing its use in practical contexts rather than focusing on memorizing rules. This approach allows students to learn grammar naturally, similar to how they learned their native language, making it more meaningful and easier to remember.

• Can you give one example to prove this?

Yes, sure. instead of teaching the rule for simple past tense, students can learn by using past tense verbs in describing their daily activities, like “Yesterday, I walked to the park.”  Hence they will create their own sentences using past tense verbs to describe their past activities. This approach helps students understand and remember grammar more effectively.

It requires definitely more drilling, but the students will never forget and make mistakes.

• How would you teach grammar to students who are struggling with the concepts?

When teaching grammar to struggling students, I use a variety of methods such as:

• • • Providing clear explanations and examples
    • Using visual aids and real-life examples
    • Engaging students in interactive activities and games
    • Offering additional practice exercises
    • Providing constructive feedback and encouragement

To sum up, being an English teacher requires a strong hold on grammar. By preparing for these commonly asked grammar interview questions for English teachers, you can show that you know your stuff and are perfect for the job. If you like these interview questions and answers  and find them useful for your job, please comment below. It is a great motivation to see the responses from our readers. You can also post your queries here. Good luck with your interview!

Check out Common Interview questions for Freshers.