READING: SHORT STORY — REHABILITATION (English grammar notes for age 13)

These notes focus only on grammar you will meet when reading a short story about rehabilitation (for example, a person returning to health or a community helping someone change). Each point has a short explanation and clear examples.

1. Verbs and Tenses (Narrative use)
  • Simple past — used for main events: "He entered the rehabilitation centre." (done and finished)
  • Past continuous — background actions: "He was sleeping when the nurse arrived."
  • Past perfect — action before another past event: "He had finished the exercises before dinner."
Tip: When reading, spot the verbs to understand the order of events.
2. Direct and Reported (Indirect) Speech

Direct speech uses quotation marks. Reported speech (telling what someone said) often changes tense and pronouns.

Direct: He said, "I will attend therapy tomorrow."
Reported: He said that he would attend therapy the next day.
Rules: move tenses back (will → would), change pronouns (I → he/she), and change time words (tomorrow → the next day).
3. Passive Voice

Use passive when the action or the person receiving the action is important: focus on result, not who did it.

Active: The community organised a training.
Passive: A training was organised by the community.
Form: be (am/is/are/was/were/been) + past participle (e.g., organised, helped).
4. Adjectives vs Adverbs

Adjectives describe nouns; adverbs describe verbs, adjectives or other adverbs.

Adjective: The patient is calm.
Adverb: He spoke calmly.
Tip: Many adverbs end in -ly (careful → carefully), but some do not (fast).
5. Relative Clauses (adding details)

Use who/which/that to add information about people or things.

The counsellor who helped me is kind.
The programme that changed his life is free.
Use who for people, which/that for things or programmes.
6. Connectors and Sequencing Words

Short stories use connectors to show time, cause, or contrast.

Time: first, then, later, after, before
Cause: because, since, therefore
Contrast: but, however, although
Example: He trained every day, and as a result, he improved quickly.
7. Pronouns and Agreement

Make sure pronouns match the noun in number and gender, and the verb agrees with its subject.

Correct: The team was hopeful. (team = singular)
Correct: The patients were thankful.
Note: 'They' can be used as a singular pronoun if the person's gender is not given.
8. Punctuation for Dialogue
  • Start new paragraph for each speaker.
  • Use comma before the quotation if the sentence continues: She said, "We will start soon."
  • Question marks and exclamation marks stay inside the quotes if part of speech.
Example:
"Are you ready?" asked the nurse.
"Yes," he replied, "I am ready."
9. Word Forms (small note)

Stories use verbs, nouns and adjectives from one root: rehabilitate → rehabilitation (noun), rehabilitated (adjective).

Recognise root words to understand meaning in context.
Quick practice
  1. Find the tense: "She had visited the clinic before joining the programme."
  2. Change to reported speech: He said, "I feel better today."
  3. Turn passive: The volunteers trained the youth.
Show answers (click)
1) Past perfect.
2) He said that he felt better that day.
3) The youth were trained by the volunteers.
Remember: When reading a short story, focus on verbs (to follow events), dialogue (to learn character voice), and connectors (to follow the sequence). These grammar points help you understand the story about rehabilitation clearly.
Good luck — read slowly, underline verb forms, and try changing some sentences to reported speech or passive to practise.

Rate these notes