What grammar do I need for B2?

You need control of the narrative tenses together, a clean split between the present perfect and the past simple, passives in more than one tense, reported speech with backshift, defining and non-defining relative clauses, the four main conditionals, modals of deduction, comparatives with modifiers, articles, and the will / going to / present continuous future choice. A sentence such as The kiln which they had repaired was fired again yesterday, and Maya said it should hold already combines several of those. Neighbouring pages on this site teach each structure; this page is the map.

How is B2 grammar different from B1?

B1 can tell a story in the past simple and mention a plan with going to. B2 has to layer that story (background continuous, earlier past perfect), report other people's words accurately, attach extra information with relatives, and hedge a guess with must, might, or can't. The forms are not all new; the demand is to use several of them in one paragraph without mixing their jobs. If the kiln had cooled, she would have opened it is a B2 sentence because the time of the condition is a past that never happened.

What are the most common mistakes in B2 grammar exercises?

Four keep coming back: finished time with a present perfect (I have seen her yesterday), inversion inside a reported question (She asked where was the key), would have in the if-clause of a third conditional, and a duplicate object after a relative (the kiln which they repaired it). Proof those four and a large share of mixed B2 items falls into place. The longer practice block on this page samples each of them.

How should I practise B2 grammar rather than studying one tense?

Work with mixed items, not isolated drills. Take a short story and mark the layers: event, background, earlier past, present result. Then rewrite one sentence as a passive, one as a report, and one with a relative clause. A stretch such as While she was locking the annex, she realised she had left the mute inside gives you more than a gap-fill on a single tense. Use the twelve-item check below as a diagnostic, then follow the bridges into the pages you missed.

Do B2 exams require every structure on the checklist?

No single paper asks for all of them in one sitting, but a typical reading, writing, or Use of English paper will sample most of the columns. You are not marked for displaying a third conditional in a story that is not unreal; you are marked for choosing the form the meaning needs. If you can explain why I've already signed is present perfect and I signed before lunch is past simple, you are already doing the B2 job rather than reciting a list.

English grammar · Intermediate

B2 Grammar Exercises: A Syllabus Checklist with Practice

Written by Eleanor Whitfield, Lead English Curriculum Editor · Reviewed September 2026

B2 grammar is the upper-intermediate toolkit: narrative tenses working together, present perfect versus past simple, passives, reported speech, relative clauses, conditionals, modals of deduction, comparatives, articles, and future forms. This page treats that syllabus as a checklist rather than as ten separate lessons, then gives a longer practice block so you can see which structures still slip.

The scores that Maya had left in the annex were collected after she said she would be late.

relative clause, past perfect, and reported speech in one B2 sentence

What it is

At B2 you are no longer learning one tense at a time. A single paragraph may need a past simple for the storyline, a past continuous for the background, a past perfect for the earlier event, a present perfect for a result that still matters, and a passive when the doer is unknown or unimportant. The same level expects you to report what someone said, to attach a relative clause without repeating the noun, to choose will, going to, or a present form for the future, and to hedge a guess with must, might, or can't. This page maps those structures as a checklist. Each neighbouring page teaches one of them in depth; the practice block at the end is longer than on those pages so you can test the set together.

The kiln, which had been repaired in March, was fired again yesterday, and Maya said it should hold. (Relative clause, past perfect passive, past simple, reported modal.)

How to spot it

A B2 task rarely names the structure. Spot the job instead: telling a story, linking a past to now, hiding the doer, reporting words, adding extra information to a noun, stating a condition, guessing from evidence, comparing, choosing an article, or placing an event in the future.

She had already packed the reeds when the taxi arrived. (past perfect before a past simple storyline)
The annex has been locked since Monday. (present perfect passive, still true now)
He asked whether the later crossing was still running. (reported yes/no question, statement order)
That must be the stage manager; nobody else has a headset. (modal of deduction from present evidence)

If a prompt gives a finished time (yesterday, in 2019, when I was a student), the present perfect is almost never the answer. If it gives no time, or a time that includes now, look at the present perfect first.

B2 Grammar Exercises Quick Reference

The B2 syllabus as a checklist

Structure	What B2 expects	Quick example
Narrative tenses	past simple for events, past continuous for background, past perfect for earlier past	She was tuning when she realised she had left the mute in the annex.
Present perfect vs past	no finished-time word: present perfect; finished time: past simple	I've already signed. I signed before lunch.
Passives	be + past participle when the doer is unknown, obvious, or unimportant	The scores were collected after the preview.
Reported speech	tense backshift and statement order inside the report	She said she would take the later ferry.
Relative clauses	who/which/that, and omitting the object pronoun	the trustee who signed; the reeds (that) Maya packed
Conditionals	zero, first, second, and third for real, possible, and past unreal	If the kiln had cooled, she would have opened it.
Modals of deduction	must / might / could / can't for guesses about now or the past	He can't have taken the spare key; it's still on the hook.
Comparatives, articles, future	modifiers of comparatives; a/the/zero; will vs going to vs present continuous	a far quieter desk; I'm meeting the joiner at seven.

Common B2 Grammar Exercises Examples in English

Four clusters the B2 syllabus keeps returning to, with sentences you can reuse as models rather than as isolated rules:

Narrative Tenses and Perfect vs Past

The taxi arrived while she was still locking the annex.: past simple event against a past continuous background
She had already packed the reeds, so the case felt light.: past perfect for the earlier action
I've left the mute on the piano; I can't play without it now.: present perfect: result still visible
I left the mute on the piano yesterday and went back for it.: past simple: finished time, storyline

Tell the story in the past simple. Use the past continuous for what was already in progress, the past perfect for what happened before that story, and the present perfect only when now is still in the picture.

Passives and Reported Speech

The kiln was repaired in March.: past simple passive, doer unnamed
The scores have been collected already.: present perfect passive, result now
Maya said she would wait in the wings.: will backshifts to would
He asked if the later crossing was still running.: yes/no report with if and statement order

In reports, invert nothing inside the reported clause: she asked where the spare key was, not where was the spare key. Direct questions keep inversion; reports do not.

Relatives, Conditionals, and Deduction

The trustee who signed the lease has left.: defining relative, who as subject
The reeds Maya packed are in the small case.: object relative pronoun omitted
If the tide had been in, they would have launched.: third conditional: past unreal
That can't be the stage manager; she is still in the stalls.: can't for a deduction that something is impossible now

Must for deduction means I am sure it is true, not I am obliged. Obligation at B2 is still have to / must / should; deduction is a separate column on the checklist.

Comparatives, Articles, and Future Forms

This desk is far quieter than the one in the gallery.: far modifying a comparative
We rented the annex near the quarry for the summer.: the annex: identified; a summer would be one of many
I'll text you the berth number in a minute.: will: decided as the speaker talks
I'm collecting the kiln shelves at a quarter to eight.: present continuous: a fixed arrangement

Going to covers a prior intention or a future you can see coming (Look at those clouds: it's going to soak the terrace.). Will covers the decision of the moment, offers, and many bare predictions.

How to Use the B2 Checklist

Five decisions that sort most mixed exercises before you reach for a named tense.

Ask Whether the Time Includes Now

If the period is still open (today, this week, so far, ever, since), or if no time is given and the result matters now, start with the present perfect. If the time is closed (yesterday, in March, when the taxi arrived), use a past form. This one test sorts present perfect versus past simple, and it also tells you whether a passive should be has been repaired or was repaired.

I've already signed the lease. I signed it before lunch.

no time / still relevant vs a finished point

Open time = present perfect. Closed time = past.

Build Stories in Layers, Not in One Tense

The past simple moves the story forward. The past continuous paints a background action that was already in progress. The past perfect reaches back to an earlier past so the sequence is clear without a long time phrase. You do not need all three in every sentence; you need the one that matches the layer you are describing.

She was locking the annex when she realised she had left the mute inside.

background, then event, then earlier past

Event, background, earlier past: three layers.

Hide the Doer, or Keep the News at the End

A passive (be + past participle) is not a decoration. Use it when you do not know who did the action, when it does not matter, or when you want the thing affected to stay the topic: The scores were collected. Reporting someone else's words is a different transformation: change the pronoun, backshift the tense if the reporting verb is past, and put the inner clause in statement order.

Maya said the scores had already been collected.

report plus a passive inside it

Passive for the doer; report for the words.

Attach Extra Information; Do Not Repeat the Noun

A relative clause lets you add a fact to a noun without starting a new sentence. Who and that for people, which and that for things; omit the pronoun when it is the object (the reeds Maya packed). Conditionals then sit on top of that toolkit: real present (zero/first), unreal present (second), unreal past (third). Name the time of the if-clause before you choose the form.

The kiln which they had repaired would have held if the power cut had been shorter.

relative plus a third conditional in one stretch

Relative = extra fact. Conditional = time of the if.

Guesses, Comparisons, and Futures Are Separate Columns

Must / might / could / can't as deduction are not the same as must / have to as obligation. Comparatives at B2 are less about -er versus more and more about modifiers (far quieter, slightly cheaper) and the more ... the more. Futures at B2 are a three-way choice: will for the moment of speaking, going to for a prior plan or present evidence, present continuous for a diary arrangement.

She must have missed the crossing; she's going to wait for the dawn ferry, and I'm collecting her at six.

past deduction, prior intention, fixed arrangement

Deduction, degree, and diary are different jobs.

Common Mistakes with B2 Grammar Exercises

Incorrect: I have packed the reeds yesterday, so the case was light.

Correct: I packed the reeds yesterday, so the case was light.

A dated past adverb such as yesterday belongs with packed, not with have packed. Drop the date if you want the present-perfect result reading: I've packed the reeds, so the case is light now.

Incorrect: She asked where was the spare key.

Correct: She asked where the spare key was.

A reported question takes statement order. Only the outer clause is a question (Did she ask...?). Inside the report, the verb sits after the subject, just as it does in a statement.

Incorrect: If the tide would have been in, they would have launched.

Correct: If the tide had been in, they would have launched.

After if in an unreal past, English uses had plus a participle. Would have belongs only in the result: If the tide had been in, they would have launched. Putting would have on both sides is a common B2 slip.

Incorrect: The kiln which they repaired it in March is holding.

Correct: The kiln which they repaired in March is holding.

Which already stands for the kiln as the object of repaired, so it is a duplicate. If you omit the relative pronoun (The kiln they repaired in March), there is still no extra it.

What a B2 Exam Actually Samples

The checklist translated into the item types you meet in a paper or a classroom test.

Open cloze and key word transformations

A single gap often tests a tiny structural word: a relative pronoun, an article, a particle, or the auxiliary of a perfect or passive. Transformations test the same content as a rewrite: despite vs although, said she would, has been repaired.

The annex ___ was locked on Monday has no spare key.: which/that: a defining relative
Maya said, "I will wait." → Maya said she ___ wait.: would: backshift of will
They repaired the kiln in March. → The kiln ___ in March.: was repaired: past passive

Read the whole sentence before filling a gap. Agreement, time words, and the word after the gap all constrain the answer.

Error-correction clusters

B2 scripts bunch errors around the same handful of contrasts: finished time with a present perfect, inversion inside a reported question, a finite clause after despite, must of instead of must have.

Wrong: I have seen her yesterday. Right: I saw her yesterday.: finished time blocks the present perfect
Wrong: She asked where was the mute. Right: She asked where the mute was.: statement order inside the report
Wrong: He must of left. Right: He must have left.: have, not of, after a modal

If you only have time to proof one thing, proof the time words against the tense, and the word order inside reports.

Writing: control several structures at once

A B2 paragraph that only uses the past simple will not score as a B2 paragraph. Aim for one background tense, one earlier-past or present-perfect link, one relative clause, and one hedge (might, apparently, it seems) where a guess is all you have.

While the kiln was cooling, Maya packed the bowls she had glazed that morning.: continuous background, relative, past perfect
The later crossing might be cancelled; I'll text you if it is.: hedge plus a first conditional
It was the trustee who signed, which surprised the secretary.: cleft plus a non-defining relative

Do not force a third conditional into a story that is not unreal. Control means choosing the structure the meaning needs, not displaying every item on the list.

Quick Check: B2 Grammar Exercises

Complete each sentence. This block is longer than on the single-topic pages; it samples the B2 checklist rather than one structure.

1. She ___ (lock) the annex when the taxi pulled up.

Answer: was locking

past continuous background behind a past simple event

2. I ___ (already / pack) the reeds, so the case felt light.

Answer: had already packed

past perfect: earlier than the storyline

3. ___ you ___ (see) the mute? It isn't on the piano.

Answer: Have you seen

present perfect: present result, no finished time

4. I ___ (leave) the mute on the piano yesterday and went back for it.

Answer: left

yesterday forces the past simple

5. The kiln ___ (repair) in March.

Answer: was repaired

past simple passive, doer unnamed

6. Maya said she ___ (wait) in the wings.

Answer: would wait

will backshifts to would in a past report

7. He asked ___ the later crossing was still running.

Answer: if / whether

reported yes/no question, statement order already in the prompt

8. The reeds ___ Maya packed are in the small case.

Answer: that / which / (no pronoun)

object relative, which can be omitted

9. If the tide ___ (be) in, they would have launched.

Answer: had been

third conditional: past perfect in the if-clause

10. That ___ be the stage manager; she is still in the stalls.

Answer: can't / cannot

modal of deduction: present impossibility

11. This desk is ___ quieter than the one in the gallery.

Answer: far / much / a lot

a modifier in front of a comparative

12. I ___ (meet) the joiner at half past seven, so I can't stay for the encore.

Answer: am meeting / 'm meeting

present continuous for a fixed arrangement

B2 Grammar Exercises FAQs

What grammar do I need for B2?: You need control of the narrative tenses together, a clean split between the present perfect and the past simple, passives in more than one tense, reported speech with backshift, defining and non-defining relative clauses, the four main conditionals, modals of deduction, comparatives with modifiers, articles, and the will / going to / present continuous future choice. A sentence such as The kiln which they had repaired was fired again yesterday, and Maya said it should hold already combines several of those. Neighbouring pages on this site teach each structure; this page is the map.
How is B2 grammar different from B1?: B1 can tell a story in the past simple and mention a plan with going to. B2 has to layer that story (background continuous, earlier past perfect), report other people's words accurately, attach extra information with relatives, and hedge a guess with must, might, or can't. The forms are not all new; the demand is to use several of them in one paragraph without mixing their jobs. If the kiln had cooled, she would have opened it is a B2 sentence because the time of the condition is a past that never happened.
What are the most common mistakes in B2 grammar exercises?: Four keep coming back: finished time with a present perfect (I have seen her yesterday), inversion inside a reported question (She asked where was the key), would have in the if-clause of a third conditional, and a duplicate object after a relative (the kiln which they repaired it). Proof those four and a large share of mixed B2 items falls into place. The longer practice block on this page samples each of them.
How should I practise B2 grammar rather than studying one tense?: Work with mixed items, not isolated drills. Take a short story and mark the layers: event, background, earlier past, present result. Then rewrite one sentence as a passive, one as a report, and one with a relative clause. A stretch such as While she was locking the annex, she realised she had left the mute inside gives you more than a gap-fill on a single tense. Use the twelve-item check below as a diagnostic, then follow the bridges into the pages you missed.
Do B2 exams require every structure on the checklist?: No single paper asks for all of them in one sitting, but a typical reading, writing, or Use of English paper will sample most of the columns. You are not marked for displaying a third conditional in a story that is not unreal; you are marked for choosing the form the meaning needs. If you can explain why I've already signed is present perfect and I signed before lunch is past simple, you are already doing the B2 job rather than reciting a list.