# TNPSC Group 4 Tamil grammar: the 6 topics, with Samacheer textbook pages

> Grammar is the first unit of Group 4 Part A Tamil (syllabus code 496, Tamil page 6). We study it as six topics: letters, words, sandhi, class and gender, error correction, and prosody with figures of speech. For each, this guide gives the key rules and the Samacheer Tamil textbook pages, Std 6 to 10, to read.

Last updated: 2026-10-26 · By TNPSC Guide editorial team
URL: https://www.tnpscguide.com/guides/group-4-tamil-grammar-guide

TNPSC Guide is not the official TNPSC website. Applications go only through the official portal.

Checked on: 26.10.2026

"Sandhi errors, ல ள ழ, splitting words: I want the rules in one place." This guide splits grammar into six topics and gives the key rules of each, with the pages where the Samacheer Tamil textbooks teach them.

The six topics are our own split of the unit. The official syllabus (code 496, dated 12.12.2024) gives the grammar unit in two parts, எழுத்து (letters) and சொல் (words) (Tamil page 6). Part A questions are set in Tamil only, and Parts B and C are evaluated only if you score at least 60 of 150 in Part A (Notification 11/2026, para 6.1, page 20). All seven Part A units are on [the Group 4 syllabus: Part A](/en/exams/group-4#syllabus-A).

Page numbers are those printed in the textbook. Every example is on the page cited with it. Grammar terms and examples stay in Tamil, as the exam asks them.

**Table 1: the six topics and where the syllabus puts them**

| Topic | In the syllabus |
| --- | --- |
| Letters and their classification | Unit I, letters (page 6) |
| Words and their types | Unit I, words (page 6) |
| Joining of words (sandhi) | Unit I, sandhi errors (page 6) |
| Class, gender, number, person and tense | Unit III, மரபுத் தமிழ் (page 7) |
| Error correction and usage | Unit I (page 6), Unit III (page 7) |
| Prosody and figures of speech | not named in Unit I |

## Letters: how many kinds of Tamil letters are there?

The letters part of the syllabus covers short and long vowels (குறில், நெடில்), the difference between ல, ள and ழ, and splitting and joining words (Tamil page 6).

- **30 primary letters:** 12 vowels (உயிர்) and 18 consonants (மெய்). The dependent letters (சார்பெழுத்துகள்) are of 10 kinds; the 216 vowel-consonants (உயிர்மெய்) are one of them (Std 6, Term I, pages 20, 43).
- **Duration (மாத்திரை):** a short letter 1, a long letter 2, a consonant half (same book, page 19).
- **Three kinds of consonant:** hard (வல்லினம்) க் ச் ட் த் ப் ற்; soft (மெல்லினம்) ங் ஞ் ண் ந் ம் ன்; medial (இடையினம்) ய் ர் ல் வ் ழ் ள் (page 19). Sandhi rules are about the hard ones.
- **Letters that never begin a word:** the consonants, ஆய்தம், and the eight rows ட ண ர ல ழ ள ற ன (page 70).
- **குற்றியலுகரம்:** the hard-consonant உ sounds கு, சு, டு, து, பு, று at the end of a word shorten to half a மாத்திரை (பாக்கு, பங்கு). After a single short letter (பசு) the sound stays full; that is முற்றியலுகரம் (Std 7, Term I, pages 18-19).
- **Where ல, ள and ழ are made:** ழ is made when the tip of the tongue brushes the palate; ல when the thickened edges of the tongue come close to the base of the upper teeth; ள when the thickened edges stroke the palate (Std 8, page 18).

**Where to read:** Std 6 Tamil, Term I, chapters (இயல்) 1-3, "கற்கண்டு": pages 18-20, 43-44, 70-71. Std 7, Term I, chapters 1-2: pages 18-20, 42-43 (குற்றியலுகரம், the shortened letters). Std 8, chapter 1: pages 17-18 (origin of letters). Std 10, chapter 1: page 16 (அளபெடை).

## Words: how do nouns, verbs, participles and cases differ?

The words part of the syllabus covers the root word (வேர்ச்சொல்), the finite verb (வினைமுற்று), and the verbal and relative participles (வினையெச்சம், பெயரெச்சம்) (Tamil page 6).

- **பகாப்பதம், பகுபதம்:** கண் and படி cannot be split (பகாப்பதம்); கண்ணன் and படித்தான் can (பகுபதம்) (Std 10, page 17). A பகுபதம் starts with the root (பகுதி), carries the tense marker (இடைநிலை) in the middle and ends with the suffix (விகுதி) that shows class, gender, number and person (Std 9, page 21).
- **Finite verb (வினைமுற்று):** a verb that completes the meaning. If all six show (doer, instrument, place, action, time and object), it is தெரிநிலை; if it shows only the doer, without tense, it is குறிப்பு (பொன்னன், கரியன்) (Std 8, page 37).
- **Participles (எச்சம்):** a word that does not complete the meaning. Ending in a noun, it is a பெயரெச்சம் (எழுதிய கடிதம்); ending in a verb, a வினையெச்சம் (எழுதி வந்தான்) (Std 8, pages 63-64).
- **Eight cases (வேற்றுமை):** the first and eighth have no marker. The second to seventh use, in order, markers such as ஐ, ஆல், கு, இன், அது, கண் (Std 8, pages 84-87). The marker இல் is the fifth case when it means "from" and the seventh when it means "in" (page 87).
- **தொழிற்பெயர், வினையாலணையும் பெயர்:** a verbal noun shows no tense (நடத்தல்); a வினையாலணையும் பெயர் shows tense and names the doer (வந்தவர் அவர்தான்) (Std 10, pages 17-18).

**Where to read:** Std 8 Tamil, chapters 2-4, "கற்கண்டு": pages 37-38, 63-64, 84-87. Std 9, chapter 1: page 21 (parts of a பகுபதம்). Std 10, chapter 1: pages 17-18.

## Sandhi: how do I write without a sandhi error?

Joining two words is புணர்ச்சி. The first word is the நிலைமொழி, the word that joins it is the வருமொழி. A join with no change is இயல்பு புணர்ச்சி (தாய் + மொழி = தாய்மொழி). A join with a change is விகாரப் புணர்ச்சி, of three kinds: a letter appears (தமிழ் + தாய் = தமிழ்த்தாய்), changes (வில் + கொடி = விற்கொடி) or drops (மனம் + மகிழ்ச்சி = மனமகிழ்ச்சி) (Std 8, page 139).

Leaving out a hard consonant where it must double, or doubling it where it must not, is a sandhi error (சந்திப்பிழை) (Std 8, page 161). Some of the textbook's rules:

**Table 2: a few doubling rules from the textbook**

| Where | Hard consonant | Example | Page |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| after அந்த, இந்த, எந்த | doubles | அந்தப்பக்கம் | Std 8, 161 |
| after the visible markers ஐ and கு | doubles | எனக்குத் தெரியும் | Std 8, 162 |
| after a verbal participle ending in இ | doubles | எழுதிப் பார்த்தாள் | Std 8, 162 |
| after the numbers எட்டு and பத்து | doubles | பத்துக்காசு | Std 8, 162 |
| after அது, இது, எது | does not | அது சென்றது | Std 8, 162 |
| after a relative participle | does not | எழுதிய பாடல் | Std 8, 162 |
| in a வினைத்தொகை or உம்மைத்தொகை | does not | சுடுசோறு, தாய்தந்தை | Std 8, 163 |
| after numbers other than எட்டு and பத்து | does not | ஒரு புத்தகம் | Std 9, 114 |

With the plural suffix கள், the textbook's rule is no doubling (கருத்துகள், வாழ்த்துகள்); the book also notes that some writers double it (Std 9, page 114).

When a word ending in a vowel meets a word starting with a vowel, a glide consonant (உடம்படுமெய்) joins them: ய் after இ, ஈ, ஐ (மணியழகு), ய் or வ் after ஏ (சேயடி, சேவடி), and வ் after the other vowels (பலவுயிர்) (Std 9, page 169).

**Where to read:** Std 8, chapter 6: pages 139-140; chapter 7: pages 161-163. Std 9, chapter 3: pages 78-79; chapter 4: pages 113-114; chapter 6: pages 168-170.

## Class, gender, person: why must they agree in a sentence?

The syllabus lists திணை மரபு and பால் மரபு in Unit III, Writing skills (Tamil page 7). Their rules are grammar, so we teach them here.

- **Two classes (திணை):** people are உயர்திணை; birds, animals, plants and non-living things are அஃறிணை (Std 7, Term I, page 22).
- **Five genders (பால்):** ஆண்பால், பெண்பால், பலர்பால் in உயர்திணை; ஒன்றன்பால், பலவின்பால் in அஃறிணை (same book, page 44; Std 10, page 90).
- **Three persons (இடம்):** first (நான், நாம்), second (நீ, நீங்கள்), third (அவன், அவள், அது) (Std 10, page 90).

Speaking or writing against the rules of grammar is an error (வழு). It can occur in seven places: class, gender, person, tense, question, answer and usage. The textbook's examples: "செழியன் வந்தது" (class), "கண்ணகி உண்டான்" (gender), "நீ வந்தேன்" (person), "நேற்று வருவான்" (tense). Grammarians accept some such forms for a reason; that is வழுவமைதி. A mother calling her daughter "வாடா இராசா" out of affection is a gender வழுவமைதி (Std 10, page 91).

Sound usage (ஒலி மரபு) belongs here too: யானை பிளிறும் (Std 8, page 6); குயில் கூவும், மயில் அகவும் (page 20).

**Where to read:** Std 7, Term I, "மொழியை ஆள்வோம்": pages 22, 44. Std 8, chapter 1: pages 5-6, 20. Std 10, chapter 4, "கற்கண்டு": pages 90-91.

## Error correction: how do I spot the correct sentence?

Spelling errors and consonant (ஒற்று) errors are in Unit I (Tamil page 6). Active and passive voice, causative verbs, number errors and punctuation are in Unit III (page 7).

- **Word order:** except in a few places, Tamil does not require subject, object, predicate in that order (Std 9, page 18).
- **தன்வினை, பிறவினை:** "பந்து உருண்டது" (the subject acts); "பந்தை உருட்டவைத்தான்" (the subject makes it act) (Std 9, page 19).
- **Active and passive:** "கவிதா உரை படித்தாள்" is active; "உரை கவிதாவால் படிக்கப்பட்டது" is passive. The passive adds the auxiliary படு (Std 9, page 20).
- **Negatives:** "நான் அல்ல" is not correct. Use "நான் அல்லேன்" in the first person; "அவன் அல்லன்", "அஃது அன்று", "அவை அல்ல" in the third (Std 8, page 164).
- **Usage (வழக்கு):** "இல்முன்" used in reverse order as "முன்றில்" is இலக்கணப்போலி; "தஞ்சாவூர்" shortened to "தஞ்சை" is மரூஉ (Std 7, Term I, pages 67-68).
- **Punctuation:** a colon where a number word is expanded (முத்தமிழ் : இயல், இசை, நாடகம்); an exclamation mark where a feeling is shown (Std 8, page 90).

When you look for the error in a sentence, check in this order (our advice):

1. Do the subject and the predicate agree in class, gender and person? Does the verb's tense suit words such as நேற்று or நாளை?
2. Does the hard consonant double where it must, and only there?
3. Are ல, ள, ழ and the short and long vowels right?
4. Is the usage word (மரபு) right?

**Where to read:** Std 9, chapter 1, "கற்கண்டு" (sentence grammar): pages 18-21. Std 7, Term I, chapter 3 (usage): pages 67-70. Std 8, "மொழியை ஆள்வோம்": pages 89-90, 164.

## Prosody and figures of speech: are they in the syllabus?

First, a plain answer. The grammar unit of the current syllabus does not name prosody (யாப்பு) or figures of speech (அணி) (Tamil page 6; we read the page image on 20.10.2026). But the Std 8, 9 and 10 Tamil books teach them, and the literature unit includes Thirukkural (page 7), which they help you read. So study them last, and briefly (our advice).

- **Six parts of a verse:** எழுத்து, அசை, சீர், தளை, அடி, தொடை (Std 8, page 182).
- **Four kinds of verse (பா):** வெண்பா (செப்பல் ஓசை), ஆசிரியப்பா (அகவல் ஓசை), கலிப்பா (துள்ளல் ஓசை), வஞ்சிப்பா (தூங்கல் ஓசை) (page 183).
- **Thirukkural is in வெண்பா:** a குறள் வெண்பா has two lines, four feet (சீர்) in the first and three in the second (Std 10, pages 195-196).
- **அணி:** in "மலர்ப்பாதம்" the flower is the comparison (உவமை) and the foot is the thing compared (உவமேயம்) (Std 9, page 246). That word is an உவமைத்தொகை, while "தமிழ்த்தாய்" is an உருவகம் (Std 8, page 162). Speaking of the two as one is உருவக அணி (Std 9, page 246).

**Where to read:** Std 8, chapters 8-9: pages 182-183, 209-210. Std 9, chapters 8-9: pages 223-225, 246-247. Std 10, chapters 8-9: pages 195-196, 221-222.

## What next?

- The seven units, the 60-mark rule and a daily drill for each unit: [the Part A Tamil guide](/en/guides/group-4-tamil-part-a-guide)
- To make weekly time for grammar: [the Group 4 study plan](/en/guides/group-4-30-day-study-plan-working-people)

You do not need our app to use this guide. If you would like a daily lesson to follow, read [about the 30-day plan](/en/programme).

## Frequently asked questions

**How many questions come from the grammar unit?**

The syllabus PDF prints a question count for each unit (Tamil page 6). That count is only indicative: the Commission may marginally increase or decrease it (Notification 11/2026, para 6.3, page 21). So study all six topics.

**I did not study in Tamil medium. Where do I start?**

Start with letters: Std 6 Tamil, Term I, pages 18-20. Keep a list of grammar terms and write one example of your own for each (our advice).

**Why are there no practice questions on this page?**

This page gives the rules and the textbook pages only. For practice, use TNPSC's official question papers. If we show a previous-year question, it carries its year, paper, question number and answer-key status.

## Sources

- [TNPSC Notification 11/2026, English PDF: page 20 (para 6.1), page 21 (para 6.3)](https://tnpsc.gov.in/document/english/group_english.pdf)
- [TNPSC Group IV syllabus PDF (code 496, dated 12.12.2024): Tamil page 6 (Unit I Grammar), page 7 (Unit III Writing skills)](https://tnpsc.gov.in/static_pdf/syllabus/496_Group%20IV%20Syllabus.pdf)
- [Samacheer textbook: Tamil, Std 6, Term I, pages 18-20, 43-44, 70-71](https://d1e5r329t7a85t.cloudfront.net/syllabuspdf/6th_Tamil%20%26%20English%20Term%201_Text.pdf)
- [Samacheer textbook: Tamil, Std 7, Term I, pages 18-20, 22, 42-44, 67-70](https://d1e5r329t7a85t.cloudfront.net/syllabuspdf/7th_Tamil%20%26%20English%20Term%201_Text.pdf)
- [Samacheer textbook: Tamil, Std 8, pages 5-6, 17-18, 20, 37-38, 63-64, 84-87, 89-90, 139-140, 161-164, 182-183, 209-210](https://d1e5r329t7a85t.cloudfront.net/syllabuspdf/8th%20Std%20Tamil_Text.pdf)
- [Samacheer textbook: Tamil, Std 9, pages 18-21, 78-79, 113-114, 168-170, 223-225, 246-247](https://d1e5r329t7a85t.cloudfront.net/syllabuspdf/9th_Tamil_Text.pdf)
- [Samacheer textbook: Tamil, Std 10, pages 16-18, 90-91, 195-196, 221-222](https://d1e5r329t7a85t.cloudfront.net/syllabuspdf/10th_Tamil_Text.pdf)