Past continuous
Describes what was in progress at a moment in the past — often interrupted by a past-simple action.
Examples
- I was walking down the road when I saw her.
- Snow was falling on the mountains.
A2 Flyers Grammar: 13 New Structures
YLE grammar builds up level by level. A2 Flyers adds the 13 structures below to everything from Starters and Movers: 35 key structures in all. The new ones are explained in full; earlier ones are listed at the end, with links.
Based on the “Grammar and structures list” in the official Cambridge English YLE Handbook for Teachers: YLE Handbook for Teachers (PDF)
New at A2 Flyers: 13 structures
Going to — future
Talks about plans and predictions for the future.
Examples
- It isn't going to rain today.
- We're going to have a picnic on Saturday.
Present perfect
Connects the past to now, with helper words like just, already, yet, ever and never.
Examples
- He's just eaten his dinner.
- Have you ever been to the airport?
Comparatives with than
Comparing two things directly, always with than.
Examples
- A whale is bigger than a dolphin.
- This puzzle is easier than that one.
Superlatives with the
Picking out the top one of a group, always with the.
Examples
- It's the most beautiful castle in the world.
- Sarah is the best swimmer in the team.
Comparisons with as … as
Saying two things are equal — or not — with as … as and not as … as.
Examples
- My kite is as big as yours.
- The film wasn't as funny as the book.
Adverbs of manner
Says how an action is done — quickly, carefully, quietly.
Examples
- She closed the door quietly.
- He carried the eggs carefully.
First conditional
'If + present, will' — talking about a real possibility and its result.
Examples
- If it rains, we will stay at home.
- If you win the race, you'll get a prize.
Infinitive of purpose
'To + verb' explains why someone does something.
Examples
- We went to the shop to buy some bread.
- He turned on the light to read his book.
Shall — suggestions
The friendly way to suggest doing something together.
Examples
- Shall we play chess after school?
- Shall I open the window?
Could — past ability and polite requests
What someone was able to do in the past, or a polite way to ask for something.
Examples
- When she was five, she could already swim.
- Could you pass me the glue, please?
Wh- questions in the past
Questions with did — asking what, where and when about past events, essential for story tasks.
Examples
- Where did you go last weekend?
- What did the pirate find in the cave?
Connectors — before, after, when, so
Words that link events in order or show a result, so children can tell longer stories.
Examples
- After we had lunch, we played volleyball.
- It was cold, so I put on my sweater.
Already expected from earlier levels
The A2 Flyers exam also assumes everything below. If any of these feel shaky, start with the earlier level's page — each name links straight to its explanation.
Frequently asked questions
Does my child need to know grammar terms like "present perfect"?
No. The Cambridge YLE exams never ask children to name a tense or explain a rule — they test whether a child can understand and use these structures in real sentences, pictures and stories. The terms on this page are for you, the parent; your child just needs plenty of practice hearing and building sentences.
Which parts of the A2 Flyers exam test grammar?
Grammar is tested indirectly everywhere, but it is most visible in the Reading & Writing paper — the gap-fill and sentence-copying parts require children to choose or copy grammatically correct words. In Listening and Speaking, children mainly need to understand the structures when they hear them. There is no separate grammar paper and no pass or fail: children earn up to five shields per skill.
How should a child aged 6–12 practice these structures?
Not with drills or worksheets. At this age grammar sticks through use: reading simple stories, listening, and building sentences in games. Ten minutes a day of playful sentence-building beats an hour of exercises — that is exactly what FlyersEnglish games like Sentence Builder are designed for.
This page is a parent-friendly summary of the “Grammar and structures list” in the official Cambridge English YLE Handbook for Teachers. FlyersEnglish is not affiliated with or endorsed by Cambridge; the official handbook is available from Cambridge English at cambridgeenglish.org.
Practice grammar the fun way
Kids learn grammar by building sentences, not by reading rule tables. In Sentence Builder your child drags words into exam-style A2 Flyers sentences and sees right away if they got it.