Punjabi Language and Grammar: Gurmukhi Script and Shabad-Bhed
Core areas
Punjabi grammar questions test the Gurmukhi script, word classes (ਸ਼ਬਦ-ਭੇਦ), and sentence construction. Revise the 35 letters plus the six additional letters, vowel carriers (ਊੜਾ, ਐੜਾ, ਇੱਕੀ), matras, tippi, bindi, adhak and udaat. In ਵਿਆਕਰਨ, know ਨਾਂਵ (noun), ਪੜਨਾਂਵ (pronoun), ਵਿਸ਼ੇਸ਼ਣ (adjective), ਕਿਰਿਆ (verb), ਕਿਰਿਆ-ਵਿਸ਼ੇਸ਼ਣ (adverb), ਸੰਬੰਧਕ (postposition), ਯੋਜਕ (conjunction) and ਵਿਸਮਿਕ (interjection). Practise ਲਿੰਗ (gender), ਵਚਨ (number), ਕਾਰਕ (case), ਕਾਲ (tense), ਵਾਚ (voice), ਸਿੱਧ/ਅਸਿੱਧ ਵਾਕ, ਸਮਾਸ, ਅਤੇ ਸ਼ਬਦ-ਜੋੜ.
Traps
The commonest trap is nasalisation: tippi ( ੰ ) is used with short vowels before a consonant, while bindi ( ਂ ) is used with long vowels and at the end of a word. Adhak ( ੱ ) doubles the following consonant; udaat is rare. Other traps include confusing ਸੰਬੰਧਕ with ਯੋਜਕ, wrong ਲਿੰਗ for nouns such as 'ਕਿਤਾਬ', and literal translation of English idioms.
Rule of thumb
For spelling, ask two questions: is the vowel short or long, and does the nasal sound come before a consonant or at the end? Short + consonant = tippi; long or word-final = bindi.
Worked example
Choose the correct spelling: (a) ਸਤਂਬਰ (b) ਸਤੰਬਰ. The nasal occurs after a short vowel and before the consonant ਬ, so tippi is correct: ਸਤੰਬਰ.