6 English Grammar Rules You Must Know

The hardest part of learning English is getting a good grip on English grammar. On the surface, English might seem pretty easy but when you get deeper into it you would realize even a small mistake in English can change the meaning of a sentence.

Here’s a handful of grammar rules that you should keep in mind when you are speaking of writing English:

Adjectives and Adverbs

You should learn your adjectives and adverbs correctly. The role of an adjective is to describe, identify, and quantify people or things and usually goes in front of the noun. They don’t change if the noun is plural. 

Adverbs are supposed to modify verbs, adjectives and other adverbs and usually come after the verb.

Here’s an example to better understand adjectives and adverbs:

Adjective: He’s a slow runner.

Adverb: He runs slowly. 

Most adverbs are created by adding -ly at the end of an adjective. However, there are a few exceptions, for example:

Fast (adjective) – Fast (adverb)

Hard (adjective) – Hard (adverb)

Good (adjective) – Well (adverb)

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Take care of your homophones

Homophones are words that are pronounced in the same way as other words but have different meanings. They are also spelt differently. For example:

  • they’re – their – there
  • you’re – your
  • it’s – its
  • I – eye
  • here – hear
  • break – brake
  • flower – flour
  • our – hour

When you are writing, make sure you choose the right word. And while listening, remember the words you are hearing might have a different meaning.

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Conjugation of Verbs

Make sure you change your verbs to suit the subject. He, she, and it is some of the main subjects you need to be careful of.

Moreover, whenever you describe something using There is/are, the verb must agree with the first thing you mention. For example:

Right: He has two bats

Wrong: He have two bats

While this looks like a small mistake, it stands out like a sore thumb. Also, remember when you are describing something using ‘There is/are’, the verb must agree with the first item you mention. 

For instance:

There is an almirah, some chairs, and a fridge.

There are some chairs, an almirah, and a fridge.

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Use conjunctions to connect your ideas

You can use conjunctions to connect small sentences and short phrases. For example: 

I work in XYZ. I like XYZ.

I am working in XYZ because I like it.

Some of the most common conjunctions are”

Because – to give a reason

But – to show contrast

And – to add more

So – to describe a consequence

Or – to show an alternative

Sentence formation

Sentences in written English are not that long. This means writing long sentences with complex words is not something you should think about while writing or speaking English. Usually, a sentence has two or three clauses (subject+verb+object) linked by a conjunction. 

You can add commas to make your sentences clearer and easily understandable. Here are some of the recommended ways you can use commas:

  • Between two clauses
  • To make separations
  • After some conjunctions. 
  • To add extra information in the middle of a sentence

Remember the order of words to make the sentence interrogative

When writing or speaking English, remember that the structure of a question is different from that of a statement. 

When making a statement into a question, remember to change the order of the sentence and add the auxiliary “do” at the beginning of it.

There are four ways you can make questions in English:

  • To be- for sentences that use the verb ‘to be’, the subject line and the verb will invert. 

Example: Are you a student?

  • All other verbs- to make questions for all other verbs, add the auxiliary ‘do’.

For example: Do you eat meat?

  • Modal verbs- to make questions with modal verbs, the modal verb and the subject will invert. 

For example: Can he play cricket?

  • Auxiliary verb- sentences that contain an auxiliary verb like have in the present perfect, invert the auxiliary verb and the subject.

For example: Have you seen Rahul?

Conclusion

English grammar is quite complicated but once you get the hang of it, you can write better and speak more efficiently. Some of the few more English grammar rules to remember are to use the right form of verbs, get familiar with the tenses, and not to use a double negative, ever. 

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