English Grammar Rules

This is a quick English grammar overview for anyone confused or

curious about the basics of English grammar.

Index
• 1. Parts of Speech
◦ 1.1 Nouns
◦ 1.2 Pronouns
◦ 1.3 Verbs
◦ 1.4 Adjec ves
◦ 1.5 Adverbs
◦ 1.6 Preposi ons
◦ 1.7 Conjunc ons
◦ 1.8 Interjec ons
◦ 1.9 Determiners
◦ 1.10 Modal Verbs
◦ 1.11 Gerunds and In ni ves
◦ 1.12 Ar cles
• 2. Sentence Structure
◦ 2.1 Subject and Predicate
◦ 2.2 Objects
◦ 2.3 Clauses
◦ 2.4 Phrases
◦ 2.5 Types of Sentences
◦ 2.6 Voice
◦ 2.7 Mood
◦ 2.8 Tenses
◦ 2.9 Condi onals
◦ 2.10 Reported Speech
◦ 2.11 Sentence Fragments and Run-ons
◦ 2.12 Subject-Verb Agreement
◦ 2.13 Modi ers
◦ 2.14 Parallelism
◦ 2.15 Rela ve Clauses
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 • 3. Punctua on
◦ 3.1 Period
◦ 3.2 Comma
◦ 3.3 Semicolon
◦ 3.4 Colon
◦ 3.5 Quota on Marks
◦ 3.6 Apostrophe
◦ 3.7 Ques on Mark
◦ 3.8 Exclama on Mark
• 4. Common Errors
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1. Parts of Speech
The parts of speech explain how a word is used in a sentence. There
are eight main parts of speech. Each part of speech is explained in
detail below with examples.

1.1 Nouns
Nouns are words that name a person, place, thing, or idea. They can
be classi ed into di erent types such as common nouns, proper
nouns, concrete nouns, abstract nouns, countable nouns, and
uncountable nouns.

• Common Nouns: General names of people, places, or things.

Examples: teacher, city, car.
• Proper Nouns: Speci c names of people, places, or things.
Examples: Mr. Smith, New York, Toyota.
• Concrete Nouns: Things that can be seen, touched, or
measured. Examples: apple, dog, building.
• Abstract Nouns: Ideas or concepts that cannot be touched or
seen. Examples: love, freedom, knowledge.
• Countable Nouns: Nouns that can be counted. Examples: book,
cat, idea.
• Uncountable Nouns: Nouns that cannot be counted. Examples:
water, air, informa on.

1.2 Pronouns
Pronouns are words that take the place of nouns to avoid repe on.
They can be classi ed into several types:

• Personal Pronouns: Refer to speci c people or things.

Examples: I, you, he, she, it, we, they.
• Possessive Pronouns: Show ownership. Examples: mine, yours,
his, hers, ours, theirs.
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 • Re exive Pronouns: Refer back to the subject of the sentence.
Examples: myself, yourself, himself, herself, itself, ourselves,
yourselves, themselves.
• Demonstra ve Pronouns: Point to speci c things. Examples:
this, that, these, those.
• Interroga ve Pronouns: Used to ask ques ons. Examples: who,
whom, whose, which, what.
• Rela ve Pronouns: Introduce rela ve clauses. Examples: who,
whom, whose, which, that.
• Inde nite Pronouns: Refer to non-speci c things. Examples:
someone, anything, everyone, nothing.

1.3 Verbs
Verbs are words that show ac on or a state of being. They are
essen al to the structure of a sentence. Verbs can be classi ed into
di erent types:

• Ac on Verbs: Show physical or mental ac on. Examples: run,

jump, think, imagine.
• Linking Verbs: Connect the subject to addi onal informa on.
Examples: am, is, are, was, were, seem, become.
• Helping Verbs: Help the main verb in a sentence by extending
its meaning. Examples: have, has, had, do, does, did, will, shall,
would, should, can, could, may, might, must.
Verbs also have di erent forms to indicate tense (past, present,
future), aspect (simple, con nuous, perfect, perfect con nuous), and
mood (indica ve, impera ve, subjunc ve).

1.4 Adjec ves

Adjec ves are words that describe a noun or pronoun, giving more
informa on about the object signi ed. Types of adjec ves include:

• Descrip ve Adjec ves: Describe quali es or states. Examples:

happy, blue, large.
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 • Quan ta ve Adjec ves: Indicate the quan ty of nouns.
Examples: some, many, few.
• Demonstra ve Adjec ves: Point out speci c nouns. Examples:
this, that, these, those.
• Possessive Adjec ves: Show ownership. Examples: my, your,
his, her, its, our, their.
• Interroga ve Adjec ves: Used in ques ons. Examples: which,
what, whose.
• Compara ve Adjec ves: Compare two things. Examples: taller,
smarter, faster.
• Superla ve Adjec ves: Indicate the extreme or highest degree.
Examples: tallest, smartest, fastest.

1.5 Adverbs
Adverbs are words that describe a verb, adjec ve, or other adverb,
providing more detail about how, when, where, or to what extent
something happened. Types of adverbs include:

• Adverbs of Manner: Describe how an ac on is performed.

Examples: quickly, slowly, carefully.
• Adverbs of Time: Indicate when an ac on occurs. Examples:
now, later, yesterday.
• Adverbs of Place: Indicate where an ac on occurs. Examples:
here, there, everywhere.
• Adverbs of Frequency: Indicate how o en an ac on occurs.
Examples: always, o en, rarely.
• Adverbs of Degree: Indicate the extent or degree of an ac on.
Examples: very, quite, almost.

1.6 Preposi ons

Preposi ons are words that show the rela onship between a noun
(or pronoun) and other words in a sentence. Common preposi ons
include:
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 • Examples: in, on, at, by, for, with, under, over, between, among,
during, before, a er.
Preposi ons o en indicate loca on (in the house), me (at 5 o’clock),
direc on (to the store), and other rela onships.

1.7 Conjunc ons

Conjunc ons are words that join words, phrases, or clauses. There
are three main types of conjunc ons:

• Coordina ng Conjunc ons: Connect words, phrases, or clauses

of equal importance. Examples: and, but, or, nor, for, so, yet.
• Subordina ng Conjunc ons: Connect a dependent clause to an
independent clause. Examples: because, although, since, unless,
while, a er, before, when.
• Correla ve Conjunc ons: Pairs of conjunc ons that work
together. Examples: either…or, neither…nor, both…and, not
only…but also.

1.8 Interjec ons

Interjec ons are words that express strong emo on or sudden
bursts of feeling. They are o en followed by an exclama on mark.

• Examples: oh, wow, ouch, hey, alas, bravo.

1.9 Determiners
Determiners are words that introduce nouns and specify their
meaning in terms of quan ty, proximity, de niteness, or possession.
Types of determiners include:

• Ar cles: Examples: a, an, the.

• Demonstra ves: Examples: this, that, these, those.
• Quan ers: Examples: some, many, few, several.
• Possessives: Examples: my, your, his, her, its, our, their.
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 • Numbers: Examples: one, two, three, etc.

1.10 Modal Verbs

Modal verbs are auxiliary verbs that express necessity, possibility,
permission, or ability. They include:

• Examples: can, could, may, might, must, shall, should, will,

would.
Modal verbs are used with the base form of the main verb and do
not change form for di erent subjects.

1.11 Gerunds and In ni ves

Gerunds and in ni ves are verb forms that can func on as nouns.
Understanding their use is essen al for proper sentence
construc on.

• Gerunds: The -ing form of a verb used as a noun. Examples:

Swimming is fun. He enjoys reading.
• In ni ves: The base form of a verb preceded by “to” used as a
noun. Examples: To swim is fun. He wants to read.
• Usage: Some verbs are followed by gerunds, some by
in ni ves, and some by both with a change in meaning.
Examples: She stopped smoking. / She stopped to smoke.

1.12 Ar cles
Ar cles are words that de ne a noun as speci c or unspeci c. There
are two types of ar cles:

• De nite Ar cle: “The” speci es a par cular noun. Example: The

cat on the roof.
• Inde nite Ar cles: “A” and “An” refer to a general noun.
Examples: A cat on a roof. An apple on the table.
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 • Usage: Use “a” before consonant sounds and “an” before vowel
sounds. Examples: A university. An hour.
2. Sentence Structure
Understanding sentence structure helps in construc ng meaningful
sentences. A well-formed sentence typically consists of a subject and
a predicate, and may also include objects, clauses, and phrases.

2.1 Subject and Predicate

A sentence is composed of a subject and a predicate.

• Subject: The part of the sentence that tells who or what the
sentence is about. Example: The cat (subject) is sleeping.
• Predicate: The part of the sentence that tells something about
the subject. Example: The cat is sleeping (predicate).
2.2 Objects
Objects are words that receive the ac on of the verb. There are
three types of objects:

• Direct Objects: Receive the ac on of the verb directly.

Example: She reads books.
• Indirect Objects: Indicate to whom or for whom the ac on is
performed. Example: He gave her a gi .
• Object of the Preposi on: Follow a preposi on and complete
its meaning. Example: She is at the park.

2.3 Clauses
Clauses are groups of words that contain a subject and a predicate.
There are two main types of clauses:

• Independent Clauses: Can stand alone as a sentence. Example:

She enjoys reading.
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 • Dependent (Subordinate) Clauses: Cannot stand alone and
need an independent clause to complete their meaning.
Example: Although she was red.
Dependent clauses o en begin with subordina ng conjunc ons
such as although, because, since, unless, etc.

2.4 Phrases
Phrases are groups of words that work together but do not contain
both a subject and a predicate. They provide addi onal informa on
within a sentence. Types of phrases include:

• Noun Phrases: A group of words that act as a noun. Example:

The quick brown fox.
• Verb Phrases: A group of words that act as a verb. Example: will
be running.
• Adjec ve Phrases: A group of words that act as an adjec ve.
Example: very happy with the results.
• Adverb Phrases: A group of words that act as an adverb.
Example: very quickly.
• Preposi onal Phrases: A group of words that begin with a
preposi on. Example: a er the meal.

2.5 Types of Sentences

There are four types of sentences, each serving a di erent purpose:

• Declara ve: Makes a statement. Example: The sky is blue.

• Interroga ve: Asks a ques on. Example: Is the sky blue?
• Impera ve: Gives a command. Example: Close the door.
• Exclamatory: Expresses strong emo on. Example: What a
beau ful sky!

2.6 Voice
Voice refers to the rela onship between the subject and the ac on
of the verb. There are two voices:
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 • Ac ve Voice: The subject performs the ac on. Example: The
cat chased the mouse.
• Passive Voice: The subject receives the ac on. Example: The
mouse was chased by the cat.
Ac ve voice is usually preferred in wri ng for clarity and
conciseness.

2.7 Mood
Mood expresses the a tude of the speaker toward the ac on or
state of the verb. There are three main moods:

• Indica ve Mood: States a fact or asks a ques on. Example: She

is reading. / Is she reading?
• Impera ve Mood: Gives a command or request. Example: Read
the book.
• Subjunc ve Mood: Expresses a wish, sugges on, or condi on
that is contrary to fact. Example: If I were you, I would read
more.

2.8 Tenses
Tenses indicate the me of ac on or state of being as shown by the
verb. There are three main tenses, each with four aspects:

• Present Tense:
◦ Simple Present: She reads.
◦ Present Con nuous: She is reading.
◦ Present Perfect: She has read.
◦ Present Perfect Con nuous: She has been reading.
• Past Tense:
◦ Simple Past: She read.
◦ Past Con nuous: She was reading.
◦ Past Perfect: She had read.
◦ Past Perfect Con nuous: She had been reading.
• Future Tense:
◦ Simple Future: She will read.
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 ◦ Future Con nuous: She will be reading.
◦ Future Perfect: She will have read.
◦ Future Perfect Con nuous: She will have been reading.

2.9 Condi onals

Condi onals are sentences expressing factual implica ons or
hypothe cal situa ons and their consequences. There are four main
types of condi onals:

• Zero Condi onal: Used for general truths or laws of nature.

Example: If you heat water, it boils.
• First Condi onal: Used for real and possible situa ons.
Example: If it rains, we will stay indoors.
• Second Condi onal: Used for unreal or hypothe cal situa ons
in the present or future. Example: If I had a million dollars, I
would travel the world.
• Third Condi onal: Used for unreal situa ons in the past.
Example: If I had known, I would have acted di erently.

2.10 Reported Speech

Reported speech, or indirect speech, is used to relay what someone
else said without quo ng them directly. It o en involves changes in
tense, pronouns, and other words:

• Direct Speech: He said, “I am going to the store.”

• Reported Speech: He said that he was going to the store.
Key changes include:

• Tense shi s (e.g., present to past).

• Pronoun adjustments (e.g., I to he/she).
• Time expressions (e.g., now to then).

2.11 Sentence Fragments and Run-ons

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 Understanding and avoiding sentence fragments and run-on
sentences is crucial for clear and e ec ve wri ng.

• Sentence Fragments: Incomplete sentences that lack a subject

or verb or do not express a complete thought. Example:
Because I was red.
• Run-on Sentences: Two or more independent clauses
improperly joined without punctua on or conjunc ons.
Example: I love to write it is my favorite hobby.
Fix fragments by comple ng the thought and run-ons by separa ng
them into dis nct sentences or using conjunc ons or punctua on.

2.12 Subject-Verb Agreement

Subjects and verbs must agree in number (singular or plural). Key
rules include:

• Singular subjects take singular verbs. Example: The cat runs.

• Plural subjects take plural verbs. Example: The cats run.
• Inde nite pronouns (everyone, someone) usually take singular
verbs. Example: Everyone is happy.
• Compound subjects joined by “and” take a plural verb. Example:
The dog and the cat are playing.

2.13 Modi ers

Modi ers are words or phrases that provide addi onal informa on
about other words in a sentence. Proper placement is crucial to
avoid confusion.

• Adjec ves: Modify nouns. Example: The blue sky.

• Adverbs: Modify verbs, adjec ves, or other adverbs. Example:
She runs quickly.
• Misplaced Modi ers: Placed too far from the word they modify,
causing confusion. Example: She almost drove her kids to
school every day.
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 • Dangling Modi ers: The word they modify is missing from the
sentence. Example: Running to catch the bus, the rain started
pouring.
Correct misplaced and dangling modi ers by placing them next to
the word they modify.

2.14 Parallelism
Parallelism involves using the same gramma cal structure for similar
elements within a sentence to ensure clarity and balance. Examples:

• Incorrect: She likes hiking, to swim, and biking.

• Correct: She likes hiking, swimming, and biking.
• Incorrect: The manager was responsible for wri ng reports,
overseeing projects, and team supervision.
• Correct: The manager was responsible for wri ng reports,
overseeing projects, and supervising the team.
Ensure all items in a list or series match in form (e.g., all gerunds or all
in ni ves).

2.15 Rela ve Clauses

Rela ve clauses provide addi onal informa on about a noun
without star ng a new sentence. They begin with rela ve pronouns
like who, whom, whose, which, and that.

• De ning Rela ve Clauses: Provide essen al informa on.

Example: The book that I borrowed was excellent.
• Non-de ning Rela ve Clauses: Provide extra informa on.
Example: My brother, who lives in New York, is visi ng.
Non-de ning rela ve clauses are set o by commas.

3. Punctua on
Punctua on marks help clarify the meaning of sentences. Each
punctua on mark has speci c rules and uses.
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 3.1 Period
The period (.) is used to indicate the end of a declara ve sentence or
a mild impera ve.

• Example: She went to the store.

3.2 Comma
The comma (,) is used to indicate a pause between parts of a
sentence, separate items in a list, and more. Some common uses
include:

• Separa ng items in a list. Example: I bought apples, oranges,

and bananas.
• Before conjunc ons in compound sentences. Example: She was
red, but she nished her work.
• A er introductory elements. Example: A er the mee ng, we
went to lunch.
• To set o non-essen al informa on. Example: My brother, who
lives in New York, is visi ng.

3.3 Semicolon
The semicolon (;) is used to connect independent clauses that are
closely related in thought. It can also be used to separate items in a
complex list.

• Example: She loves reading; her favorite genre is science

c on.
• Example: We visited Paris, France; Rome, Italy; and Berlin,
Germany.

3.4 Colon
The colon (:) is used to introduce a list, a quote, an explana on, or to
emphasize a point.
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 • Example: She brought three things: a book, a pen, and a
notebook.
• Example: Remember the saying: “Prac ce makes perfect.”

3.5 Quota on Marks

Quota on marks (” “) are used to enclose direct speech or a
quota on. They can also be used to indicate tles of short works,
such as ar cles or poems.

• Example: She said, “I will be there soon.”

• Example: Have you read “The Road Not Taken” by Robert Frost?

3.6 Apostrophe
The apostrophe (‘) is used to indicate possession or the omission of
le ers or numbers.

• Possession. Example: The cat’s toy.

• Contrac ons. Example: Do not becomes don’t.

3.7 Ques on Mark

The ques on mark (?) is used at the end of an interroga ve
sentence.

• Example: Are you coming to the party?

3.8 Exclama on Mark

The exclama on mark (!) is used to express strong emo on or
surprise.

• Example: Watch out!

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 4. Common Errors
Below are some common grammar errors and ps on how to avoid
them. Being aware of these common pi alls can help improve your
wri ng accuracy.

• Its vs. It’s: “Its” is possessive; “it’s” means “it is.” Example: The
dog wagged its tail. / It’s going to rain.
• There vs. Their vs. They’re: “There” refers to a place; “their” is
possessive; “they’re” means “they are.” Example: The book is
over there. / Their house is big. / They’re going to the park.
• Your vs. You’re: “Your” is possessive; “you’re” means “you are.”
Example: Is this your car? / You’re very kind.
• To vs. Too vs. Two: “To” is a preposi on; “too” means “also” or
“excessively;” “two” is the number 2. Example: I’m going to the
store. / She was too red. / I have two cats.
• A ect vs. E ect: “A ect” is a verb meaning to in uence;
“e ect” is a noun meaning the result. Example: The weather will
a ect our plans. / The e ect of the new law was signi cant.
• Then vs. Than: “Then” is used for me; “than” is used for
comparison. Example: We will go shopping, then we will eat. /
She is taller than her brother.
• Who vs. Whom: “Who” is a subject pronoun; “whom” is an
object pronoun. Example: Who is coming to the party? / Whom
did you invite?
• Fewer vs. Less: “Fewer” is used with countable nouns; “less” is
used with uncountable nouns. Example: There are fewer apples
in the basket. / There is less water in the bo le.
• Me vs. I: Use “I” as the subject and “me” as the object. Example:
John and I went to the store. / The gi was for John and me.
• Who vs. That: Use “who” for people and “that” for things.
Example: The person who called me. / The book that I read.

Visit www.englishgrammar.org for updates.

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