English Grammar

Basics of English Grammar

If you just started learning English, you first need to know some basic rules of the language. Developing a solid foundation in English grammar will not only help you create your own sentences correctly but will also make it easier to improve your communication skills in both spoken and written English.

Study all the lessons below and incorporate your learning into your speaking and writing.  Basic English Grammar Lessons. 

Singular and Plural Nouns

A noun names a person, place, thing, or idea. Usually, the first page of a grammar book tells you about nouns. Nouns give namesof concrete or abstract things in our lives. As babies learn "mom," "dad," or "milk" as their first word, nouns should be the first topic when you study a foreignlanguage. For the plural form of most nouns, add s. bottle – bottles cup – cups pencil – pencils desk – desks sticker – stickers window – windows For nouns that end in ch, x, s, or s sounds, add es. box – boxes watch – watches moss – mosses bus – buses For nouns ending in f or fe, change f to v and add es. wolf – wolves wife – wives leaf – leaves life – lives Some nouns have different plural forms. child – children woman – women man – men mouse – mice goose – geese Nouns ending in vowels like y or o do not have definite rules. baby – babies toy – toys kidney – kidneys potato – potatoes memo – memos stereo – stereos A few nouns have the same singular and plural forms. sheep – sheep deer – deer series – series species – species [Quiz 1.1] Choose the correct form of the noun in each sentence. 1)I have three (child, children). 2)There are five (man, men) and one (woman, women). 3)(Baby, Babies) play with bottles as toys. 4)I put two big (potato, potatoes) in the lunch box. 5)A few men wear (watch, watches). 6)I put a (memo, memos) on the desk. 7)I saw a (mouse, mice) running by. 8)There are few (bus, buses) on the road today.ANSWERS: [1.1] 1) children 2) men, woman 3) Babies 4) potatoes 5) watches 6) memo 7) mouse 8) buses Count Nouns vs. Non-Count Nouns Count nouns Can be counted as one or more. pen, computer, bottle, spoon, desk, cup, television, chair, shoe, finger, flower, camera, stick, balloon, book, table, comb, etc. Take an s to form the plural. pens, computers, bottles, spoons, desks, cups, televisions, chairs, shoes, fingers, flowers, cameras, sticks, balloons, books, tables, combs, etc. Work with expressions such as (a few, few, many, some, every, each, these, and the number of). a few pens, a few computers, many bottles, some spoons, every desk, each cup, these televisions, the number of chairs, a few shoes, a few fingers, many flowers, some cameras, every stick, each balloon, these books, the number of tables, many combs, etc. Work with appropriate articles (a, an, or the). a pen, the computer, a bottle, the spoon, a desk, the cup, a television, the chair, a shoe, the finger, a flower, the camera, a stick, the balloon, a book, the table, a comb, etc. Do NOT work with much (for example, you would never say much pens or much computers). Non-count nouns Cannot be counted. They usually express a group or a type. water, wood, ice, air, oxygen, English, Spanish, traffic, furniture, milk, wine, sugar, rice, meat, flour, soccer, sunshine, etc. Generally cannot be pluralized. Work both with and without an article (a, an, or the), depending on the context of the sentence. Sugar is sweet. The sunshine is beautiful. I drink milk. He eats rice. We watch soccer together. The wood is burning. Work with expressions such as (some, any, enough, this, that, and much). We ate some rice and milk. I hope to see some sunshine today. This meat is good. She does not speak much Spanish. Do you see any traffic on the road? That wine is very old. Do NOT work with expressions such as (these, those, every, each, either, or neither). [Quiz 2.1] Choose all of the non-count nouns in the following list: wine, student, pen, water, wind, milk, computer, furniture, cup, rice, box, watch, potato, woodANSWERS: [2.1] wine, water, wind, milk, furniture, rice, wood     Possessive Nouns Possessive nouns are used to indicate ownership. Possessive nouns usually are formed by adding an apostrophe (') and s. John's book Kerry's car Grandma's mirror When a noun is plural and ends in s, just add an apostrophe ('). The kids' toys My parents' house The teachers' lounge If two people own one thing, add the apostrophe and s to the second person only. John and Mary's new house David and Sue's wedding Tom and Doug's car If two people own separate things, add the apostrophe and s for each person. Susan's and Beth's books Jean's and Dan's pants Ben's and Jim's offices [Quiz 3.1] Which of the following is not correct? 1)Dr. Hunts has a new computer. 2)Dr. Hunts's new computer is working well. 3)Dr. Hunts' computer is new. ANSWERS: [3.1] Both 2 and 3 are the correct answers. In your writing, you should be consistent. If you choose to leave the final 's' out, then leave it out throughout your writing. Pronouns A pronoun takes the place of a noun. Example story: Mary is one of the heads of the ToJi Corporation. Mary works with Mr. James and Mr. James' son Tom. Mr. James and Mr. James' son Tom are experts in biochemistry. Mary, Mr. James, and Tom researched and invented a drug for cancer treatment. If the story above is written using pronouns: Mary is one of the heads of the ToJi Corporation. She works with Mr. James andhis son Tom. He and his son Tom are experts in biochemistry. They researched and invented a drug for cancer treatment. Personal Pronouns Personal pronouns refer to a person: I go to school. You are a student. They are Koreans. He works here. We gave her food. The word ‘it' refers to an object: I drank it. It is big. They cut it into halves. Memorize the personal pronouns: First Second Third Male Female Neutral Singular Subject I you he she it Singular Object me you him her it Singular Reflexive myself yourself himself herself itself Plural Subject we you they Plural Object us you them Plural Reflexive ourselves yourselves themselves [Quiz 4.1] Write the correct pronoun in each blank. 1)I ate an apple.                     was delicious. 2)You look tired.                     should rest. 3)She is a teacher. I gave                    a book. 4)They are my friends. I like                     very much. 5)He saw the movie.                     was fun. ANSWERS: [4.1] 1) it 2) you 3) her 4) them 5) it 'Be' Verbs A verb shows action or a state of being. I go home. Home is my place to rest. I like the smell of my house. I feel totally relaxed. Home refreshes me. At home, I get ready for a new day. "Be" verbs indicate a state of being. Verbs must match subjects. I am a doctor. He is sleepy. We are here. Negative sentences need ‘not' after the verb. I am not a doctor. He is not sleepy. We are not there. The verb comes first in interrogative sentences. Am I a doctor? Is he sleepy? Are we there? "Are not" (is not) can be shortened to "aren't" (isn't). He isn't sleepy. We aren't there. Remember the variations of "be" verbs: Present Negative Interrogative I am I am not Am I? You are You are not (aren't) Are you? He is He is not (isn't) Is he? She is She is not (isn't) Is she? It is It is not (isn't) Isn't it? We are We are not (aren't) Are we? You are You are not (aren't) Are you? They are They are not (aren't) Are they? [Quiz 5.1] Which of the following sentences are written correctly? 1)I am thirsty. 2)You are kind. 3)He am not sad. 4)She are not tall. 5)It is not moving. 6)We aren't tired. 7)Is they running? 8)Are you ready? ANSWERS: 1, 2, 5, 6, and 8                                                              [TO BE CONTINUED]