The Basic Grammar Rules of English Language

Basic grammar rules are rules that must be used to communicate correctly in English. These basic grammar rules are the foundation of English grammar. Because, these basic grammar rules tell us how to make sentences, the order in which the words must be arranged in a sentence, and how to avoid basic grammar mistakes in English communication.

In this article, I will share 12 basic grammar rules in English with explanations and examples to help you better understand how to use these rules correctly and avoid grammar mistakes in both your speaking and writing.

Basic Grammar Rules

Let’s discuss the 12 basic grammar rules of English that are most important for beginners.

1. Sentence Structure

In English, a complete sentence must have a subject, verb, and object to make complete sense. for example;

• The cat jumps on the table.

Subject:

A subject in the sentence can be the person or thing that performs the action ( e.g. The cat).

Verb:

A verb in the sentence is a word that represents the action or state. In other words, a verb tells us what is happening in the sentence. for example; jumps.

Object:

The object is the receiver of the action in the sentence and usually comes after the verb. for example, the table.

Examples:

• The cat jumps on the table.
• He writes a letter. 
• She cooks food.

2. Nouns and Pronouns

In English, we use nouns and pronouns in the sentence. A noun is a word that refers to people, places, things, or ideas. for example; dog, city, or happiness.

On the other hand, pronouns are words that replace nouns in the sentence. The primary purpose of using pronouns instead of nouns is to avoid repetition of words in the sentence. For example; he, she, it, they. 

Rule: So, the rule is that pronouns must match the noun in number and gender. 

Examples:

• John is tired because he worked all day. 

3. Verbs and Tenses

As I mentioned earlier, verbs are words that indicate actions or states in the sentence. However, verb tenses express the time of an action in the sentence. There are three main verb tenses in English language:

• Present: I walk. 
• Past: I walked.
• Future: I will walk.

Basic Grammar Rule: 

The basic grammar rule of English is that you must use the correct verb tense to match the time frame of the action in the sentence.

4. Subject-Verb Agreement

The subject and verb in a sentence must agree in number. if you are using a singular subject, you must use a singular verb to satisfy the subject-verb agreement. 

Similarly, if you are using a plural subject, then it must be followed by a plural verb to make sense. Here is the correct order:

• Singular subject – singular verb = She writes.
• Plurlar subject – plural verb = They write. 

Examples:

• The dog barks. (singular subject – singular verb)
• The dogs bark. (plural subject – plural verb)

5. Articles and Determiners

In English grammar, there are three articles; a, an, the. These articles are used before nouns 

• Articles: a, an, the (used before nouns).
• Use ‘a’ before a consonant sound: a cat.
• Use ‘an’ before a vowel sound: an apple.
• Use ‘the’ for specific nouns: the sun.
• Determiners: Words like this, that, these, those, my, your that clarify nouns.

6. Adjectives and Adverbs

• Adjectives: Describe nouns (e.g., a red car).
• Adverbs: Modify verbs, adjectives, or other adverbs (e.g., She runs quickly).
• Rule: Adjectives precede nouns; adverbs typically follow the verb.

7. Prepositions

• Prepositions show relationships between words (e.g., in, on, at, by).
• Example: The book is on the table.

8. Conjunctions

• Conjunctions connect words, phrases, or clauses:
• Coordinating: and, but, or, so.
• Subordinating: because, although, if, when.
• Example: I wanted to go, but it was raining.

9. Punctuation

• Use correct punctuation marks:
• Period (.) ends a sentence.
• Question mark (?) for questions.
• Comma (,) for pauses or lists.
• Apostrophe (‘) for possession or contractions.
• Example: It’s John’s book.

10. Capitalizaton

• Always capitalize:
• The first word of a sentence.
• Proper nouns (names, places, etc.).
• Example: London is a beautiful city.

11. Word Order

The typical English sentence structure is Subject + Verb + Object.

For instance:

• She reads books. 

12. Common Usage Rules

Use plural forms correctly:

for example: 

• one cat
• two cats

Avoid double negatives:

for example;

• I don’t need nothing. [incorrect]
• I don’t need anything. [correct]

I hope this article helped you to learn 12 basic grammar rules in English with explanations and examples to help you better understand how to use these rules correctly and avoid grammar mistakes in both your speaking and writing.

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