📝 Overview
Grammar is the system of rules that governs how we construct sentences in English. Understanding grammar helps you communicate clearly, write effectively, and avoid common errors. This guide covers the essential building blocks every student needs to know.
Why Grammar Matters
- Clarity: Proper grammar ensures your message is understood
- Credibility: Good grammar builds trust in academic and professional settings
- Flexibility: Understanding rules lets you break them intentionally for effect
📚 Parts of Speech
Every word in English belongs to one of eight categories called "parts of speech." Understanding these is fundamental to grammar.
| Part of Speech | Function | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| Noun | Names a person, place, thing, or idea | dog, city, happiness, Sarah |
| Pronoun | Replaces a noun | he, she, it, they, who |
| Verb | Shows action or state of being | run, think, is, become |
| Adjective | Describes a noun | blue, tall, happy, three |
| Adverb | Describes a verb, adjective, or adverb | quickly, very, well, often |
| Preposition | Shows relationship between words | in, on, under, between |
| Conjunction | Connects words or clauses | and, but, or, because |
| Interjection | Expresses emotion | Wow! Ouch! Hey! |
Types of Nouns
Noun Categories
- Common: General names (city, dog, book)
- Proper: Specific names, capitalized (New York, Fido, Harry Potter)
- Concrete: Things you can sense (table, music, perfume)
- Abstract: Ideas and concepts (love, freedom, justice)
- Collective: Groups (team, family, flock)
- Countable: Can be counted (apple, car, idea)
- Uncountable: Cannot be counted (water, information, advice)
Types of Verbs
Verb Categories
- Action verbs: Show physical or mental action (run, think, write)
- Linking verbs: Connect subject to description (is, seem, become)
- Helping verbs: Support main verbs (have, will, should, can)
- Transitive: Need a direct object (She threw the ball)
- Intransitive: Don't need an object (He laughed)
📐 Sentence Structure
Sentence Components
Essential Parts
- Subject: Who or what the sentence is about
- Predicate: What the subject does or is (includes the verb)
- Object: Receives the action (direct or indirect)
- Complement: Completes the meaning (subject or object complement)
Sentence: "The talented student gave her teacher a thoughtful gift."
- Subject: The talented student
- Verb: gave
- Indirect Object: her teacher
- Direct Object: a thoughtful gift
Types of Sentences
| Type | Structure | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Simple | One independent clause | The cat slept. |
| Compound | Two+ independent clauses joined by FANBOYS | The cat slept, and the dog barked. |
| Complex | Independent + dependent clause | When the sun set, the cat slept. |
| Compound-Complex | 2+ independent + 1+ dependent clause | When the sun set, the cat slept, and the dog barked. |
Clauses vs. Phrases
Key Difference
- Clause: Has a subject AND a verb
- Independent: Can stand alone (I love pizza.)
- Dependent: Cannot stand alone (because I love pizza)
- Phrase: Group of words WITHOUT a subject-verb pair
- Prepositional: in the morning
- Noun: the big red ball
- Verb: has been running
✏️ Punctuation Rules
Commas
When to Use Commas
- Lists: apples, oranges, and bananas
- Before FANBOYS: I ran, but I didn't win.
- After introductory elements: However, I disagree.
- Around non-essential info: My brother, who lives in NYC, visited.
- Dates and addresses: July 4, 1776 / Paris, France
- Direct address: John, please listen.
The comma before "and" in a list (red, white, and blue) is called the Oxford comma. Use it to avoid ambiguity: "I love my parents, Batman and Wonder Woman" vs. "I love my parents, Batman, and Wonder Woman."
Semicolons & Colons
Semicolon (;) - Joins two related independent clauses:
"I love reading; it expands my mind."
Colon (:) - Introduces a list, explanation, or emphasis:
"I need three things: food, water, and sleep."
Apostrophes
Apostrophe Rules
- Contractions: don't, can't, it's (it is)
- Singular possession: the dog's bone
- Plural possession: the dogs' bones (multiple dogs)
- Irregular plurals: children's toys, women's rights
- It's = it is | Its = belonging to it
- Your = belonging to you | You're = you are
- Their = belonging to them | They're = they are
🤝 Subject-Verb Agreement
Subjects and verbs must agree in number (singular or plural).
Basic Rules
- Singular subject → singular verb: The dog runs.
- Plural subject → plural verb: The dogs run.
- Compound subjects with "and" → plural: Tom and Jerry are friends.
- Compound subjects with "or/nor" → match nearest subject: Neither the cat nor the dogs are here.
Tricky Cases
- Collective nouns: The team is winning. (acts as one unit)
- Indefinite pronouns: Everyone is here. (singular)
- Phrases between subject/verb: The box of chocolates is on the table.
- Inverted sentences: There are many reasons.
Pronoun-Antecedent Agreement
Pronouns Must Match Their Antecedents
- Correct: Every student should bring their book. (singular they is now accepted)
- Correct: The team won its game.
- Incorrect: Everyone should bring his book. (gendered assumption)
✏️ Practice Questions
💡 Tips & Tricks
When proofreading, read your sentences aloud. Your ear often catches errors your eyes miss—especially run-ons and fragments.
When checking subject-verb agreement, cross out prepositional phrases to find the true subject. "The box [of chocolates] IS on the table."
If a sentence feels too long or confusing, try splitting it into two shorter sentences. Clarity beats complexity.
⚠️ Common Mistakes to Avoid
Wrong: I love pizza it's my favorite food.
Right: I love pizza. It's my favorite food. OR I love pizza; it's my favorite food.
Wrong: Because I was tired.
Right: I went to bed because I was tired.
Wrong: Walking to school, the rain started falling.
Right: Walking to school, I got caught in the rain.
Wrong: I love pizza, it's my favorite food.
Right: I love pizza, and it's my favorite food.
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