English Grammar: Definition, Rules & Common Mistakes to Avoid

Grammar is a set of rules that support the structure and composition of the language. Imagine it as bricks that build a huge building, it is necessary that each brick is placed right to make the building stronger. Using English grammar can help one convey the message in a more comprehensible and meaningful way. Grammar confies rules which help sentences not sound unclear or hard to understand

Parts of Speech are building blocks of English grammar where each part of speech plays a significant role in structuring any sentence in a way that sounds sensible. Hence, mastering parts of speech can be a breakthrough in mastering grammar in English.

Also Read:

What is Future Tense?

What are Idioms in English

What are Tenses in Grammar?

As per the Oxford dictionary, grammar is defined as 'the rules in a language for changing the form of words and joining them into sentences.'

In Cambridge dictionary grammar is 'the study or use of the rules about how words change their form and combine with other words to express meaning.'

Word origin: Late Middle English: from Old French gramaire, via Latin from Greek grammatikē (tekhnē) ‘(art) of letters’, from gramma, grammat- ‘letter of the alphabet, thing written’.

Pronunciation: gra-muh

 

Parts of Speech is at the centre of English grammar. There are eight parts of speech in English and you must know parts of speech and how to use them to help in categorising words based on their function within a sentence.

Each part of speech has a role to play to improve the sentence structure. Let us have a look at parts of speech in English grammar, with their general definition and examples for better understanding:

Part of Speech	Definition	Example
Nouns	Defines the name of a person, place, animal, idea, or thing	Janice, you’ve been awfully quiet these days.
Pronouns	Words used in place of a noun	Joan was sipping her tea in the garden. She thought it was too sweet.
Verbs	Words expressing an action, state of being, possession, condition or occurrences	He ate the ice cream all by himself.
Adjectives	Words defining Noun and Pronoun	Mirae looked beautiful in the blue dress.
Adverbs	Words which describe/ modify adjectives/verbs/ other adverbs/ clauses/ prepositions	My friend and I often have sushi at a nearby restaurant.
Prepositions	Words linking different parts of a sentence	I was waiting for the cab to arrive when I saw my friend.
Conjunctions	Words linking phrases/ clauses/ words	My mom was planning to go shopping regardless of the downpour outside.
Interjections	Words used to convey strong emotions or reactions to showcase surprise/ joy/ astonishment	Wow! The movie left me awestruck with its cinematography.

Also Read:

How to use Gerunds in a sentence?

Are you someone who often looks at a sentence while thinking, “This sounds fine, it should be grammatically correct”, instead of checking whether the sentence is in fact grammatically correct?

If yes, then you can check out the following points to understand English grammar rules. By using the correct rule, you may realise that grammar can be quite easy. Learning this can also help you with questions on English grammar rules for competitive exams.

Subject - Verb Agreement

You must use a singular verb with a singular subject. Likewise, a plural subject needs a plural verb. See the example below to understand this better:

Example:

• Correct: Sunjae swims
• Incorrect: Sunjae swim

Also Read: Preparation Tips to Master Subject Verb Agreement

Usage of Article: A/An, The

It is essential to use articles wherever required. “A” needs to be used as a prefix for consonant sounds, “an” before vowel sounds, and “the” while referring to something specific.

Example:

• I met a man at the theatre yesterday.
• Rhea had an apple before leaving.
• The sun sets in the west.

Also Read: Articles in English grammar

Using the Correct Pronouns

One must not mix up pronouns. They must match the number/ gender of the noun in place of which the pronoun is used.

Example:

• Sarah is waiting and She is set on carrying her luggage all by herself.
• The kids were playing when they broke the window.

Using Tenses Correctly

While making a sentence, ensure to match the tense with the timeline of the action being talked about.

Examples:

• Shaun has watched Conjuring fifteen times. (Rule for Present Perfect Tense - Subject + has + V3 + Object).
• They have been working tirelessly on this project (Rule for Perfection Continuous Tense –Subject + has been + V1 + object)
• My friend bought a nice dress for herself after watching. (Subject + V2 + Object)

Also Read: Types of Tenses in English Grammar:

Simple Present Tense

Simple Past Tense

Past Perfect Tense

Adjectives v/s Adverbs

Use adjectives for nouns and adverbs for verbs/ adjectives or other adverbs. See the examples below to understand this:

Example:

• Harry’s a fast (adjective) swimmer.
• The plant is growing rapidly. (adverb)

Prepositions are a Game Changer

Using prepositions in a sentence can reflect time, place, and direction.

Example:

• Don’t worry, my friend, we’ll meet at the port.
• The dog is hiding under the table.
• He came to the bus stop in the heavy rain.

Capitalisation in English Grammar

Sentences might look all over the place and difficult to understand if the words aren’t capitalised in the right way. Some key points where it is essential that one capitalises correctly are as follows:

• Proper Nouns, such as names, places, brands
• Days, Months, and Holidays
• The first letter of the first word of a sentence needs to be capitalized in English

Punctuation Rules

 Punctuation in English grammar is essential for sentence structure. Check out the points below to know about the common punctuation rules in English:

• Period (.) ends a statement
• Question mark (?) ends a question
• Exclamation mark (!) shows excitement
• Comma (,) separates items, clauses, and more
• Apostrophe (‘) shows possession or contractions

Avoid Using Double Negatives at All Costs

Just as two negatives cancel each other out in Mathematics, the same applies to English grammar. Don’t use double negatives in a sentence. Let’s take a look at some example to understand this better:

Example:

• Incorrect: I don’t need nobody.
• Correct: I don’t need anybody.

Note: This is acceptable in certain dialects and informal speech. For example, in AAVE (African-American Vernacular English) or Cockney English.

Example: I ain’t got no money, sweetie.

Standard English: I don’t have any money, sweetie.

Pro Tip: You can replace double negatives with positive or neutral words, such as any, ever, or anything.

 

Sentence structure is used to arrange words/ phrases/ clauses, etc., in the correct order based on English grammar rules. A sentence is considered complete only when it has a Subject, a verb, and a thought that makes sense on its own. The main components of an English sentence are:

Subject: Person/ Place/ Thing/ Idea that is either doing or being something

E.g: 1: The boy is eating noodles.

E.g: 2: Taylor threw the basketball with full force.

Verb: The action or state of being

E.g: 1: The boy is eating noodles.

E.g: 2: Taylor threw the basketball with full force.

Object: Receives the action of the verb

E.g: 1: The boy is eating noodles.

E.g: 2: Taylor threw the basketball with full force.

A simple sentence can carry multiple components which in turn make the sentence coherent.

 

A sentence has basic components, such as Subject, Object, Complement, Verb, etc. Check out the following image to learn about some common sentence pattern in English Grammar along with examples:

Types of Sentence Structure in English

From the image above, you may have gotten a general idea about the formation of a sentence. English sentences are often categorised by the complexity. The complexity is based on number and type of clauses. To understand it better, let’s have a look at the following points:

• Simple Sentence

Simple sentences in English contain one independent clause and express a single complete idea.

Example: I hate milk.

• Compound Sentence

Compound sentences contain two or more independent clauses joined by a coordinating conjunction, such as for, yet, so, and, but, etc.

Example: I love reading books, but I also enjoy watching movies.

• Complex Sentence

Complex sentences in English grammar are when one independent clause is joined with at least one dependent clause. One must note that a dependent clause can’t stand alone.

Example:  Although I was hungry, I skipped my meal to enjoy the sunset.

• Compound-Complex Sentences

In English, compound-complex sentences are used when at least two independent clauses and one dependent clause are used.

Example: Although I was running late, I still went for a walk around the park and did some yoga.

Check out the following image to get a better idea about commonly used sentence pattern in English:

 

Clauses in English grammar are words that contain a subject and a verb. Check out the following points to learn about the types of clauses in English:

• Independent Clause (aka Main Clause): Expresses a complete thought and can stand alone as a sentence.

Example: I enjoy star-gazing. (Subject- I; Verb- enjoy)

• Dependent Clause (Subordinate Clause): Neither expresses a complete thought nor can it stand alone as a sentence. It requires an independent clause to make sense.

Example: As I enjoy reading (The sentence is incomplete and leaves the listener/reader with questions, rather than getting the complete picture)

Types of Dependent Clauses in English Grammar

Check out the table below to learn all about dependent clauses in English grammar:

Dependent Clause	Words	Example
Adjective Clauses	Usually begins with who, whom, whose, which, that	The girl who made the pizza is from my hometown
Adverb Clauses	Modifies verbs/ adverbs/ adjectives with time, cause, condition, contrast	She looked to her side as someone called her name
Noun Clauses	Act as a subject, object, or complement using that, what, who, whether, how, why	That was the last time she called me before leaving.

Tips to Identify Clauses

If you’re someone who finds it difficult to identify clauses in a sentence, then here are a few tips to might be of help in identifying clauses:

Tip 1: Look for a sentence and a verb in a sentence.

Tip 2: Check whether it can stand alone in a sentence and still make sense. If the answer is yes, then it is an independent clause. If the answer is no, then it is a dependent clause.

Tip 3: Ensure to see that a it starts with a subordinating word, such as if, when, that, etc.