17/11/2023
11 RULES OF GRAMMAR IN THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE
There are many different rules in the English language, but the ones that follow are a great way to start your learning journey:
1. Use active voice. Active sentences have this formula: S (subject) + V (verb) + O (object):
Thomas walks a dog.
In this sentence, Thomas is the subject, walks is the verb (what Thomas does), and his dog is the object (the receiver of Thomas’s action).
2. Link ideas with a conjunction. You can combine two S+V+O sentences with these coordinating conjunctions: but, or, so, and, yet, for, nor. For instance:
Anna likes coffee, but her brother prefers tea.
3. Use a comma to connect two ideas. When writing, don’t forget to add a comma before the coordinating conjunction:
He’s seventy, yet he still swims regularly.
4. Use a serial comma in a list. The serial comma is the last in the list, so make sure not to forget it when writing. It comes before and:
Hardy has a dog, a cat, and a goldfish.
Always use the same parts of speech in your list. In the above sentence, we have three nouns.
5. When writing, use a semicolon to join two ideas (in this case, you don’t need coordinating conjunction). Let’s look at an example:
Mary's dog is hyperactive; it won't stop barking or sit still.
6. Use the Simple Present Tense for habitual actions. These are activities you do regularly (always, often, sometimes, usually, etc.):
Lily dances every day. (Don’t forget to add (e)s for the third person singular.)
7. Use the Present Continuous Tense for current actions:
Tania is talking with her friend now.
8. When talking about past actions, don’t forget that there are regular and irregular verbs. Add (e)d to regular verbs:
Marcus watched a movie last night.
When it comes to irregular verbs, there is a list you need to memorize. Here is an example:
I met my wife in 2014.
9. Use the Present Perfect Tense with words or expressions of unfinished time:
I have drunk three cups of coffee this morning (it is still morning).
10. Use the Present Perfect Continuous Tense when the action has not finished as well:
I have been drinking coffee all day. (It is still the same day, and I haven’t stopped drinking coffee.)
11. When talking about two actions in the past, use the Past Perfect Tense for the older action. For example:
The train left at 9 am. We arrived at 9:15 am. When we arrived, the train had left.
