English Grammar 101: All You Need to Know

by Daniel Scocco

Just ask a friend what is the role of prepositions within sentences, or what are the four moods of verbs, and I am sure that you will see a puzzled look on his face. Understanding the basic grammar rules is essential for communicating efficiently, but most of us have forgotten those concepts years ago. In order to solve this problem we decided to put together all the basic rules on a single page, so that you can use it as a refresher, or print it out for future reference. Enjoy!

Sentences
Sentences are made of two parts: the subject and the predicate. The subject is the person or thing that acts or is described in the sentence. The predicate, on the other hand, is that action or description. Complete sentences need both the subject and the predicate.

Clauses
Sentences can be broken down into clauses. For example: The boy is going to the school, and he is going to eat there. This is a complete sentence composed of two clauses. There are mainly two types of clauses: independent clauses and subordinate clauses. Independent clauses act as complete sentences, while subordinate clauses cannot stand alone and need another clause to complete their meaning. For example: Independent clause example: The boy went to the school. Subordinate clause example: After the boy went to the school

Phrases
A group of two or more grammatically linked words that do not have subject and predicate is a phrase.

Example of a complete sentence: The girl is at home, and tomorrow she is going to the amusement park. Example of a clause: The girl is at home Example of a phrase: The girl You can see that the girl is a phrase located in the first clause of the complete sentence above. Phrases act like parts of speech inside clauses. That is, they can act as nouns, adjectives, adverbs and so on.

Parts of Speech
A word is a part of speech only when it is used in a sentence. The function the word serves in a sentence is what makes it whatever part of speech it is. For example, the word run can be used as more than one part of speech:. Sammy hit a home run. Run is a noun, direct object of hit. You mustnt run near the swimming pool. Run is a verb, part of the verb phrase must (not) run. Traditional grammar classifies words based on eight parts of speech: the noun, the pronoun, the adjective, the verb, the adverb, the preposition, theconjunction, and the interjection. We are going to cover them individually below.

Nouns
A noun is a word used to describe a person, place, thing, event, idea, and so on. Nouns represent one of the main elements of sentences, along with verbs, adjectives, prepositions and articles. Nouns usually function as subjects or objects within sentences, although they can also act as adjectives and adverbs. Here is a list with the different types of nouns: 1. Proper nouns Used to describe a unique person or thing, proper nouns always start with a capital letter. Examples include Mary, India, and Manchester United. 2. Common nouns Common nouns are used to describe persons or things in general. Examples include girl, country, and team 3. Concrete nouns Nouns that can be perceived through the five senses are called concrete nouns. Examples include ball, rainbow and melody. 4. Abstract nouns Nouns that cannot be perceived through the five senses are called abstract nouns. Examples include love, courage, and childhood. 5. Countable nouns Countable nouns can be counted. They also have both a singular and a plural form. Examples include toys, children and books.

6. Non-countable nouns These nouns (usually) can not be counted, and they dont have a plural form. Examples include sympathy, laughter and oxygen. 7. Collective nouns Collective nouns are used to describe groups of things. Examples include flock,committee and murder.

Plural Form of Nouns

The English language has both regular and irregular plural forms of nouns. The most common case is when you need to add -s to the noun. For exampleone car and two cars. The other two cases of the regular plural form are: 1. nouns that end with s, x, ch or sh, where you add -es (e.g., one box, two boxes) 2. nouns that end with consonant + y, where you change the y with i and add es (e.g., one enemy, two enemies) On the irregular plural form of nouns there are basically eight cases: 1. nouns that end with -o, where you add -es (e.g., one potato, two potatoes) 2. nouns ending with -is, where you change -is to -es (e.g., one crisis, two crises) 3. nouns ending with -f, where you change -f to -v and add -es (e.g., one wolf, two wolves) 4. nouns ending with -fe, where you change -f to -v and add -s (e.g., one life, two lives) 5. nouns ending with -us, where you change -us to -i (e.g., one fungus, two fungi) 6. nouns that contain -oo, change -oo to -ee (e.g., one foot, two feet) 7. nouns that end with -on, where you change -on with -a (e.g., phenomenon, phenomena) 8. nouns that dont change (e.g., sheep, offspring, series) It might appear overwhelming, but after using these nouns a couple of times you will be able to memorize their plural form easily.

Pronouns
Pronouns are used to replace nouns within sentences, making them less repetitive and mechanic. For example, saying Mary didnt go to school because Mary was sick doesnt sound very good. Instead, if you say Mary didnt go to school because she was sick it will make the sentence flow better. There are several types of pronouns, below you will find the most common ones: 1. Subjective personal pronouns. As the name implies, subjective pronouns act as subjects within sentences. They are: I, you, he, she, we, they, and it. Example: I am going to the bank while he is going to the market. 2. Objective personal pronouns. These pronouns act as the object of verbs within sentences. They are: me, you, him, her, us, them and it. Example: The ball was going to hit me in the face. 3. Possessive personal pronouns. These pronouns are used to indicate possession, and they are placed after the object in question (as opposed to possessive adjectives

like my and your, which are placed before the object). They are: mine, yours, his, hers, ours, theirs and its. Example of possessive adjective: This is my car. Example of possessive pronoun: This car is mine. 4. Reflexive pronouns. This special class of pronouns is used when the object is the same as the subject on the sentence. They are myself, yourself, himself, herself, ourselves, themselves and itself. Example: I managed to cut myself in the kitchen. 5. Interrogative pronouns. As you probably guessed these pronouns are used to ask questions. They are what, which, who, whom and whose. Example: What are the odds? 6. Demonstrative pronouns. These pronouns are used to indicate a noun and distinguish it from other entities. Notice that demonstrative pronouns replace the noun (while demonstrative determiners modify them). They are: this, that, these, those. Example of a demonstrative determiner: This house is ugly. Example of a demonstrative pronoun: This is the right one. 7. Indefinite pronouns. As the name implies, indefinite pronouns do not refer to a specific thing, place or person. There are many of them, including anyone, anywhere, everyone, none, someone and so on. Example: Everyone is going to the party.

Adjectives
An adjective is a word that describes a noun. There are two kinds: attributiveand predicative. An adjective is used attributively when it stands next to a noun and describes it. For example: The black cat climbed a tree. Notice that the verb participle forms can be used as adjectives: The man felt a paralyzing fear. Flavored oatmeal tastes better than plain oatmeal. The usual place of the adjective in English is in front of the noun. You can have a whole string of adjectives if you like: The tall thin evil-looking cowboy roped the short, fat, inoffensive calf. Sometimes, for rhetorical or poetic effect, the adjective can come after the noun: Sarah Plain and Tall (book title) This is the forest primeval. An adjective is used predicatively when a verb separates it from the noun or pronoun it describes: The umpire was wrong. The crowd was furious. She seems tired today. This soup tastes bad. The dogs coat feels smooth.

The verbs that can be completed by predicate adjectives are called being verbs or copulative verbs. They include all the forms of to be and sensing verbs like seem, feel, and taste.

Adjective Classifications
qualitative: good, bad, happy, blue, French possessive: my, thy, his, her, its, our, your, their relative and interrogative: which, what, whatever, etc. numeral: one, two, second, single, etc. indefinite: some, any, much, few, every, etc. demonstrative: this, that, the, a (an), such

The demonstrative adjectives the and a (an) are so important in English that they have a special name: articles. They are discussed separately below.

Articles
The words a, an, and the are generally called articles and sometimes classed as a separate part of speech. In function, however, they can be grouped with the demonstrative adjectives that are used to point things out rather than describe them. Definite Article The is called the definite article because it points out a particular object or class. This is the book I was talking about. The dodo bird is extinct. Indefinite Article A is called the indefinite article because it points out an object, but not any particular specimen. a book, a dog, a lawn mower The indefinite article has two forms: A is used before words beginning with a consonant sound or an aspirated h: a car, a lamb, a hope, a habit, a hotel An is used before words beginning with a vowel sound: an ape, an image, an untruth, an honorable man

Verbs
English has three kinds of Verbs: transitive, intransitive, and incomplete. 1. Transitive Verbs A verb is transitive when the action is carried across to a receiver: The farmer grows potatoes. Elvis sang ballads. The receiver is called the direct object. It answers the question What? or Whom? after the verb. Grows what? Potatoes. Sang what? Ballads. 2. Intransitive Verbs A verb is intransitive when the action stays with the verb. It is not carried across to a receiver: Corn grows. Elvis sang. Adding a prepositional phrase to modify the verb does not change the fact that the action

remains with the subject: Corn grows in the fields. Elvis sang all over the world. Both transitive and intransitive verbs are action verbs. 3. Incomplete Verbs There are three types of incomplete verbs: i. being verbs also called linking or copulative verbs to be, seem, become, taste, smell, sound, feel Tip: Some of these verbs can also be used transitively. If in doubt, substitute a form of to be for the verb. If the sentence still makes sense, the verb is being used as a copulative verb: He feels depressed. He is depressed. He feels the wall. He is the wall. ii. auxiliary verbs also called helping verbs be, have, shall, will, do, and may. He could have gone earlier. iii. semi-auxiliary verbs must, can, ought, dare, need. You must not go. You dare not go.

Verbs Voice
English verbs are said to have two voices: active and passive. Active Voice: the subject of the sentence performs the action: His son catches fly balls. Creative children often dream in class. Note: Verbs in the active voice may be either transitive or intransitive. Passive Voice: the subject receives the action: The ball was caught by the first baseman. The duty is performed by the new recruits. The dough was beaten by the mixer. The mailman was bitten by the dog. Only transitive verbs can be used in the passive voice. What would be the direct object of the verb in the active voice becomes the subject of the verb in the passive voice: Active voice: The dog bit the mailman. bit is a transitive verb. The receiver/direct object is mailman. Passive voice: The mailman was bitten by the dog. bit is now in the passive voice. The receiver has become the subject of the verb. A passive verb in either present or past tense will always have two parts: some form of the verb to be (am, is, are, was, were), and a past participle (verb form ending in -ed, -en, or any form used with have when forming a perfect tense). Note: The mere presence of the verb to be does not indicate that a verb is in the passive voice. The test of a verb in the passive voice is the two-part question: Is the subject performing the action of the verb or is the subject receiving the action of the verb? If the subject is receiving the action, then the verb is in passive voice.

Sometimes the passive voice is the best way to express a thought. Used carelessly, however, passive voice can produce a ponderous, inexact writing style.

Verbs Mood
English verbs have four moods: indicative, imperative, subjunctive, and infinitive. Mood is the form of the verb that shows the mode or manner in which a thought is expressed. 1. Indicative Mood: expresses an assertion, denial, or question: Little Rock is the capital of Arkansas. Ostriches cannot fly. Have you finished your homework? 2. Imperative Mood: expresses command, prohibition, entreaty, or advice: Dont smoke in this building. Be careful! Dont drown that puppy! 3. Subjunctive Mood: expresses doubt or something contrary to fact. Modern English speakers use indicative mood most of the time, resorting to a kind of mixed subjunctive that makes use of helping verbs: If I should see him, I will tell him. Americans are more likely to say: If I see him, I will tell him. The verb may can be used to express a wish: May you have many more birthdays. May you live long and prosper. The verb were can also indicate the use of the subjunctive: If I were you, I wouldnt keep driving on those tires. If he were governor, wed be in better fiscal shape. 4. Infinitive Mood: expresses an action or state without reference to any subject. It can be the source of sentence fragments when the writer mistakenly thinks the infinitive form is a fully-functioning verb. When we speak of the English infinitive, we usually mean the basic form of the verb with to in front of it: to go, to sing, to walk, to speak. Verbs said to be in the infinitive mood can include participle forms ending in -ed and -ing. Verbs in the infinitive mood are not being used as verbs, but as other parts of speech: To err is human; to forgive, divine. Here, to err and to forgive are used as nouns. He is a man to be admired. Here, to be admired is an adjective, the equivalent of admirable. It describes the noun man. He came to see you. Here, to see you is used as an adverb to tell why he came.

Verbs Tense
Modern English has six tenses, each of which has a corresponding continuous tense. The first three tenses, present, past, and future, present few problems. Only third person singular in the present tense differs in form: Present tense of regular (weak) verbs:

Today I walk. Today he walks. Yesterday I walked. Tomorrow I shall/will walk. The dwindling class of irregular (strong) verbs must be learned individually. Today I go. Today he goes. Yesterday I went. Tomorrow I shall/will go. The other three tenses, perfect, pluperfect, and future perfect, are formed with the helping verbs have, has, and had. perfect: used to express an event that has just finished, and to describe an event which, although in the past, has effects that continue into the present. Queen Elizabeth has reigned for 56 years. pluperfect (past perfect): used to express an event that took place before another action, also in the past. I had driven all the way to Oklahoma when I realized my mistake. future perfect: used to express an event that will have taken place at some time in the future. As of February 26, I shall have been in this job six years. For complete conjugation tables of weak and strong English verbs, see theWikipedia article.

Adverbs
Adverbs are used to describe or modify a verb, adjective, clause, or another adverb. Basically, they modify everything except nouns and pronouns (which are modified by adjectives). Example of an adverb modifying a verb: He was running fast. (fast modifiesrunning) Example of an adverb modifying an adjective: She took a very small piece of the cake. (very modifies small) Example of an adverb modifying a sentence: Strangely, the man left the room.(strangely modifies the whole sentence) Usually adverbs answer to the questions When? (adverbs of time), Where? (adverbs of place), and How? (adverbs of manner). Adverbs can also be used to connect clauses and sentences (in this case they are called conjunctive adverbs). For example: It was dark. Therefore, we needed the torch. (thereforeconnects the two sentences)

Prepositions
Prepositions are used to link nouns and pronouns to other words within a sentence. The words linked to are called objects. Usually prepositions show a spatial or temporal relationship between the noun and the object, like in the example below: The cat is under the table. Cat is the noun. Under is the preposition. Table is the object.

Here is a list with the most common prepositions: about, above, after, among, around, along, at, before, behind, beneath, beside, between, by, down, from, in, into, like, near, of, off, on, out, over, through, to, up, upon, under, andwith. Notice that you can also have a prepositional phrase, which is formed by the preposition and its object. A preposition phrase can function as adverb, adjective or noun. For example: The dog was running under the rain. The prepositional phrase under the rain acts as an adverb, specifying where the dog was running.

Conjunctions
A conjunction joins words and groups of words. There are two classes of conjunction: coordinate or coordinating andsubordinate or subordinating. Co-ordinate conjunctions: and, but, eitheror, neithernor. Subordinate conjunctions: that, as, after, before, since, when, where, unless, if. Mother and Father are driving me to New Orleans. (and is a coordinate conjunction joining words of equal significance in the sentence. I painted the walls but Jack painted the woodwork. (but is a coordinate conjunction joining clauses of equal significance in the sentence. Either clause could stand alone as a sentence.) Since you cant get away, well go without you. (Since is a subordinate conjunction joining a less important thought to a more important thought. The main clause, well go without you, can stand alone as a complete thought. The subordinate clause, Since you cant get away, is an incomplete thought. It is dependent upon the main clause for meaning.) Note: The relative pronouns who, whom, which, and that are used in the same way that subordinate conjunctions are. The difference is that the relative pronouns serve three purposes at once: 1) they stand for a noun in the main clause 2) they connect the clauses 3) they serve as a subject or object word in the subordinate clause: He is the man who invented the hula hoop. (who stands for man and is the subject of invented) Charles is the boy whom the other children tease. (whom stands for boy and is the object of tease) Give me the piece of string that is waxed. (that stands for string and is the subject of is waxed) There goes the horse which won the Derby. (which refers to horse and is the subject of won) The possessive adjective whose can also be used to join clauses: Thats the bird whose plumage I admire. (whose refers to bird and describesplumage)

Interjections
Interjection comes from from a Latin word that means throw between. Its a word or phrase that is thrown into a sentence to express an emotion:

Goodness, how youve grown! Darn, I forgot my lunch! Alas, will he never return? All the impolite expressions that we call expletives are interjections. Strictly speaking, an interjection is not a part of speech. It serves no grammatical function but is rather a noisy utterance like the cry of an animal (F.J. Rahtz). Interjections express feeling or emotion, not thought and have been called the miserable refuge of the speechless. If youve ever stood lunch duty on a high school campus, you know just how vapid conversation can be when larded with meaningless interjections.

Related Articles

English Grammar 101: Sentences, Clauses and Phrases English Grammar 101: Verb Tense English Grammar 101: Parts of Speech

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100 Responses to English Grammar 101: All You Need to Know

1. rachel on August 26, 2008 4:09 pm

Thanks for this great overview. No matter how many times I review grammar basics, theres always something I havent quite gotten the hang of.
2. Warren S on August 26, 2008 8:11 pm

Thank you. I loved this so much I am turning it into a poster for my office wall.
3. Sally, Snappy Sentences on August 26, 2008 9:30 pm

Wonderful! Im going to forward this to my workmates.

4. Flotoonie on August 27, 2008 12:54 am

Excellent! I am an english teacher but of the generation that somehow missed learning grammar . Yes, there are many of us out there (can you imagine that?). This is exactly what I have only just recently realised I needed. Thankyou.
5. Deb on August 27, 2008 1:16 am

Wow. Just wow. What a fantastic postpretty much everything you really need to know, all in one, handy spot.
6. Young on August 27, 2008 12:26 pm

Hi, Daniel, I think you will be a great teacher if you want to be.
7. Matt on August 27, 2008 2:17 pm

I have a problem with Plural Nouns, irregular rule #6 oo words become ee words in the plural. That works for the example given, foot becomes feet, but not for a host of other examples that came to mind: boot, hoop, tool, fool, etc. I think its incorrect to call it a rule.
8. Raymond Chua on August 27, 2008 2:46 pm

Very well written. Ill share this post with my students.

9. sad man on August 27, 2008 8:24 pm

what is wft, rofl ,ffs , lol, i cant find them in any dictionary.
10. chris on August 27, 2008 8:32 pm

me love good grammar guy. hulk smash!

11. Sorted Phil on August 27, 2008 8:40 pm

Greta article. Cool, classy, concise.

12. Yuen on August 27, 2008 9:38 pm

I print this post to PDF to read it daily for writing tips.

13. Brandon on August 28, 2008 12:45 am

Great post, very good info Im bookmarking it, thanks again

14. Edwin on August 28, 2008 4:05 am

Just ask to a friend is that a typo in the first sentence??

15. Mayor of Kentonville on August 28, 2008 6:21 am

Thank you, very interesting article

16. Ken on August 28, 2008 4:46 pm

WHAT? Not a word about dangling participles? Ok Ill explain it: A dangling modifier is one that does not actually modify the subject that it follows. The object it modifies is found in the sentence but it is not followed by the modifier. One morning I shot an elephant in my pajamas. How he got into my pajamas I dont know. Though, logically, the person making the statement would have been wearing the pajamas, the line plays on the grammatical possibility that the elephant was wearing his pajamas, owing to its misplaced modifier.
17. Mark on August 28, 2008 5:49 pm

Excellent!!
18. tova teitelbaum on August 29, 2008 7:54 am

Ecellent. I am astounded how little college students know about grammar and the role it plays in comprehension and precise communication
19. Prof. Grammar on August 30, 2008 1:28 am

The claim is made here that Understanding the basic grammar rules is essential for communicating efficiently, but most of us have forgotten those concepts years ago. Not quite true. We humans are born with an instinct for picking up thousands of grammar rules unconsciously, and thus, by the time we are 6 or 7, before we attend school, we verbally communicate nearly perfectly with friends and family. No rules have been consciously learned, and these wired-in rules are never forgotten. What the author means, I think, is that it is interesting and fruitful to spend time becoming consciously aware of the structure of language in order to become more sophisticated users of it, especially when it comes to writing.
20. reza on August 31, 2008 2:57 pm

my name is reza
21. reza on August 31, 2008 2:58 pm

hello how are you

22. reza on August 31, 2008 3:00 pm

yes
23. Henry Cruz on September 1, 2008 8:22 am

Great stuff! I am not amazed that college students dont know basic grammar. Its an awful lot to store, and isnt that why they made great sites like thisto dust off the brain cells. Henry Cruz
24. Robin Cooper on September 1, 2008 1:14 pm

Nice post. You might want to change the possessive adjective classifications slightly. Nobody has said thy except when quoting the bible or similarly ancient material for a long time. Make it your instead.
25. Lord Allen on September 4, 2008 1:58 pm

This is great! Thanks! This will help me in my writing career. Its sad to know that there are still teachers that dont know what they are teaching. For example, I had a teacher who said that you should use A if the first letter of the succeeding word is a consonant and An if the first letter of the succeeding word is a vowel. But thats not always the case. You dont say a hour, right? She needs enlightenment, Danielle. LOL.
26. David Porter on September 5, 2008 8:12 pm

What a wonderful resource. You should offer it as a .pdf somewhere on your blog. I suspect this, with a few properly placed commercials, might make its way around the web and bring additional value to your blog. It seems too valuable to leave trapped in this post.
27. prosper on September 9, 2008 10:24 am

give me the verbs to be with all tences and pronous

28. Leah on September 9, 2008 3:21 pm

This page has been quite informative however, I still have a question. Is If I were you, I would go. always correct? Is there ever a case where one would say If I was you?
29. Abraham Mano on September 27, 2008 4:14 pm

Excellent ! Clear and concise. This article provides very useful information. Thanks a lot ! Abraham
30. mel on October 2, 2008 10:01 am

hi to all the grammarian out there! Im a 2nd year student,majoring English May I ask you to kindly make a response on my research paper ? I have to find any problem with has a concern in grammar and find also an answer on that particular problem..for example, we defined verb that is denotes a state of being but how come that the verb in this sentence denotes a state of being?
31. mel on October 2, 2008 10:10 am

hi to all the grammarian out there! May I ask you to kindly make an answer to my research paper? Im a 2nd college student, majoring English. I have to find any problem that has a concern in grammar and give an answer to that particular problem. for example, She is beautiful. We defined verb that is denotes a state of being. But how come that is in that sentence denotes a state of being? I will appreciate any help that you can give to me Thank you in advance.
32. vicky on October 4, 2008 8:17 am

thank you so much. you really educate me. am lacking behind before but now there is improvement even my teacher comfirm it.
33. Christian on October 7, 2008 7:59 am

Thank you for sharing information!

34. ning on October 22, 2008 7:32 am

I would like to say that grammar is very important to improve our skill especially in writing and speaking.
35. wasseem on November 4, 2008 11:33 pm

really ,I am happy for that ,I like studying english ,I am learning now in special institute ,until now oky, I need to practice more and speak too ,I have dreamt for along time to visit UK or USA maybe that impossible for many reasons :first money I would like to be your friend from that web,I dont know if you expect me,by the way I have finished 3rd level in syria, am I good ? thank you. for your eforts
36. Atif Elahi on November 9, 2008 5:29 pm

the way grammar is written,and the sequence especially of it ,is intresting.its enough for urgent learners that every thing is right here..thankx
37. cutie on November 9, 2008 11:07 pm

this really helped me with my english thankyou for helping i used to have a 36% now i have an 92% thanks bye bye
38. jumarno on November 21, 2008 4:27 am

this resume can be one of my reference to learn and teach english

39. v.s.yogeetha on December 12, 2008 10:01 am

This is very useful for each and every individual to improve the lanuguage skills. It is very healthy stuff for the teachers, students and for other members. I have confident that i can speak english fluently.
40. Antash on January 2, 2009 11:51 am

Really very good article and a piece no a huge piece of good grammaticle information. Thanks for the info.
41. lillie on January 4, 2009 11:00 pm

this helpes me alot for my english homework. it also helped me study for a test.
42. shannon on February 6, 2009 12:27 pm

i hate greammar but i love to write!!!!!!!!!!!!!

43. Saif on February 20, 2009 8:40 am

Can anyone help me in knowing: when you write a letter, in salutation, can we use capital A for All. Example: Dear All.
44. Sanjoy on April 13, 2009 4:26 pm

I feel very intersting to speak English.

45. Kassie on April 19, 2009 1:14 am

Thnx sooo muchthis really helped me!

46. Maria on April 19, 2009 7:27 am

Thnxthis really helped me on my homework and made my studying and test results alot betterthnx again
47. melissa on May 4, 2009 9:30 am

Hello. Im interesting about the English Grammars because i want to improve my skill and Help me how to improve my.speaking,writing, listening. thank you so much. please reply me.
48. Khaleel Ahmed on June 14, 2009 9:09 am

It is very useful and brusy up my memories. Thank you very much for your article
49. Christine Segal on June 14, 2009 1:06 pm

Which is correct? This is photo of Mike and I, at the beach

or This is a photo of Mike and me, at the beach.

50. Rod on July 1, 2009 3:46 pm

This is the kind of stuff we need to know to avoid English teaching myths at least in my country We call it spanglish
51. maria meury on July 18, 2009 11:49 pm

thanks very clear infromaton for culeless grammer teenager it help a lot really heheheh do you have a math one ?
52. Rod on July 21, 2009 5:45 pm

This is a photo of Mike and I at the beach Object pronouns are used after verbs eg. Mike took me a photo
53. Tom Babington on August 13, 2009 4:32 pm

Is the Grammar 101 e-book just for new subscribers? Thanks

54. The Baldchemist on September 8, 2009 8:54 am

Just while we are on the subject of grammar; let me point out a couple of errors: Understanding the basic grammar rules is essential for communicating efficiently, but most of us have forgotten those concepts years ago. Its understanding the basic rules of grammar is essential for effective communicationand most of us forgot those concepts years ago If you are going to write as an expert then you must ensure your grammar is as good as it gets, otherwise your credibility goes down the tube. Take good care and get as much joy as you can every day.
55. Tim Capuchino on September 18, 2009 11:40 am

I am doing research on the rules of the english language. My question to you is, who made up the rules of the english language? Was it a group of Europeans? Please let me know, thank you Tim Capuchino
56. poot on October 11, 2009 7:47 pm

more about sentences like run-on and such. Good job, anyways! -Po.0t
57. Dave on February 22, 2010 11:55 pm

As a communicator, I enjoy hearing English spoken well. Understanding basic English grammar gives people the ability to write and speak well. By the way, I enjoyed your comments.
58. ashkan on April 14, 2010 9:10 am

excuse me i want all of grammar :how we can make sentence with present prefect.
59. Eileen on July 1, 2010 4:14 pm

Hi, I work with deaf students. This is a very good site. Great for practice. There are some things I have to explain or shorten, but I like the idea of having all the need to know grammar in one place. I combine this with what is in their book. Thank you so much!
60. John Adeniji on July 2, 2010 6:04 pm

I did not get the download link as promised, can you please send the link to me? Thanks Adeniji
61. said moustaoui on August 5, 2010 11:50 am

so good article i get many things that iam weak in so thank you so much grammar is the basic of language
62. raquel on August 7, 2010 9:33 am

thanks alot.. for sharing english grammas sometimes im confused how to make a perfect sentence.
63. Ras on August 18, 2010 11:12 am

Hey, thanks alot for that. These are just the facts I need to help understand about grammar and how they function in a language. Although this may sound irrelevant, since I am learning Japanese but its good to understand about grammar before learning another language. Making sense is what makes things go the way it should be. Excellent work, man.
64. mona on September 15, 2010 2:02 pm

thank you very much .I am really grateful because you reminded me with forgotten things .Please , put exercises after this great course to test our understanding .I want the answer?
65. wada on September 29, 2010 2:16 pm

Hi. The sentence This is a photo of Mike and I at the beach. is wrong. Mike and the speaker are objects of the preposition of, therefore, it should have been This is a photo of Mike and me at the beach. I is a subject form; me is the object form of I
66. Gautam on December 5, 2010 10:19 am

Great stuff..lots of already known ideas .however,when ever I READ English Grammar I always feel theres something more to it. And being a CELTA trained person,I always think there are better & easier ways to put it across to my Students. Many thanks for this article.CHEERS!!
67. fatemeh on December 9, 2010 5:49 am

Hi Dear Im pleased to visit your site I think you can help me to improve
68. Hilder Pardo on January 9, 2011 3:43 pm

this is great! simplify my class. thank you very much.

69. Soam on March 13, 2011 7:07 pm

Whenever I go through it feels something was missing .. thanks a lot

70. delia bhagaloo on March 24, 2011 7:41 pm

this webpage is so informative on everything about grammar. cant wait to tell my friends about it.
71. Richard Stack on April 15, 2011 7:28 am

I was wondering if they require students to diagram sentences anymore? I hated doing it as a student, but I now feel that it was invaluable in learning proper grammar.
72. sajad on April 21, 2011 5:13 am

Ihope everything is ok : i do to improve my english communicative(i mean how can i speak very well)
73. A.persia on May 4, 2011 3:17 am

wooow, this is very great job, you made as a pass to correct our errors and i believe if person read these guide lines he/she will get a support
74. jamie on May 19, 2011 11:14 am

wow! awesome, i really like it, coz i wanna learn a lot specially to communicate to foreign people using international language, so i can enhance my knowledge my & learn a lot more from them.. i can really say that this job was well done:) .. keep up the good work:)

75. Brian on May 29, 2011 9:37 am

Ive said for years that English grammar is the worst taught subject in the history of the world. Most of us were taught grammar year after year in school, but almost nobody understands even basic concepts. Yet everything one needs to know about grammar can be taught in a single semester (or on a single web page)! Thank you for this clear and concise reference page. And for your outstanding blog!
76. shell on May 31, 2011 6:10 pm

Thanks! Day before exams you know how it is.

77. monica on June 6, 2011 10:47 am

where do we have for paragraphs?????

78. hanah on June 17, 2011 11:04 pm

how does this help students to better have a greater look on grammer and life.?? with not knowing the most importan looks on grammer????
79. M. James on June 20, 2011 10:46 pm

I dont really expect the above comments to follow the rules of grammarthis is the net after allbut this one really struck me as funny: Ecellent. I am astounded how little college students know about grammar and the role it plays in comprehension and precise communication Well thank goodness the /little/ college students know about the importance of grammar! Funny to find ambiguity in a sentence touting the role of grammar in precise communication.
80. peppy on July 2, 2011 4:43 am

anyone help me? which one is the correct one this is a slogan for a forestry company, but I feel curious about it One Aim, More Green or One Aim, to be Greener. is it okay to use more before adjectives of color? because Ive seen people use the two kinds of form, more green and greener.
81. Kevin ONeill on July 6, 2011 2:38 am

When is a clause not a sentence? Assume someone writes the following on a blackboard: The girl is at home. If someone asked me if this was a sentence, I would have to answer, Yes. What makes this a clause and not a sentence?
82. M.D. on August 2, 2011 12:07 am

This is nice to mebecause for me the grammar is so difficult my situation..at the age of 35 im back to studying to finish college it been a long year stopped to schooling and now I continued my studies.So this article is very helped me to teach about the English grammar. Thank u very much for your helping me. more power!
83. Awuor on August 26, 2011 11:52 am

one word-incredible!
84. Tara Neel on August 31, 2011 4:28 pm

This was so very helpful. I have an upcoming entrance exam at a school I am trying to get into and decided to lookup some basic english related knowledge that I knew I had forgotten. It was so great to be able to find it all in one place. I cant believe I am 21 years old and re learning these things, but this site made it much easier. Thanks so much! Sincerely, Tara Neel
85. Ife on September 5, 2011 3:55 pm

Hello, Thank you for the information here. It really helps. I have a question about sentence structure and am hoping you or anyone can help me. Is it correct to use we back to back as a subject. Example: We recommend that you consult your physician right away. We would also be more than happy to assist you in getting a refund for this item. Is it grammar No No to construct two sentences like the one above? Thanks for your help.
86. Bounxou on November 11, 2011 6:33 am

Hello, My name is Sou I have been studying English for many years, but I cannot know how I can clearly know the basic of grammatical rules. Today I have a special to aces this web and I also find a wonderful information that I have wanted to know them for ages. Thank you very much for giving for useful items.
87. Bounxou on November 11, 2011 6:50 am

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88. Aidy P on February 5, 2012 7:01 pm

It is annoying. Grammatics changes so much, it is almost impossible to keep up. Which is why I am here. Thanks so much!

89. Stephanie on April 28, 2012 1:33 am

Thank you for your post. It is good to know that my memory is not as bad as I thought. I read all of the comments. I laughed so hard that I could not catch my breath. Apparently, you have to know good grammer to construct a sentence. It is interesting that punctuation, capitalization and spelling are not necessary.
90. Sukanta on May 16, 2012 12:01 am

Being an English teacher Ill give you 100 out of 100 ! Really its amazing to get the basic English in a single page ! We all need to know those basics before proceeding to learn English if we love the subject.Truely , the concepts of grammar are described in a lucid and simple language.Thanks a lot for such post.

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