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HOME / ENGLISH GRAMMAR RULES & USAGE / GRAMMAR RULES AND GRAMMAR TIPS

/ 11 RULES OF GRAMMAR

11 Rules of Grammar
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guidelines. These 11 rules of

grammar will help you
become a champ at selecting
words and punctuation.

Key Rules

Top 10 Trending Words from 2015

1. Use Active Voice

Every human language starts
an active sentence with the
subject, or the "doer." In
English, the verb (what's being
done) follows the subject. If
there is an object (the receiver
of the action), it comes after
the verb. The formula looks
like this:
S+V+O. This rule is the
foundation of the English
language.
Here are some examples:
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Mary walked the dog.

The dog liked Mary.
I did not like the dog.

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2. Link Ideas with a Conjunction

Sometimes you want to link two ideas with a second S+V+O
combination. When you do, you need a coordinating conjunction.
The new formula looks like this:
S+V+O, COORDINATING CONJUNCTION+S+V+O
Coordinating conjunctions are easy to remember with an acronymic
mnemonic device:
FANBOYS
For
And
Nor
But
Or
Yet
So

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3. Use a Comma to Connect Two Ideas As One

FANBOYS are used when connecting two ideas as one in a single
sentence, but don't forget the comma.
For example:
I do not walk Mary's dog, nor do I wash him.
Mary fed her dog, and I drank tea.
Mary feeds and walks her dog every day, but the dog is still
hyperactive.

4. Use a Serial Comma in a List

The serial, or Oxford, comma is a controversial rule of grammar.
Some want to eliminate it altogether while others just don't know
how to use it. The serial comma is the last comma in a list, usually
appearing before "and." The serial comma comes after "dog" in this
sentence:
Pets R Us has lizards, dogs, and birds.
Commas separate units in a list. In the above case, each unit only has
one part, so it's easy. Where people get confused is when the units
are bigger, but the rule still applies:
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Pets R Us has lizards and frogs, dogs and cats, and parakeets
and macaws.
Notice that the serial comma comes before "and" but not the last
"and" in the sentence. The "and" that follows the comma is only there
because it sounds better. Grammatically, "and" is irrelevant. Only
units matter.

5. Use the Semicolon to Join Two Ideas

A list of grammar rules has to include the scariest of punctuation
marks. It might look funny, but don't be afraid of the semicolon; it's
the easiest thing in the world to use! Say you want to join two ideas
but can't figure out or can't be bothered to use a coordinating
conjunction. The two ideas can be separate sentences, but you think
that they are so closely connected; they really should be one. Use a
semicolon.
Mary's dog is hyperactive; it won't stop barking or sit still.
My heart is like a cup of Lapsang Souchong tea; it's bitter and
smoky.
Mary has to walk her dog every day; it is the most hyperactive
dog anyone has ever seen.

6. Use the Simple Present Tense for Habitual Actions

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The simple present is the tense you use for any habitual action. The
things you always do or do every Tuesday are described with the
simple present, which just means you pick the first form of any verb.
Mary likes dogs.
I don't walk Mary's dog.
Mary and I drink tea every Tuesday together.

7. Use the Present Progressive Tense for Current

Action
The present progressive tense is for anything that is happening right
now. All of the progressive tenses are easy to spot because their
verbs always end with "-ing" and get a helping verb. A helping verb is
just so we know who and when we're talking about. In the present
progressive, the helping verbs are the present tense conjugations of
"to be."
I am drinking Lapsang Souchong tea.
The barking dogs outside are driving me crazy.
Mary is playing with her hyperactive dog.

8. Add "ed" to verbs for the Past Tense

When we talk about the past, we have to add an "-ed" to regular
verbs to make the second form. Irregular verbs are tricky and have
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their own sets of rules. Drink, for example, turns to "drank." Most of
the time, though, "-ed" will do.
I drank a lot of Lapsang Souchong tea yesterday, but Mary didn't.
The dogs stopped barking two seconds ago, and I am feeling
better.
Mary played fetch with her hyperactive dog.

9-11. Use Perfect Tenses

Practice makes perfect with the perfect tenses. Here are three rules to
finish the 11 rules of grammar. If you remember these, you'll be well
on your way to perfection.

9. Use Present Perfect for the Unfinished Past

The present perfect can be confusing for some, but it is one of the
most important rules of grammar. When people talk about things
that have already happened but consider the time in which they
occurred to be unfinished, they use the third form of the verb with a
helping verb. The helping verb for the present perfect is the present
tense conjugation of "to have."
I have drunk three cups of Lapsang Souchong tea today.
Mary's hyperactive cur dog has bitten me three times so far.
Mary has walked her hyperactive poodle 100 times this week.
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Unfortunately, the only way to know the third forms of verbs is to

remember them.

10. Use Present Perfect Progressive for Unfinished

Action and Past
When the action as well as the time is considered unfinished, the
verb loads up on third form helping verbs ("to be" and "to have") and
changes to the progressive form.
Western countries have been waging wars in the Middle East for
thousands of years.
I have been drinking tea all day.
Mary's dog has been barking like crazy since it was born.

11. Use Past Perfect for the First of Two Past Actions
When two things happen in the past, we have to mark which one
happened first. The one that happened first changes to third form
and gets the helping verb, "had."
By the time I drank one cup of Lapsang Souchong, Mary's dog
had barked a million times.
I had not yet eaten breakfast when Mary walked her dog.
He could not pay for lunch because he had lost his wallet.
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Understanding and consistently following the basic English grammar

rules will help you speak and write English correctly and with
minimal hesitation.
LINK/CITE

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Comments Community

Recommend 30

Join the discussion

Shalanna Collins

2 years ago

WILL YOU MARRY ME?! I love y'all! I haven't heard accurate rules for writers since I was in high school and had
really smart (older) teachers. Please pass this link along to all those idiotic, er, MISGUIDED workshop leaders who
tell people never to use the word "had" and that all forms of "be" in a sentence indicate passive voice.
people that sometimes the actor is unknown or unimportant. "Report cards were passed out, and so were several of
the students." Keep up the good work!
26

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Mary Grandre > Shalanna Collins

5 months ago

Yes, I think it's about time that we up the ante on reading ease for poetic license. My best essay work
would not pass the required reading ease limit, and using something like the sentence above would
put me way over the top! But there is something elegant with a well-termed phrase, notwithstanding
the departure from simplicity.

harry steele

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a year ago

We are brainwashed to let grammar usage hinder the act of communicating.

11

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a year ago

Can someone help me with grammar? I don't even know what's the name of this situation.
I don't remeber when was (is it the right place for "was"?) the last time I ate my breakfast.
6

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Quirkyjoe >

a year ago

Let me start by saying "I usually stink at grammar" but It seems to me that you should leave the words
"WHEN" and "WAS" out of the sentence completely. It's already understood or you could leave "I don't
remember" out if you are asking the question to yourself or another person.
"When was the last time I ate my breakfast".
"I don't remember the last time I ate my breakfast".
Also, you could leave out "my".
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My teachers use to say I was using too many words. I think they would say the same for you :O)
Anyway, I hope this helped. If others think I am wrong feel free to correct me. I still stink at grammar :O)
5

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richpar >

a year ago

'I don't remember when' is the statement, then you ask a question straight away 'when was the last...'
You are combining a statement with a question, which is very common.
You would use can't and not don't. You should alo miss out the 'my' as it's obvious it's your breakfast and not
someone elses!
So, this leaves us with:
I can't remember the last time I ate breakfast
or
I can't remember when I last ate breakfast.
Also, most people refer to eating breakfast as 'having' breakfast, as in:
What are we having for breakfast? I'd like eggs for breakfast.
Have you had breakfast? No. I don't have breakfast these days. In fact, I can't remember the last time I had
breakfast.
1

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> richpar

a year ago

Thank you!
It is strange some (most) use "my" when they're talking about their parents, of course it is yours not
domeone elses. That's why I included "my" in breakfast situation.
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sabi kayastha

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a year ago

I live At Nepal (this sentence is correct if yes ok if not why???)

7

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richpar > sabi kayastha

a year ago

You live IN a country, you live IN a house, you live IN a district of a

large town, you live IN a nice neighbourhood. Does he live AT that
address? No, he lives AT a different address, IN a much larger house.
6

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AMIT PODDAR > sabi kayastha

3 months ago

country always be with IN . But when it is capital, we have to use AT. suppose AT DILHI.

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roma8989 > sabi kayastha

4 months ago

nope.... I live in Nepal is what it should be....

Eltoma Awad

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a year ago

Thanks...it is very helpful

3

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Khaled Grrich

2 years ago

Thank you;;; :) look helpful :)

2

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Amit Chowdhary

a year ago

In the part 6 example-1

You wrote, mary likes dogs.
Here plural verb is used with plural object why??
1

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Mrs. Jasper

Mod

> Amit Chowdhary a year ago

The verb and the noun or the verb and the object of a sentence should agree - if one is plural, then both
should be plural.
Here is some more information - http://grammar.yourdictionary....
If you have more grammar questions, you can always find me over at YourDictionary's Homework Help
screen at http://grammar.yourdictionary....
1

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Jessie B Abis > Mrs. Jasper

3 months ago

it is the NOUN that can be called singular and plural, VERB can never be called singular or plural.
Verb with s like sings can be better called the s-form rather than saying the plural form. Verb with no s
like sing is called the base form and not the singular form. It is safe to say singular subject will agree
with the s-form of the verb. ( Jessie sings very loud.) Plural subject will agree with the base form of
the verb ( Jessie and Robie sing very loud.)

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roma8989 > Amit Chowdhary

4 months ago

the verb is not plural... this is a common misconception that non-English speakers have..
"s" automatically should mean plural.. bu tin English, putting an "s" at the end of a verb means always (i.e.,
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"s" automatically should mean plural.. bu tin English, putting an "s" at the end of a verb means always (i.e.,
usually) means third person singular... without an "s" at the end is for all other pronouns... (I, you, we, they,
etc..)

melanie shawn

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4 months ago

how to know the past tense as the word came in -ed cause i'm so weak in past tense that came of the word with -ed

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GeoffZoref

4 months ago

Prescriptive Grammarian; because someone needed to sell a new edition of their style book, and so now we
shouldn't end sentences with a preposition. For...reasons.
Look, behind every grammatical rule" like the former example, or splitting infinitives, or stating a sentence with "but"
or "and" is a rule that somebody made up out of while cloth. The rule somehow spread and is now taught in schools
with no question as to WHY it was made into a rule in the first place.
Yes, written language is more formal than spoken language, give.
they are refuted every day when a new "rule" is broken and the offending the phrase still sounds perfectly intelligible
to native speakers.
Like it or not, people will still use number seven on your list, "Use the Present Progressive Tense for Current Action"
in the past tense. For example: "So I'm walking home and this guy is following me."
300 years ago, your own writing would look so informal and incorrect as to be illegible. And that's because languages
are dynamic and don't like to obey made up "rules."

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Dragneel Natsu

5 months ago

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what are the 30 agreement?

Ailiya

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5 months ago

10 km is given.
10 km are given.
10 kms are given.
10 kms is given.
Kms-kilometres.
Which is the correct one and why?

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AMIT PODDAR > Ailiya

3 months ago

I HAVE A QUESTION TO Kashif Ali Gaad WHEN WE WRITE "TEN THOUSNND RS" THEN WE CAN NOT
USE 'S'. THATS WHY ONLY 1 AND 3 QUESTIONS ARE CORRECT.

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Kashif Ali Gaad > Ailiya

5 months ago

10 kms are given. is correct because we use s'' more than 1 thing and also ''are''.

Hossain

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8 months ago

great jobs!

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Sophia Horan

9 months ago

Hi Mrs. Jasper, I was confusing a few stuffs in here. So my teacher said

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Haspast
perfect
(singular)

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Has- past perfect (singular)

Have- past perfect (plural)
Had- present perfect (singular/plural)
What is used for plural? Does it even have plural? When we change active voices to passive, should I use 'will have
been' or 'will had been'?

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AMIT PODDAR > Sophia Horan

3 months ago

YOU HAVE TO SEE CLASS NINE AND TEN ENGLISH GRAMMAR. YOUR PROBLEM WILL BE SOLVED.

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miranda farros > Sophia Horan

5 months ago

Hey, there is no use of Had in present perfect, it is Have for I or Plural; or Has for singular and for past perfect
it is HAD.
Look at nine, ten and eleven examples in the explanation.

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Mrs. Jasper

Mod

> miranda farros 5 months ago

You are correct. This was my error.

Mrs. Jasper

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Mod

> Sophia Horan 9 months ago

For plural past perfect it would be "Have." For present perfect the plural would be "Had."
There is no specific rule about verb tense when changing from active to passive. You decide on the verb
tense based on subject/verb agreement (use a singular subject with a singular verb) AND using the correct
tense (e.g.
present vs. past vs. past perfect). If you want to give me a few sentences changing active to
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tense (e.g. present vs. past vs. past perfect). If you want to give me a few sentences changing active to
passive I would be glad to look them over and see if they are correct.

ham perry

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9 months ago

Which is correct between these two sentences? (a) Jessica is one of the mothers who participate in the activity, or
(b) Jessica is one of the mothers who participates in the activity. Is it a or b?

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AMIT PODDAR > ham perry

3 months ago

A IS CORRECT.

Bradvines

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10 months ago

"Mary couldn't stop laughing; her dog had bitten me again" is incorrect;
'had' was jammed in front of the irregular past tense verb 'bit', forcing the irregular past participle 'bitten'. If you don't
know how to see past tense verbs, you're going to have trouble seeing 'had' in front of them, so you're going to have
trouble with the past perfect.
A past tense verb with 'had' in front of it is NOT past perfect.

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Mrs. Jasper

Mod

> Bradvines 10 months ago

Thanks for your comments Bradvines. I will ask our editors to look into this and make any necessary
changes.
If you have more grammar comments or questions, you can always find me over at YourDictionary's
Homework Help screen at http://grammar.yourdictionary....

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Bradvines

Reply

Share

10 months ago

"I have drunk three cups of Lapsang Souchong tea today", is WRONG.
I DRANK three cups today is correct.

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AMIT PODDAR > Bradvines

3 months ago

I drank three cups today is correct. when it is only one past sentence then we have to use past 2nd form with
verb. If we use have here then it is must wrong.

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roma8989 > Bradvines

4 months ago

"I have drunk" is also correct.. ah yes, nuance, nuance....;-)

"I have drunk" means so far today I have drunk three cups...
"I drank" means today I had three cups... implying I will no longer have any more cups today.....

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Bradvines > roma8989

4 months ago

What language was spoken at your family dinner table when you were growing up, Roma8989?

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sam > Bradvines

9 months ago

'I have drunk' is correct. Have must go with the past participle of the verb. If you prefer not to use have and
use 'i drank' , it's still correct because it is the past tense.

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Bradvines > sam

9 months ago

sam. You can correctly say, "I have drunk Lapsang Souchong tea all of my adult life (and I still do) =
past that continues into the present.
But, "I have drunk three cups of Lapsang Souchong tea today", is WRONG.
"I DRANK three cups today" is correct.
If you can't grasp that, you need more help than I am willing to give you in this little box.
Come to [email address deleted] if you like.
.brad.30april2015.

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Jessie B Abis > Bradvines

3 months ago

Bradvines is this correct... I have drunk three cups of Lapsang Souchong tea since this
morning... that is how I understand present perfect tense.

Gino Joshua Tabaquero

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a year ago

hey it is also 11 or more

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Dung Nguyen

a year ago

GOD bless. Thank you for your sharing this topic. Grammar is always make us confulse in use. Learn by heart is the
best way

souljah

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a year ago

Can anyone know how to use prepositions in the sentence?

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Can anyone know how to use prepositions in the sentence?

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Mrs. Jasper

Mod

> souljah a year ago

Here is some additional info on prepositions - http://grammar.yourdictionary....

http://examples.yourdictionary...
If you have more grammar questions, you can always find me over at YourDictionary's Homework Help
screen at http://grammar.yourdictionary....

safaghdgs

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a year ago

i am just happpy with ittt!!!!!!!ahh! its not that much of bad

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