Grammar Basics
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Have you been told that you need to work on your grammar? Do you get confused by terms like "pronoun," "conjunction," and "phrase"? Have you lost marks on an essay because of run-on sentences or subject/verb agreement, but don't know what you did wrong? You're not alone! Many people—including people who grew up using English every day—struggle with the rules of grammar. This guide is here to help. We have very basic explanations of the major parts of speech, some common errors people make, and resources you can consult to learn more and practice your writing skills. |
Resources
These resources cover many elements of grammar, and can give you a general overview of the major parts of speech and grammar rules:
What's a verb? Verbs express actions... Verbs have tenses (past, present, future, etc.) so that we can refer to actions, events, or states of being at different points in time. They are also written/spoken differently depending on the subject, or the person/thing the verb relates to. |
Common mistakes Watch out for these common verb errors when you proofread your writing: Verb tense switch: changing verb tense when you're discussing actions, events, or states of being that happen in the same time frame.
Subject/verb agreement: using the wrong form of the verb for the subject.
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How do I know it's a verb?
If you're not sure how to find the verbs in a sentence, try changing the time frame. For example, if you are writing about the present, change your sentence so that you're talking about the past; if you're talking about the past, change it to the present or the future. Whatever words change when you do this are your verbs!
When she went to the door, no one was there.
When she goes to the door, no one is there.
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What's a noun? Nouns name people, animals, places, things, and abstract ideas. My dog ran away yesterday, and now my life is full of sadness. Nouns can be plural or singular: Are you going to eat that hot dog? They can also be possessive, or show ownership, which is typically done by adding -- 's to the end of noun: Emily's children are out of control. |
Common mistakes Watch out for these common noun errors when you proofread your writing: Plural/Singular Confusion: not using the correct form of the noun for the sentence, or switching between plural and singular.
Improper Apostrophe Use: using apostrophes when you don't need to, like when you are making a noun plural, or leaving them out when you do need them.
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How do I know it's a noun?
If you can make a word plural by adding -- s to the end, put -- 's at the end to show possession, or put "a" or "an" in front of it, then the word is a noun.
I have won awards for my apple pie recipe.
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I won an award for my apple pie recipe.
My apple pie's recipe won an award.
My pie recipe calls for six apples.
I have won awards for my recipes.
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What's a pronoun? A pronoun replaces a noun or other pronoun so that our speech or writing sounds less repetitive. Judy went to the store and then Judy went to the vet. Because nouns can play many different roles in a sentence, the same noun may be replaced by different pronouns depending on its function. She sent them her party invitations. |
Common mistakes Watch out for these common pronoun errors when you proofread your writing: Pronoun agreement errors: using the wrong type of pronoun to replace a noun.
Faulty pronoun reference: writing a sentence in which it is unclear what a pronoun is replacing.
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How do I know it's a pronoun?
If you can replace a word with something more specific, there's a good chance that word is a pronoun:
He studies there then.
Saeed studies in the library at noon.
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What's an adjective? An adjective modifies a noun or pronoun by describing... ...identifying... ...or quantifying it.
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Common mistakes Watch out for these common adjective errors when you proofread your writing: Double comparisons: using two comparative adjectives to modify the same noun.
Much/many and less/fewer confusion: using much or less to modify countable nouns, and many/fewer to modify non-countable nouns.
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How do I know it's an adjective?
If you can add --er or --est to the end of it, or put "very" in front of it, chances are you're looking at an adjective.
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What's an adverb? Adverbs modify verbs... Basically, adverbs provide information about how, when, where, how much, and/or why something is done. |
Common mistakes Watch out for these common adverb errors when you proofread your writing: Misplaced adverb: usually, adverbs are placed near the word(s) they are modifying; doing otherwise can confuse the meaning of your sentence. I only like you. [I feel no other emotions for you] Adjective/adverb confusion: using an adverb to modify a noun, or an adjective to modify a verb, adverb, other adjective, phrase, or clause.
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How do I know it's an adverb?
If a word explains how, when, where, how much, and/or why something happened, it's likely an adverb. Another trick is to look for words that end in --ly.
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What's a preposition? A preposition shows the relationship between a noun, pronoun, or phrase and the rest of the sentence. This relationship can be temporal (related to time)... ...spatial (related to space)... ...or logical. |
Common mistakes Watch out for these common preposition errors when you proofread your writing: Improper preposition use: using the wrong preposition for your sentence.
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What's an article? An article modifies a noun. In other words, it's an adjective! There are two types of articles: Indefinite articles indicate that you are referring to one item out of a group: I brought an apple for lunch. Definite articles indicate that you are referring to a specific noun: The apple was bruised, and I didn't want to eat it. Most nouns can have a definite article attached to them, but indefinite articles only pair with countable nouns. Uncountable nouns do not need an article. There was a bad rainstorm yesterday. |
Common mistakes Watch out for these common article errors when you proofread your writing: Misuse of articles: using an article when you don't need one, or forgetting to use one when you do
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How do I know it's an article?
This one's easy: look for "a," "an," or "the." Those are your articles!
Resources:
What's a conjunction? A conjunction links words... ...phrases... ...or clauses. There are three kinds of conjunctions: A coordinating conjunction links two words, phrases, or independent clauses. I tried to have a shower, but there was no hot water. A subordinating conjunction links an independent clause to a dependent clause. After I had studied for three hours, I took a nap. Correlative conjunctions connect two equal grammatical items (nouns, phrases, etc.), and always come in pairs. Both Fred and his mother are coming to dinner. |
Common mistakes Watch out for these common conjunction errors when you proofread your writing: Overuse of conjunctions: using more than one conjunction to join two clauses.
Conjunctions play a big role in sentence structure, so check out the "Sentences" tab for more information on how to use conjunctions correctly.
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Resources:
What's a phrase? A phrase is a group of linked words without a subject and predicate. There was a hush over the dark room. Even though phrases are a group of words, collectively they can function as a verb... She was bored, and decided to do something outrageous ...a noun... She loved finding rare and inexpensive antiques at rummage sales. ...an adjective... We had to prune all of the trees damaged in the storm. ...or an adverb. Her voice shook when she spoke to the room full of people. |
Common mistakes Watch out for these common phrase errors when you proofread your writing: The major errors that people tend to make involve treating a phrase like a sentence instead of a group of words that are part of a sentence. In other words, using a phrase by itself results in a sentence fragment or incomplete sentence.
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Resources
What's a clause? A clause is a group of grammatically related words with a subject and predicate. There are two types of clauses. Click each link below to learn more about them:
An independent clause has a subject and prediate, and can function as a sentence by itself: Ahmed goes to school every morning.
Dependent or subordinate clauses have a subject and predicate, but they cannot function as sentences by themselves: Because someone rang the doorbell This means that they need to be combined with an independent clause in order to form a complete sentence. Because someone rang the doorbell, she hung up the phone. Dependent clauses can play many roles in a sentence. They can function as nouns... Whoever called me hung up when I answered. ...adverbs... I dropped the eggs because I was carrying too many things at once. ...or adjectives. The man who found my wallet wanted a reward. |
Common mistakes Watch out for these common clause errors when you proofread your writing: Sentence fragment: A sentence fragment is an incomplete sentence. An independent clause by itself is a complete sentence, but if you use a dependent clause by itself, you have a fragment.
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How do I know it's a clause?
Beclause there's a subject and a predicate (sorry, couldn't resist the chance to make a pun!). Basically, there will be a verb, and a someone or something that is "doing" that verb.
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What's a sentence? A complete sentence is a complete idea. It starts with a capital letter, ends with a period, exclamation mark or question mark, and contains at least one independent clause. There are four main types of sentences. Click each one below to learn more about them:
A simple sentence is an independent clause by itself:
The elephant drank water from the hose.
A compound sentence combines two independent clauses by putting a comma and a coordinating conjunction between them. He wanted to go to the concert, but he didn't have enough money for the ticket.
A complex sentence combines an independent and a dependent/subordinate clause. The punctuation you use depends on which clause comes first. If the subordinate clause comes first, you need to have a comma before the independent clause: Because the brakes needed to be replaced, it took longer than usual for Tony to get his car back from the shop. There is no comma before the dependent clause if the independent clause comes first: It took longer than usual for Tony to get his car back from the shop because the brakes needed to be replaced.
A compound-complex sentence uses a coordinating conjunction to combine two complex sentences, or one simple and one complex sentence. Muna wanted to go to the concert even though she didn't have enough to buy a ticket, so she borrowed money from her brother. I tried to hand in our project on time, but my partner, who was sick all week, couldn't finish her part.
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Common mistakes Watch out for these common sentence errors when you proofread your writing: Sentence fragment: A sentence fragment is an incomplete sentence. For example, using a dependent clause by itself would be a fragment.
Run-on sentence/comma splice: A run-on sentence happens when you have two or more independent sentences, but no punctuation and/or conjuction separating them. A comma splice is a run-on sentence with a comma where there should be a period, question mark, or exclamation mark.
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How do I know it's a sentence?
There are three signs that something is a complete sentence:
1. It starts with a capital letter.
2. It ends with a period ( . ), question mark ( ? ) or exclamation point ( ! ).
3. It has at least one independent clause (in other words, a clause with a subject and verb and no subordinating conjuction).
Resources:
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