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11 Immutable Rules of English Grammar

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Shane Mathew
11 Immutable Rules of English Grammar

English grammar can be complex and daunting, but it is an essential aspect of effective communication in the language. Whether you are a student learning English as a second language or a native speaker looking to improve your writing, mastering the fundamental rules of English grammar is crucial.


Here are 11 immutable rules of English grammar that every English aspirant must know and learn:


  1. Subject-Verb Agreement: The subject and the verb in a sentence must agree in number. For instance, if the subject is singular, the verb should also be singular.
  2. Use of Articles: There are three articles in English- "a," "an," and "the." "A" and "an" are indefinite articles, while "the" is a definite article. Use "a" before a consonant sound, and use "an" before a vowel sound.
  3. Capitalization: Capitalize the first letter of the first word in a sentence, proper nouns, titles, and headings.
  4. Use of Commas: Commas are used to separate items in a list, separate clauses, and set off introductory phrases.
  5. Pronouns: A pronoun must agree with its antecedent in gender and number. For example, use "he" for a male antecedent and "she" for a female antecedent.
  6. Prepositions: Prepositions are words that show the relationship between a noun or pronoun and other words in a sentence. Common prepositions include "at," "in," "on," "with," "to," and "from."
  7. Adjectives: Adjectives are words that describe or modify nouns or pronouns. They should be placed before the noun or pronoun they describe.
  8. Adverbs: Adverbs are words that describe or modify verbs, adjectives, or other adverbs. They should be placed close to the word they modify.
  9. Tenses: The tense of a verb tells when an action occurred- past, present, or future. Ensure that your writing is consistent with your verb tenses.
  10. Active and Passive Voice: Use active voice to make your writing more direct and concise. Use passive voice when the object is more important than the subject.
  11. Punctuation: Use proper punctuation marks such as periods, question marks, exclamation marks, semicolons, and colons to enhance the clarity of your writing. Also, consider reading the rules of punctuation marks in English before using them.


Subject-Verb Agreement:


Subject-verb agreement is the concept that the subject and verb in a sentence must agree in number. For instance, if the subject is singular, the verb should also be singular. Similarly, if the subject is plural, the verb should also be plural. For example, "The cat chases the mouse" is correct, whereas "The cat chases the mouse" is incorrect.


Use of Articles:


In English, there are three articles- "a," "an," and "the." "A" and "an" are indefinite articles, whereas "the" is a definite article. Indefinite articles are used when referring to a non-specific noun, whereas a definite article is used when referring to a specific noun. For example, "I need a pencil" refers to any pencil, whereas "I need the pencil" refers to a specific pencil.

Capitalization:

Capitalization refers to the use of capital letters in a sentence. The first letter of the first word in a sentence should always be capitalized. Additionally, proper nouns, such as names of people, places, and organizations, should also be capitalized. Titles and headings should also be capitalized.

Use of Commas:

Commas are used to separate items in a list, to separate clauses, and to set off introductory phrases. Commas are also used to set off nonessential information from the rest of the sentence. For example, "John, who is my neighbor, is a lawyer" contains nonessential information about John's profession.

Pronouns:

Pronouns are words that replace nouns in a sentence. A pronoun must agree with its antecedent in gender and number. For example, use "he" for a male antecedent and "she" for a female antecedent. For example, "Maria went to the store, and she bought some apples."

Prepositions:

Prepositions are words that show the relationship between a noun or pronoun and other words in a sentence. Common prepositions include "at," "in," "on," "with," "to," and "from." For example, "The cat is on the roof."

Adjectives:

Adjectives are words that describe or modify nouns or pronouns. They should be placed before the noun or pronoun they describe. For example, "The red car" uses the adjective "red" to describe the noun "car."

Adverbs:

Adverbs are words that describe or modify verbs, adjectives, or other adverbs. They should be placed close to the word they modify. For example, "He ran quickly" uses the adverb "quickly" to describe how he ran.

Tenses:

Tenses refer to when an action occurred- past, present, or future. Ensure that your writing is consistent with your verb tenses. For example, "She is eating an apple" is in the present tense, whereas "She ate an apple" is in the past tense.

Active and Passive Voice:

Active voice is when the subject performs the action, whereas passive voice is when the subject receives the action. Use active voice to make your writing more direct and concise. Use passive voice when the object is more important than the subject. For example, "The dog bit the man" is in active voice, whereas "The man was bitten by the dog" is in passive voice.

Punctuation:

Punctuation marks such as periods, question marks, exclamation marks, semicolons, and colons are used to enhance the clarity of your writing.

Learning English can be a difficult task, but with an English speaking course, mastering the art of English grammar doesn’t have to be. A good English-speaking course will provide the necessary tools to equip you with the knowledge and confidence to speak English fluently. These courses will often focus on teaching the fundamentals of English grammar, such as sentence structure, parts of speech, and punctuation.

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