English Grammar Basics

Parts of Speech

• Nouns: Words that refer to people, places, things, and ideas
  • Common nouns: cat, city
  • Proper nouns: John, London
  • Collective nouns: family, team
  • Abstract nouns: happiness, freedom
• Verbs: Words that express action or a state of being
  • Action verbs: run, jump
  • Linking verbs: be, seem
  • Helping verbs: will, would
  • Transitive verbs: eat, write
  • Intransitive verbs: sleep, laugh
• Adjectives: Words that describe or modify nouns or pronouns
  • Quantitative adjectives: one, two, three
  • Qualitative adjectives: happy, tall, blue
• Adverbs: Words that describe or modify verbs, adjectives, or other adverbs
  • Manner adverbs: quickly, loudly
  • Time adverbs: yesterday, soon
  • Place adverbs: here, there
  • Frequency adverbs: often, rarely
• Pronouns: Words that replace nouns in a sentence
  • Personal pronouns: I, you, he, she, it
  • Possessive pronouns: my, your, his, her, its
  • Reflexive pronouns: myself, yourself, himself, herself, itself
• Prepositions: Words that show the relationship between a noun or pronoun and other words in a sentence
  • Words of location: in, on, at
  • Words of direction: to, from, up
  • Words of time: at, by, until
• Conjunctions: Words that connect words, phrases, or clauses in a sentence
  • Coordinating conjunctions: and, but, or
  • Subordinating conjunctions: because, since, unless
• Interjections: Words that express emotion or feeling
  • Oh, wow, ouch

Sentence Structure

• Simple sentences: One independent clause
  • Declarative sentence: The sun rises in the east.
  • Interrogative sentence: What is your name?
  • Imperative sentence: Close the door.
  • Exclamatory sentence: What a beautiful day!
• Compound sentences: Two or more independent clauses joined by a conjunction
  • I went to the store, and I bought some milk.
• Complex sentences: One independent clause and one or more dependent clauses
  • When I got home, I realized I had forgotten my keys.
• Compound-complex sentences: Two or more independent clauses and one or more dependent clauses
  • I went to the store, and I bought some milk, because I needed it for the recipe.

Verb Tenses

• Present tense: Action that happens now
  • Simple present: I go to school.
  • Present continuous: I am studying English.
  • Present perfect: I have studied English for three years.
  • Present perfect continuous: I have been studying English for three years.
• Past tense: Action that happened in the past
  • Simple past: I went to school.
  • Past continuous: I was studying English.
  • Past perfect: I had studied English for three years.
  • Past perfect continuous: I had been studying English for three years.
• Future tense: Action that will happen in the future
  • Simple future: I will go to school.
  • Future continuous: I will be studying English.
  • Future perfect: I will have studied English for three years.
  • Future perfect continuous: I will have been studying English for three years.

Modality

• Modal verbs: Verbs that express possibility, necessity, or obligation
  • Can: I can speak English.
  • Could: I could speak English when I was younger.
  • May: You may go to the party.
  • Might: It might rain tomorrow.
  • Shall: We shall meet at 5 o'clock.
  • Should: You should try this new restaurant.
  • Will: I will go to the gym tomorrow.
  • Would: I would like to go to the movies tonight.