English Grammar Fundamentals

• The English language includes parts of speech, sentence structure, tenses, voices, direct and indirect speech, subject-verb agreement, modals, question tags, punctuation, and common errors in grammar.

Parts of Speech

• Nouns name a person, place, thing, or idea.
• Proper nouns name specific entities, such as Nepal or John.
• Common nouns name general things, such as country or boy.
• Countable nouns can be counted, for example, apple or chair.
• Uncountable nouns cannot be counted, such as water or happiness.
• Pronouns replace nouns; examples include he, she, it, they, we, you, I.
• Verbs indicate action or a state of being.
• Action verbs express actions, like run, eat, or jump.
• Helping verbs assist the main verb, such as is, was, has, or will.
• Linking verbs connect the subject to additional information, such as is, seem, or become.
• Adjectives describe nouns or pronouns, for example, big, red, beautiful, or intelligent.
• Adverbs modify verbs, adjectives, or other adverbs, such as quickly, very, always, or tomorrow.
• Prepositions show relationships between a noun/pronoun and another word, for example, in, on, at, under, or between.
• Conjunctions join words or sentences.
• Coordinating conjunctions include and, but, or, nor, for, yet, so.
• Subordinating conjunctions include because, although, since, unless.
• Correlative conjunctions include either…or, neither…nor, not only…but also.
• Interjections express strong emotions, such as Oh! Wow! Alas! Ouch!

Sentence Structure

• The subject of a sentence tells who or what the sentence is about.
• The predicate tells about the subject.
• For example, in "Ram is playing football," Ram is the subject, and "is playing football" is the predicate.
• Declarative sentences make a statement. (I love pizza.)
• Interrogative sentences ask a question. (Do you like ice cream?)
• Imperative sentences give a command. (Close the door.)
• Exclamatory sentences express strong feelings. (What a beautiful day!)

Tenses

• Simple Present: I play football.
• Present Continuous: I am playing football.
• Present Perfect: I have played football.
• Present Perfect Continuous: I have been playing football for an hour.
• Simple Past: I played football yesterday.
• Past Continuous: I was playing football.
• Past Perfect: I had played football before it rained.
• Past Perfect Continuous: I had been playing football for two hours.
• Simple Future: I will play football tomorrow.
• Future Continuous: I will be playing football.
• Future Perfect: I will have played football.
• Future Perfect Continuous: I will have been playing football for two hours.

Active and Passive Voice

• In the active voice, the subject performs the action (She writes a letter.)
• In the passive voice, the action is done to the subject (A letter is written by her.)

Direct and Indirect Speech

• Direct speech uses the exact words (He said, "I am happy.")
• Indirect speech reports what was said (He said that he was happy.)

Subject-Verb Agreement

• Singular subjects require singular verbs (He is happy.)
• Plural subjects require plural verbs (They are happy.)

Modals (Helping Verbs)

• Can, Could indicate ability (I can swim.)
• May, Might indicate possibility (It may rain.)
• Must, Should indicate obligation (You must wear a seatbelt.)
• Will, Would, Shall indicate future intentions (I will call you.)

Question Tags

• Question tags confirm information.
• "She is coming, isn’t she?"
• "You don’t like tea, do you?"

Punctuation Rules

• Full Stop (.) ends a statement.
• Comma (,) separates elements in a list.
• Question Mark (?) ends a question.
• Exclamation Mark (!) shows strong emotion.
• Apostrophe (’) shows possession (e.g., John’s book).
• Quotation Marks (“ ”) enclose direct speech.

Common Mistakes in Grammar

• Correct: He doesn’t like mangoes.
• Correct: She has a car.
• Correct: I go to school.

Letter Writing

• There are formal and informal letter writing conventions.

Formal Letter

• Formal letters are for official or professional communication such as job applications or requests for leave.
• The format of a formal letter includes the sender’s address, date, receiver’s address, subject, salutation (Dear Sir/Madam), body of the letter, closing (Yours sincerely, Yours faithfully), and signature.
• The body of the letter contains an introduction stating the reason for writing, the main content explaining the issue or request in detail, and a polite concluding statement.

Informal Letter

• Informal letters are for friends and family, with a friendly tone.
• The format of an informal letter includes the sender’s address, date, salutation (Dear [Name]), body of the letter, closing (Yours lovingly, Best wishes), and signature.
• The body includes an introductory question about their well-being, the main content written conversationally, and concluding good wishes.

CV (Curriculum Vitae) Writing

• CVs, also known as resumes, are for job applications, including personal details, education, and skills.
• A CV should contain personal information (name, address, contact, email), a career objective, educational qualifications (level, school, year, percentage), work experience (if any), skills (communication, teamwork, computer skills), and references (names of people who can recommend you).

Biography Writing

• A short life story of a famous person.
• The format includes an introduction (name, date of birth, place), early life (childhood, education, family background), achievements (main contributions, works, awards), and later life & death (final years, impact on the world).

Condolence Writing (Letter of Sympathy)

• Condolence letters express sympathy for someone who has lost a loved one.
• The format includes a salutation (Dear [Name]), expression of sympathy, mention of the deceased person (with positive remarks), an offer of support, and a closing (Yours sincerely, With deepest sympathy).

This lesson covers the fundamentals of English grammar. It includes parts of speech, nouns, pronouns, verbs, adjectives, and adverbs. It also delves into sentence structure, tenses, voices, direct and indirect speech, subject-verb agreement, modals, question tags, punctuation, and common grammatical errors.