English Grammar Study Notes

Nouns: Names of people, places, things, or ideas (e.g., dog, city, happiness).
Pronouns: Words that replace nouns (e.g., he, she, it, they).
Verbs: Words that express action or state of being (e.g., run, is).
Adjectives: Words that describe nouns or pronouns (e.g., blue, tall, beautiful).
Adverbs: Words that modify verbs, adjectives, or other adverbs (e.g., quickly, very).
Prepositions: Words that show relationships between nouns (e.g., in, on, at).
Conjunctions: Words that connect clauses or sentences (e.g., and, but, or).
Interjections: Words that express strong emotions (e.g., wow, ouch).

Simple Sentences: Contains one independent clause (e.g., The dog barks).
Compound Sentences: Contains two or more independent clauses joined by a conjunction (e.g., The dog barks, and the cat meows).
Complex Sentences: Contains one independent clause and at least one dependent clause (e.g., Although it was raining, we went for a walk).
Compound-Complex Sentences: Contains at least two independent clauses and one or more dependent clauses (e.g., Although it was raining, we went for a walk, and we enjoyed it).

Present Tense: Describes actions happening now (e.g., She walks).
Past Tense: Describes actions that have already happened (e.g., She walked).
Future Tense: Describes actions that will happen (e.g., She will walk).
Perfect Tenses: Indicate actions that are completed relative to another time (e.g., has walked, had walked, will have walked).

Active Voice: Subject performs the action (e.g., The chef cooks the meal).
Passive Voice: Subject receives the action (e.g., The meal is cooked by the chef).

Misuse of there, their, and they’re.
Confusion between to, too, and two.
Incorrect verb forms (e.g., “He go” instead of “He goes”).
Sentence fragments: Incomplete sentences lacking a subject or verb.
Run-on sentences: Two or more independent clauses joined without proper punctuation.

Use a mix of simple, compound, and complex sentences to enhance writing style and clarity.

Nouns identify entities such as people, places, objects, or concepts (e.g., dog, city, happiness).
Pronouns serve as substitutes for nouns, providing clarity and avoiding repetition (e.g., he, she, it, they).
Verbs convey actions or states (e.g., run expresses an action, while is indicates a state of being).
Adjectives add detail to nouns or pronouns by describing characteristics (e.g., blue, tall, beautiful).
Adverbs enhance the meaning of verbs, adjectives, or other adverbs, indicating how actions occur (e.g., quickly, very).
Prepositions establish relationships between nouns (e.g., in, on, at), indicating location or time.
Conjunctions link clauses or sentences, facilitating the flow of ideas (e.g., and, but, or).
Interjections are expressions of strong feelings or reactions, often standing alone (e.g., wow, ouch).

Simple sentences include a single independent clause, conveying a complete thought (e.g., The dog barks).
Compound sentences consist of two or more independent clauses connected by conjunctions (e.g., The dog barks, and the cat meows).
Complex sentences incorporate one independent clause and at least one dependent clause to provide additional information (e.g., Although it was raining, we went for a walk).
Compound-complex sentences contain multiple independent clauses and one or more dependent clauses, allowing for intricate ideas (e.g., Although it was raining, we went for a walk, and we enjoyed it).

Present tense reflects ongoing actions or repeated behaviors (e.g., She walks).
Past tense describes actions that have occurred previously (e.g., She walked).
Future tense indicates actions that are expected to happen (e.g., She will walk).
Perfect tenses express actions completed relative to another time, providing context for timing (e.g., has walked, had walked, will have walked).

Subjects and verbs must match in number, which means singular subjects take singular verbs and plural subjects take plural verbs (e.g., The dog barks vs. The dogs bark).

Active voice emphasizes the subject performing the action (e.g., The chef cooks the meal).
Passive voice highlights the subject receiving the action, often downplaying the doer (e.g., The meal is cooked by the chef).

Periods mark the conclusion of declarative sentences, indicating full stops.
Commas separate items in lists, clauses, and adjectives, helping to clarify sentences.
Semicolons connect closely related independent clauses, enhancing the coherence of ideas.
Colons introduce lists, explanations, or direct quotations, providing clarity and emphasis.
Quotation marks signify direct speech or citations, distinguishing quoted material from the narrative.

Incorrect usage of there, their, and they’re reflects confusion between locations, ownership, and contractions.
Misunderstanding between to, too, and two can lead to improper contextual use.
Errors in verb forms occur when incorrect tense agreements are made (e.g., saying “He go” instead of “He goes”).
Sentence fragments are incomplete thoughts that lack a subject or verb, leading to ambiguity.
Run-on sentences join multiple independent clauses without appropriate punctuation, creating confusion.