English Grammar Rules

Grammar is an extensive field in every language. English language is no different and is also full of numerous grammar concepts and detailed rules for every concept. These rules need to be taken care of in order to perfect written and spoken skills in this language. Some important rules pertaining to English grammar are summed up below in brief:

1. Capital letters: Only capital letters should be used for proper nouns and at the beginning of a sentence.
2. Noun and Verb: For every sentence there should be one noun and one verb. A sentence with more than one noun or verb is confusing to understand.
3. Difference between ‘who and whom’: ‘Whom’ should not be used in those places where ‘who’ can be applied. For example: We say ‘Who are you speaking to?’ or ‘To whom are you speaking?’ but we never say: "Whom are you speaking to?"
4. The difference between ‘that’ and ‘which’: We should use ‘which’ for non-defining clauses whereas ‘that’ for defining clauses.  
5. Use of Possessive Nouns: Non-native speakers of the English get confused about showing possession while writing or speaking in English. For example: ‘The car belonging to the man’ can also be referred to as ‘The man’s car’.
6. Punctuation: Use appropriate punctuation when a sentence is complete. There is no need to have dual punctuation when ending a sentence.
7. Comparison of adjectives: We add ‘er’ to compare short adjectives like ‘big’ and ‘pretty’ and we add ‘more’ for longer adjectives like ‘beautiful’ and ‘intelligent’.
8. Use of conjunctions: When connecting two lines of thought in a sentence, use a conjunction to make thoughts slow smoothly. Though it is a myth that a sentence shouldn’t be started with a conjunction and is avoided in several cases, it is not true for all conditions.
9. Ending a sentence with a preposition: It’s a common myth that in English language a sentence shouldn’t be ended with a Preposition, but it is not true. Like beginning a sentence with a conjunction, this is always completely fine.
10. Using paragraphs: Whenever writing multiple sentences about the same subject or line of thought, use paragraphs to divide long segments of writing.
11. Use of apostrophe: If an apostrophe is needed make sure to use it to show ownership. An apostrophe is also used when words are abbreviated.
12. Use of comma: If a line of thought requires a list, make sure to separate each article by a comma.
13. Use of subjunctive: The subjunctive is used to describe a wish or a state of affairs that isn't the case. The plural form of the past tense ‘were’ should always be used in subjunctives.
14. Use of semi colon: If you have two lines of thought that are similar feel free to use a semicolon to combine them.

English modal verbs

Modals or modal verbs are those special verbs that do not follow the conventional rules in English and hence behave in an irregular manner. They are very different from the normal verbs (Regular & Irregular Verbs). They give additional information about the function of the main verb that follows it. Modal verb are usually followed by an infinitive without ‘to’. There are 10 common modal verbs in the English language: can, could, may, might, will, would, must, shall, should and ought to.

Modal verbs can be very useful in communications as they express functions such as permission, obligation, prohibition, ability, lack of necessity, probability, possibility and advice. Let’s see some of them in detail:

-      Modals can be used to describe that something is probable or possible. For example:  ‘It is rainy today; it must be cold outside’ which means that as it is rainy today; it is probably cold outside.

-      Skills and abilities can be described by ‘can’ and ‘could’. For example: ‘I can swim.’

-       ‘Must’ is used for something that is necessary and ‘should’ is used to suggest that something is advisable. For example: ‘You must finish the work tomorrow, else you’ll be finished’ and ‘You shouldn’t talk rudely.’

-       ‘Can’, ‘could’ and ‘may’ are used to ask for, give and withhold permission. For example: ‘Can I go to the picnic?’

-       ‘Will’ and ‘would’ are used to talk about habits, routines and preferences. For example: ‘I used to be talkative as a kid.’

Prepositional Phrases in Grammar

A prepositional phrase always begins with a preposition, ends with an object, and may have modifiers between the preposition and object of the preposition. A preposition and its object is called a prepositional phrase. Some words that are commonly used as propositions are:

up, down, behind, beside, at, on, over, below, about, above, beyond, along, aside, between, beneath, in spite of, instead of, into, like, near, since, through, towards, under, for, with, upon, except, because of, inside, outside, until, etc.

These words can also be used as prepositions in a prepositional phrase. If any of these words do not have an object when used in a sentence, then the word is not working as a preposition.

A word can be a preposition only when it has an object to complete it. To decide what the object is, say the preposition followed by whom or what. If a noun or a pronoun answers the question, the word is a preposition. For example:

Example: He stood up and hid behind the door. 

He stood up what? There is no object; therefore ‘up’ is not a preposition.

Hid behind what? ‘The door’ is the answer; therefore, ‘behind’ is a preposition. ‘Behind the door’ is the prepositional phrase starting with the preposition ‘behind’ and ending with the object ‘door’ with a modifier ‘the’ in between.

There can be numerous prepositional phrases depending on varied sentences and how the prepositions are used in them. Some examples can be: at home, in time, with me, under the warm blanket, on the chair, etc.

Participles in English

Participles are the form of the verb that usually ends in ‘ed’ or ‘ing’ and is used as an adjective.
In English grammar, there are two forms of participles:

1.    Present Participle
2.    Past Participle or Perfect Participle

Present participle is a form of a verb that ends in ‘ing’ and comes after another verb to show continuous action. It is used to form present continuous.

•    He is singing in front of the class.
•    She is watching television.
•    They are eating in a restaurant.

In the above examples, ‘singing’, ‘watching’ and ‘eating’ are present participles.
Present participles can be used in the following ways:

As an adjective:
•    It was a boring movie.
•    It was challenging for the mountaineers to climb the cliff.
•    He convincing in the interview.
•    It was an exciting roller coaster.
•    The documentary was interesting.

With verbs like ‘spend’, ‘waste’, ‘catch’, ‘find’:

•    He spent the entire night watching movies.
•    Spend your money in buying books for yourself.
•    He wasted two hours chatting with friends.
•    Don’t waste your time sleeping in the afternoon.
•    He caught his brother reading his love letters.
•    We found her strolling in the garden all alone.
•    Let me not find you watching television!

Past participle or perfect participle is a form of the verb that is usually made by adding ‘ed’ in the end. For example:

•    The past participle of ‘play’ is ‘played’.
•    The past participle of ‘watch’ is ‘watched’.
•    The past participle of ‘work’ is ‘worked’.

List of Prepositions with examples

Prepositions can be described as words that are used to connect nouns, pronouns and phrases in a sentence.  Prepositions illustrate the relation between the words it connects. Prepositions can be broadly divided into three categories:

1. -          Prepositions of time
2. -          Prepositions of place
3. -          Prepositions of movement

Some examples of preposition are:

up, down, behind, beside, at, on, over, below, about, above, beyond, along, aside, between, beneath, in spite of, instead of, into, like, near, since, through, towards, under, for, with, upon, except, because of, inside, outside, until, etc. 

Let’s look at a detailed preposition list with examples:

1.    Aboard: We went aboard the plane.
2.    Above: Our plane was flying above the clouds.
3.    Across: The shop is located across the road.
4.    At: He’s at home.
5.    Behind: the store is located behind the college.
6.    Below: He’s hiding below the table.
7.    Beside: the river runs beside their house.
8.    By: They are coming by car.
9.    Considering: The prices are way too high considering the poor quality of the products.
10.    Close to: They stay pretty close to each other.
11.    Down: The police ran down the hill to catch the thief.
12.    During: She fell asleep during the presentation.
13.    Due to: The match was cancelled due to bad weather conditions.
14.    Except: You can have anything except this pen.
15.    For: This is for you.
16.    From: I was prevented from entering the house.
17.    Given: They are quite fine, given the adverse conditions.
18.    In: They live is an apartment.
19.    Inside: It was dark inside the room.
20.    Into: The dog jumped into the well.
21.    Like: He’s a lot like his brother.
22.    Near: The cafe is near the stationary store.
23.    Of: The house is located at the end of the road.
24.    Off: Please take your shoes off before entering the temple.
25.    On: How many times have I told you not to sit on the table?
26.    Outside: I live in Oakville. It’s outside Toronto.
27.    Owing to: They cancelled their swimming plans, owing to the cold weather.
28.    Past: I saw him yesterday when he drove past his school.
29.    Prior to: I never spoke Italian prior to living in Italy.
30.    Regarding: I need to talk to you regarding the trip.
31.    Respecting: I am writing to her respecting our latest products.
32.    Regardless of: The clothes were pretty cheap regardless of their high end brands.
33.    Since: I haven’t seen her since Friday.
34.    Than: My house is bigger than yours.
35.    Through: The train went through a tunnel.
36.    Throughout: I was busy throughout the day.
37.    Till: I work from 10 am till 7 am.
38.    To: I wanted to give it to him.
39.    Towards: I drove off towards the beach.
40.    Under: The box is kept under the bed.
41.    Until: We should wait until she comes.
42.    With: I live with my parents.
43.    Without: She listened without speaking even once.
44.    Worth: The house is worth $5 million.
45.    With reference to: I am writing with reference to your order.