While learning a new language, students find the grammar rules the toughest to learn. Because there are countless rules that make up a language. Similarly, from English alphabets to the tenses and to the punctuations, students need to learn everything to be able to correctly speak, read, and write in English. Thus, let’s have a look at the most important English grammar rules for beginners.
Important English Grammar Rules for Beginners
Like most languages, English too can be difficult to learn. However, with the correct knowledge of English grammar rules, one can easily not learn English but also master it in no time. Thus, check out the important English grammar rules for beginners and let us know in the comments below if you need any help.
1. Punctuation Marks
Punctuation marks are one of the hardest lessons for students while learning English. Capitalizing the first letter of the word in any sentence and closing the sentence with a full stop, question mark, or exclamation mark just seem easy. But there are is not any surprise that they are one of the hardest to learn and practice.
So, you can check out our guide on punctuation marks in the given link below to learn and master punctuation marks rules.
17 Punctuation Marks in English
2. Subjects are Important
The subject of the sentence is a vital part of the sentence. It is either the person who is doing something or an object or place which is being described. For instance,
- The man tried to manipulate the kid but failed. (Here subject is the man.)
- The blue chair has been broked by the students. (Here subject is the blue chair.)
However, not every sentence needs a subject. There are sentences that require no subject, yet they give perfect meaning on their own. For instance,
- Please, be quite
- Rune!
Subject Verb Agreement Rules
3. Active Voice
In English, the most common sentence is the active voice. It is a voice in which the subject is the doer of an action. So, the subject is always followed by an action called the verb. Next, you can add an object if you need one. The formula of an active voice looks like S+V+O (subject+verb+object). For instance,
- The lion roared at the kids. (Subject= The lion, Verb= roared, Object= None)
- A fat cat was sitting on the mat. (Subject= A fat cat, Verb= Sit, Object= None)
- The angry kid broke the glass. (Subject= The angry kid, Verb= broke, Object= the glass)
Active and Passive voice
4. Direct Objects and Indirect Objects
In English sentences, the direct objects provide more information about the action in the sentence while an indirect object receives the direct object.
- Susan loves gardening. (Here gardening is direct object)
- Ali gave Ahmed his favorite video game. (Here Ahmed is direct object while video game is the indirect object)
Direct Object and Indirect Object
5. Ideas are linked with Conjunctions
When you want to link two sentences, ideas, or words, you can use conjunctions. For instance,
- Ali and Ahmed are childhood friends.
- The man rescued the cat and gave her back to her owner.
Kinds of Conjunctions
6. Adjectives vs Adverbs
Students usually adjectives are adverbs interchangeably which is syntactically wrong. An adjective describes or modifies a noun or a pronoun and they usually come before the noun or pronoun they describe. Whereas, an adverb comes after a verb and modifies a very, an adjective, or an adverb.
Kinds of Adverbs in English
- Hassan speaks fleuntly. (Fluently is an adver)
- Hassan is a fluent speaker. (Fluent is an adjective)
10 Kinds of Adjective in English
7. Homophones
In the English language, homophones are one of the most confusing lessons for new learners. Homophones are words that sound the same but they have different meanings. Their spelling may also vary. Therefore, while writing or speaking, you need to pay extra attention to choose the correct words. Similarly, while reading or listening, you can understand the meaning of the words from the context. Common examples of homophones are given below.
- they’re – their- there
- I – eye
- your – your’re
- flower – flour
- effect – affact
- our – hour
Homonyms, Homophones, Homographs, Synonyms And Antonyms
8. Collective Nouns
A collective noun is a word that describes a group of individuals, things, or animals. You can either treat them as singular nouns or plural that depends upon whether you follow British English rules or American ones. Because in, British English, collective nouns are taken as plural whereas, in American English, they are treated as singular nouns. Some common examples of collective nouns are below.
- The BBC are hiring new employees. (British English)
- My family is planning to go to zoo this weekend. (American English)
10 Kinds of Nouns With Definition and Examples
9. Tenses
There are twelve tenses in English. Each of them has its distinct usages and rules. That is why learning and practicing each of them is crucial for improving all of your four skills. For instance, we use simple present tense for habitual actions like “Mary walks her dog every evening”. Present Continuous tense is used for actions that are going on at the time of speaking. For example, “You are learning important English grammar rules for beginners”.
Similarly, when we talk about an action that has been completed and the time in which the action took place is also completed, we use the present perfect tense. However, when the time is considered unfinished, we prefer using the present perfect continuous tense. For instance:
- She has drank three cups of tea this morning.
- She has been drinking tea all day.
Download All English Tenses PDF Book
10. Double Negatives
In English, a negative concept can be expressed in two different ways. For instance:
- There was nobody willing to participate in the contest.
- There was not any body willing to participate in the contest.
- He will never go to his hometown back.
- He has not ever go to his hometown back
In the above examples, “nobody” and anybody” both have similar meanings. Among these, you can use nobody with a positive word but anybody has always used a negative word.
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