15 Must Know English Grammar Rules
Discover the 15 essential grammar rules you need to know. Enhance your writing and communication skills with these key guidelines.
The English language has a rich history. With time it has adopted many rules to evolve into one of the most comprehensive languages. And now, it has one of the largest vocabulary and rules among global languages.
According to Lingoda, the Oxford English Dictionary has over 200,000 words and the number of rules is around 3500 – Gymglish
But you don’t have to worry about learning them all to improve your grammar.
I am pointing out the top 15 rules that should be enough for you to strengthen your grip on English.
15 Must Know English Grammar Rules
These 15 rules should be followed each time you make a sentence. Without them, your sentences are meaningless.
1. Subject-verb agreement
The verbs should always be consistent with the subject. If the subject is singular, the verb should also be singular (base form with an ‘s’ or ‘es’), and when the subject is plural, the verb used is also in its plural form.
Use ‘s’ or ‘es’ at the end of the verb to use with the singular subject.
Example:
- Martin goes to school (singular form of verb)
- Students go to school (plural form of verb)
2. Proper sentence structure
The structure of your sentences should be complete. A complete sentence structure requires a subject and a verb in the sentence. The sentence will be meaningless in the absence of them.
Does the sentence “I hungry” make any sense to you?
No! Because there is no verb in it.
It should be “I am hungry”
Example:
- He works hard to achieve his goals (He is the subject, works is the verb)
- The watchman of our building sleeps at night (‘The watchman of our building’ is the subject, ‘sleeps’ is the verb)
3. Use of articles (a, an, the)
Articles are another part of speech that gives context about the noun we are using in the sentence. These are three in number: ‘a’, ‘an’, and ‘the’.
Articles are types of adjectives and are placed before the noun.
- Use the article ‘the’ if your listener knows your noun
- If the listener is not familiar with the noun, we use ‘a’ or ‘an’
- Article ‘an’ is used before nouns that start with a vowel ‘a, e, i, o, u’
Example:
- The teacher is here to take the exam (Familiarity)
- A teacher is here to take the exam (Non-familiarity)
- An examiner is here to take the exam (vowel)
4. Correct tense usage
12 types of verb tenses are used to define different timelines and the nature of action.
There are three timeframes: past, present, and future. Each of them is further divided into four tenses: Indefinite, continuous, perfect, and perfect continuous.
Example:
- Present indefinite: He drives everyday
- Present continuous: He is driving the car
- Present perfect: He has driven the car
- Present perfect continuous: He has been driving for a year now
- Past indefinite: He drove the car
- Past continuous: He was driving the car
- Past perfect: He had driven the car
- Past perfect continuous: He had been driving the car for a year
- Future indefinite: He will drive the car
- Future continuous: He will be driving the car
- Future perfect: He will have driven the car
- Future perfect continuous: He will be driving the car for a year
5. Capitalization rule
The first letter of a sentence should always be capitalized. Other than that, proper nouns also start with a capital letter.
A proper noun is a title given to a person, place, or establishment. Like Alice, New York, and Apple.
Example:
- We are not leaving without him (First letter of the sentence)
- His name is Michael (Name of a person)
- I am from Australia (Name of a place)
- She is an engineer at Samsung (Name of a company)
6. Use of prepositions
Prepositions connect nouns, pronouns, and phrases to other parts of the sentence. They change with the nouns and the meaning of the sentence. You have to memorize what preposition is used with a noun.
Example:
- He is leaving for Canada
- He is going to Canada
7. Correct pronoun usage
Use the correct pronoun to replace a noun in a paragraph. It improves the readability of your writing by avoiding repetitions. There are 9 types of pronouns which are used according to the noun they replace.
Example:
- John is my best friend. He is a high school student. He also plays badminton for the school. His jersey number is 31.
8. Proper use of adjectives and adverbs
Adjectives provide additional information about nouns, and adverbs describe verbs, adjectives, and other adverbs.
These parts of speech should always be in agreement with the words they are describing.
Example:
- She is a quick runner (adjective)
- She runs quickly (adverb)
9. Apostrophes
Apostrophes are the commas used after a noun to show possession or relation. The apostrophe is commonly followed by an ‘s’ but if the noun ends with an ‘s’, only the apostrophe is enough.
Example:
- Abraham’s car broke down last night
- My friends’ families are also invited to the party (noun ends with ‘s’)
10. Question mark
Do not ever forget to use a question mark after an interrogative sentence. The listener or reader may get the original meaning you are trying to convey but it is against grammar to not use it after a question.
Example:
- Are you coming to the party?
- Will he be willing to sign the will?
11. Avoiding double negatives
A double negative in a single sentence decreases the readability and may also confuse the reader. Sometimes a double negative can change the meaning of a sentence to affirmation. So, be careful with that.
Example:
- He is not unable to walk (Simply say: He is able to walk)
12. Use of conjunctions
Conjunctions combine words, phrases, or clauses to complete a sentence. These conjunctions are put to complete the message we are trying to convey.
Example:
- I want to go, but I am tired.
- I want to go, and buy ice cream.
13. Commonly confused words
Be careful of the words that look alike. They can be overlooked while writing and change the whole meaning of the sentence. Some common homophones are:
- They’re, there, and their.
- Then and than
- Its and it’s
Example:
- They’re here to eat their lunch so they can go there.
- Then he said, “He is better than you”.
- It’s your duty to clear its fur.
14. Proper punctuations
We always take minor pauses while talking to add expressions and convey a message in a certain way. While writing we use punctuations marks to do that job for use. There certain symbols to use like the one we discussed above, the question mark.
Add these marks properly in your writing to express emotions and make your sentences meaningful. Proper use of commas, periods, question marks, etc., is essential for clarity.
Example:
- Let’s eat Grandma! (It can be interpreted in a wrong sense, use a comma after eat to create a pause which will convey the intended message)
Like “Let’s eat, Grandma!” - What are you doing here? (Question)
- Come on, do it! (expression of intensity)
15. Verb consistency
If the sentence you are making is complex, you have to be consistent with the forms of verbs you are using for all the actions in your message.
All the verbs should be in the same form, otherwise it can can change the meaning or the readability of your message.
If you struggle with maintaining verb consistency, a rewording tool can help simplify and align your sentence structure.
Example:
- Walking down the street, I saw a dog. (not: Walking down the street, a dog was seen by me)
7 Times You Should Break Grammar Rules
You are not supposed to break grammar rules, but sometimes you may feel the sentence does not sound the way you want it to. You can break some rules for the sake of proper meaning. If it conveys the message, you are good to go.
I am writing 7 major situations where it is good to not follow grammar rules.
- Creative writings like poems and fictions require you to write in a way you want, following grammar rules may stop you from adding your unique voice or style. For example, “She was tired. Exhausted. Drained of all energy”
- While writing dialogues, some characters may not follow grammar to infuse intensity, unique voice or style in the character. For example, “I ain’t got no time for that,” which is grammatically incorrect but realistic in certain situations.
- In casual conversations like on social media posts, texts or comments, strict grammar rules are relaxed. Because the intention is to convey a message quickly. For example, “I gonna test it for you” instead of “I am going to test it for you”.
- As I have already told you that you cannot start a sentence with a conjunction, but modern writings allow it for the sake of clarity and effect. For example, “You cannot use it. But you can in the emergencies”.
- You are not supposed to end a sentence with a preposition but certain messages require you to do that. It is done for the purpose of emphasis. For example, “What are you doing it for?”, and “This is the issue I was talking about.”
- In marketing, advertising, or creative writing, sentences are divided into fragments to emphasize or to create a conversational tone. For example, “A better future. That’s what we’re working for.”
- Traditional grammar does not allow us to describe an infinitive with an adverb or an adjective. But for some clarity and intensity, we use them. For example, “She decided to fully understand the concept before moving on”.
Common Grammatical Mistakes to Avoid
There are some common mistakes that most people do in English. I am writing them for you to avoid them while writing or speaking.
- “I” is always written in a capital letter whenever comes alone. For example, “Whenever I see him, I feel bad”.
- Things that are naturally present in a pair are always used in their plural form. For example, “My scissors are sharp” (not: My scissor is sharp)
- Whom is the objective form of who, it is interchangeable with who in sentences. For example, “Who is coming to the party?” (Not: Whom is coming to the party?), and “By whom this car is being driven?”
Conclusion
Grammar rules make our messages correct and meaningful. Following them while writing not only conveys the right message but also makes it more readable.
Breaking grammar rules should be done with purpose and awareness. When done correctly, it can enhance communication, making writing more engaging, natural, or impactful.
However, it's important to understand the rules thoroughly before choosing to break them, as doing so improperly can lead to confusion rather than clarity.
For this purpose, I have written basic and important rules of grammar in this article. Understand them properly and start practicing them in your daily life conversations.
