Complete Handbook of English Grammar
English Grammar
English grammar is a set of rules and guidelines that ensure the correct and standard use of the English language. It helps preserve the accuracy of the language by guiding its new learners as well as current users towards standard language use.
We have assembled an extensive list of topics that cover basic English grammar to advance in a manageable succession. We hope that the new learners can follow the list put together by our experts while the experienced ones can check back on their topic of necessity with ease.
Word
Sentence
- Sentence: Definition & Types
- Simple sentence
- Compound sentence
- Complex sentence, and
- Compound-complex sentence.
Parts of speech
Noun
- Noun
- Types of Noun
- Proper Noun
- Common Noun
- Abstract Noun
- Concrete Noun
- Countable Noun
- Non-countable Noun
- Collective Noun
- Compound Noun
Pronoun
- Pronoun: Definition & Types
- Subject Pronouns
- Object Pronouns
- Possessive Pronouns
- Reflexive Pronouns
- Intensive Pronouns
- Relative Pronouns
- Demonstrative Pronouns
- Interrogative Pronouns
Adjective
- Adjective: Definition & Types
- Descriptive Adjectives
- Quantitative Adjectives
- Proper Adjectives
- Demonstrative Adjectives
- Possessive Adjectives
- Interrogative Adjectives
- Indefinite Adjectives
- Articles
- Compound Adjectives
- Degree of Adjectives
Verb
- Verb: Definition & Types
- Finite Verbs
- Non-finite Verbs
- Action Verbs
- Linking Verb
- Auxiliary Verbs
- Modal Verbs
- Past Participle
- Present Participle
Adverb
- Adverb: Definition & Types
- Conjunctive Adverbs
- Sentence Adverbs
- Adverbs of Time/Frequency (When?)
- Adverbs of Place/Direction (Where?)
- Adverbs of Degree (How Much?)
- Adverbs of Degree (How Much?)
Preposition
- Preposition: Definition & Types
- Prepositions of Time
- Prepositions of Place and Direction
- Prepositions of Agents or Things
- Phrasal Prepositions
Use of Prepositions
Prepositions are the most confusing and difficult part of grammar because almost every definition of a preposition has exceptions and different meanings. There is no better technique to grasp the correct use of prepositions other than practicing to picture how each preposition functions in certain contexts. There are some certain common uses and expressions of different prepositions.
- Prepositions of Time Usage
- Prepositions of Places & Direction Usage
- Use of Prepositions : Of, About, For, With, By
Conjunction
- Conjunction: Definition & Types
- Coordinating Conjunctions
- Correlative Conjunctions
- Subordinating Conjunctions
Interjection
Article
- Article: Definition & Types
- Rules of Using Articles with Examples
- Use of Indefinite Article
- Use of Definite Article
Tense
Present Tense
- Present Indefinite Tense
- Present Progressive (Continuous) Tense
- Present Perfect Tense
- Present Perfect Progressive (Continuous)
Past Tense
- Past Indefinite Tense
- Past Progressive (Continuous) Tense
- Past Perfect Tense
- Past Perfect Progressive Tense
Future Tense
- Simple Future (Future Indefinite) Tense
- Future Continuous Tense
- Future Perfect Tense
- Future Perfect Continuous Tense
Phrases
- Phrase: Definition, Types & Examples
- Noun Phrase
- Adjective Phrase
- Adverbial Phrase
- Prepositional Phrase
Number
Clauses
Conditionals
- Conditionals: Definition, Structure & Examples
- Types of Conditionals
- The Real Conditionals
- The Unreal Conditionals
Modal Auxiliaries
Mood
Subject-Verb Agreement
Right Forms of Verbs
Case
Transformation of Sentences
Modifiers
Narration
Determiners & Quantifiers
Prefixes
Suffixes
Question
Punctuation
Do-insertion / Do-support
Negation
Inversion
Other Topics
- Comparatives
- Subjunctive: Structures, Usage
- Perfectives: Structures & Usage
- Parallel Structure
- Embedded Questions
- Dangling Modifiers
- Pronouns before the Gerunds & Infinitives
- Antecedents of Pronoun
- Infinitive: Definition and Types
- Adjective followed by the Infinitives
- Causative Verbs
- Verbs followed by Gerunds
- Verbs followed by Infinitives
- Uses of Direct & Indirect Object
- Correct Use of "Sequence of Tense" in Writing
- Affirmative and Negative Agreement
- Avoid Redundancy to Improve Your Writing
- Singular They - Wrong or Right?
- One VS You
Why Learn English Grammar?
The number of native and second-language speakers of English makes it the most widely used language in the world to date and that has peaked the importance of learning it. Learning grammar is often one of the first steps to learning the language itself so, it’s no surprise that the learners of English cannot but spend time getting used to its grammar.
The five basic components of grammar in the English language are listed below -
- Phonology
- Morphology
- Syntax
- Semantics
- Pragmatics
Grammatical rules in English explain how letters form words, words become phrases or sentences, in what order they must come in a sentence and why. English grammar teaches the ropes to its learners by explaining and exemplifying each topic relevant to using the English language correctly.
The chief importance of learning it -
Know the Distinct Features of Language
By learning English grammar, students of the language get to know what features of the language set it apart from the rest. English as Second Language (ESL) learners often learn the grammatical rules in English by comparing them with the grammar of their native language. For example, it will be news to native Spanish and Arabic speakers learning English grammar that every English word is not gendered unlike that of Spanish and Arabic.
Learn the Correct Spellings and Pronunciations
Defining, theorizing and teaching the correct spellings and pronunciations of each word are among the biggest responsibilities of grammar. Phonology and phonetics deal with what spelling should sound like. For instance, grammar determines that “Saline” will always end with an “e” and the pronunciation will be IPA: /ˈseɪ.laɪn/ in the United Kingdom English and IPA: /ˈseɪliːn/ in the United States one.
The Formation, Meaning Making and Usage of Words
Morphology takes care of the word formations, meaning-making as well as usage in sentences to accurately express what people feel. As an example, grammar will explain the rules to add prefixes and suffixes to existing words including a demonstration as to how the meanings change with such additions.
Structure and Meaning of Sentences
Syntax and semantics are the sectors of grammar that deal with the formation of sentences as well as how and what they mean when particular words are used in succession. To specify, English grammar teaches how Subject + Verb + Object is the basic rule to construct any sentence in the language.
History of English Grammar
If English is your target language, English grammar can explain what initially fails to make sense while coming across uncommon sentences or new words. One may be interested to know about the history behind its coming into being.
We must start right from the history of grammar itself. Though Sanskrit grammar had been orchestrated around the fifth century BC in India, the modern English grammar has found its roots in the Greek grammar developed around the first century BC and the subsequent Latin one based on the Greek only about two thousand years later.
Who Makes the Grammar Rules?
Grammarians and linguists make grammatical rules so that people can learn and use languages easily. Grammarians are the scholars who study, teach, write and research systax and grammatical rules for their sheer love and passion for it. They are often native speakers of the language they deal with.
Linguists, on the other hand, are language nerds who love dissecting languages and finding similarities and dissimilarities between different languages around the world. These language and grammar nerds list out the existing rules within a language (as well as their exceptions) and those become the grammatical rules.
Languages have a tendency to evolve and change with time depending on who use them and where. English grammar has been rather rigid in the sense that grammarians and linguists have laid down rules depending on what was believed to be the correct use of the language at the time. With time nevertheless, English has become the language of the entire world and so the grammatical rules started evolving with the cultures and linguistic differences of its new speakers depending on their geopolitical locations.
Our Words
Learning a language is like learning the most important aspect of a nation. English is a language which has crossed its national boundary for a long time now. English is spoken in almost all the countries of the world as an international language. As a result, this language has many varieties now. However, among these varieties, the standard form of English still is and will be regarded as the most prestigious and accepted form of English. Apparently, learning the standard form of English with the understanding of how it works incorporates paramount importance. This project is an attempt to provide the learners with the basic grammatical structures in an easily comprehensible style.
This website will give you a complete understanding of the structures and the ways of developing sentences in English. You will find a complete list of the topics and sub-topics on the first page of the website and you will be able to access them easily. The topics are discussed thoroughly with lots of examples and explanations. You will also find the exception of the common structures noted and explained with each topic. This website will provide you with a complete grammar book and on top of that, you will find the topics interlinked so that you can access them easily.
It is generally presumed that grammar only helps the ESL (English as a Second Language) learners to write correct English and native speakers do not need grammar to write without mistakes. However, a native speaker of English will find this website useful if s/he wants to understand how his/her mother tongue works. This website will also help the native speakers of English use their language consciously and correctly.
We have tried our best to produce an innovative but comprehensible approach to learn English grammar. However, we know that there is a lot of scope for improvements. We will deeply appreciate your suggestions and comments and try to improve the contents.