12 English Grammar Rules: A Complete Guide

Introduction to Grammar Rules in English

The English grammar rules govern the learners to make a well-structured sentence or paragraph that is grammatically correct. Moreover, following the proper rules, such as subject & verb agreement, nouns, pronouns, punctuation, tenses, articles, etc., is important as these make a proper emphasis on your main idea. Apart from that, there are endless rules here that can be learned from time to time when you get deeper into language learning. However, in the section below, you will get 12 rules to help you get a stronger command of the English language.

12 English Grammar Rules

Read the 12 English grammar rules here that are important to refine your sentences and that help you deliver your ideas better.

1. Make Sure That Your Subject and Verbs Agree

Having a proper subject verb agreement is important to make the sentence proper and complete. Here, if your subject is singular, then the verb should also be singular, and if the subject is plural, then the verb should also be in the plural form.

Example:

• Singular: He plays football. (Here, if the verb is written with ‘s’, then it is singular. Likewise, if verb is written without ‘s’, then it is plural)
• Plural: They play football.

2. Be Consistent with Tenses

Verbs are important as they indicate the time when the event happened. There are 12 types of tenses, which as subtypes of past, present, and future tenses. Therefore, it is important that you remain consistent while using the same.

Example:

• If you start a sentence with the past tense, then the entire information should be of the same time. “She played yesterday” is the correct form as the entire sentence depicts past tense. But, “She played tomorrow” will be wrong as played depicts past tense and tomorrow depicts future tense.

3. Always Complete the Sentence

A complete sentence consists of a subject and a verb, where it is made very clear what the subject is doing (through verb). A subject and a verb make a proper thought when written together, making the sentence clearer and delivering the accurate idea.

Example:

• They shouted. (They is the subject and shouted is the verb. Here, the idea is clear.)
• While sleeping. (Sleeping is the verb, but the subject is missing. Thus, the sentence is incomplete.)

4. Take Care of Capitalization

Capitalization is among the most important yet neglected part of English grammar rules. It is important to capitalize the proper nouns, such as name, city, or things, and the titles. This also ensures correct formatting in the formal documents.

Example:

• Ram was talking to Shyam yesterday.
• Martin Luther King Jr. wrote the book ‘I Have a Dream’.

5. Use Proper Articles

Proper use of articles is important as it has a good amount of effect on the meaning of the sentence. ‘A’ and ‘The’ are confused among a lot of people while writing a sentence. So, ‘the’ is used to talk about something specific or about something that you talked about earlier.

Example:

• I saw a football.
• I saw the football that you wanted to buy.

6. Use Correct Pronouns

Pronouns such as he, she, it, they, we, etc. are important elements of grammar rules in English. Here, you should take care of the gender and quantity of the noun you will replace the pronoun with.

Example:

• Deepak found his dog.
• The group sang their song.

7. Mention Accurate Prepositions

Prepositions such as in, on, at, by, and others are among the most important elements of English grammar. These are used to indicate the relationship between the words and sentence. Using the wrong preposition can change the meaning of the complete sentence.

Example:

• ‘The book is on the desk’ or ‘The book is in the desk’.

8. Proper Sentence Linking Using Conjunctions

Conjunctions such as ‘and, yet, but, so, etc. ’ are important to link the words and phrases. Moreover, they maintain connectivity throughout, which makes the idea clearer and accurate.

Example:

• I have a cat and a dog.
• He was tired, yet he came to your house.

9. Use Commas to Maintain Readability

Using commas at the perfect place makes your sentences clearer by splitting the ideas and putting emphasis on the required part of the sentence. This is one of the most important grammar rules that will increase the readability of your sentences.

Example:

• Because I was tired, sleeping early was the only choice.
• Ram, who is my friend, was gone a long back.

10. Use Apostrophes at the Right Place

Apostrophes are used only with possessives and to indicate the contraction. Its use is either to indicate that something belongs to someone, or is sometimes used in the place of missing words in case of contractions.

Example:

• This is Deepa’s laptop.
• It isn’t my home.

11. Learn Framing Questions in the Correct Way

It is important to know that switching the word order can make a proper question. Here, the auxiliary verb comes before the subject, making it in the form of a quarry. Auxiliary verbs are do, have, is, and more.

Example:

• She was driving the car. (Auxiliary verb after the subject)
• Was she driving the car? (Auxiliary verb before the subject)

12. Avoid Double Negatives

Avoid using double negatives in the same sentence, as it makes the sentence more confusing. Either make the sentence entirely positive or entirely negative by using a single word.

Example:

• He doesn’t have no friends. (Incorrect sentence with double negatives)
• He doesn’t have any friends. (Correct and meaningful sentence with a single negative)

These are 12 important English grammar rules that make your sentences more meaningful and accurate. Apart from this, there are several other rules also that you will learn with time because English grammar is a vast topic.

Why Grammar Rules Are Important?

There are several reasons why the rules of English grammar are important. It can be clarity and better understanding, or professionalism. Thus, let us discuss a bit about them below.

1. Sentence Clarity: Grammar rules improve the clarity of the sentences and make them more understandable to others.

2. Effective Communication: Using the proper rules of grammar makes your intent and idea clearer and makes communication between people effective.

3. Professionalism: Writing letters, applications, and emails by following the proper rules makes them better understood and promotes professionalism in the setting.

4. Cultural Understanding: Understanding the correct grammatical structure can get you to the level of thinking and expression that native speakers have.

5. Effective Learning: English is a part of several competitive exams, and following these rules can improve the comprehensive skills of the students.

Conclusion

This is all about the English grammar rules. Here, you read about what grammar is and why it is important to know and follow its rules. Further, 12 rules are mentioned in this blog that will surely help you improve your language command and make your expression skills more clear. So, remember that practice makes a man perfect and will lead you to the path of success. Moreover, you can also join offline and online English classes for the same.

FAQs

1. What Are the 5 Key Principles of English Grammar?

Subject-verb agreement, proper use of articles, understanding the question formation, and use of conjunctions and commas are the 5 key principles in English grammar.

2. How to Learn English Grammar Easily?

One of the best ways of learning English grammar is by practicing more and using the information and rules in real-life conversations.

3. How Do I Improve My Grammar?

Reading academic resources, newspapers, and magazines can help you improve your grammar by introducing you to the correct use of English grammar rules and structuring.

4. What Are the Basics of Grammar?

Understanding sentence formation, parts of speech, word order, and punctuation is considered the basics of grammar.