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Learning English grammar can feel scary, especially if it is not your first language. \u200bWhether you\u2019re learning English as a second language or simply want a refresher course on the basics, you will need to understand and learn English grammar.<\/p>\n
Thankfully, learning English grammar doesn\u2019t need to feel like a chore, and it\u2019s actually much simpler than most people realize. That\u2019s why we\u2019ve devised this useful grammar guide on how to learn English grammar in 5 easy steps<\/strong>!<\/p>\n The great thing about learning English grammar is that you don\u2019t have to start with the most complex rules (in fact, you shouldn\u2019t). After all, you\u2019ll need to learn to walk before you can run!<\/p>\n So, let\u2019s look at some basic grammar rules to get you started on your language-learning journey:<\/p>\n The parts of speech<\/a> are the different categories of English words. Every English word fits into a category, and the parts of speech help English speakers understand how each word can be used.<\/p>\n There are 8 basic parts of speech that you will need to know:<\/p>\n Once you understand the eight basic parts of speech, you can begin to expand your vocabulary<\/a>. This is one of the most important steps toward learning English grammar. Before you break out your English dictionary, you will need to understand the parts of speech.<\/p>\n Below, you will find examples of some common words in the English language, divided into their respective parts of speech:<\/p>\n Nouns<\/strong><\/p>\n Nouns can also be subdivided into two distinct groups: proper nouns and common nouns. Generally, proper nouns are capitalized and common nouns are not. A proper noun is the name of a specific group, person, place, thing, or idea (United Nations, Australia, Brad Pitt, The Declaration of Independence<\/em>). Alternatively, a common noun refers to less specific things (animal, table, city, meeting, man<\/em>).<\/p>\n Pronouns<\/strong><\/p>\n Though there are many different types of pronouns, there are a few types that are very important for English beginners: Personal, Demonstrative, and Possessive Pronouns. Here are a few examples of each:<\/p>\n Verbs<\/p>\n Much like nouns, verbs can be subdivided into two important categories: stative verbs and active verbs. Stative verbs are used to describe the state of being, appearance, or other characteristics of the subject (the flower smells<\/strong> nice, he is<\/strong> from England, she understands<\/strong> the question<\/em>). Alternatively, active verbs describe actions or occurrences (she is studying<\/strong> English, we\u2019re having<\/strong> lunch, they\u2019re looking<\/strong> for books<\/em>). Additionally, while active verbs can be used in the continuous tense, stative verbs cannot.<\/p>\n Adjectives<\/strong><\/p>\n Many adjectives can be identified by their prefixes and\/or suffixes. These prefixes and suffixes can help language learners extract meaning.<\/p>\n A few examples include prefixes that all signify opposition or \u201cnot,\u201d like unlikely, impossible, irreverent, illogical, non-participant,<\/em><\/strong> and dis<\/strong>loyal<\/em>. Similarly, there are a few suffixes that signify certain meanings, like colorful<\/strong> (\u201cfull of\u201d), homeless<\/strong> (\u201cwithout\u201d), countable<\/strong> (\u201ccan be\u201d).<\/p>\n This rule typically doesn\u2019t apply to shorter adjectives (see examples below):<\/p>\n An \u201carticle\u201d is an important kind of adjective that acts differently than other adjectives. Articles always come before the noun that they modify. There are only 3 articles in the English language:<\/p>\n Adverbs<\/strong><\/p>\n Many adverbs end in -ly, though this is not always the case. Some words that end in -ly are not adverbs, and some adverbs have a different ending entirely. Here are a few of the most common adverbs:<\/p>\n Prepositions<\/strong><\/p>\n Prepositions can describe three types of relations: temporal (time), spatial (space), and conceptual. Here are a few examples:<\/p>\n Conjunctions<\/strong><\/p>\n Conjunctions are generally used to complete a list or connect separate clauses. Here are a few examples:<\/p>\n Interjections<\/strong><\/p>\n Interjections are exclamations that express a certain feeling or sentiment without the need for a verb. While they are important to learn, interjections are generally reserved for informal\/casual English. Here are a few examples:<\/p>\n While there are some exceptions (like interjections), the majority of English sentences must have a subject and a verb. The subject is a noun that is doing the acting. The verb is the action that the noun is doing. Here are a few examples to illustrate the subject-verb rule:<\/p>\n Without a subject AND a verb, none of these sentences would make sense. In fact, they wouldn\u2019t be sentences at all!<\/p>\n English Word Order<\/strong><\/p>\n Figuring out the word order is easy enough when a sentence only has a subject and a verb, but it gets more complicated when you start adding more words. The standard word order in English is: Subject + Verb + Object. An object is the thing that is being acted upon by the subject. Here are a few examples of basic subject\/verb\/object sentences:<\/p>\n With simple sentences like these, figuring out the word order is pretty easy. The article (a, an, or the) comes before the noun it is describing, the noun comes before the verb, and the verb comes before the object.<\/p>\n Let\u2019s keep adding more words to test it out!<\/p>\n In the examples above, we\u2019ve added an adjective and an adverb to each sentence. Generally, adjectives come after the article and before the noun they are describing, though there are many exceptions<\/a>.<\/p>\n In order to understand and form more complex sentences, you will need to learn about English clauses. A clause is a phrase that forms a complete thought using a subject and a verb. Every sentence must include at least one clause.<\/p>\n Common English Clauses<\/strong><\/p>\n There are two types of clauses<\/a> that you\u2019ll need to know in order to form more complex sentences: Independent Clauses (or Main Clauses) and Subordinate Clauses. Here are a few examples of each:<\/p>\n Clauses help organize the words in a sentence into separate sections, each with their own role within the sentence. Once you understand how each phrase or clause functions in a sentence, you can begin to understand why words are arranged in a particular order.<\/p>\n Now there\u2019s only one step left to help you learn English grammar<\/strong>!<\/p>\n A tense expresses the time in which a sentence takes place. Verb tenses<\/a> change the form a verb takes in every sentence.<\/p>\n There are three basic tenses in English: Past, Present, and Future. Each tense has 4 subcategories: Simple, Continuous, Perfect, and Perfect Continuous.<\/p>\n Before we take a look at each of the 12 English tenses, it is important to note that the active and passive voice<\/a> can also affect the form that a verb takes.<\/p>\n Present Tense<\/strong><\/p>\n The present tense<\/a> is generally the first tense that you will learn, as it is used to describe the current moment. Here are a few examples of the present tense in all its forms:<\/p>\nLearning English Grammar<\/h2>\n
Step 1: Learn the Parts of Speech<\/h3>\n
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Step 2: Learn New Vocabulary<\/h3>\n
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Step 3: Learn Sentence Structures<\/h3>\n
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Step 4: Learn Clauses<\/h3>\n
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Step 5: Learn English Grammar Tenses<\/h3>\n
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