Hello friends. English grammar, supplied with numerous examples to help you master it better. All grammatical rules are presented in very clear language. Both beginners and intermediate learners of English will find a lot for themselves here. useful information. English grammar will become much easier for you.
English grammar. Grammar reference
Verbs and tenses
And also:
You need to know these rules!
So, dear readers, now you will get acquainted with the basic rules of English from different sections of the language. They concern grammar, speech, syntax and much more.
Rule #1
After modal verbs particle to not used. We say:
- Imust learn Englishmodalverbs. - I have to learn English modal verbs.
- You should listen to your parents. -You should listen to your parents.
- May
I
take
yournotebooktillSunday? - Can I borrow your laptop until Sunday?
Rule No. 2
You cannot use certain/ Not definite article with pronoun:
- I love my mother. - II loveminemom.
- Where is your friend now? - WhereNowyourFriend?
- Yesterday I met Tom and his wife. - Yesterday I met Tom and his wife
Rule No. 3
Adverbs of the English language (for the question “how?”) are formed according to the scheme: adjective + ending ly:
- Perfect - perfect ly- excellent, wonderful, wonderful
- Quick-quick ly- quickly, nimbly
- Rapid - rapid ly- fast
- Quiet - quiet ly- quiet
- Nice - nice ly- cute
- Easy - easy ly- easily
- Beautiful - beautiful ly- Beautiful
Rule No. 4
Use PresentSimple, after unions if,assoonasbefore,when,till,until,after,incase in sentences of time and conditions relating to the future:
- When I finish school, I will go to my grandparents in the countryside. - WhenII'll finishschool, II'll goTominegrandfatherAndgrandmaVvillage.
- After you study your family tree, you will find out where you descend from. - AfterTogo, HowYouyou will studygenealogicaltreeyoursfamilies, Youyou will find, fromwhomYouhappening.
- Your elder brother will certainly help you if you ask- YoursseniorBrotherNecessarilywill helpyou, IfYouhisask.
Rule No. 5
Word order in English sentence is:
Subject + predicate + direct object + indirect object + adverbial
Subject + predicate + direct object + indirect object + adverbal modifier
- Isentyoualetterlastweek. - I sent you a letter last week.
- I saw Mike in the club. - IsawMikeVclub.
- It was sunny yesterday. - Yesterdaywassunny.
In a Russian sentence, liberties are allowed, and there is no specific word order in it, everything depends on the emotion embedded in it. In an English sentence, everything is clear and strict.
Rule No. 6
Phrasal verbs (verb + preposition) of the English language have their own separate meaning and their own translation. For example:
To look- look; to look for- search
To put- put, put; to put on- put on
Rule No. 7
The most general rule for the definite and indefinite articles of the English language: the indefinite article is placed where nothing is known about the subject; The definite article is used where something is known about the subject.
- I see a The girl walking down the street is very beautiful. - II seegirl. The girl walking down the street is very beautiful.
Rule No. 8
End — ed characteristic of past times only regular verbs. U irregular verbs its own form for each past tense. For example:
Look-looked BUT! Bring-brought -brought
Rule No. 9
IN English There are 4 types of questions:
We go to the theater every Saturday. - Welet's goVtheatereverySaturday.
- General(general): Do we go to the theater every Saturday? -Welet's goVtheatereverySaturday?
- Special(special): Where do we go every Saturday? -WhereWelet's goeverySaturday?
- Alternative(alternative): Do we go to the theater every Saturday or every Sunday? -Welet's goVtheatereverySaturdayoreachSunday?
- Disjunctive(separating): We go to the theater every Saturday, don’t we? -Welet's goVtheatereverySaturday, NotSowhether?
Rule No. 10
To compose impersonal offer, you will need a pronoun It:
- It is cold today. - TodayCold.
- It is morning. - Morning.
- It is difficult to translate this text. - Thistextdifficulttranslate.
Rule № 11
After alliances asif,asthough(as if, as if, as if, as if) in the conditional mood, verb tobe in 3rd person singular takes shape were:
- She speaks so proudlyas if she wasn't guilty. “She speaks so proudly, as if she’s not guilty.”
- Tom looks as though he were rich. - VolumelooksSoas ifHerich.
Rule No. 12
Conditional incentive sentences in the 1st and 3rd person are formed using the word Let's:
- Let's I have a look at these pictures. - Let me look at these photographs.
- Let's him sleep, he is tired. - Give meto himsleep, Hetired.
Rule No. 13
Everyone knows what the word is many is used with countable nouns, and the word much- with uncountables. But, if suddenly you find it difficult, doubt, forgot the rule or don’t understand what noun is in front of you, feel free to use a combination of words alotof. It applies to both types of nouns.
- Many birds - a lot of birds
- Much sugar - a lot of sugar
Rule no.14
Many English words- polysemic, that is, they can have several meanings. It depends on the context and meaning of the sentence. To more accurately understand the translation, you should consult a dictionary and clarify in what context the word is used.
- Toshoot- shoot on video; toshoot- fire
- Country- country; country- village, village
Rule No. 15
Verb do can replace the main verb in a sentence. For example:
- Kate doesn't like to clean her room, but I do. -KateNotlovestake awaymyroom, AII love.
- Amanda likes to get presents, but I don't. - Amanda likes to receive gifts, but I don’t.
- Steve often ignores his duties, but his sister doesn't. - Steveoftenneglectstheirresponsibilities, AhissisterNo.
So we got to the fifteenth rule. Of course, this is not all. Each section of the English language has its own characteristics, and, therefore, its own laws. We told you only about the most basic ones. We hope you find them useful in learning the language.
Basics of English in 20 minutes
Imagine that you need to start something completely new to you right now. For example, driving a car, baking pies for the first time, giving a newborn a bath. Where do you start? Options:
1. I’ll take it and do it, what’s the problem.
2. First, I’ll read on the Internet or in books how to do it.
3. Call a friend who is experienced in this matter.
4. Help from the audience (I’ll ask someone else).
5. Learn from a professional.
6. I won't do it.
The option you choose characterizes you very clearly. When it comes to English grammar, depending on which method you chose above, the following is expected:
1. Bugaga (the teachers and English people who heard you speak in English are laughing).
2. Adding patience and time to this, you will learn all the rules on your own.
3. Add to this the patience of a friend and his time, under his guidance you will learn all the rules.
4. You won't learn anything, but you will listen to how others do it.
5. Add money to this and you will learn all the rules.
6. You will be able to ski, meet friends in a cafe, sleep, eat - in general, life is good.
As you can see, to understand English grammar, you need, in theory, only three things: a source of rules, time and patience. The first is offered to you in these articles, but you will have to deal with the other two components on your own.
Thus, we give you a fishing rod, and you will catch the fish yourself. What is the beauty of our fishing rod? The fact is that it is light, convenient and easy to use. We will not load you with scary grammar terms, torment you with long lists, flickering arrows, A4 diagrams and other tricks that scare some English teachers.
There is nothing particularly complex about English grammar, unlike many other European languages (not to mention Eastern and African). You can simply read these articles like a fiction book. Even if you master the minimum, at the finish line you will find that you master most of the rules that previously seemed overwhelming.
As an example, let's do something already in the introductory part. What does speech consist of? From phrases. What does the phrase consist of? From the proposals. What does the proposal consist of? Stop! Let's clarify: what does an ENGLISH sentence consist of? Subject and predicate. Usually this is a noun and a verb (just don’t say that you don’t remember these words): the dog is running, the passer-by is screaming, the dog is barking, the owner is yelling. True, a noun can be successfully replaced by a pronoun: she runs, you scream, she barks, I yell.
You have just listened to a news briefing lecture on parts of speech. What do you remember? At a minimum, the words “noun” and “verb” for you are already associated with grammar, and not with cooking or construction work. And for now we don’t need more. Are you ready to continue at the same pace?
Follow me (follow me).
Parts of speech:
1. Numerals(The Numeral)
1.1 Cardinal and ordinal numbers
2. Pronouns(The Pronoun)
2.1 Personal and possessive pronouns
2.2 Demonstrative and negative pronouns
2.3 Indefinite and reflexive pronouns
5. Adjective(The Adjective)
5.1 Degrees of comparison of adjectives
7. Noun(The Noun)
7.1 Noun in English. Classification of nouns
8. Verb(The Verb)
8.1 Verbs in English. General information about verbs
8.2 Regular and irregular English verbs
8.3 Semantic and auxiliary verbs
8.4 Modal and linking verbs
Everything in our life is subject to rules, and so are linguistic phenomena. The elusive English can still be caught in the net and stored in memory.
When you start learning a language, you still wonder where to start or how best to remember. To learn to read, write and speak, it is not enough just to memorize the dictionary. After all, each word is interconnected with the other, they are modified under the influence of each other. Having met basic rules of the English language, Having mastered them, you will not only understand the “soul” of foreign speech, but also learn to express yourself logically and correctly. After all main goal learning - learn to communicate and not feel language barriers.
All English language rules conditionally divided into groups. Let's look at some of them.
Getting to know English grammar It’s better to start by studying the parts of speech: noun, adjective, verb and adverb. Particularly difficult are temporary groups, which, unlike Russian ones, are much more numerous. The English express desire, opportunity and ability to act using modal verbs, while Russians express participles and participial phrases are translated into English using impersonal forms of the verb.
Your speech will not be complete enough if you do not become familiar with numerals and learn to correctly name the date, year and time. In communication, we constantly convey the speech of one person to another. This obeys the rules of direct and indirect speech, which have not only spelling features, but also temporary changes. Such an unusual part of speech, a little alien to a Russian speaker, like the article, plays one of the main roles in the linguistic vacuum of the English language. Well, the spice can be called conjunctions, prepositions and particles that transform speech, give expressiveness and expressiveness.
In a separate line you can display the following rules of the English language: . Unlike the Russian language, English punctuation marks are not so complex, but without them it will be impossible to write a competent letter or essay.
To make your speech in English understandable, you will have to devote a lot of time phonetics and phonetic rules. There are not very many of them, but you still have to learn all the letter combinations and their reading standards.
WITH lexical side the language also needs to be enriched. And it's not just replenishment vocabulary, but the ability to correctly construct sentences, give short answers, use a clear structure of statements, study idioms and phrasal verbs.
The basic rules of the English language can be found in any grammar textbook, but each of them is presented differently.
Of course, we can talk endlessly about the rules of the English language, because there are actually a lot of them. You shouldn’t grab onto everything at once, just as you shouldn’t get hung up on one thing. Learn and improve the language in a comprehensive manner: from the grammatical, lexical, and phonetic sides.
We present to you the first article in the “English Grammar for Beginners” series. In this series of materials, we decided to present all the rules briefly and in simple words so that beginners “from scratch” or those who do not remember the basics of English well can independently figure out the grammar, understand it and apply it in practice.
Plural in English
In English, as in Russian, all words are divided into countable and uncountable. This is important to understand when forming the plural of a word. Countable nouns denote those objects that can be counted, for example: table (table), book (book), apple (apple). Uncountable nouns- these are abstract concepts, liquids, products, etc., that is, something that cannot be counted. For example: knowledge, water, meat, flour. These words have no plural or singular.
Countable nouns can be used in singular or plural. A singular noun denotes one thing, this is the form of the word that is indicated in the dictionary: apple - apple. A plural noun denotes several objects: apples - apples.
How is it formed plural nouns:
Usually the plural of nouns is formed by adding the ending -s to the word: book – books (book – books). However, there are several spelling features:
- If the word ends in -o, -s, -ss, -sh, -ch, -x, then add the ending -es: hero – heroes (hero – heroes), bus – buses (bus – buses).
Exceptions: photo - photos (photo - photographs), video - videos (video recording - video recordings), radio - radios (radio - several radios), rhino - rhinos (rhino - rhinoceroses), piano - pianos (piano - several pianos), hippo - hippos (hippopotamus - hippopotamuses).
- If the word ends in -f, -fe, then change the ending to -ves: knife – knives, leaf – leaves, wife – wives.
Exceptions: roof - roofs (roof - roofs), giraffe - giraffes (giraffe - giraffes), cliff - cliffs (cliff - cliffs).
- If a word ends in -y, preceded by a consonant, then we change -y to -ies: body – bodies (body – bodies).
- If the word ends in -y, preceded by a vowel, then add the ending -s: boy – boys (boy – boys).
In English there is also exception words, which form the plural irregularly. You just need to learn such words by heart; fortunately, there are not very many of them.
Singular | Plural |
---|---|
man - man | men - men |
woman - woman | women - women |
child - child | children - children |
person - person | people - people |
foot - foot | feet - feet |
mouse - mouse | mice - mice |
tooth - tooth | teeth - teeth |
sheep - sheep | sheep - sheep |
Try our quiz to see how well you have understood the material.
English Plural Noun Test
Articles in English
There are two types of articles in English: definite and indefinite. They are not translated into Russian. In the vast majority of cases, one of these articles must be placed before a singular noun.
The indefinite article a/an is used only with countable nouns in the singular: a girl (girl), a pen (handle). If a word begins with a consonant sound, we write the article a (a girl), and if the word begins with a vowel sound, we write the article an (an apple).
The indefinite article a/an is used in the following cases:
- We name any indefinite object, and we have only one, which is why we use the article a, which comes from the word one (one):
It is a book. - This is a book.
- We mention the subject for the first time in speech:
I see a shop. - I see (some, one of many) store.
- We talk about a person’s profession or indicate his belonging to a certain group:
He is a teacher. - He's a teacher.
She is a student. - She's a student.
Definite article the we bet when we are talking about a specific subject that is familiar to us. This article can appear before a singular or plural noun.
The definite article the is used in the following cases:
- We have already mentioned the subject earlier in our speech:
I see a shop. The shop is big. - I see a store. (This) The store is big.
It is believed that the definite article comes from the word that (that), therefore it is intended to indicate some specific object familiar to the interlocutors.
- We are talking about an object that in this context is one of a kind and cannot be confused with something else:
Honey, I'm washing the car. - Honey, I'm washing the car. (the family has one car, so we are talking about a specific item)
Look at the girl in the red dress - Look at the girl in the red dress. (we point to a specific girl in a specific dress) - We are talking about a one-of-a-kind object, there is no other like it: the sun, the moon, the world, the President of France, etc.:
The earth is our home. - The earth is our home.
Verb to be
There is always a verb in an English sentence. And if in Russian we can say “I am a doctor,” “Mary is beautiful,” “We are in the hospital,” then in English this is unacceptable: in all these cases, the verb to be must appear after the subject. Therefore, you can remember a simple rule: if there are no ordinary verbs in a sentence, then the verb to be is needed.
The verb to be has three forms:
- Am is added to the pronoun I when we talk about ourselves:
I am beautiful. - I'm handsome.
- Is is placed after the pronouns he, she, it:
She is beautiful. - She's beautiful.
- Are is used after you, we, they:
You are beautiful. - You are handsome.
The verb to be in English is most often used in the following cases:
- We inform you that by whom is a person (name, profession, etc.):
I am a doctor. - I'm a doctor.
- We inform you that what a person or thing has a quality:
Mary is beautiful. - Mary is beautiful.
- We inform you that Where there is a person or object:
We are at the hospital. - We're in the hospital.
Sentences with the verb to be in the present tense are constructed as follows:
Affirmative sentences | Negative sentences | Interrogative sentences |
---|---|---|
Principle of Education | ||
I + am | I + am not ('m not) | Am+I |
He/She/It + is | He/She/It + is not (isn’t) | Is + he/she/it |
We/You/They + are | We/You/They + are not (aren’t) | Are + we/you/they |
Examples | ||
I am a manager. - I am a manager. | I am not a manager. - I'm not a manager. | Am I a manager? - I am a manager? |
It's awesome. - He's great. | It's not awesome. - He's not great. | Is he awesome? - Is he great? |
She is a doctor. - She's a doctor. | She isn't a doctor. - She's not a doctor. | Is she a doctor? - Is she a doctor? |
It (ball) is red. - It (the ball) is red. | It (ball) isn't red. - It (the ball) is not red. | Is it (ball) red? - Is it (the ball) red? |
We are the champions. - We are champions. | We aren't the champions. - We are not champions. | Are we the champions? - Are we champions? |
You are ill. - You're sick. | You are not ill. - You're not sick. | Are you ill? -Are you sick? |
They are at home. - They're at home. | They aren't at home. - They are not at home. | Are they at home? -Are they at home? |
We think you are now ready to take the test and test your knowledge.
Test for the use of the verb to be
Present Continuous Tense - present continuous tense
Present Continuous Tense most often shows that the action takes place in at the moment.
Every English sentence has a subject and a predicate. In the Present Continuous, the predicate consists of the auxiliary verb to be in the required form (am, is, are) and the main verb without the particle to, to which we add -ing ending(playing, reading).
She is playing tennis now. - She is now plays to tennis.
I am reading a novel at the moment. - I'm currently I'm reading novel.
The verb to be in this tense is an auxiliary verb, that is, it is a word that comes before the main verb (playing, reading) and helps to form tense. you will meet auxiliary verbs and in other tenses, this type of verb includes to be (am, is, are), do/does, have/has, will.
Please note the following tense words Present Continuous: now (now), at the moment (at the moment), today (today), tonight (tonight), these days (these days), currently (these days), at present (currently), still (still).
Affirmative sentences in the Present Continuous are formed as follows:
Usually in this tense you just need to add the ending -ing to the main verb: walk – walking (walk), look – looking (look). But some verbs change like this:
- If the verb ends in -e, we remove the -e and add -ing: write – writing, dance – dancing.
Exception: see – seeing (to see).
- If the verb ends in -ie, we change -ie to -y and add -ing: lie – lying (lie), die – dying (die).
- If the verb ends with a stressed syllable with a short vowel that comes between two consonants, the final consonant is doubled by adding -ing: begin – beginning, swim – swimming.
IN negative sentences in the Present Continuous you just need to insert the particle not between to be and the main verb.
She isn't cooking at the moment. - At the moment she doesn't cook.
You are not listening to me now. - You don't listen me now.
IN interrogative sentences in the Present Continuous you need to put the verb to be in the first place, and after it put the subject and main verb.
Is she cooking at the moment? - She cooks at the moment?
Are you listening to me now? - You me now are you listening?
Now we suggest you take a test on the use of Present Continuous tense.
Test for use of Present Continuous
We have presented you with the first 5 basic topics of the English language. Now your task is to thoroughly understand them and work through them as productively as possible with the help of exercises. In order not to burden you with a large amount of grammar at once, we will release the next article in this series in a few weeks. Subscribe to our newsletter, then you definitely won't miss out important information. We wish you success in learning English!
Friends, every language has its own basic rules regarding grammar, spelling, syntax, etc. English is no exception. On the pages of our website you can find detailed description each section of grammar, reading rules, syntactic rules, speech patterns of the English language.
In this article we will not dwell in detail on each section of the language.
Our material today is intended specifically for beginners in learning the language, for those who have taken up English from scratch. We want to present to you the most basic, most important and necessary rules of the English language, which you will encounter everywhere while mastering this language. If you are ready, then 15 basic rules are waiting for you!
You need to know these rules!
So, dear readers, now you will get acquainted with the basic rules of English from different sections of the language. They concern grammar, speech, syntax and much more. All you need is to read the rules carefully and thoughtfully, pay attention to the examples and, of course, remember them! If you wish, you can copy this information into your English notebook or notepad. This way, you can always remind yourself of what you need in a particular exercise.
Rule #1
After modal verbs there is a particle to not used. We say:
- Imust learn Englishmodalverbs. — I have to learn English modal verbs.
- You should listen to your parents. “You should listen to your parents.”
- May I take yournotebooktillSunday? —Can I borrow your laptop until Sunday?
And in no case do we say: must to learn; should to listen; may to take etc.
Rule No. 2
You cannot use the definite/indefinite article with a pronoun:
- I love my mother. - II loveminemom.
- Where is your friend now? - WhereNowyourFriend?
- Yesterday I met Tom and his wife. — Yesterday I met Tom and his wife.
You can't say: the my mother or my mother; the friend or your friend. You can immediately see how absurd this looks, and even more so, how absurd it sounds. It really hurts my ears!
Rule No. 3
Adverbs of the English language (for the question “how?”) are formed according to the scheme: adjective + ending ly:
- Perfect - perfect ly- excellent, wonderful, wonderful
- Quick - quick ly- quickly, nimbly
- Rapid - rapid ly- fast
- Quiet - Quiet ly- quiet
- Nice - nice ly- cute
- Easy - easy ly- easily
- Beautiful - beautiful ly- Beautiful
- He entered the room quietly. - HequietenteredVroom.
- Tom did his homework perfectly fine! - Volumedidmyhomeexcellent job (incredibly good)!
- Suelooksbeautifully today. — Sue looks beautiful today.
Rule No. 4
Use PresentSimple, after unions if,assoonasbefore,when,till,until,after,incase in sentences of time and conditions relating to the future:
- When I finish school, I will go to my grandparents in the countryside. - WhenII'll finishschool, II'll goTominegrandfatherAndgrandmaVvillage.
- After you study your family tree, you will find out where you descend from. - AfterTogo, HowYouyou will studygenealogicaltreeyoursfamilies, Youyou will find, fromwhomYouhappening.
- Your elder brother will certainly help you if you ask— YoursseniorBrotherNecessarilywill helpyou, IfYouhisask.
Rule No. 5
The word order in an English sentence is:
Subject + predicate + direct object + indirect object + adverbial
Subject + predicate + direct object + indirect object + adverbal modifier
- Isentyoualetterlastweek. — I sent you a letter last week.
- I saw Mike in the club. - IsawMikeVclub.
- It was sunny yesterday. - Yesterdaywassunny.
In a Russian sentence, liberties are allowed, and there is no specific word order in it, everything depends on the emotion embedded in it. In an English sentence, everything is clear and strict.
Rule No. 6
Phrasal verbs (verb + preposition) of the English language have their own separate meaning and their own translation. For example:
To look- look; to look for- search
To put- put, put; to put on- put on
Compare:
- Put the plates on the table, please. - Put itplatesontable, Please.
- It is cold outside; put on your coat. - OnstreetCold, put it oncoat.
Rule No. 7
The most general rule for the definite and indefinite articles in the English language: the indefinite article is placed where nothing is known about the subject; The definite article is used where something is known about the subject.
- I see a The girl walking down the street is very beautiful. - II seegirl. The girl walking down the street is very beautiful.
Rule No. 8
End - ed characteristic of the past tenses of only regular verbs. Irregular verbs have a different form for each past tense. For example:
Look -looked BUT! Bring -brought —brought
Rule No. 9
There are 4 types of questions in English:
We go to the theater every Saturday. - Welet's goVtheatereverySaturday.
- General(general): Do we go to the theater every Saturday? —Welet's goVtheatereverySaturday?
- Special(special): Where do we go every Saturday? —WhereWelet's goeverySaturday?
- Alternative(alternative): Do we go to the theater every Saturday or every Sunday? —Welet's goVtheatereverySaturdayoreachSunday?
- Disjunctive(separating): We go to the theater every Saturday, don’t we? —Welet's goVtheatereverySaturday, NotSowhether?
Rule No. 10
To make an impersonal sentence, you need a pronoun It:
- It is cold today. - TodayCold.
- It is morning. - Morning.
- It is difficult to translate this text. - Thistextdifficulttranslate.
Rule № 11
After alliances asif,asthough(as if, as if, as if, as if) in the conditional mood, verb tobe in the 3rd person singular takes the form were:
- She speaks so proudlyas if she wasn't guilty. “She speaks so proudly, as if she’s not guilty.”
- Tom looks as though he were rich. - VolumelooksSoas ifHerich.
Rule No. 12
Conditional incentive sentences in the 1st and 3rd person are formed using the word Let's:
- Let's I have a look at these pictures. - Let me look at these photographs.
- Let's him sleep, he is tired. — Giveto himsleep, Hetired.
Rule No. 13
Everyone knows what the word is many is used with countable nouns, and the word much- with the uncountable. But, if suddenly you find it difficult, doubt, forgot the rule or don’t understand what noun is in front of you, feel free to use a combination of words alotof. It applies to both types of nouns.
- Many birds a lot of birds
- Much sugar - a lot of sugar
Rule no.14
Many English words are polysemic, that is, they can have several meanings. It depends on the context and meaning of the sentence. To more accurately understand the translation, you should consult a dictionary and clarify in what context the word is used.
- Toshoot- shoot on video; toshoot- fire
- Country- country; country- village, village
Rule No. 15
Verb do can replace the main verb in a sentence. For example.