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“English Language is like a river, constantly evolving and adapting.” This is true as it is not only an interesting language but at the same time very complex as it comes with several rules and exceptions. There are several rules which everyone must follow at the time of speaking or writing or there are chances that they might be embarrassed. To help you clear all your doubts, we have compiled this blog post which talks about the English language grammar cheatsheet, common rules which you must follow and lastly exercises to test yourself.
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English Language Grammar Cheatsheet For You!
When it comes to the English language grammar cheatsheet, there are several words that everyone should know about and keep in mind at the time of forming sentences. Here are some similar words which sound the same but have different meanings.
I, Me, Myself
‘I’ is used when someone is talking about themselves in the sentence, meaning you are the one who is taking the action.
Example: I am reading a book.
While the word ‘me’ is used in sentences when the action is being performed for/ to you.
Example: John gifted me a bike.
Lastly, the word ‘myself’ is used when you are performing a action on yourself.
Example: I taught myself the rules of this game.
Should’ve, Could’ve, Would’ve
All these three words ( Should’ve, Could’ve, Would’ve) talk about the past, however express different ideas.
Should’ve is used to denote that if an action/ decision would have happened it would have been a good idea.
Could’ve suggests the possibility in the past. It further means something might have been possible to do, but it didn’t happen.
Would’ve talks about a hypothetical situation in the past. It means something would have happened under a certain condition, but the condition wasn’t met.
Much v/s Many
The main difference between “much” and “many” lies in what kind of noun they modify: countable nouns vs. uncountable nouns. The word ‘many’ is a countable noun while ‘much’ is an uncountable noun.
Also Read: 25+ Countable Noun Examples in Sentences
English Language Grammar Cheatsheet- 7 Quick Rules/Tips in English Language
Like every language, the English language also comes with several rules and regulations which everyone must follow to construct correct and readable sentences at the same time. Here are some of the rules which are essential for one to remember especially while writing, which is an essential part of the English language grammar cheat sheet.
Make Your Subjects and Verbs Agree
This rule suggests that if your subject is singular then the verb needs to be singular as well, the same goes for plural as well. Here is an example of both singular and plural.
Singular subjects: The cat (Subject) chased (Verb) the mouse.
Plural Subjects: We (Subject) need more chairs for the meeting (Verb).
Be Constant With Your Tenses
Make sure you don’t forget to add tenses in your sentences or for a group of sentences. If you are using past tense in the beginning, make sure you keep it the same till the end.
Example: The dinosaurs roamed the Earth millions of years ago.
See how this sentence uses the word ‘roamed’ which is a past tense to describe an event which happened in the past.
Choose the Correct Articles
Make sure you use ‘a’ before words that start with a consonant sound, ‘an’ before words that start with a vowel sound and ‘the’ when you are talking about something specific or about an event that has taken place in the past.
Example: I saw a red car and a blue truck parked outside.” (This uses “a” before “red car” and “blue truck” because they are unspecified.)
Capitalization is Important
There is one common rule in our English language, capitalize the first word as well as the proper noun (which includes names of people and places). The rule also applies to direct quotations when included in a sentence.
Don’t Forget to Add Commas
By simply incorporating commas in your sentences they are easier to understand. These commas should be used with coordinating conjunctions (‘but’ and ‘and’), especially when connecting independent clauses, after introductory phrases, to separate items in a list and finally to separate information.
Example: We packed snacks, drinks, and sunscreen for our beach trip.
Give Clear Instructions
To make a command, you need an imperative sentence. These sentences begin with a verb and don’t include the subject.
Example: Shut the window! (This imperative sentence uses the strong verb “shut” to give a clear and immediate command.)
Make Complete Sentences
A complete sentence consists of a subject (who or what the sentence is about) and a verb (talking about the action that is taking place). Keep in mind that a sentence should have a complete thought.
Example: ‘while running’ is not a complete sentence. On the other hand, ‘She fell while running.’ is a complete sentence.
Also Read: How to Teach English to Kids at Home: 7 Useful Tips and Tricks
English Language Grammar Cheatsheet- Exceptions in English Language
Just like rules, every language has several exceptions as well which must be kept in mind when forming sentences. Take a look at all the exceptions which one must be aware of as a part of the English language grammar cheatsheet.
English Language Grammar Cheatsheet- Spelling Exceptions
Spelling exceptions are those where the word is not pronounced the way it is written. They function more like homophones.
- The word ‘Wednesday’ is pronounced as “Wenz-day,” completely omitting the ‘d’ sound.
- Similarly the word ‘Yatch’ is pronounced with a ‘ch’ at the end, even though it is written with a ‘t’ sound.
English Language Grammar Cheatsheet- Grammatical Exceptions
According to many people, English grammar is all about a set of complicated grammar rules. In reality, it is all about logic and consistency in usage. One of the first rules that one should learn is the difference between “their” or “they’re” and several other similar words. Only after this, one can learn the formation of sentences.
- There are several words which can be converted to the plural word by simply adding “s” or “es.” However, there are exceptions “ox” (oxen), “child” (children), and “mouse” (mice).
- There are several words where the ‘w’ is silent, these include “wreck,” “wrestle,” and “write”. Here the ‘w’ is used at the beginning of the word.
English Language Grammar Cheatsheet- Pronunciation Exceptions
Just like the exceptions mentioned above, there are several exceptions in pronunciation in the English grammar as well, which you must note. Here are some examples:
- The alphabet “C” can sound like an “s”, examples include: “cent,” “city,” and “cycle,” where the letter “c” is pronounced as an “s.”
- “Qu” is always followed by a vowel. Some examples of this include: “quick,” “quack,” and “question.” Apart from this, these words are also pronounced with the “kw” sound.
English Language Grammar Cheatsheet- Exercises (Download Free PDF)
By now, you should have been equipped with all the knowledge of English grammar, rules, and regulations, as well as how they will help you in forming sentences.
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FAQs
Some of the basic English grammar rules include: ensuring that all the sentences have a subject and verb, placing all adjectives directly before the noun and finally using commas to connect two ideas.
To master your English grammar, one must start reading books, do grammar exercises and then check your performance regularly.
To understand English grammar, one should begin by understanding the eight parts of speech which include: nouns, pronouns, verbs, adjectives, adverbs, prepositions, interjections, and conjunctions.
This was all about the English language grammar cheatsheet: common rules and exceptions. Hopefully, you understand the concept and where it’s used. You can also follow Leverage Edu for more exciting and informative blogs on Learn English.
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