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Basics of English Grammar

If you just started learning English, you first need to know some basic rules of the language. Developing a solid foundation in English grammar will not only help you create your own sentences correctly but will also make it easier to improve your communication skills in both spoken and written English.

Study all the lessons below and incorporate your learning into your speaking and writing.

 

1. Singular and Plural Nouns 2. Count Nouns vs. Non-Count Nouns 3. Possessive Nouns 4. Pronouns 5. 'Be' Verbs 6. Action Verbs 7. Adjectives 8. Comparative and Superlative Adjectives 9. Adverbs 10. Simple Tense 11. Progressive and Perfect Tense 12. Perfect Progressive Tense 13. Irregular Verbs 14. Gerunds 15. Infinitives 1

16. Infinitives 2 17. Active Voice and Passive Voice 18. Indicative, Imperative, Subjunctive Mood 19. Auxiliary Verbs - 'Be,' 'Do,' 'Have' 20. Auxiliary Verbs - 'Will/Would,' 'Shall/Should' 21. Auxiliary Verbs - 'Can/Could,' 'May/Might/Must' 22. Prepositions - 'On,' 'At,' 'In' 23. Prepositions - 'Of,' 'To,' 'For' 24. Prepositions - 'With,' 'Over,' 'By' 25. Conjunctions - Coordinating and Correlative 26. Conjunctions - Subordinating 27. Conjunctive Adverbs 28. Articles - Indefinite and Definite 29. Interjections 30. Capitalization

Singular and Plural Nouns

A noun names a person, place, thing, or idea.

Usually, the first page of a grammar book tells you about nouns. Nouns give names of concrete or abstract things in our lives. As babies learn "mom," "dad," or "milk" as their first word, nouns should be the first topic when you study a foreign language.

For the plural form of most nouns, add s.

• bottle – bottles
• cup – cups
• pencil – pencils
• desk – desks
• sticker – stickers
• window – windows

For nouns that end in ch, x, s, or s sounds, add es.

• box – boxes
• watch – watches
• moss – mosses
• bus – buses

For nouns ending in f or fe, change f to v and add es.

• wolf – wolves
• wife – wives
• leaf – leaves
• life – lives

Some nouns have different plural forms.

• child – children
• woman – women
• man – men
• mouse – mice
• goose – geese

Nouns ending in vowels like y or o do not have definite rules.

• baby – babies
• toy – toys
• kidney – kidneys
• potato – potatoes
• memo – memos
• stereo – stereos

A few nouns have the same singular and plural forms.

• sheep – sheep
• deer – deer
• series – series
• species – species

[Quiz 1.1]

Choose the correct form of the noun in each sentence.

1) I have three (child, children).
2) There are five (man, men) and one (woman, women).
3) (Baby, Babies) play with bottles as toys.
4) I put two big (potato, potatoes) in the lunch box.
5) A few men wear (watch, watches).
6) I put a (memo, memos) on the desk.
7) I saw a (mouse, mice) running by.
8) There are few (bus, buses) on the road today.

View Answers

[1.1]
1) children
2) men, woman
3) Babies
4) potatoes
5) watches
6) memo
7) mouse
8) buses