Grammar is the mortar that holds the bricks of vocabulary together. Without good mortar bricks can come tumbling down and that can cause embarrassing misunderstandings. There is a common impression that learning English grammar is painful, but it is a lot easier than many other languages. Of course, English is more than just memorizing grammar rules, the grammar must be incorporated into your everyday use of the language. Theory and practice should always go hand in hand. Grammar matters.
That said, here on the Learn English Network, we believe that when you begin to learn English, speaking and building up your vocabulary is more important than worrying about correct grammar. Then, as you progress, you will incorporate more grammar into your learning programme.
At an advanced level you might want to think more about the correct use of the English language and study grammar in more depth.
How to use this guide to English grammar:
Read This! Click here to read an explanation of the grammar.
Picture This! Click here to see examples of the grammar.
Test This! Click on this button to test your understanding.
Adjectives -
Comparative -
Order -
Possessive -
Superlative -
Used to -
Common Adjectives -
Personality Adjectives -
Adverbials -
Adverbs -
Degree -
Duration -
Frequency -
Manner -
Place -
Probability -
Time -
Comparative -
Superlative -
Articles -
Case -
Objective/Accusative -
Possessive/Genitive -
Subjective/Nominative -
Clauses -
Conditionals -
Type I
Type II
Type III
Zero
Conjunctions -
Coordinating Conjunctions -
Subordinating Conjunctions -
Correlatives -
Determiners -
Some vs Any -
Gerunds and Infinitives -
Nouns -
Abstract Nouns -
Collective Nouns -
Common Nouns -
Compound Nouns -
Concrete Nouns -
Countable/Uncountable Nouns -
Gerunds -
Plural Nouns -
Predicate Nouns -
Proper Nouns -
Participles -
Past Participle -
Perfect Participle -
Present Participle -
Prepositions -
Prepositions of Movement -
Prepositions of Place -
Prepositions of Time -
Pronouns -
Indefinite Pronouns -
Personal Pronouns -
Possessive Pronouns -
Reflexive Pronouns -
Questions -
Closed Questions -
Open (Wh ..) Questions -
Tag Questions -
Reported Speech -
Tenses -
Simple
Past -
Present -
Simple Present as Future -Continuous
Past -
Present -
Present Continuous as Future -Perfect
Past Perfect Simple -
Past Perfect Continuous -
Present Perfect Simple -
Present Perfect Continuous -
Present Perfect Simple as Future -
Present Perfect Continuous as Future -Future
The Future using going to -
The Future using shall/will -
Verbs -
Action Verbs -
Auxiliary Verbs -
Finite / Non-finite Verbs -
Irregular Verbs -
Modal Verbs -
Mood -
Phrasal Verbs -
Regular Verbs -
Stative Verbs -
Conjugation and Contraction -Some Very Important Verbs
To be -
To do -
To have -
Do or make -
Used to -
List of Irregular Verbs -
Voice -
Active Voice -
Passive Voice -
Simple Guides
Simple Capitalisation Guide -
Simple Grammar Guide for Email -
Simple Pluralisation Guide -
Simple Prefixes Guide -
Simple Punctuation Guide -
Simple Question Guide -
Simple Sentence Construction Guide -
Simple Short Form Guide -
Simple Spelling Guide -
Simple Suffixes Guide -
Technical Terms
How to use these pages:-
Double click on any word for its definitions, and to listen to the pronunciation.
Beginners:
- Don't worry about learning all the rules.
- Do the grammar tests.
- Review the tests regularly.
Intermediate Learners:
- Make sure you understand the basic grammar terminology.
- Practise what you have learnt in the forum, or in our sessions.
- You should be able to do the tests.
Advanced Learners:
- You should already know the basics of English grammar.
- You should be able to understand the exceptions to the rules.
- You should be able to easily complete the tests.
- You should be able to comfortably read the grammar articles for each section.
Have you read these pages, but you still have a question? Ask Ellie.
Maybe you're not sure how to say what you want to say. Ask on the forum.
These pages are under continual development. If there is anything you would like to see included, or you spot anything that needs changing, please let us know.