Basic English Grammar (Part 1)

Often times learners experience challenges when writing English because they have not mastered the basic grammar constructs. In this section I will attempt to present my own way to view the basic structure of the English language

Backbone

1. Noun (identifies persons, places, animals and things)
2. Pronoun (used instead of nouns)
3. Verb (denotes actions or links subject to predicate)

Adds More Information

1. Adjective ( provides more information to nouns and pronouns)
2. Adverb ( provides more information about verbs, adjectives and other adverbs)

Connectors

1. Conjunction (joins phrases or sentences)
2. Preposition (connects persons or objects with their location)

Unique Expressions

1. Interjection

This can be used by the learners as a checklist to gauge their level of competence in the use of English. The first section includes the most important grammar constructs. Learners should be encouraged to master the elements in this section first as their first step in the journey to master the use of English.

Nouns

Below is a link to EnglishClub.com that provides a simple definition for a noun.
Noun Definition

It attempts to add a little more explanation than the one that most learners know ( 1.e. nouns are names of persons, places, animals and things). It also points out that the commonly recited definition often inadequately explains certain nouns. The problem is how to correctly identify "things". The concrete nouns/things, such as car or boat, tend to be easy to identify. However the abstract nouns/things, such as determination or idea, tend to be difficult to identify.

The following tip may be useful: "Anything that can be quantified is a noun". Let me explain further. If you can use the following words to pluralize the word then it is a noun.

• a, an
• some, any, no
• a lot of, few, most
• one, two, three etc
• much, many
• several

The list above is not exhaustive and other words could be used as well. This tip is useful mostly native speakers of English. It presumes that you have adequate exposure to English so that you can rely on the ability to recognize what sounds right. For example state which of the following are nouns.

1. concept
2. trip
3. speak
4. love

Hint: Try and apply the words from the first list and then see if it "sounds" right.

The nouns from the list are concept (a concept, two concepts), trip (several trips), love ( a lot of love). For native speakers applying the words from the list to the word "speak" should sound ackward ( a speak?, two speaks, much speak?) Of course it is possible to say "many speak" but that is when many is a pronoun. Despite the last observation, the tip is simple and very useful.

There are several groups that nouns may be placed in, depending on the property being highlighted. Below are some the groupings that exist for nouns (Click on the link for additional information from the EnglishClub.com):

• Concrete vs Abstract
• Countable vs Uncountable
• Proper vs Common
• Adjectival Nouns (Nouns used as adjectives)

Verbs

Below is a link to a wonderful site that provides a wide range of useful information on verbs in what I believe is a colorful and fun manner. Enjoy!

Verbs

Subject-Verb agreement is normally a problem for some learners. Below is a link to an excel sheet that contains three verb tables. These tables greatly simplify the rules for subject-verb agreement.

Verb Tables (Present Tense)