Key Grammar Points for English Learners

These grammar points may look basic but they are fundamental. Make sure you really know them. They will help you understand your grammar.

Subject-verb-object (SVO)

The natural word order of a positive English sentence is subject-verb-object (SVO). Negative and question sentences may differ in order.

Subject-verb agreement

In a sentence, the subject and verb must agree with each other in number (singular or plural). For instance, if the subject is singular, the verb must be singular too.

The rule of thumb is to remember that a verb must always agree with its subject in number.

Proper punctuation

We generally use punctuation to clarify the meaning of a sentence and to make it easier to read.  Punctuation can completely alter the meaning of a sentence if used incorrectly.

 Among the most essential punctuation marks are:

• Commas (,) separate words in a sentence. (They bought tea, coffee, milk and bread.)
• Periods or full stops (.) indicate the end of a sentence. (He went home.)
• Question marks (?) indicate questions. (What is the time?)
• Exclamation marks (!) indicate sudden, strong feelings or emotions. (What an idiot!)
• Apostrophes (x’) indicate missing letters or possessive case. (She’s found John’s keys.)

Adjectives

Adjectives are words that modify (describe) nouns or pronouns.

In general, adjectives are placed before the nouns they modify. However, in some cases, you can place adjectives after the noun they modify.

Singular words that sound plural

Each of the words below IS grammatically singular.

• each
• every
• everybody
• nobody
• anybody

Distinction between fewer and less

We use fewer with countable nouns; with uncountable nouns we use less. 

• There are fewer cars today than yesterday.
• The kitchen has less light in the afternoon.