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Grammar Rules and Tips for English Learners
- 1. 1 English Grammar Yun Ju Chung May 07, 2007 Dept. of Bio-Industrial Mechatronics Eng. National Taiwan University What is grammar? Grammar is the system of a language. People sometimes describe grammar as the "rules" of a language. Do we need to study grammar to learn a language? If you are serious about learning a foreign language, the answer is “yes”. Grammar can help you to learn a language more quickly and more efficiently. It's important to think of grammar as something that can help you, like a friend.
- 2. 2 Sentence Fragment Incomplete sentences We watched the All-Star Game. Because we are baseball fans. We watched the All-Star Game because we are baseball fans. Without a subject or a verb Reading more papers. Read more papers. Run-on Sentences A run-on sentence consists of two or more main clauses that are run together without proper punctuation. This is an active place, everybody is engaged in something. This is an active place, and everybody is engaged in something. I like to watch TV, see a movie, surf the Internet. I like to watch TV, see a movie, and surf the Internet. There are four people live in the same room. There are four people living in the same room. We don’t want the same thing happens again. We don’t want the same thing to happen again.
- 3. 3 Dangling Modifier A dangling modifier is a phrase or clause which says something different from what is meant because words are left out. While driving on Greenwood Avenue yesterday afternoon, a tree began to fall toward Wendy’s car. While Wendy was driving on Greenwood Avenue yesterday afternoon, a tree began to fall toward her car. Subject Agreement with the Verb The verb should follow the subject This show that people didn’t learn from the past. This shows that people didn’t learn from the past. The climate in both places are mild. The climate in both places is mild. Collective noun A group of senators was calling for an investigation. Singular pronoun One of the many galaxies was proven to be near a black hole.
- 4. 4 Subject Agreement with the Verb Two or more singular subjects joined by or or nor take a singular verb. Neither John nor Mary knows what happened. Neither Mary nor her brothers knows what happened. Neither Mary nor her brothers know what happened. Neither her brothers nor Mary knows what happened. Two or more plural subjects joined by any conjunction (including and, or, but, or nor) take a plural verb. Both men and women are allowed to enter. A compound subject whose parts are joined by and takes a singular verb in two special instances. 1. When the parts of the subject combine to form a single item. One and one equals two. Cookies and cream is my favorite flavor. 2. When the compound subject is modified by the words each or every. Every boy and girl has to participate. Subject Agreement with the Verb
- 5. 5 Pronoun Cases Pronouns used as subjects: I, you, he, she, it, we, they, who Pronouns used as objects: me, you, him, her, it, us, them, whom Politeness says that the I, we, me or us comes last. Katy likes Joe and I. Katy likes Joe and me. Pronoun Cases An appositive is a noun, noun phrase, or noun clause which follows a noun or pronoun and renames or describes the noun or pronoun. We visited the home of Harriet Beecher Stowe, the author of Uncle Tom's Cabin. Who and Whom Who are you? (Subject) Whom did you give it to? (Object of preposition to)
- 6. 6 Possessive Pronouns Used alone: mine, yours, his, hers, ours, theirs, whose That computer is hers. Modify noun: my, your, his, her, its, our, their, whose That is her computer. We could not stand him complaining about everything. We could not stand his complaining about everything. Indefinite Pronouns Indefinite pronouns are words which replace nouns without specifying which noun they replace. Singular: another, anybody, anyone, anything, each, either, everybody, everyone, everything, little, much, neither, nobody, no one, nothing, one, other, somebody, someone, something Plural: both, few, many, others, several Singular or Plural: all, any, more, most, none, some Each of the members has one vote. A few of the justices were voicing their opposition. All of the people clap their hands. (All refers to people.) All of the newspaper was soaked. (All refers to newspaper.)
- 7. 7 Uncountable Nouns Advice, confidence, equipment, evidence, garbage, information, knowledge, machinery, pollution, quality, software, clothing, company, empathy, history, homework, importance, music, thinking, stuff, weather, wisdom Than He likes you more than me. He likes you more than I. Both of them are correct! He likes you more than he likes me. He likes you more than I do. When a pronoun follows than or as in a comparison, make sure you understand what words are missing and then use the correct pronoun. He is taller than her. (i.e., than her is?) He is taller than she. (i.e., than she is.)
- 8. 8 Comparatives and Superlatives Use words ending in -er or modified by the word more to compare two items. This is known as the comparative degree. Use words ending in -est or modified by the word most to compare three or more items. This is known as the superlative degree. Fair, pretty, handsome, famous, ready, beautiful, smoothly Fairer, prettier, handsomest, most famous, more ready, more beautiful, most smoothly Negatives Double negatives are nonstandard. I don't want no bananas. I don't want any bananas. I want no bananas. Words like barely, hardly, and scarcely have a negative sense and should not be used with another negative. In effect, this creates a double negative. He couldn't hardly speak. He could hardly speak.