In this post, we will look at some Basic English grammar rules every student must know, with simple explanations and examples.

A sentence is incomplete without:

• a subject (Doer of the action/ about whom is spoken in the sentence)
• a verb (what the subject does or is)

✅ Correct:

• Susie (subject) is reading (verb) a novel.
• The rose (subject) is (verb) beautiful.

❌ Incorrect:

• Is reading anovel. (No subject)
• The rose beautiful. (No verb)

👉 Rule:
Always check: Who/what + did what (action/state of being)?
If one of these is missing, the sentence is incomplete.

2. Use correct subject - verb agreement

The verb must agree with the subject in number (singular/plural).

a) Singular subject → singular verb

✅  She dances well.
✅  John  likes coffee.

b) Plural subject → plural verb

✅  They dance well.
✅ They like coffee.

Common mistakes:

❌ The list of items are on the table.
(“list” is singular, not “items”)

✅ The list of items is on the table.

❌ someone have robbed the bank.
✅ someone has robbed the bank.

Tip: Words like everyone, each, someone, no body are singular and take singular verbs.

Tenses tell us when an action happens.

Three basic tenses to master:

1. Present Simple – for habits, facts and recurring actions
   • I visit my parents every Sunday.
   • Honey tastes sweet.
2. Past Simple – for finished actions with a past time indictor
   • I watched a movie last night.
   • They submitted their assignments yesterday.
3. Future Simple – for future plans
   • I will talk to you later.
   • She will call you tomorrow.

Common mistake: Shifting tenses unnecessarily

❌ Yesterday I go to the market and buy vegetables.
✅ Yesterday I went to the market and bought vegetables.

👉 Rule:
In a sentence (or a paragraph), keep the tense logical and consistent unless there is a clear reason to change it.

a) “a” and “an” – for singular, non-specific nouns

• Use “a” before consonant sounds:
  ✅ a student, a leader, a university (you sound “yu-ni”, consonant sound)
• Use “an” before vowel sounds:
  ✅ an apple, an hour, an honest man (“hour”/“honest” start with vowel sound)

b) “the” – for specific or known nouns

✅ Please close the door. (the one we both know)
✅ He is the principal of our college. (only one principal)

Common mistakes:

❌ I have the pen. (when we don’t know which pen)
✅ I have a pen.

❌ She is a best student in the class. (only one student)
✅ She is the best student in the class.

Pronouns replace nouns (he, she, it, they, them, etc.).
They must match the noun in number and gender and must be clear to the reader.

✅ Riya is my neighbour. She dances well.
✅ The students were tired, so they left early.

Common mistakes:

❌ If a student works hard, they can succeed.
(Informally accepted in modern English, but in academic writing you may prefer:)
✅ If a student works hard, he or she can succeed.
(or “students… they”)

❌ Pronoun confusion:

• When Riya called  Sita, she was playing. → Who is “she”? Riya or Sita?

👉 Tip: In academic writing, make pronoun reference very clear. If there is any confusion, repeat the noun.

a ) Full stop ( . )

• Ends a complete sentence.
  ✅ He completed his homework.

b) Comma ( , )

• To separate items in a list:
  ✅ We bought apples, oranges, bananas and grapes.
• After introductory words:
  ✅ However, he is too late.

c) Question mark ( ? )

• At the end of a direct question:
  ✅ What are you doing?

d) Exclamation mark ( ! ) – use sparingly in academic writing

✅ What a pleasant day!

Common mistakes:

❌ Lets eat Grandma.
✅ Let’s eat, Grandma.
(Comma saves Grandma’s life here!)

👉 Rule:
Punctuation is not decoration; it changes meaning. Always reread your statement after adding punctuation.

Use capital letters for:

• The first word of a sentence
  ✅ A good book is a good friend.
• Names of people, places, days, months, festivals, etc.
  ✅ Ranjan, India, Sunday, January, Diwali
• The pronoun “I”is always capitalised
  ✅ My friend and I went to the market.

Common mistakes:

❌ i am a student of psychology.
✅ I am a student of Psychology
❌ she is from chennai, india.
✅ She is from Chennai, India.

The most common word order in English is:

Subject + Verb + Object
(S + V + O)

✅ Ranjan (S) wrote (V) a letter (O).
✅ We (S) are watching (V) a movie (O).

Questions often use:

Helping verb + Subject + Main verb

✅  Do you like mangoes?
✅ Have you received your parcel?

Common mistake:

❌ Always I am late.
✅ I am always late.

👉 Rule:
Adverbs like always, never, often usually come after “be” verbs (am, is, are) or before other verbs: I am always busy.

She often goes for a walk.

In standard English, we do not use two negatives to make a positive.

❌ I don’t need no help.
✅ I don’t need any help.
✅ I need no help. (formal)

❌ She didn’t say nothing.
✅ She didn’t say anything.
✅ She said nothing. (formal)

👉 Rule:
Use only single negative idea in a sentence: either don’t + any or never + nothing is incorrect in formal and academic English.

Students generally mix up certain words. Here are a few:

• its vs. it’s
  • its = possessive (belonging to it)
    ✅ The dog wagged its tail.
  • it’s = it is or it has
    ✅ It’s a sunny day. (= It is)
• your vs. you’re
  • your = belonging to you
    ✅ This is your book.
  • you’re = you are
    ✅ You’re very kind.
• there / their / they’re
  • there = place or existence
    ✅ Put your shoes in the rack.
    ✅ There is a problem with the laptop.
  • their = belonging to them
    ✅ This is their house.
  • they’re = they are
    ✅ They’re coming soon.

Correct the sentences:

1. the players is in the playground
2. he don’t likes coffee
3. i will went to church tomorrow
4. this is a best example
5. sushan said that he didn’t do nothing
6. there going to miss they’re train
7. my brother live in delhi, india
8. lets eat friends
9. you are coming to movie?
10.  She is a MLA of our constituency.

1. The players are in the playground.

Explanation: Capitalize the beginning of the sentence and verb should be plural to agree with plural subject

2. He doesn’t likecoffee.

Explanation:Capitalize the beginning of the sentence and verb should be singular to agree with singular subject (As does itself is singular, use like but not likes)

3. I will go to church tomorrow.

Explanation: Capitalize the beginning of the sentence. Simple future structure: Subject + will/ shall + V₁+ object

• This is the best example

Explanation: Capitalize the beginning of the sentence. When something is ‘only one’, then use ’the’

5. Sushan said that he didn’t do anything.

Explanation: Capitalize the beginning of the sentence and avoid double negatives

6. They’re going to miss their train

Explanation:Capitalize the beginning of the sentence and appropriate usage of pronouns.

7. My brother lives in Delhi, India

Explanation: Capitalize the beginning of the sentence and names of places. Verb should be singular to agree with singular subject.

8. Let’s eat, friends.

Explanation: Capitalize the beginning of the sentence. Use proper punctuation.

• Are you coming to movie?

Explanation: Capitalize the beginning of the sentence. Order of a question : Helping verb + Subject + Main verb + Object.

10.  She is the MLA of our constituency.

Explanation: Capitalize the beginning of the sentence. As MLA is a specific person, use ‘the’.

Conclusion

These fundamental English grammar rules are like the foundation of a building. Once this foundation is established, students can write essays, reports, responses, emails, and even creative pieces with greater confidence.

                                                              
You do not need to learn everything in one day. Begin with constructing proper sentences with a subject and verb.

• Practice tenses.
• Use proper articles, pronouns, and punctuation.

With consistent practice, proper grammar becomes a habit.