English Grammar

English clauses are built around a verb phrase. Common patterns include SV (“The train arrived”), SVO (“She opened the door”), SVC (“He became tired”), SVOO (“They gave me a key”) and SVOC (“We found the task difficult”).

Most lexical verbs require do-support in present/past questions and negatives: Do you agree? / She doesn’t agree. Auxiliary verbs invert directly: Can you come? / Have they arrived?

Present simple: habits, states, schedules, general truths. Present continuous: activity around now, temporary situations, changing trends, planned arrangements.

State verbs such as know, believe, own, belong are normally non-continuous, though some verbs change meaning: I think you’re right vs I’m thinking about leaving.

Past simple: completed event. Past continuous: background/in-progress past activity. Past perfect: earlier past viewed from a later past point.

Simple: result/completion/number of times. Continuous: duration/activity/process. Compare I’ve written three reports with I’ve been writing reports all morning.

will for spontaneous decisions/predictions; going to for plans/evidence-based predictions; present continuous for arrangements; present simple for timetables; future continuous for activity in progress at a future time; future perfect for completion before a future point.

a/an introduces one non-specific countable singular noun. the marks identifiable/specific reference. zero article is common with plural/uncountable nouns used generally: Technology changes rapidly.

Article choice depends on discourse knowledge, not simply “first mention/second mention”.

Some nouns differ by meaning: experience (uncountable knowledge) vs an experience (event); work vs a work (artistic product). Quantifiers include few/a few, little/a little, many/much, plenty of, a great deal of, a number of.

can/could/be able to; may/can; must/have to/need to; should/ought to/had better. Note: mustn’t = prohibition; don’t have to = no necessity.

must be = strong present inference; might/may/could be = possibility; can’t be = strong negative inference. Past: must have done, might have done, can’t have done, should have done.

Zero: general result. First: realistic future condition. Second: hypothetical present/future. Third: counterfactual past. Mixed: past condition + present result or present condition + past result.

I wish I knew (present unreal); I wish I had known (past regret); I wish you would stop (desired change in behaviour); I’d rather you came tomorrow; It’s time we left.

Use the passive when the process/result is more salient than the agent: The report was submitted yesterday. Advanced forms include is believed to have left, was being reviewed, should have been informed.

I had my laptop repaired. / We’re getting the office repainted. This means someone else performs the service.

Backshift depends on viewpoint and time relevance. Advanced reporting verbs carry grammar patterns: admit doing, deny doing, warn someone not to do, recommend that someone do, accuse someone of doing.

Defining clauses identify the noun and use no commas. Non-defining clauses add information and are separated by commas. That is not normally used in non-defining clauses.

Students applying this year… / The documents submitted yesterday… / Having completed the analysis, the team…. Ensure the understood subject is logically correct.

Some verbs select one pattern (avoid doing, decide to do); others change meaning: remember doing vs remember to do; stop doing vs stop to do; try doing vs try to do.

Learn patterns as chunks: interested in, responsible for, insist on, succeed in, object to, capable of. After a preposition, use a noun or -ing form.

Use commas for clause boundaries and non-defining information; semicolons to connect closely related independent clauses; colons to introduce elaboration after a complete clause. Punctuation should reflect syntax, not simply pauses in speech.