This article is part of our Complete English Grammar Practice Guide — explore all grammar topics with interactive exercises.
- English uses a fixed Subject–Verb–Object word order — unlike many other languages, you cannot rearrange sentence elements freely.
- Articles (a/an/the) are one of the hardest areas for speakers of languages without them — use a/an for new or non-specific nouns, the for known or unique ones.
- Beginners only need to master 4–5 core tenses first: present simple, present continuous, past simple, present perfect, and future with 'will'.
- Modal verbs (can, should, must, might) never take -s in the third person — "She can swim", never "She cans swim".
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Learning a new language means learning a new set of rules for how words are put together. English grammar is simpler than many languages in some ways (no gendered nouns, no case endings for most words) but has its own challenges: irregular verbs, articles, and a complex tense system. This guide covers the essential rules every beginner needs.
1. Basic Sentence Structure: Subject–Verb–Object
The fundamental English sentence follows the pattern: Subject + Verb + Object (SVO). This order is mostly fixed in English, unlike some languages where you can move elements around freely.
She reads books. (S = She, V = reads, O = books)
The cat ate the fish.
Books she reads. (This sounds like Yoda!)
For questions, English inverts the subject and auxiliary verb:
Do you speak English?
Is she at home?
You speak English? (Only acceptable in informal spoken English)
2. Nouns: Singular and Plural
Most English nouns form their plural by adding -s or -es. But there are important irregular plurals to memorise:
- Regular: book → books, car → cars, dog → dogs
- -es after -s, -sh, -ch, -x: bus → buses, dish → dishes, watch → watches
- Irregular: man → men, woman → women, child → children, mouse → mice, tooth → teeth, foot → feet
- Same in plural: sheep → sheep, fish → fish, deer → deer
3. Articles: A, An, The
Articles are one of the most difficult areas for speakers of languages that have none (e.g. Russian, Chinese, Japanese). Here is the core system:
Indefinite Article: A / An
Use a before consonant sounds, an before vowel sounds:
a cat, a university (university starts with /j/ sound)
an apple, an hour (hour starts with a vowel sound, 'h' is silent)
Use the indefinite article when:
- Mentioning something for the first time: I saw a dog in the park.
- Referring to one of many: She is a teacher.
Definite Article: The
Use the when both speaker and listener know which specific thing is being referred to:
- Second mention: I saw a dog. The dog was black.
- Unique things: the sun, the president
- Superlatives: the best, the most beautiful
Do not use "the" with general statements about uncountable or plural nouns:
✗ The water is important for life.
✓ Water is important for life.
4. Essential Tenses
English has 12 tenses, but beginners only need to master 4–5 core tenses. Here they are with usage notes:
| Tense | Form | Use | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| Simple Present | I work / she works | Habits, facts, routines | I drink coffee every morning. |
| Present Continuous | I am working | Actions happening now | She is reading a book. |
| Simple Past | I worked / went | Completed past actions | He called me yesterday. |
| Present Perfect | I have worked | Past with present relevance | I have lived here for 5 years. |
| Simple Future | I will work | Future plans, predictions | It will rain tomorrow. |
Irregular Verbs
About 200 common English verbs have irregular past tense forms. These must be memorised — there is no shortcut:
- go → went → gone
- buy → bought → bought
- see → saw → seen
- think → thought → thought
- write → wrote → written
- take → took → taken
5. Adjectives
In English, adjectives come before the noun they describe (unlike French or Spanish where they typically follow):
a beautiful garden
a garden beautiful
When using multiple adjectives, English has a fixed order:
Opinion → Size → Age → Shape → Colour → Origin → Material + Noun
a lovely small old rectangular green French silver box
In practice, you will rarely use more than 2–3 adjectives together, but the order rule applies whenever you do.
6. Prepositions of Time and Place
Prepositions are small words that cause big mistakes. The most important ones:
In / On / At (Time)
- in — months, years, seasons, parts of day: in March, in 2024, in summer, in the morning
- on — days, dates: on Monday, on 5 March, on my birthday
- at — specific times, holiday periods: at 3 pm, at Christmas, at noon
In / On / At (Place)
- in — enclosed spaces, cities, countries: in the room, in London, in France
- on — surfaces, floors, streets: on the table, on the first floor, on Oxford Street
- at — specific points, addresses, events: at the door, at 10 Baker Street, at school
7. Modal Verbs
Modal verbs (can, could, will, would, shall, should, may, might, must, ought to) modify the main verb and express ability, possibility, permission, or obligation:
- I can swim. (ability)
- You should see a doctor. (advice)
- It might rain. (possibility)
- You must wear a seatbelt. (obligation)
Modals never take -s in the third person: She can swim (not she cans swim).
Practise Your Grammar
Reading about grammar is only the first step — you need to practise it actively to internalise the rules. Try these exercises on LexFizz:
- Grammar Quiz — multiple choice questions covering tenses, articles, and prepositions
- True or False — decide whether grammar statements are correct
- Complete the Sentence — fill in the correct word or form
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Explore All Grammar Exercises →