English grammar. English Grammar Online

Learning any language requires familiarity with grammar. Without it, it is impossible to correctly express thoughts by constructing sentences. Grammar includes within its boundaries important sections of language: morphology and syntax. If missed from the training program at the moment, then we can forget about serious achievements in the field of language. This applies to both the written and oral parts. Don’t forget: achieving your goal depends on motivation.

It is worth noting that grammar English language online will allow you to independently study structure, as well as focus on the ability to create sentences from words. This involves working on different levels complexity. Therefore, you can progress on your own.

English Grammar

You can't do without grammar!

So, let's consider those points related to the study of the grammatical structure of the English language. To put it more clearly, let's analyze the advantages of having proper grammar.

  1. Speech understanding. How will the interlocutor understand us if we cannot formulate the thought correctly? In order not to be unfounded, we will give an example. I buy dress. What is this? The translation is: “I’m going to buy a dress.” It is unclear when this will happen. And many nuances of meaning are simply missing. Let's change the proposal a little. I want to buy a dress. Everything is clear here, because the translation is: “I want to buy a dress.” As you can see, the first point of the reasons why you should learn grammar is obvious. This is perhaps the most important factor.
  2. The speech is not just competent, but also beautiful; This is the magic of influencing your interlocutor. And this is important both in work and in personal life. A person who has the art of oratory is able to achieve cherished goals. He attracts other people. And this is extremely important in our information age, where the ability to speak occupies a key position. Don't forget that online English grammar will allow you to constantly practice. This is important on the path to language acquisition. The English language is cunning in that, despite its relative simplicity, it requires constant honing of skills. Otherwise, all your efforts will be in vain. A system is required. When learning new things, it is important to repeat the old ones; then the positive effect will not take long to arrive. When learning any language, it is important to maintain such continuity: new things are learned, and old things are repeated.

Debunking the myth

Some readers will wonder why English did not give the desired results at school. After all, so many years are devoted to studying grammar! But at school they communicate little in given language. Hence the ineffectiveness. But if there is constant communication, then studying grammar will become a good basis for progression. The theory will become clear in practice. Therefore, it is important to speak up. If there are no people nearby who can speak English to you, then speak to yourself. Yes, it's a little strange, but it's also practice.

Any discipline studied, simple or complex, cannot do without a basic structure, without a core. In a language, this is grammar, and in grammar, the rules are the core. In this article I will try to talk at least a little about such a vast and complex issue as the rules of English grammar, of which there are a lot, as well as exceptions. We will focus on the most important ones.

Basic rules in English

There is no need to blindly cram the rules, and it is useless, you just need to understand the grammar. Having an idea of ​​the system and structure of the language, understanding its means and mechanisms, the basic rules with which it operates, you will be able to hone your practical skills, and sometimes consult reference books to clarify some points, or when your intuition does not tell you the correct answer.

If you periodically have doubts about the correct use of numbers, word choice, and their order, then take a look at the code of laws of English grammar. This article will help you resolve doubts about mastering difficult or problematic aspects of the English language. I have chosen the most common grammatical problems faced by people who decide to learn a foreign language.

Articles - three special words in English

In English, special words are used - articles. There are only two of them - a certain article the and indefinite a (an is placed before nouns beginning with a vowel). In most cases, this function word is placed only before nouns. Not definite article apply exclusively to countable nouns in the singular, while definite is used when using nouns, both singular and plural, regardless of whether they are countable or not.

There are cases when the article is not used at all. They need to be remembered.

So, the article is not used at all if the noun is preceded by:

cardinal number (one, two, three);

There are ten boys in the team - there are ten boys in the team.

possessive or demonstrative pronoun (this, our, that, my, etc.);

My flat is not big, but modern - My apartment is small, but modern.

another noun in the possessive case (my sister’s, Sam’s etc.);

negation of “no” (not “not”!).

I have no book - I don’t have a book.

Note: if a noun in the possessive case serves as an adjective in a sentence, the use of an article in this case is possible.

It’s a children’s room (children’s room).

The article is not placed before uncountable nouns that denote an abstract concept or an indefinite amount of substance.

I don’t like milk, I prefer juice. — I don’t like milk, I prefer juice (juice, milk - in general)

Kindness is one of the most important things in the world. — Kindness is one of the most important things in the world (kindness is an abstract concept).

The article is not used with the names of sports:

I am fond of box, and my sister prefers sport dancing. — I love boxing, and my sister prefers sports dancing.

The article is not placed before proper names (exceptions include some geographical names).

The order of sentence construction

In Russian, the meaning of what is said does not depend on the sequence of words. The meaning of a phrase or proposition is not affected in any way by the order in which the words are placed. In English there is own order construction of phrases and sentences, compliance with which is mandatory, otherwise the meaning of what was said will be different or the sentence will simply lose its meaning and form.

So, the correct sequence of words is:

The Subject always comes first, followed by the Predicate, then the Object - What? Circumstances - Where and When, and Definition - Which? is placed between the article and the word that it defines: The green room...

The possessive case of the word (Whose?) determines the following noun and is always placed in preposition (in front of) the defined noun. Analogue in Russian - possessive adjective or genitive: children’s room - children’s room or children’s room.

But definitions in English are also arranged in a certain order. To remember their sequence, you need to learn the word “OPSHACOM”, which is consonant with the Russian “OBSHCHAK”. The basis of this word is made up of the first letters of the definitions in the required sequence:

  • Opinion - opinion
  • Shape - form
  • Age - age
  • COlour - color
  • Material - material

Indefinite adverbs and adverbs of frequency are set in preposition with respect to the main verb, but in postposition with respect to “to be”, as well as in postposition of the first auxiliary verbs and the second “have”. Don't understand? That's it for now. As soon as you come across such adverbs, remember this rule.

It is worth remembering the “one-time rule”: in a simple sentence, any grammatical unit can be used once, and the closer to the beginning of the proposition, the more correct and better. Also, negation is used only once. And in complex polyfunctional units after the past tense, only the past and no other is used.

Indefinite present tense

This tense is used to show an action that is constantly being performed in the present or to express generally accepted truths. For example: In the morning I wash my face/Every morning I wash up or The moon shines at night.

The infinitive form agrees with the Present Indefinite, eliminating "to" in all persons except the third person singular, which takes the ending "-s (-es)". IN in this case this ending is pronounced differently:

  • After vowels and voiced consonants - [z] - writes
  • After voiceless consonants - [s] - tells
  • After whistling and hissing sounds, as well as letter combinations ss, sh, ch, x - [iz] - washes
I write I tell I wash

The same rule applies to the plural of nouns.

By the way, about nouns. The word “FAMILY” is a collective concept that can be combined with the plural if it means “all family members”, as well as with the third person form of the verb singular, if denoting "Family" as a single entity. All combinations of similar verb forms obey this rule: team, group, etc.

Don't forget that the word "POLICE" is constantly used together with plural verbs. And the words “Advice”, “Information” and “News” are uncountable nouns, which are combined exclusively with verbs of 3 l. units

Questions

There are two types of unusual questions in English. So we'll talk about them.

The first type is choice or alternative questions (either/or, or/or). In this case, the word order corresponds to the basic rules: Do you like cold tea or hot? But as an alternative, there are some features:

In infinitive structures, "to" is placed only before the first initial form

The article is retained in definitions for one noun, which is in the singular.

When using the noun that came first, the other one is replaced by “ONE”: Do you like a big apple or little one? Instead of the second word “apple” we use “ONE”

When selecting the entire sentence, “NOT” is applied: Do you want the toy or NOT?/Do you want the toy or not?

The second type is Connection (division) questions. The table shows its structure:

Accent

Well, with monosyllabic words everything is clear. Now let's look at the grammar of disyllabic and complex lexical units. In two-syllable and three-syllable words, the stress is on the first syllable, in most cases. But in difficult words, where there are two or more stems, the first word acquires greater intonation, that is, stress.

Friends, every language has its own basic rules regarding grammar, spelling, syntax, etc. English is no exception. On the pages of our website you can find detailed description each section of grammar, reading rules, syntactic rules, speech patterns of the English language.

In this article we will not dwell in detail on each section of the language.

Our material today is intended specifically for beginners in learning the language, for those who have taken up English from scratch. We want to introduce you to the most basic, most important and necessary rules of the English language that you will encounter everywhere while mastering this language. If you are ready, then 15 basic rules are waiting for you!

You need to know these rules!

So, dear readers, now you will get acquainted with the basic rules of English from different sections of the language. They concern grammar, speech, syntax and much more. All you need is to read the rules carefully and thoughtfully, pay attention to the examples and, of course, remember them! If you wish, you can copy this information into your English notebook or notepad. This way, you can always remind yourself of what you need in a particular exercise.

Rule #1

After modal verbs there is a particle to not used. We say:

  • Imust learn Englishmodalverbs. — I have to learn English modal verbs.
  • You should listen to your parents. “You should listen to your parents.”
  • May I take yournotebooktillSunday? —Can I borrow your laptop until Sunday?

And in no case do we say: must to learn; should to listen; may to take etc.

Rule No. 2

You cannot use the definite/indefinite article with a pronoun:

  • I love my mother. - II loveminemom.
  • Where is your friend now? - WhereNowyourFriend?
  • Yesterday I met Tom and his wife. — Yesterday I met Tom and his wife.

You can't say: the my mother or my mother; the friend or your friend. You can immediately see how absurd this looks, and even more so, how absurd it sounds. It really hurts my ears!

Rule No. 3

Adverbs of the English language (for the question “how?”) are formed according to the scheme: adjective + ending ly:

  • Perfect - perfect ly- excellent, wonderful, wonderful
  • Quick - quick ly- quickly, nimbly
  • Rapid - rapid ly- fast
  • Quiet - Quiet ly- quiet
  • Nice - nice ly- cute
  • Easy - easy ly- easily
  • Beautiful - beautiful ly- Beautiful


  • He entered the room quietly. - HequietenteredVroom.
  • Tom did his homework perfectly fine! - Volumedidmyhomeexcellent job (incredibly good)!
  • Suelooksbeautifully today. — Sue looks beautiful today.

Rule No. 4

Use PresentSimple, after unions if,assoonasbeforewhen,till,until,after,incase in sentences of time and conditions relating to the future:

  • When I finish school, I will go to my grandparents in the countryside. - WhenII'll finishschool, II'll goTominegrandfatherAndgrandmaVvillage.
  • After you study your family tree, you will find out where you descend from. - AfterTogo, HowYouyou will studygenealogicaltreeyoursfamilies, Youyou will find, fromwhomYouhappening.
  • Your elder brother will certainly help you if you ask— YoursseniorBrotherNecessarilywill helpyou, IfYouhisask.

Rule No. 5

The word order in an English sentence is:

Subject + predicate + direct object + indirect object+ circumstance

Subject + predicate + direct object + indirect object + adverbal modifier

  • Isentyoualetterlastweek. — I sent you a letter last week.
  • I saw Mike in the club. - IsawMikeVclub.
  • It was sunny yesterday. - Yesterdaywassunny.

In a Russian sentence, liberties are allowed, and there is no specific word order in it, everything depends on the emotion embedded in it. In an English sentence, everything is clear and strict.

Rule No. 6

Phrasal verbs (verb + preposition) of the English language have their own separate meaning and their own translation. For example:

To look- look; to look for- search

To put- put, put; to put on- put on

Compare:

  • Put the plates on the table, please. - Put itplatesontable, Please.
  • It is cold outside; put on your coat. — OnstreetCold, put it oncoat.

Rule No. 7

The most general rule for the definite and indefinite articles of the English language: the indefinite article is placed where nothing is known about the subject; The definite article is used where something is known about the subject.


  • I see a The girl walking down the street is very beautiful. - II seegirl. The girl walking down the street is very beautiful.

Rule No. 8

End - ed characteristic of past times only regular verbs. Irregular verbs have a different form for each past tense. For example:

Look -looked BUT! Bring -brought —brought

Rule No. 9

There are 4 types of questions in English:

We go to the theater every Saturday. - Welet's goVtheatereverySaturday.

  • General(general): Do we go to the theater every Saturday? —Welet's goVtheatereverySaturday?
  • Special(special): Where do we go every Saturday? —WhereWelet's goeverySaturday?
  • Alternative(alternative): Do we go to the theater every Saturday or every Sunday? —Welet's goVtheatereverySaturdayoreachSunday?
  • Disjunctive(separating): We go to the theater every Saturday, don’t we? —Welet's goVtheatereverySaturday, NotSowhether?

Rule No. 10

To compose impersonal offer, you will need a pronoun It:

  • It is cold today. - TodayCold.
  • It is morning. - Morning.
  • It is difficult to translate this text. - Thistextdifficulttranslate.

Rule № 11

After alliances asif,asthough(as if, as if, as if, as if) in the conditional mood, verb tobe in the 3rd person singular takes the form were:

  • She speaks so proudlyas if she wasn't guilty. “She speaks so proudly, as if she’s not guilty.”
  • Tom looks as though he were rich. - VolumelooksSoas ifHerich.

Rule No. 12

Conditional incentive sentences in the 1st and 3rd person are formed using the word Let's:

  • Let's I have a look at these pictures. - Let me look at these photographs.
  • Let's him sleep, he is tired. — Giveto himsleep, Hetired.

Rule No. 13

Everyone knows what the word is many is used with countable nouns, and the word much- with the uncountable. But, if suddenly you find it difficult, doubt, forgot the rule or don’t understand what noun is in front of you, feel free to use a combination of words alotof. It applies to both types of nouns.

  • Many birds a lot of birds
  • Much sugar - a lot of sugar

Rule no.14

Many English words- polysemic, that is, they can have several meanings. It depends on the context and meaning of the sentence. To more accurately understand the translation, you should consult a dictionary and clarify in what context the word is used.

  • Toshoot- shoot on video; toshoot- fire
  • Country- country; country- village, village

Rule No. 15

Verb do can replace the main verb in a sentence. For example.

English grammar for beginners seems overwhelming. Articles, pronouns, verbs - the English language has a huge number of rules that are not so easy to transfer to Russian. This raises doubts: is it worth starting at all? Is it worth diving into English grammar without some confidence that you can master it? No, with such an attitude, you will definitely not be able to swim far in your study. Therefore, it is important to discard all doubts and stereotypes. Believe me, English grammar can be studied independently and in the most short terms. All you need is consistency and perseverance, and we will help you with everything else.

First, let's figure out what the grammar of this language is. The English grammar or English grammar is a set of all rules that relate to prepositions, prefixes, parts of speech, types English verbs and their times, members of the sentence and so on.

In simple words, everything that is in the English language is its grammar. Respectively, frequently asked question about how to learn grammar , has a very simple answer: to learn English grammar, you just need to learn the language. Of course, it will not be possible to analyze all the nuances in one article. Why, even books that promise to show you the entire grammar of the English language from scratch with exercises, in fact, will never tell you about the entire grammar. Therefore, we have collected only the most basic rules that are best suited for beginners.

How can you learn English grammar without even knowing the rules of pronunciation? Let's start with them. The rules for reading letters in English is a fairly broad topic, since with a certain combination their pronunciation can change. However, let's not go too deep and consider the standard pronunciation of letters, of which, by the way, there are 26 in English. When mastering the topic of pronunciation special attention is given to the transcription, which is usually indicated in square brackets:

Letter Transcription Pronunciation
1 A a Hey
2 B b bi
3 C c si
4 D d di
5 E e And
6 F f ef
7 G g ji
8 H h HH
9 I i ah
10 Jj Jay
11 K k kay
12 Ll el
13 Mm Em
14 Nn [ɛn] en
15 O o [əʊ] oh
16 P p pi
17 Q q Cue
18 R r [ɑː] A
19 Ss es
20 T t you
21 U u yu
22 Vv vi
23 W w [‘dʌbljuː] double
24 X x ex
25 Y y wy
26 Z z zed

English Grammar: Articles

When studying English grammar, a lot of confusion may arise with, since they have no analogues in Russian. Articles are usually used with nouns to show whether we are talking about something specific subject(that bag) or undefined ((some) person). There are 3 types of articles:

  1. Zero article or its absence:
  1. The indefinite article a/an is used when you are not paying attention to a specific thing, but are simply talking about the subject in general. The indefinite article is also used when you first mention something to someone:

Note that if the noun or adjective that describes it begins with a consonant, the article “a” is used, and if it begins with a vowel, “an” is used.

  1. The definite article the, expressing specific objects:

They occur constantly in speech, so be sure to remember.

Nouns in English grammar

English grammar from scratch very often begins with nouns. Perhaps this is because nouns in English have a lot in common with Russian ones. For example:

  • they are also divided into proper and common nouns:
  • can change in numbers, forming plural using the ending -s (-es):
  • have cases, although their number is limited to only two:
  • perform the roles of all members of the sentence, examples:

The difference is that, unlike the Russian language, English nouns do not change by gender. Only pronouns have it.

English Grammar: Pronouns

Pronouns in English are divided into 9 subgroups, but the most popular are rightfully personal pronouns. They change according to cases, tenses and numbers:

English Grammar: Verbs

The verb in English is perhaps the main part of speech. It can be personal and impersonal. Personal verbs include those verbs that are used with all persons and in all tenses. They can be used in both active and passive voices:

Impersonal ones include the gerund, infinitive and participle:

Both regular and irregular verbs have 3 forms. The correct ones are formed as follows:

Irregular ones have 3 individual forms that need to be memorized, for example:

It is necessary to know all these forms, since with their help the formation of tense verb forms occurs.

In addition, verbs have three moods:

Particular attention should be paid to modal verbs. Modal verbs- These are verbs that are not used independently. They are necessary to show the speaker’s attitude towards some action. Some of the most commonly used modal verbs are:

should (should) You should stop drinking alcohol. (You need to stop drinking.)
can (can) Every person can achieve everything he dreams about. (Every person can achieve anything he dreams of.)
must (must) The pupils must wear uniforms here. (Here students are required to wear a uniform.)
have to (need / have to) I have to wake up early because of work. (I have to get up early because of work.)
need (needed) I need you like no one else. (I need you like no one else.)
used to (formerly) I used to watch this cartoon when I was a child.

((Previously) I watched this cartoon when I was a child.)

English Grammar: Adjectives

An adjective in English denotes an attribute of an object and answers the questions “which?” and “whose?” In simple words, it is used to describe objects and persons. According to their structure, adjectives are divided into 3 groups:

These and other adjectives can be used in 3 degrees of comparison:

English Grammar: Adverbs

The descriptive function is also characteristic of adverbs, which are responsible for expressing a characteristic of an action. It comes in several types:

They can also have degrees of comparison:

English Grammar: Numerals

Numerals, as in Russian, are quantitative and ordinal:

With the exception of the first 3 digits, the remaining ordinal numbers are formed with -th (-eth). In English ordinal numbers can be written using a number and the last two letters of the ending: second - 2nd, ninth - 9th, sixteenth - 16th and so on.

English Grammar: Interjections

It is impossible not to note the independent part of speech, the use of which helps to convey emotions and one’s feelings, namely interjections. They can be divided into 3 groups:

Functional parts of speech

Functional parts of speech in English grammar are used quite often. Let's look at some of them:

  • Conjunctions connect the members of the sentence, as well as simple sentences as part of a complex By structure they are divided into:

According to their functions, they are divided into coordinating and subordinating:

  • Prepositions are used no less often than conjunctions. According to their structure, they are divided into exactly the same groups:

In addition to their main purpose, prepositions are always used with the following verbs:

  • Another useful part of speech is particles. There are 5 types of particles in English:

English Grammar: Word Order in a Sentence

Sentences in English are affirmative, negative and interrogative. They are built as follows:

Based on these tables, sentences are drawn up at any time.

English Grammar: Tenses

There are 12 tense forms in English. They are formed using 3 tenses and 4 tense forms:

Times/Species Simple Continuous Perfect Perfect Continuous
Past

(past)

V2 to be (past) + V-ing had + V3 had + been + V-ing
Present (present) V1 to be (in the present) + V-ing have / has + V3 have / has + been + V-ing
Future

(future)

will + V1 will be + V-ing will + have + V3 will + have + been + V-ing

Knowing these forms, you can form any sentences.

English Grammar: Types of Sentences

By the way, about proposals. As in Russian, English sentences are divided into simple and complex. Complex ones are divided into complex and complex.

It is worth noting that, despite the fact that most sentences in English are complete, it is permissible to use incomplete sentences. Typically, this option is used in colloquial speech, so this is rather a practical grammar of the English language:

These were the basic rules of grammar. Of course, it is unfortunately impossible to fit all the material here. However, knowing at least the mentioned rules of the English language, you will already feel quite confident during a conversation. As for conversations. A collection of English exercises or another version of descriptive information is, of course, good. However, believe me, practical English grammar cannot be compared with anything in its effectiveness. Language learners can learn much more by communicating than by sitting in front of a book. Therefore, do not hesitate to communicate with native speakers.

Imagine that you need to start something completely new to you right now. For example, driving a car, baking pies for the first time, giving a newborn a bath. Where do you start? Options:

1. I’ll take it and do it, what’s the problem.
2. First, I’ll read on the Internet or in books how to do it.
3. Call a friend who is experienced in this matter.
4. Help from the audience (I’ll ask someone else).
5. Learn from a professional.
6. I won't do it.

The option you choose characterizes you very clearly. When it comes to English grammar, depending on which method you chose above, the following is expected:

1. Bugaga (the teachers and English people who heard you speak in English are laughing).
2. Adding patience and time to this, you will learn all the rules on your own.
3. Add to this the patience of a friend and his time, under his guidance you will learn all the rules.
4. You won't learn anything, but you will listen to how others do it.
5. Add money to this and you will learn all the rules.
6. You will be able to ski, meet friends in a cafe, sleep, eat - in general, life is good.

As you can see, to understand English grammar, you need, in theory, only three things: a source of rules, time and patience. The first is offered to you in these articles, but you will have to deal with the other two components on your own.

Thus, we give you a fishing rod, and you will catch the fish yourself. What is the beauty of our fishing rod? The fact is that it is light, convenient and easy to use. We will not load you with scary grammar terms, torment you with long lists, flickering arrows, A4 diagrams and other tricks that scare some English teachers.

There is nothing particularly difficult about English grammar, unlike many others. European languages(not to mention Eastern and African). You can simply read these articles like a fiction book. Even if you master the minimum, at the finish line you will find that you master most of the rules that previously seemed overwhelming.

As an example, let's do something already in the introductory part. What does speech consist of? From phrases. What does the phrase consist of? From the proposals. What does the proposal consist of? Stop! Let’s clarify: what does it consist of? ENGLISH sentence? Subject and predicate. Usually this is a noun and a verb (just don’t say that you don’t remember these words): the dog is running, the passer-by is screaming, the dog is barking, the owner is yelling. True, a noun can be successfully replaced by a pronoun: she runs, you scream, she barks, I yell.

You have just listened to a news briefing lecture on parts of speech. What do you remember? At a minimum, the words “noun” and “verb” for you are already associated with grammar, and not with cooking or construction work. And for now we don’t need more. Are you ready to continue at the same pace?

Follow me (follow me).

Parts of speech:

1. Numerals(The Numeral)
1.1 Cardinal and ordinal numbers
2. Pronouns(The Pronoun)
2.1 Personal and possessive pronouns
2.2 Demonstrative and negative pronouns
2.3 Indefinite and reflexive pronouns

5. Adjective(The Adjective)
5.1 Degrees of comparison of adjectives

7. Noun(The Noun)
7.1 Noun in English. Classification of nouns

8. Verb(The Verb)
8.1 Verbs in English. General information about verbs
8.2 Regular and irregular English verbs
8.3 Semantic and auxiliary verbs
8.4 Modals and linking verbs