Grammar Tips and Tricks: Breaking Down Tricky Grammar Rules

Understanding English grammar can be challenging, but with the right tips and tricks, it becomes much easier. This comprehensive blog post will break down tricky grammar rules, provide easy-to-understand explanations, and include exercises and quizzes to test your knowledge. We'll also cover common mistakes to avoid, making your learning journey more effective and enjoyable.

Common Grammar Rules and How to Master Them

Subject-Verb Agreement

Basic Rule

• Description: The subject and verb must agree in number. This means both need to be singular or both need to be plural.
  • Example: "The dog barks." (singular subject and verb) vs. "The dogs bark." (plural subject and verb)

Common Mistakes

• Mistake: Using a plural verb with a singular subject.
  • Incorrect: "The dog bark."
  • Correct: "The dog barks."
• Mistake: Using a singular verb with a plural subject.
  • Incorrect: "The dogs barks."
  • Correct: "The dogs bark."

Exercise

Fill in the blanks with the correct form of the verb:

1. The cat (run/runs) quickly.
2. The children (play/plays) in the park.
3. The teacher (explain/explains) the lesson.

Answers: 1. runs, 2. play, 3. explains

Using Articles Correctly

Definite and Indefinite Articles

• Definite Article: "The" is used to refer to a specific item known to the listener.
  • Example: "The apple on the table is mine."
• Indefinite Articles: "A" and "An" are used to refer to any item that is not specific.
  • Example: "I need a pen." / "I want an apple."

Rules for Choosing Between "A" and "An"

• Use "A": Before words that start with a consonant sound.
  • Example: "a cat," "a university" (note the 'yoo' sound)
• Use "An": Before words that start with a vowel sound.
  • Example: "an apple," "an hour" (note the silent 'h')

Common Mistakes

• Mistake: Using "a" before a word that starts with a vowel sound.
  • Incorrect: "a apple"
  • Correct: "an apple"
• Mistake: Using "an" before a word that starts with a consonant sound.
  • Incorrect: "an car"
  • Correct: "a car"

Exercise

Choose the correct article ("a" or "an"):

1. ___ elephant
2. ___ book
3. ___ umbrella
4. ___ house

Answers: 1. an, 2. a, 3. an, 4. a

The Difference Between "Who" and "Whom"

Basic Rule

• "Who": Used as the subject of a sentence or clause.
  • Example: "Who is coming to the party?"
• "Whom": Used as the object of a verb or preposition.
  • Example: "To whom did you give the book?"

Tips for Remembering

• Tip: If you can replace the word with "he" or "she," use "who." If you can replace it with "him" or "her," use "whom."
  • Example: "Who is calling?" ("He is calling.")
  • Example: "Whom did you see?" ("I saw him.")

Common Mistakes

• Mistake: Using "who" when "whom" is correct.
  • Incorrect: "Who did you invite?"
  • Correct: "Whom did you invite?"
• Mistake: Using "whom" when "who" is correct.
  • Incorrect: "Whom is there?"
  • Correct: "Who is there?"

Exercise

Choose the correct word ("who" or "whom"):

1. ___ are you going to meet?
2. ___ is at the door?
3. ___ did they ask about the project?

Answers: 1. Whom, 2. Who, 3. Whom

The Correct Use of "Its" and "It's"

Basic Rule

• "Its": Possessive form of "it."
  • Example: "The dog wagged its tail."
• "It's": Contraction of "it is" or "it has."
  • Example: "It's raining outside."

Common Mistakes

• Mistake: Using "it's" when indicating possession.
  • Incorrect: "The cat licked it's fur."
  • Correct: "The cat licked its fur."
• Mistake: Using "its" when meaning "it is" or "it has."
  • Incorrect: "Its been a long day."
  • Correct: "It's been a long day."

Exercise

Fill in the blanks with "its" or "it's":

1. ___ a beautiful day.
2. The company changed ___ policy.
3. ___ been a pleasure to meet you.

Answers: 1. It's, 2. its, 3. It's

Advanced Grammar Rules and Tips

Using the Correct Verb Tense

Present Simple vs. Present Continuous

• Present Simple: Used for habitual actions, general truths, and fixed arrangements.
  • Example: "She walks to school every day."
• Present Continuous: Used for actions happening at the moment of speaking or future plans.
  • Example: "She is walking to school right now."

Common Mistakes

• Mistake: Using present simple for actions happening now.
  • Incorrect: "She walks to school now."
  • Correct: "She is walking to school now."
• Mistake: Using present continuous for habitual actions.
  • Incorrect: "She is walking to school every day."
  • Correct: "She walks to school every day."

Exercise

Choose the correct verb tense (present simple or present continuous):

1. She (read/reads) a book every evening.
2. She (read/reads) a book right now.

Answers: 1. reads, 2. is reading

Past Simple vs. Present Perfect

• Past Simple: Used for actions that were completed in the past.
  • Example: "I visited Paris last year."
• Present Perfect: Used for actions that happened at an unspecified time or that have relevance to the present.
  • Example: "I have visited Paris."

Common Mistakes

• Mistake: Using past simple when the present perfect is needed.
  • Incorrect: "I have visited Paris last year."
  • Correct: "I visited Paris last year."
• Mistake: Using present perfect for a specific time in the past.
  • Incorrect: "I have visited Paris in 2010."
  • Correct: "I visited Paris in 2010."

Exercise

Choose the correct verb tense (past simple or present perfect):

1. They (finish/have finished) the project last week.
2. They (finish/have finished) the project.

Answers: 1. finished, 2. have finished

The Subjunctive Mood

Basic Rule

• Description: The subjunctive mood is used to express wishes, hypothetical situations, or actions that are contrary to fact.
  • Example: "If I were rich, I would travel the world."

Common Mistakes

• Mistake: Using the indicative mood instead of the subjunctive.
  • Incorrect: "If I was rich, I would travel the world."
  • Correct: "If I were rich, I would travel the world."

Exercise

Rewrite the sentences using the subjunctive mood:

1. If he was the president, he would change the law.
2. I wish she was here.

Answers: 1. If he were the president, he would change the law. 2. I wish she were here.

Fun Grammar Quizzes to Test Your Knowledge

Quiz 1: Identifying Correct Sentences

Choose the correct sentence:

1. a) She don't like coffee. b) She doesn't like coffee.
2. a) They was going to the market. b) They were going to the market.
3. a) I have saw that movie. b) I have seen that movie.

Answers: 1. b, 2. b, 3. b

Quiz 2: Fill in the Blanks with the Correct Form

1. She (have/has) two cats.
2. He (go/goes) to the gym every day.
3. They (was/were) at the party last night.

Answers: 1. has, 2. goes, 3. were

Quiz 3: Choosing the Correct Preposition

1. She is good ___ maths. (in/at)
2. They arrived ___ the airport. (in/at)
3. He is interested ___ learning languages. (in/on)

Answers: 1. at, 2. at, 3. in

Tips for Avoiding Common Grammar Mistakes

Apostrophes

Possessive vs. Plural

• Possessive: Use an apostrophe to show possession.
  • Example: "The cat's toy" (toy belonging to the cat)
• Plural: Do not use an apostrophe to make a word plural.
  • Example: "The cats are playing."

Common Mistakes

• Mistake: Using an apostrophe for plurals.
  • Incorrect: "The cat's are playing."
  • Correct: "The cats are playing."

Exercise

Choose the correct form:

1. The dog's/dogs ball is missing.
2. The cat's/cats are sleeping.

Answers: 1. dog's, 2. cats

Homophones

Understanding Homophones

• Description: Homophones are words that sound the same but have different meanings and spellings.
  • Example: "Their," "there," and "they’re"

Common Mistakes

• Mistake: Confusing "your" and "you're."
  • Incorrect: "Your going to love this."
  • Correct: "You're going to love this."
• Mistake: Confusing "their," "there," and "they’re."
  • Incorrect: "Their going to the park."
  • Correct: "They’re going to the park."

Exercise

Choose the correct word:

1. (Their/There/They’re) house is big.
2. (Your/You’re) welcome to join us.
3. I don’t know (which/witch) one to choose.

Answers: 1. Their, 2. You’re, 3. which

Capitalisation Rules

Basic Rules

• Start of a Sentence: Always capitalise the first word of a sentence.
  • Example: "She is going to the market."
• Proper Nouns: Capitalise proper nouns, including names, places, and days of the week.
  • Example: "John is visiting London on Monday."

Common Mistakes

• Mistake: Not capitalising proper nouns.
  • Incorrect: "john is visiting london on monday."
  • Correct: "John is visiting London on Monday."
• Mistake: Capitalising common nouns.
  • Incorrect: "I need to buy some Bread."
  • Correct: "I need to buy some bread."

Exercise

Correct the capitalisation errors:

1. mary went to paris last summer.
2. they will meet on wednesday at the park.

Answers: 1. Mary went to Paris last summer. 2. They will meet on Wednesday at the park.

Practice Makes Perfect

Writing Exercises

Sentence Correction

Correct the following sentences:

1. He don't like pizza.
2. The childrens are playing in the garden.
3. She has went to the store.

Answers: 1. He doesn't like pizza. 2. The children are playing in the garden. 3. She has gone to the store.

Paragraph Correction

Correct the grammar mistakes in the paragraph:

"John and mary was going to the park. They sees a lot of beautiful flowers. john says, 'This is the best day ever!' They sits on a bench and talked for hours."

Answer: "John and Mary were going to the park. They see a lot of beautiful flowers. John says, 'This is the best day ever!' They sit on a bench and talk for hours."

Fun Activities

Grammar Bingo

Create a bingo card with common grammar mistakes. As you go through your daily writing, mark off any mistakes you find and correct them. The first to get a full row wins!

Grammar Jeopardy

Create a game of Jeopardy with different categories of grammar rules. This can be a fun way to review and reinforce your grammar knowledge.

Advanced Grammar Concepts

Passive Voice

Basic Rule

• Description: The passive voice is used when the focus is on the action rather than the subject performing the action.
  • Example: "The cake was baked by Mary."

When to Use Passive Voice

• Use: When the doer of the action is unknown or unimportant.
  • Example: "The window was broken."

Common Mistakes

• Mistake: Overusing passive voice, making sentences less direct.
  • Incorrect: "The homework was done by me."
  • Correct: "I did the homework."

Exercise

Rewrite the sentences in passive voice:

1. The chef cooked the meal.
2. The teacher graded the exams.

Answers: 1. The meal was cooked by the chef. 2. The exams were graded by the teacher.

Conditional Sentences

Zero, First, Second, and Third Conditionals

• Zero Conditional: Used for general truths.
  • Example: "If you heat water, it boils."
• First Conditional: Used for real and possible situations.
  • Example: "If it rains, we will cancel the picnic."
• Second Conditional: Used for unreal or hypothetical situations.
  • Example: "If I had a million pounds, I would travel the world."
• Third Conditional: Used for situations that did not happen in the past.
  • Example: "If I had known, I would have called you."

Common Mistakes

• Mistake: Mixing different types of conditionals.
  • Incorrect: "If I knew, I would call you."
  • Correct: "If I knew, I would have called you."

Exercise

Choose the correct conditional form:

1. If she (study/studies) hard, she will pass the exam.
2. If I (were/was) you, I would take the job.
3. If they (had/have) arrived earlier, they would have seen the show.

Answers: 1. studies, 2. were, 3. had

Reported Speech

Basic Rule

• Description: Reported speech is used to relay what someone else has said without quoting them directly.
  • Example: Direct: "I am tired," she said. Reported: She said that she was tired.

Changes in Tense

• Present Simple: Changes to past simple.
  • Example: Direct: "I eat breakfast." Reported: He said that he ate breakfast.
• Present Continuous: Changes to past continuous.
  • Example: Direct: "I am eating breakfast." Reported: He said that he was eating breakfast.

Common Mistakes

• Mistake: Not changing the tense when reporting speech.
  • Incorrect: He said that he is eating breakfast.
  • Correct: He said that he was eating breakfast.

Exercise

Rewrite the sentences in reported speech:

1. "I am going to the market," she said.
2. "We have finished the project," they said.

Answers: 1. She said that she was going to the market. 2. They said that they had finished the project.

Conclusion

Mastering English grammar requires practice, patience, and a good understanding of the rules. By breaking down tricky grammar rules and providing easy-to-understand explanations and exercises, you can improve your grammar skills significantly. Remember to avoid common mistakes, practice regularly, and test your knowledge with fun quizzes. Happy learning!