English Grammar Understanding the Basics - Evelyn P. Altenberg, Robert M. Vago 2010
List of Quicktips
Unit 1: Nouns
Quick tip 1.1 If you can put the word the in front of a word and it sounds like a unit, the word is a noun.
Quick tip 2.1 Concrete nouns refer to things we can perceive with one of our senses. Abstract nouns cannot be perceived by our senses.
Quick tip 2.2 If you can put his in front of a word and it sounds like a unit, the word is a noun.
Quick tip 4.1 Animate nouns refer to things that are alive; inanimate nouns refer to things that are not alive.
Quick tip 5.1 If you can pluralize a noun in a sentence, it is functioning as a count noun.
Quick tip 5.2 If you can use many with a noun (when it is pluralized), it’s a count noun. If you can use much with a noun, it’s a noncount noun.
Quick tip 5.3 If you can use fewer with a noun (when it is pluralized), it’s a count noun. If you can use less with a noun, it’s a noncount noun.
Quick tip 6.1 Nouns that are actual names, for example Mary, are called proper nouns. Nouns that are not names are called common nouns, e.g. girl.
Quick tip 6.2 One way to identify a proper noun is to ask yourself: is this a noun I would capitalize, no matter where it is in a sentence? If so, it’s a proper noun.
Unit 2: Verbs
Quick tip 7.1 If a word can have should in front of it and the phrase sounds complete, the word is a verb. Examples: should leave, should sail, should discover, should complain. Leave, sail, discover, and complain are all verbs.
Quick tip 7.2 If a word can have to in front of it and the phrase sounds complete, it’s a verb. Examples: to leave, to sail, to discover, to complain. Leave, sail, discover, and complain are all verbs. (Note that we’re not talking here about two, too, or the to that indicates direction, as in Let's go to the park.)
Quick tip 9.1 The forms of the irregular verb be are: am, are, is, was, were, be, been, being.
Quick tip 9.2 If you can substitute a form of be for a verb and the meaning of the sentence is basically the same, the verb is probably being used as a linking verb. The verb be and its forms are also linking verbs.
Quick tip 9.3 If you can substitute a form of seem for a verb and the meaning of the sentence is basically the same, the verb is probably being used as a linking verb.
Quick tip 9.4 Linking verbs are followed or modified by adjectives, while action verbs are followed or modified by adverbs.
Quick tip 10.1 Action verbs that act upon something are called transitive verbs. Action verbs that do not act upon something are called intransitive verbs.
Quick tip 10.2 If a verb (in any of its forms) can be put in one of the following slots, it is transitive: (a) What did you ...? (b) Who did you ...? If a verb cannot be put in one of these slots, it is intransitive.
Quick tip 10.3 If a verb (in one of its forms) can be put in one of the following slots, it is transitive: (a) He ... something. (b) He ... someone.
Quick tip 10.4 If a verb (in one of its forms) can be put in the following slot, it is intransitive: He ... .
Quick tip 10.5 Some verbs can be either transitive or transitive. These can occur in both of the following slots: (a) He ... something / someone. (b) He ... .
Quick tip 11.1 If you can substitute a single verb for a verb and the word following it, you probably have a phrasal verb. For example, you can say, She pointed out the truth to us or She showed the truth to us. Point out is a phrasal verb.
Quick tip 11.2 If you can move a particle away from its verb, you have a phrasal verb. For example, since you can say both She looked up the answer and She looked the answer up, look up is a phrasal verb.
Unit 3: Determiners
Quick tip 12.1 There are only three articles in English: the, a and an.
Quick tip 13.1 There are only four demonstratives in English: this, that, these, and those.
Quick tip 14.1 The determiner possessive pronouns are: my, your, his, her, its, our, their.
Quick tip 15.1 Words of quantity, quantifiers, can act as determiners and precede a noun. Some examples are: all, some, several, and much.
Unit 4: Adjectives
Quick tip 16.1 If you can put a word between the and a noun (for example, the ... boy), then that word is an adjective.
Unit 5: Prepositions
Quick tip 17.1 Prepositions are words, usually small, that typically indicate information about direction, location, or time. There is only a small number of prepositions in English. Some commonly used examples are at, from, in, on, and to.
Quick tip 17.2 If you can put a word in one of the empty slots in one of the following sentences, the word is a preposition: I walked ... the table. It happened ... that time.
Unit 6: Conjunctions
Quick tip 18.1 There are three common coordinating conjunctions in English. They are: and, or, and but. Four less common ones are for, so, yet, and nor.
Quick tip 18.2 A commonly used way to remember the coordinating conjunctions is to think of FANBOYS: F (for), A (and), N (nor), B (but), O (or), Y (yet), S (so).
Quick tip 19.1 Subordinating conjunctions connect a sentence with another sentence, which is a subpart of it. The subpart sentence is called a dependent clause (or subordinate clause). In the following sentence, the subordinating conjunction is underlined and the dependent clause is in italics: Nick decided to try to escape, although he knew his chances were slim.)
Quick tip 19.2 The subordinating conjunction is always the first word of the dependent clause.
Quick tip 20.1 Correlative conjunctions are two-part conjunctions. Common correlative conjunctions are: both /and, either/or, if/then, neither/nor.
Unit 7: Pronouns
Quick tip 21.1 The subject pronouns are: I, you, he, she, it, we, they.
Quick tip 21.2 The object pronouns are: me, you, her, him, it, us, them.
Quick tip 22.1 The reflexive pronouns are: myself, yourself, himself, herself, itself, ourselves, yourselves, themselves.
Quick tip 22.2 All the reflexive pronouns end in -self (singular) or -selves (plural).
Quick tip 23.1 There are only four demonstrative pronouns: this, that, these, and those.
Quick tip 24.1 Nominal possessive pronouns replace a whole noun (or noun phrase). For example, instead of saying That book is Sally's book we can simply say, That book is hers. The nominal possessive pronouns are: mine, yours, his, hers, its, ours, theirs.
Quick tip 25.1 Interrogative pronouns are question words. The interrogative pronouns are: how, what, when, where, which, who, whom, whose, why. Look for the question mark to help find them.
Quick tip 26.1 The common relative pronouns are: that, which, who, whom, whose. They refer back to a noun in the sentence.
Quick tip 26.2 Relative pronouns are a type of subordinating conjunction. A relative pronoun typically occurs soon after the noun it refers to. Example: He liked the teacher who gave easy tests.
Unit 8: Adverbs
Quick tip 27.1 Adverbs generally indicate information about location, time, degree, and manner. They provide extra information about the action in a sentence, about adjectives and about other adverbs.
Quick tip 27.2 If you don’t know what else a word is (and you’ve eliminated the other parts of speech), it’s probably an adverb.
Quick tip 27.3 Can the word go in the following slot? Mary slept ... . If so, it’s probably an adverb. For example, Mary slept peacefully. Peacefully is an adverb.
Quick tip 27.4 Can the word go in the following slot? ..., I gave / will give my speech. If so, it’s probably an adverb. For example, Yesterday, I gave my speech. Yesterday is an adverb. Or: Tomorrow, I will give my speech. Tomorrow is an adverb.
Quick tip 27.5 Can the word go in the following slot? He is ... happy. If so, it’s probably an adverb. For example, He is very happy. Very is an adverb.
Quick tip 27.6 Does the word end in the suffix -ly? Is it an adjective? If it ends in -ly and it’s not an adjective, it’s probably an adverb (e.g. hopefully, happily, unusually).
Unit 9: Noun phrases
Quick tip 28.1 A noun phrase can consist of a noun alone, for example audiences, John.
Quick tip 28.2 A noun phrase can consist of a determiner, one or more adjectives, and a noun. The determiner and adjective(s) are optional.
Quick tip 28.3 A noun phrase can consist of just a pronoun, for example he or them.
Unit 10: Prepositional phrases
Quick tip 29.1 A prepositional phrase consists of a preposition plus a noun phrase, for example in the closet.
Unit 11: Verb phrases
Quick tip 30.1 Every verb phrase contains a verb, for example laughs, left.
Quick tip 30.2 A verb phrase can consist of a verb plus a noun phrase, for example chased the ball.
Quick tip 30.3 A verb phrase can consist of a linking verb plus an adjective, for example is tall.
Quick tip 30.4 A verb phrase can consist of a verb plus a prepositional phrase, for example drove to the mall.
Quick tip 30.5 A verb phrase can consist of a verb plus a noun phrase plus a prepositional phrase, for example drove her friend to the mall.
Unit 12: Auxiliary phrases
Quick tip 31.1 The basic helping verbs of English are:
a. can may shall will must could might should would
b. have has had
c. am are is
was were
be been being
Quick tip 31.2 If a sentence has both a main verb and a helping verb, the main verb is always last.
Quick tip 32.1 One kind of helping verb is called a modal. The basic modals of English are:
Quick tip 33.1 One kind of helping verb is the verb have. It has three forms: have, has, and had.
Quick tip 33.2 Have can be used as a helping verb or as a main verb. When have is used as the main verb, it refers to the idea of possession. When have is used as the helping verb, it is always followed by another verb.
Quick tip 34.1 One kind of helping verb is be. It has the following forms: am, is, are, was, were, be, been, and being.
Quick tip 34.2 Be and its forms can be used as a helping verb or as a main verb. When be is used as the helping verb, it is always followed by another verb.
Quick tip 35.1 A sentence can have zero, one, or more than one helping verb. If there is more than one, they will always be in the following relative order: modal + have + be.
Quick tip 36.1 When the helping verb is progressive be, the next verb always has -ing added to its base form. Example: is sleeping. The -ing verb form is called the present participle.
Quick tip 36.2 When have is the helping verb, the next verb typically has -ed or -en added to its base form. Examples: has eaten, have watched. The verb form following the helping verb have is called the past participle.
Quick tip 36.3 When the helping verb is a modal, the next verb is always in its base form. Example: can study.
Quick tip 36.4 A noun that consists of a verb and the suffix -ing is called a gerund. Example: Entertain-ing is fun.
Quick tip 37.1 Time refers to a point in real life at which something occurs. Tense refers to the grammatical form of a verb.
Quick tip 37.2 Tense information is always indicated by the first verb in the sentence, excluding modals.
Quick tip 37.3 Sentences with no helping verb are in either the present or past tense, depending on the form of the verb.
Quick tip 37.4 Sentences with will followed by the main verb are in the future tense.
Quick tip 37.5 If a sentence has a form of have as a helping verb, it will have the word perfect as part of the name of its tense.
Quick tip 37.6 The present tense forms of have are have and has. The past tense form of have is had.
Quick tip 37.7 If a sentence has will as a helping verb, it will have the word future as part of the name of its tense.
Quick tip 37.8 If a sentence has a form of be as a helping verb, it will have the word progressive as part of the name of its tense.
Quick tip 37.9 The present tense forms of be are am, is, and are. The past tense forms of be are was and were.
Unit 13: Subjects and objects
Quick tip 38.1 If the main verb of the sentence is an action verb, the subject of the sentence is the doer of the action and generally comes before the verb. It can be found by answering the question: ’’Who or what is doing the action?’’
Quick tip 38.2 If the main verb of the sentence is a linking verb, the subject is who or what the sentence is about; the subject is found before the verb.
Quick tip 39.1 The direct object of a sentence is receiving the action. It can usually be found by answering the question: ’’Who or what is being acted upon or receiving the action?’’ The direct object typically occurs immediately after the verb.
Quick tip 40.1 The indirect object of a sentence can be found by answering the question: ’’Who or what is receiving the direct object?’’
Quick tip 40.2 An indirect object can occur: (a) after the direct object (which follows the verb), with to or for introducing it, or (b) before the direct object (and after the verb), without to or for. For example: Joan gave a present to Bill or Joan gave Bill a present. (Bill is the indirect object in both sentences.)
Quick tip 40.3 To help you decide if a sentence has an indirect object, see if the sentence can be changed from a pattern like The boys left a note for their teacher to a sentence with a pattern like The boys left their teacher a note, or vice versa.
Quick tip 40.4 If the direct object is a pronoun, it must come before the indirect object. Example: My sister sent it to her friend, * My sister sent her friend it.
Quick tip 41.1 A subject pronoun is used when it is functioning as the subject of the sentence. An object pronoun is used when it is functioning as: (a) the direct object of the sentence; (b) the indirect object of the sentence; (c) the object of a preposition.
Quick tip 42.1 The subject of commands is an understood or implied you.
Unit 14: Compound phrases
Quick tip 43.1 Two noun phrases joined by a coordinating conjunction is called a compound noun phrase.
Quick tip 44.1 Two verb phrases joined by a coordinating conjunction is called a compound verb phrase.
Unit 15: The Functions of sentences
Quick tip 45.1 Sentences that make a statement are called declaratives; sentences that ask a question are called interrogates; sentences that give a command are called imperatives; sentences that express strong emotion are called exclamations.
Quick tip 45.2 A yes/no question is one that can be answered by ’’yes’’ or ’’no.’’
Quick tip 45.3 A wh- question begins with one of the following wh- words (question words): when, where, what, why, which, who, whom, how. Example: Where is the meeting?
Quick tip 45.4 A tag question contains a statement followed by a tag, such as could you? aren't they? hasn't he? Example: She is leaving soon, isn't she?
Unit 16: Combining sentences
Quick tip 46.1 A clause is a free-standing sentence or a sentence within a sentence; a clause or sentence contains at least a subject and a main verb.
Quick tip 46.2 A sentence can contain one or more clauses.
Quick tip 46.3 A sentence that contains only one clause, that is, one subject and one verb phrase, is called a simple sentence.
Quick tip 47.1 A sentence that is made up of two or more sentences (clauses) joined by a coordinating conjunction (most commonly and, or, and but) is called a compound sentence.
Quick tip 48.1 A complex sentence consists of at least two sentences (clauses): a main clause and a dependent clause. The dependent clause is a subpart of the main clause and adds information to it. Example, with the dependent clause underlined: Sally visited her before she moved.
Quick tip 48.2 A dependent clause is joined to another clause by a subordinating conjunction such as although, if, where.
Quick tip 48.3 The easiest way to identify a dependent clause is to look for a subordinating conjunction and see if it’s followed by a sentence. If it is, then the subordinating conjunction plus the sentence directly following it is a dependent clause.
Quick tip 48.4 In a noun clause, the subordinating conjunction that can be deleted following a main clause. Example: I think (that) it's going to rain.
Quick tip 49.1 A relative clause (adjective clause) is a kind of dependent clause; it provides additional information about a noun phrase in the main clause. Example (relative clause underlined): I brought the cookies that are on the plate.
Quick tip 49.2 Relative clauses begin with one of the relative pronouns: that, which, who, whom, whose.
Quick tip 49.3 A relative pronoun connects the relative clause to the rest of the sentence. All of the relative pronouns (except whose) also replace a noun phrase in the relative clause. (Whose replaces a determiner.)
Quick tip 49.4 A relative pronoun may be omitted before a noun phrase. Example: The movie (that) I saw was exciting.
Quick tip 49.5 A restrictive relative clause limits the noun phrase which it is modifying; a nonrestrictive relative clause does not. A nonrestrictive relative clause is separated from the main clause by pauses, and, when written, it is separated from the main clause by commas. Examples: The dogs which were friendly were being trained as Seeing Eye dogs (restrictive). The dogs, which were friendly, were being trained as Seeing Eye dogs (nonrestrictive).
Quick tip 50.1 A compound-complex sentence is a combination of a compound and a complex sentence: it has at least two main clauses and at least one dependent clause. Example: His friends were always there for William, and he appreciated the help that they often gave him.
Unit 17: Related sentences
Quick tip 52.1 Sentences with the subject before the verb are called active sentences. Example: Charley repaired this computer.
Quick tip 52.2 Sentences which do not have the subject before the verb are called passive sentences. Example: This computer was repaired by Charley.
Quick tip 52.3 The passive be helping verb is always placed after all the other helping verbs, right before the main verb. Example: The table has been set by the waitress.
Quick tip 52.4 A truncated passive is a passive sentence without the by and subject noun phrase. Example: The proposal was discussed.
Quick tip 53.1 A sentence is made negative by inserting not after the first helping verb.
Quick tip 53.2 In negative sentences, we use a form of do as the helping verb if the sentence does not have any other helping verb. Example: He does not like spaghetti.