BASIC ENGLISH GRAMMAR

1. UNIT 01: GRAMMAR

Grammar is the system of a language. People sometimes describe grammar as the "rules" of a language. In linguistics,
grammar is the set of structural rules governing the composition of clauses, phrases, and words in any given natural
language. Grammar. that part of the study of language which deals with the forms and structure of words (morphology),
with their customary arrangement in phrases and sentences (syntax), and now often with language sounds (phonology) and
word meanings (semantics) the system of a given language at a given time.

2. UNIT 02: PARTS OF SPEECH

There are eight parts of speech in the English language: noun, pronoun, verb, adjective, adverb, preposition, conjunction,
and interjection. The part of speech indicates how the word functions in meaning as well as grammatically within the
sentence. An individual word can function as more than one part of speech when used in different circumstances.

I. NOUN

A noun is the name of a person, place, thing, or idea.

Examples: man... Butte College... house... happiness

A noun is a word for a person, place, thing, or idea. Nouns are often used with an article (the, a, an), but not always. Proper
nouns always start with a capital letter; common nouns do not. Nouns can be singular or plural, concrete or abstract. Nouns
show possession by adding 's. Nouns can function in different roles within a sentence; for example, a noun can be a subject,
direct object, indirect object, subject complement, or object of a preposition.

i. Every noun is either abstract or concrete.

ii. Every noun is either proper or common.
iii. Most nouns are either singular or plural.
iv. Some nouns are collective.

II. PRONOUN

A pronoun is a word used in place of a noun.

She... we... they... it

A pronoun is a word used in place of a noun. A pronoun is usually substituted for a specific noun, which is called its
antecedent. In the sentence above, the antecedent for the pronoun she is the girl. Pronouns are further defined by type:
personal pronouns refer to specific persons or things; possessive pronouns indicate ownership; reflexive pronouns are used
to emphasize another noun or pronoun; relative pronouns introduce a subordinate clause; and demonstrative pronouns
identify, point to, or refer to nouns.

Pronouns replace nouns. Without them, language would be repetitious, lengthy, and awkward.
 First person Second person Third person
Subjective Objective Subjective Objective Subjective Objective
I, we me, us you you he, she, it, they him, her, it, them

III. VERB

A verb expresses action or being.

jump... is... write... become

The verb in a sentence expresses action or being. There is a main verb and sometimes one or more helping verbs. ("She can
sing." Sing is the main verb; can is the helping verb.) A verb must agree with its subject in number (both are singular or both
are plural). Verbs also take different forms to express tense.

i. Action verbs
ii. Linking verbs
iii. Helping verbs

Action verbs
In a sentence, an action verb tells what the subject does. Action verbs express physical or mental actions: think, eat,
collide, realize, dance. Admittedly, some of these seem more active than others. Nevertheless, realize is still as much a
verb as collide:

I finally realized my mistake.

Linking verbs

1st person (I; we) 2nd person (you) 3rd person (she, he, it; they)
present am; are are is; are
past was; were were was; were
participle [have] been; [had] been [have] been; [had] been [has] been; [had] been

These verbs connect a subject, say, Loren, with more information about that subject: Loren is an athlete, or Loren was glad.

Auxiliary (or Helping)

Helping verbs are verbs that help the main verb in a sentence by extending its meaning. They can also add detail to how
time is conveyed in a sentence. As a result, helping verbs are used to create the most complicated verb tenses in English.

auxiliary verbs such as will, shall, may, might, can, could, must, ought to, should, would, used to.

IV. ADJECTIVE

An adjective modifies or describes a noun or pronoun.

pretty... old... blue... smart

An adjective is a word used to modify or describe a noun or a pronoun. It usually answers the question of which one, what
kind, or how many. (Articles [a, an, the] are usually classified as adjectives.)

Descriptive adjectives
Articles

The, a, an

Demonstrative adjectives

This these that

Possessive adjectives

our joke book

its well-worn pages

Indefinite adjectives
Indefinite adjectives include some, many, any, few, several, and all:

some jokes
few listeners

Note that these words can also be used as pronouns: Some were in bad taste; few could carpool. For more, see the TIP
Sheets "Pronouns" and "Pronoun Reference."

Questioning adjectives
Which and what are adjectives when they modify nouns or pronouns:

Which joke did you like better, and what reason can you give for your preference?

V. ADVERB

An adverb modifies or describes a verb, an adjective, or another adverb.

gently... extremely... carefully... well

An adverb describes or modifies a verb, an adjective, or another adverb, but never a noun. It usually answers the questions
of when, where, how, why, under what conditions, or to what degree. Adverbs often end in -ly.

VI. PREPOSITION

A preposition is a word placed before a noun or pronoun to form a phrase modifying another word in the sentence.

by... with.... about... until

(by the tree, with our friends, about the book, until tomorrow)

A preposition is a word placed before a noun or pronoun to form a phrase modifying another word in the
sentence. Therefore a preposition is always part of a prepositional phrase. The prepositional phrase almost always functions
as an adjective or as an adverb.

A complete list of prepositions would be huge. You do not need to know all of them, but become
familiar with at least some common prepositions:

about below inside throughout

above beneath into to
across beside like toward
 after between near under
against beyond of underneath
along by off unlike
among down on until
around during out up
as except outside upon
at for over with
before from past within
behind in through without

VII. CONJUNCTION

A conjunction joins words, phrases, or clauses.

and... but... or... while... because

A conjunction joins words, phrases, or clauses, and indicates the relationship between the elements joined. Coordinating
conjunctions connect grammatically equal elements: and, but, or, nor, for, so, yet. Subordinating conjunctions connect
clauses that are not equal: because, although, while, since, etc. There are other types of conjunctions as well.

VIII. INTERJECTION

An interjection is a word used to express emotion.

Oh!... Wow!... Oops!

An interjection is a word used to express emotion. It is often followed by an exclamation point.