9 Basic Grammar Rules
Group 3
The term Grammar is derived from the Greek
Word grammatike, where gram meant
GRAMMAR something written. The part tike derived from
AND ITS techne meant art. Hence grammatike is the art
ORIGIN of writing.
Grammar is a tool that we can use to communicate
our message properly.
IS PROPER
GRAMMAR ✔ If our grammar is poor, we risk blurring our
NECESSARY FOR message.
CREATIVE WRITING?
✔ If our work is full of grammatical mistakes, our
readers are going to have a hard time getting through
it. Nothing is more distracting than being pulled out
of a good story because a word is misspelled or a
punctuation mark is misplaced.
Proper grammar is necessary for credibility, readability, communication,
and clarity.
✔️People will judge us based on our writing, so we need to make sure our
writing reflects the way we want it to.
✔️People are often judged by the way they speak and authors are judged by
the way they write.
Grammar is governed by five overarching rules. These aren’t
grammar “rules” like how to place periods and use
conjunctions. They are the rules that serve as building blocks
for English grammar.
The way words are placed and combined to
SYNTAX create meaning
PHONOLOG The sounds that make up the words in a
language
Y
MORPHOLO The minimal unit of meaning in a language
GY
The actual meaning of the words and
SEMANTICS sentences used to create language
PRAGMATIC Idioms, figurative language, and other forms of more
S abstract communication that make language
meaningful
SEMANTICS
PRAGMATIC
S
Recognizing and writing in active voice is one
of the first grammar rules to embrace. When
you use a verb, choose the active tense of that
verb. The subject of the sentence should be
WRITE IN acting, not having the action done to it.
ACTIVE The opposite of active voice is passive voice.
VOICE Passive voice occurs when you pair a being
verb with a past tense action verb, such as
“The apple was peeled by mom.”
If you’re joining two ideas into one complete
sentence, do so properly. One way is with a
semicolon. This should be used only when
Join Two Ideas the two ideas are closely linked.
with a Semicolon,
The man has to walk his dog every day; Rover
Comma, or
destroys furniture if he doesn’t get enough
Conjunction exercise.
You can also join them with a comma and coordinating
conjunction, such as:
The man has to walk his dog every day, for it has a lot of
Join Two Ideas energy.
with a Semicolon,
Comma, or Finally, you can drop the comma and join them with just
Conjunction a conjunction if you use a subordinating conjunction.
The man has to walk his dog every day since it has a lot
of energy.
Use Correct Subject and Verb Agreement
Every sentence has a subject and a
predicate, also known as a verb clause.
Both nouns and verbs have a number,
Use Correct and they must agree.
Subject and With a plural subject, you must use
Verb the plural form of your verb. A
Agreement singular subject requires the singular
verb form. For example, consider this
sentence structure:
John goes to the store.
This is correct because “John” and “Goes” are both singular words.
However, consider this sentence:
“John go to the store” is incorrect because “go” is plural.
“John and I go to the store” is correct because John and I is a plural subject.
Subject and verb agreement gets trickier when you have a subject combined by “or” or “nor.” In this
case, only the subject closest to the verb is counted for number.
“Neither Phil nor Alice was available” is correct because the conjunction “nor” means the subject is
singular.
The most basic building block of written
language is the sentence. To make a sentence,
Ensure A you need a subject and a verb. You also need
one complete thought or object.
Sentence Has a
Subject, Verb Sentences start with capital letters and end
with a period, exclamation point, or question
and Object mark. You can form one with a group of
words, two words, and sometimes even one.
For example:
He ran.
Here the subject is “he,” and the verb is “ran.” It is a complete thought, so it is a
sentence.
Go!
This is also a sentence. The subject is an understood you. Therefore, it is a complete
thought.
Apostrophes have two basic uses. First, they’re used
to show possession. For example:
Kim’s cat ran out the door when she opened it for the
mailman.
In this case, the apostrophe and the “s” show that the
Apply the cat belongs to Kim. If a word is plural, an apostrophe
Apostrophe with no “s” is used to show possession.
Appropriately The kids’ parents went out for a date.
Apostrophes are also used to show missing letters
when creating a conjunction. They’re, it’s, can’t, are
all examples where the apostrophe shows the two
words were joined.
Capital letters are sometimes tricky.
Understand One of the most common reasons to
When to capitalize is when you are writing a
Capitalize proper noun.
Proper nouns include:
Names
Specific places
Words of address, such as “Could you get my bag, Mom?”
Days of the week
Months of the year
Job titles used as part of a name or proceeding a name, such as “Secretary of State
Michael R. Pompeo.”
In addition, you also need to capitalize the words in a book or article title, with the
exception of conjunctions and prepositions that are three letters or fewer.
For example, “Around the World in 80 Days” is the correct way to capitalize the
classic book’s title.
A, an , and the are little words known
as articles. They are used as adjectives
Understand to describe nouns and set nouns
Articles apart. The is used as a definite article.
If you’re talking about a specific
item, this article is correct.
He finally received the letter he had been hoping to get.
In this sentence, the subject wanted to receive this specific letter. A and an are indefinite articles.
They’re used when the speaker or writer is talking about a more general noun. A is used when the
noun starts with a consonant, while an is used if it starts with a vowel.
Both a and an are singular articles.
Please pass a roll.
May I have an orange?
If you need a modifier for a plural subject, you
would use the word “some.”
May I have some jelly?
Nothing screams amateur hour more than
using incorrect punctuation. Every sentence
should begin with a capital letter and
conclude with a full-stop. Remember to
Use Correct capitalise peoples’ names too.
Punctuation Writers should end a sentence with a
question mark or exclamation mark,
although only use the former if it’s a
question and the later sparingly.
Here is an example:
USE My editors name is Bill. He is a good boss.
CORRECT That should read:
PUNCTUATI My editor’s name is Bill. He is a good boss.
ON For help with this basic grammar rule, read
our guide to the best punctuation checkers.
It’s easy to mix up singular and plural nouns.
The former refers to one person, place, thing ,
Use Singular or idea. The latter refers to many places, things,
and Plural or ideas. Usually, a writer uses the word is for
Nouns singular nouns and the word are for plural
nouns. They also need to change apostrophes
Correctly accordingly.
For example, consider:
The girls’ jackets is in the wash.
That should read
The girls’ jackets are in the wash.
For more advice about this grammar rule, read our guide to is versus are.
CONCLUSION
In summary, grammar plays a crucial role in language by providing a comprehensive
set of rules and principles that govern its structure and usage. It encompasses various
components such as syntax, morphology, phonetics, and semantics, which collectively
contribute to effective communication. By understanding and applying grammar
correctly, individuals can construct sentences, choose appropriate word forms, and
arrange words in a coherent and meaningful manner. This not only enhances clarity
and precision but also ensures that ideas are conveyed accurately and comprehensibly.
Whether in written or spoken form, a solid grasp of grammar is essential for effective
and impactful communication.
Pragmatics Writing in active voice Phonology Comma, semicolon, and
conjunction
Semantics Syntax FANBOYS Passive voice
1. Sounds that make up the words in a language
2. Minimal unit of meaning in a language
3. Words are placed and combined to create meaning
4. Actual meaning of the words and sentences used to create language
5. Idioms, figurative language, and other forms of more abstract communication that
make language meaningful.
6-7. Give atleast two way to join two ideas in one sentence
8. An example of conjunction
9. Recognizing and _________________ is one of the first grammar rules to embrace.
10. The opposite of active voice is _______________
1. Sounds that make up the words in a
language A. Semantics
2. Minimal unit of meaning in a B. Syntax
language C. Morphology
3. Words are placed and combined to D. Phonology
create meaning
4. Actual meaning of the words and
sentences used to
WHAT IS MISSING FROM THESE SENTENCES?
5. My parents a bus home after the movie.
A. Capital Letter
B. Verb
C. Subject
D. Object
6. Do you know the date of our Math quiz
A. Period/Full stop
B. Subject
C. Question mark
D. Exclamation mark
7. Do you know the meaning of this word? No, but I can _______ in the
dictionary.
A. Look at it
B. Look it up
C. Look around
D. Look for
8. Who _____ at the meeting yesterday?
A. will speak
B. spoke
C. speak
D. had spoken
9. For each of the following, choose the correct sentence.
A. Her husbands wallet was full of curious items.
B. Her husband’s wallet was full of curious items.
C. Her husbands’ wallet was full of curious items.
10.
A. My sister loves mysteries; my brother likes comics.
B. My sister loves mysteries, my brother likes comics.
C. My sister loves mysteries my brother likes comics.
D. My sister loves mysteries: my brother likes comics
