English Grammar
Grammar refers to the way words are used, classified, and structured together to form
coherent written or spoken communication.––––––––
This guide takes a traditional approach to teaching English grammar, breaking the topic into
three fundamental elements: Parts of Speech, Inflection, and Syntax. Each of these is a
discrete, individual part, but they are all intrinsically linked together in meaning.
Parts of Speech
In the first part of the guide, we will look at the basic components of English—words. The
parts of speech are the categories to which different words are assigned, based on their
meaning, structure, and function in a sentence.
We’ll look in great detail at the seven main parts of speech—nouns, pronouns, verbs,
adjectives, adverbs, prepositions, and conjunctions—as well as other categories of words
that don’t easily fit in with the rest, such as particles, determiners, and gerunds.
By understanding the parts of speech, we can better understand how (and why) we structure
words together to form sentences.
Inflection
Although the parts of speech provide the building blocks for English, another very important
element is inflection, the process by which words are changed in form to create new,
specific meanings.
There are two main categories of inflection: conjugation and declension. Conjugation refers
to the inflection of verbs, while declension refers to the inflection of nouns, pronouns,
adjectives, and adverbs. Whenever we change a verb from the present tense to the past
tense, for example, we are using conjugation. Likewise, when we make a noun plural to
show that there is more than one of it, we are using declension.
Syntax
The third and final part of the guide will focus on syntax, the rules and patterns that govern
how we structure sentences. The grammatical structures that constitute syntax can be
thought of as a hierarchy, with sentences at the top as the largest cohesive unit in the
language and words (the parts of speech) at the bottom.
We’ll begin the third part by looking at the basic structural units present in all sentences
—subjects and predicates—and progressively move on to larger classes of structures,
discussing modifiers, phrases, and clauses. Finally, we will end by looking at the different
structures and categories of sentences themselves.
Using the three parts together
 The best way to approach this guide is to think of it as a cross-reference of itself; when you
see a term or concept in one section that you’re unfamiliar with, check the other sections to
find a more thorough explanation. Neither parts of speech nor inflection nor syntax exist as
truly separate units; it’s equally important to examine and learn about the different kinds of
words, how they can change to create new meaning, and the guidelines by which they are
structured into sentences.
When we learn to use all three parts together, we gain a much fuller understanding of how to
make our speech and writing not only proper, but natural and effective.

Parts of Speech
Definition
 The parts of speech are the primary categories of words according to their function in a
sentence.
English has seven main parts of speech. We’ll look at a brief overview of each below;
continue on to their individual chapters to learn more about them.
Nouns
Nouns are words that identify or name people, places, or things. Nouns can function as the
subject of a clause or sentence, an object ofa verb, or an object ofa preposition. Words
like cat, book, table, girl, and plane are all nouns.
Pronouns
Pronouns are words that represent nouns (people, places, or things). Grammatically,
pronouns are used in the same ways as nouns; they can function as subjects or objects.
Common pronouns include me, you, her, him, it, everyone, and somebody.
Verbs
Verbs are words that describe the actions—or states of being—of people, animals, places,
or things. Verbs function as the root of what’s called the predicate, which is required (along
with a subject) to form a complete sentence; therefore, every sentence must include at least
one verb.
Verbs include action words like run, walk, write, or sing, as well as words describing
states of being, such as be, seem, feel, or sound.
Adjectives
Adjectives are words that modify (add description to) nouns and (occasionally) pronouns.
They can be a part ofeither the subject or the predicate. Common adjectives are red, blue,
fast, slow, big, tall, and wide.
Adverbs
Adverbs are words that modify verbs, adjectives, other adverbs, or even entire clauses.
Depending on what they modify (and how), adverbs can appear anywhere in the sentence.
Adverbs are commonly formed from adjectives by adding "-lye" to the end, as in slowly,
quickly, widely, beautifully, or commonly.
Prepositions
Prepositions are words that express a relationship between a noun or pronoun (known as the
object of the preposition) and another part of the sentence. Together, these form
prepositional phrases, which can function as adjectives or as adverbs in a sentence. Some
examples of prepositional phrases are: on the table, in the shed, and across the field. (The
prepositions are in bold.)
Conjunctions
 Conjunctions are words that connect other words, phrases, or clauses, expressing a specific
kind of relationship between the two (or more) elements. The most common conjunctions are
the coordinating conjunctions: and, but, or, nor, for, so, and yet.
Other Parts of Speech
In addition to the seven parts of speech above, there are several other groupings of words
that do not neatly fit into any one specific category—particles, articles, determiners,
gerunds, and interjections.
Many of these share characteristics with one or more of the seven primary categories. For
example, determiners are similar in many ways to adjectives, but they are not completely
the same, and most particles are identical in appearance to prepositions but have different
grammatical functions.
Because they are harder to classify in comparison to the seven primary categories above,
they’ve been grouped together in this guide under the general category Other Parts of
Speech.
Nouns
Definition
 Nouns are words that indicate a person, place, or thing.
In a sentence, nouns can function as the subject or the object of a verb or preposition.
Nouns can also follow linking verbs to rename or re-identify the subject of a sentence or
clause; these are known as predicate nouns.
The Subject
The subject in a sentence or clause is the person or thing doing, performing, or controlling
the action of the verb. For example:
• "The dog chased its tail." (The noun dog is performing the action of the verb chase.)
• "Mary reads a book every week." (The proper noun Mary is performing the action of the verb read.)
Objects
 Grammatical objects have three grammatical roles: the direct object of a verb, the indirect
object of a verb, or the object of a preposition.
Direct objects
Direct objects are what receive the action of the verb in a sentence or clause. For example:
• "The dog chased its tail." (The noun tail is receiving the action of the verb chase.)
• "Mary reads a book every week." (The noun book is receiving the action of the verb read.)
Indirect objects
An indirect object is the person or thing who receives the direct object of the verb. For
instance:
• "Please pass Jeremy the salt." (The proper noun Jeremy is receiving the direct object
salt, which receives the action of the verb pass.)
• "I sent the company an application for the job." (The noun company is receiving the direct
object application, which receives the action of the verb sent.)
Objects of prepositions
Nouns are also used after prepositions to create prepositional phrases. When a noun is part of a prepositional phrase, it is known as the object of the preposition. For example:
• "Your backpack is under the table." (The noun table is the object of the preposition under,

(This creates the prepositional phrase under the table.)
• "I am looking for work." (The noun work is the object of the preposition for, which creates
the prepositional phrase for work.)

Predicate Nouns
Nouns that follow linking verbs are known as predicate nouns (sometimes known as
predicative nouns). These serve to rename or re-identify the subject. Ifthe noun is
accompanied by any direct modifiers (such as articles, adjectives, or prepositional
phrases), the entire noun phrase acts predicatively.
For example:-
• "Love is a virtue." (The noun phrase a virtue follows the linking verb is to rename the
subject love.)
• "Tommy seems like a real bully." (The noun phrases a real bully follows the linking verb
seems to rename the subject Tommy.)
• "Maybe this is a blessing in disguise." (The noun phrase a blessing in disguise follows
the linking verb is to rename the subject this.)
(Go to the section on Subject Complements in the part of the guide that covers Syntax to
learn more about predicate nouns.)

Categories of Nouns
There are many different kinds of nouns, and it’s important to know the different way each
type can be used in a sentence. Below, we’ll briefly look at the different categories of nouns.
You can explore the individual sections to learn more about each.
Common and Proper Nouns
Nouns that identify general people, places, or things are called common nouns—they name
or identify that which is common among others.
Proper nouns, on the other hand, are used to identify an absolutely unique person, place, or
thing, and they are signified by capital letters, no matter where they appear in a sentence.

Common Nouns

Proper Nouns

"He sat on the chair."

"Go find Jeff and tell him dinner is ready."

　

"I live in a city."

"I’ll have a Pepsi, please."

"We met some people."

"Prince William is adored by many."

　

　

　

　

　

　

　

　

　

　

\