Some Basic English Grammar Rules To Build Perfect Writing Skills
To communicate accurately you need to be aware of and adhere to fundamental grammar norms. The rules of grammar are the guidelines we use to communicate. English grammar is the set of rules used to write and speak English. Basic grammatical principles must be understood and adhered to by writers in order to communicate effectively in writing.
Some guiding principles govern grammar. These are not “laws” of grammar like when to use conjunctions and where to put periods. These are the grammatical foundational principles of English that will help you build perfect writing English skills.
Use Active Voice
One of the first grammar principles to adopt is the ability to recognize and write in an active voice. When using a verb, make sure to utilize the active tense. The sentence’s subject should be performing the activity, not having the action performed on it.
Passive voice is the reverse of active voice. When you combine a being verb with a past tense action verb, as in “The letter was written by John,” you get a passive voice.
Although the “letter” is the subject and “John” is performing the action in this line, the author chose to use passive voice. Here’s an illustration of how to switch from passive to active voice in a sentence:
- Passive Voice: The letter was written by John.
- Active Voice: John wrote the letter.
Use Correct Subject-Verb Agreement
Each sentence consists of a subject and a predicate, or verb clause. Nouns and verbs both have a number, and that number must match. You have to employ the plural form of your verb when your topic is plural. The singular verb form is necessary for a single subject. Let’s understand this with an example.
- Singular Form: Alison goes to school.
In this example, “Alison” and “goes” both are singular. If you write the sentence like this: Alison goes to school, this is incorrect.
- Plural Form: Alison and I go to school.
In this example, “Alison and I” is a plural subject. Try avoiding these types of mistakes if you want to build excellent writing skills.
Use Correct Punctuation
Using wrong punctuation is the ultimate sign of amateur hour. Each and every phrase must start with a capital letter and end with a full stop. Don’t forget to capitalize people’s names as well.
Authors should use either a question mark or an exclamation point to end a sentence, albeit the former should only be used in questions and the latter should be used sparingly.
For Example:
- Alison is my best friend She is a good girl.
In this example, the first sentence end with the word friend, so a full stop is necessary after the friend word.
- Alison is my best friend. She is a good girl.
This sentence is correct with correct punctuation. Every sentence end with a full stop and start with a capital letter.
Gain Knowledge Of Articles
Articles are the short words a, an, and the. Articles are a sort of adjective that is used before nouns or their equivalents. There are two types of articles: Definite articles and indefinite articles. The definite article-The should be employed before a noun to show that the reader is aware of the word’s identity. And the indefinite articles-A, An is used before a noun that is generic or whose identity is unknown. Let’s understand this with some examples.
- She ate two apples. The apples were juicy and delicious.
The subject of this phrase is talking about specific apples. The words a and an are indefinite articles. When a speaker or writer is discussing a more generic noun, they are used. When a noun begins with a consonant, the letter “a” is used; when it begins with a vowel, the letter “an” is used.
- I need a pen.
- I ate an apple.
In these examples, the subjects are not specific.
Use Proper Sentence Structure Using Subject, Object, And Verb
The sentence structure is the most fundamental unit of written language. You need a subject and a verb to form a sentence. One complete notion or object is also required.
Capital letters are used to begin sentences, while a period, exclamation point, or question mark is used to conclude them. One can be created with two words, a pair of words, or occasionally even just one. Let’s explain this with an example.
- She kicks the ball.
In this example, “She” is the subject who is performing the action, “kicks” is the verb that is an action of the girl, and “ball” is the object.
- She ran.
He is the subject in this sentence, and ran is the verb. That is a sentence because it expresses a full concept.
- Go!
This is a sentence as well. Since the matter has been understood, the concept is complete.
Use Correct Tenses
Tenses help us express our ideas clearly. One of the first tasks in our language-learning journey is to learn and master the tenses of the English language. English grammar is based on tenses, without which it would be impossible to discern between the past, present, and future.
When you write, pay close attention to the tenses you choose and make sure they fit the situation. There is a total of three forms of tenses: Present, Past, and Future.
- Present: The present tense is used to talk about things that are happening right now. For example, She is going to a party.
- Past: The past tense is used to talk about something that has already happened in the past. For instance, the event might have taken place yesterday, last month, last year, etc. For example, She went to the birthday party.
- Future: The future tense is used to talk about future events that have not yet occurred but will happen at some point. The event will occur tomorrow, next week, two years from now, etc. For example, She will attend her friend’s birthday party.
Final Words
Out of the thousands of fundamental English grammar rules that define writing, these are the most significant. By following these guidelines, you can prevent common writing errors. You can write more clearly and error-free by merging these rules in your writing.
Catch you soon,
Janet