You’ve probably heard that the road to success is littered with the bodies of individuals who didn’t “play by the rules” or do things the “right way.” While measures have been taken to make sure that these instances are minimized in most aspects of life, they still happen. The grammar world is one such place.
I know, I know. Grammar is not a riveting subject. In fact, it’s probably way at the back of your mind as an important subject to study because it’s got to be boring, right? It’s just analyzing words and punctuation, so how can that be interesting? Well, there are some really cool grammar rules you might not know (but really should). Let’s start with some English grammar rules that are weird today!
English Grammar Rules
There are many grammar rules that we need to know about to be able to speak English fluently. English grammar rules can be very confusing and difficult to understand, but they are important if you want to speak English well. We will talk about some of the most important ones here.
English grammar rules can be divided into three main categories:
- sentence structure rules (for example, what verbs go with what subjects);
- spelling rules (for example, how to spell words properly);
- punctuation (for example, when to use commas).
Sentence Structure Rules
These are the most important English grammar rules because they tell you how sentences should be structured to make them grammatically correct. For example, The dog is brown, not The dog is brown. In this example, “is” is a verb that must go with “dog” because it’s an action word (it denotes an action). We can visualize these types of words as having arms and legs!
Spelling Rules
These are also very important because we need them for basic communication. If we didn’t have spelling rules, we wouldn’t know how words were supposed to sound when we read them aloud!
English is a language that has many rules. Sometimes, it can be hard for students to know all of them. This post will explain some of the most important English grammar rules.
You have to use a capital letter at the beginning of a sentence. For example: “I like apples.” If you don’t use a capital letter at the beginning of your sentence, it makes your writing look sloppy and unprofessional. It also makes it difficult for people to read what you’ve written because they have to stop and think about which word was supposed to be capitalized and which wasn’t.
Another rule is that you should never split infinitives or use the passive voice in formal writing or speaking situations. For example: “We are going to eat dinner tonight.” You would not say this because it’s incorrect English grammar. Instead, you would say, “Tonight we will eat dinner.”
You should also never end a sentence with a preposition (a word such as “of” or “from”) because this is also incorrect; English grammar; instead, always put the preposition at the end of its clause or phrase. For example: “This is the house where I grew up.”
Subjects and verbs must agree in number (he/she/they) – Use plural verbs with plural subjects and singular verbs with singular subjects.
Pronouns must be consistent (myself/themselves) – Don’t switch between “I”, and “me”, etc. If you use one word, use it consistently throughout your writing. If you start using “I” in one sentence, then use “me” in another sentence; if you start using “we” then use “us” consistently throughout your writing.
Grammar Tips
The following grammar tips will help you improve your writing skills by making your sentences clearer, more concise, and easier to understand.
Use subject-verb agreement. In English, we should use a singular verb with singular nouns, as well as plural verbs with plural nouns. However, there are some exceptions when we use “they” and “you” as subjects instead of “he” or “she”:
Subject-Verb Agreement
Make sure that the subject and verb are in agreement. For example, if the subject is plural, then use a plural verb. If the subject is singular, then use a singular verb. This is one of the easiest grammar rules to learn!
Modifiers and Dangling Modifiers
The modifier should be as close as possible to the word that it modifies to avoid confusion and make your sentences more clear. A dangling modifier can cause confusion because it leaves out important information that makes it unclear what exactly is being modified by what. For example: “Putting on my hat, I left quickly.” The sentence above has a dangling modifier, though, because the speaker doesn’t tell us what he was putting on his head- was it a hat or something else? Instead, we need to write: “I put on my hat quickly.” This way, there’s no chance of misunderstanding what we’re talking about!
Use prepositions carefully
If you’re talking about a person, place, or thing, it’s easy to mix up the words that go with them. The trick is to use the correct preposition. For example:
- I am from England. (Here, “from” is used with “England.”)
- She came in through the door. (Here, “in” is used with “door.”)
Use adjectives properly
Adjectives describe nouns and pronouns and tell us what kind of person or thing we’re talking about. It’s important to use them correctly so they don’t blur their meaning and leave your reader confused! Here are some tips to help you out:
Don’t use an adjective as a noun. Instead of saying “I need a small apartment,” say “I need an apartment that’s small.” Otherwise, your reader will have no idea what kind of apartment you’re looking for! You can also add other modifiers like “big,” “small,” or even an adverb like “very.” That way there won’t be any confusion about what kind of apartment you want — small ones only!
Never use the word “very” to modify an adjective. The sentence “I am very tired” is correct, but the sentence “I am very happy” is not. Instead, you should use another adjective such as “ecstatic,” “ecstatic,”, or “overjoyed.”
Always use “a” or “an” before a noun that starts with a consonant sound and use “the” before a noun that starts with a vowel sound.
Use hyphens in compound words when they are used as adjectives before a noun, such as in this example: “He listened to loud rock music.” However, do not use hyphens when using compound words as adverbs or adjectives after a verb (such as “He shouted loudly”). Also remember that no hyphen is needed if two words are joined by an apostrophe (i.e., don’t write “don’t”). Know when to use “‘s” instead of just an apostrophe followed by an s (e.g., Bill’s book).
Weird Grammar Rules
Which and That
The word that is used as a restrictive pronoun and the word which is used as a non-restrictive pronoun.
A restrictive pronoun is used to identify or define something, while a non-restrictive pronoun is used to add more information about something without changing its essential meaning. Which and that are two words that are often confused with each other.
The restrictive relative pronouns (who, whom, whose, which) must be followed by a noun or pronoun in the nominative case.
The non-restrictive relative pronouns (that, what) can be followed by any case, but they should not be preceded by an article or possessive determiner.
The following are some examples of the grammar rules:
- Which is used to introduce a restrictive clause, which identifies a noun.
- That is used to introduce a nonrestrictive clause, which gives additional information about the subject.
- Which is used when you want to add more information about something that’s already mentioned in the sentence.
- That is used when you want to add more information about something that hasn’t been mentioned yet in your sentence or paragraph.
May and Might
May means permission. It expresses that something is allowed by the speaker.
Might is used to expressing possibility. May and might are sometimes confused because they are similar in meaning. The following are some examples of the grammar rules: explain the difference in depth
May is used to expressing permission. It is also used to express possibility if you want to avoid making a promise, but it can also be used to suggest or offer an opinion. For example:
- I may come with you if I have time today. (permission)
- You may go out, but don’t stay out too late! (permission)
- She may not be very good at singing, but she’s one of my best friends! (possibility)
- My grandmother might not be feeling well today, so please call before visiting her house today! (possibility)
Fewer and Less
The following are some examples of the grammar rules:
- Fewer is used when you want to refer to a number of things that can be counted.
- Less is used when you want to refer to a number of things that cannot be counted.
- The number of people who can be counted is expressed with fewer, and the quantity of something that cannot be counted is expressed with less.
- Less is used after words like much, many, little, and less than before a countable noun:
- He has less money than I do. (can be counted)
- She has less experience than me. (can be counted)
- We have less time than them to prepare for the exam. (cannot be counted)
Effect and Affect
The following are some examples of the grammar rules:
The effect is a noun. It means the result or consequence of an action or a cause.
Affect is also a noun that means influence.
Effect and affect are two words that often cause confusion as they sound very similar and have similar meanings. However, there is a differences between them and it is important to know when to use each one in a sentence.
- Effect means “the result of an action or cause” and it is always followed by an adjective or adverb:
- The effect was immediate.
- There were no effects on the environment.
- Affect means “to influence” and it is followed by a verb:
- The new regulations will affect our profits this year.
How Is It Used?
It’s a very popular word. It means “having an important or powerful effect on someone or something.”
So, for example, if you told me that you had an impactful experience at the museum, I would assume that it was an experience that had a big effect on you. Maybe it inspired you or changed your life in some way.
That’s why I would use this word to describe something like a meaningful art exhibit or something philosophical that made me think about my own life and my own goals.
So if we take another example, we’ll have an adjective here: “impressive.” It means “making someone feel respect or admiration.” So if I say that you’re an impressive person, it means that I respect you and think highly of you because of something great that you’ve done or because of who you are as a person.
Examples of the Grammar Rules
The following are some examples of the grammar rules:
- Use a comma before and or but when they separate two independent clauses.
Example: We went to the park yesterday and we enjoyed ourselves there. (There are two independent clauses.)
- Use a comma after introductory words, phrases, and clauses.
Example: It was a sunny day, so we decided to go to the park. (There is an introductory phrase followed by a comma.)
- Use commas between items in a series of three or more items that have commas within them already (serial commas).
Example: My favorite activities include hiking, running, and swimming; while my least favorite activity is shopping. (There are two complete sentences separated by a semicolon.)
- “The” is a definite article. The indefinite articles are “a, an” and “some.”
- The plural of nouns is formed by adding “s” or “es” to the singular form.
Examples of a Weird Grammar Rules
- Don’t use the term “good” to describe food or drinks.
- Don’t use the word “and” at the beginning of a sentence.
- Don’t start a sentence with “so”, “but”, or “because”.
- Don’t use contractions (don’t, can’t, won’t, etc) in formal writing like academic papers and business letters.
- Don’t start a sentence with a coordinating conjunction (and, but, or) unless it’s necessary for clarity or to avoid ambiguity; try rephrasing instead (for example, I love chocolate but I don’t like strawberry ice cream).
Bottom Line
Of course, these aren’t the only grammar rules, but we hope that after reading this you can understand some of the nuances of grammar. We also hope that by learning about these weird rules, you now have a better understanding of the English language as a speaker and writer. Although grammar is not always easy, it can lead to wonderful things, especially when you put in the hard work.
