Introduction
Grammar is a confusing word. It sounds sciencey, but it’s not. Grammar is just your brain telling you what words to use and how to put them together into sentences. But still… it can be hard to understand all the rules of grammar as well as when you should break them! So in this article, we’ll go over 8 things you didn’t know about grammar that will make you feel like a pro in no time!
Grammar is not just a list of rules.
Grammar is not just a list of rules. It’s a system of rules that governs the use of language and determines its structure. In other words, grammar is more than just “the correct way” to use certain words; it also has to do with how you organize those words together into sentences, paragraphs, and so on—and this can change from one person’s usage to another’s depending on what they’re trying to say or convey through their writing or speaking voice (or both).
For example: When I’m teaching English composition at my university as part of my job responsibilities as an adjunct professor there are certain things I’ll ask students about when they write essays for me: Does this sentence make sense? Is this sentence grammatically correct? Does this sentence have any potential problems down the road if you continue working on it further down in your paper?”
1. Sentence construction
Sentence construction is the way you put words together to make a sentence. The most important part of sentence construction is the subject and verb (the doer of the action). In English, a subject must agree with its verb in number: if it’s singular, then so should be its corresponding verb; if it’s plural, so should be its corresponding verb. The subject also needs to have an article— “a” or “an”—to indicate which nouns belong in that slot.
For example:
- “The cat ran away.” This sentence has two subjects: cat and ran away; therefore, they are both referred to as “subjects.”
- “The teacher asked me what I wanted for dinner.” This one has only one subject: me; therefore it’s considered an impersonal construction (meaning there isn’t any specific person being talked about).
2. Homophones
Homophones are words that have the same pronunciation (same sound) but different meanings or can be spelled the same. A homophone is any word that’s pronounced differently from its counterpart and has a different meaning. Examples of homophones include:
3. Subject-verb agreement
Subject-verb agreement is the process of matching the subject of a sentence with its verb. This can be done by using singular or plural forms of nouns, pronouns, and adjectives.
For example:
- “The cat sat on the mat.” – The subject is ‘cat,’ which agrees with its corresponding verb (sat) in number, person, and tense.
- “The cats ate their food.” – The object cat is singular and therefore needs to be matched with a singular verb like ate; it also needs to agree in number, person, and tense.*”The dog chased me around my house.” – This sentence uses plural nouns such as dog and chased which indicates that they are intended to be understood as collective nouns; therefore they must take on collective meanings when used together with their corresponding verbs.*”Mary wanted her sister to come over so she could play basketball with them both today.”
4. Capital letter
- Capital letters are used at the beginning of sentences, proper nouns, and proper adjectives.
- Capital letters are used in the middle of sentences to indicate the start of a proper noun or proper adjective
- Capital letters are used to indicate the start of an independent clause and the start of a dependent clause. Capital letters are used to indicate the start of titles, such as books and movies.
- Capital letters are used to indicate names for historical events or places that have special significance.
5. Articles
Articles are used to identify the gender of the noun, the number of a noun, and its position in a sentence. They also give information about what kind of thing it is or what kind of place it’s located.
For example:
- a man (masculine) – he
- a boy (feminine) – she
- a car (neuter) – it
6. Double Negative
The double negative is not always wrong, but it can be. Double negation is when you use two negatives in one sentence, such as “I didn’t go to the party.” This means that you’re negating something by saying that it’s not true. If you want to say something about what someone did not do or did not do correctly, use a double negative instead of just saying “I didn’t go.” For example:
- I didn’t do my homework.
- -I didn’t go to the party last night.
- – I didn’t finish the project on time.
7. Adjectives and adverbs
Adjectives and adverbs are two parts of speech that describe nouns. For example, a book is a noun. “The book was heavy.” In this sentence, “heavy” is an adjective describing the word book. You can use both adjectives and adverbs in your sentences just like you can use verbs, nouns, or any other part of speech!
Adjectives describe nouns by adding one or more words to show how they differ from others in some way (for example: bigger than other books). Adverbs tell us how something happens (for example: slowly). The most important thing to remember about adjectives is that they come before their subjects when they’re talking about their own qualities; however, if there aren’t any subjects around then it’s okay for them to come after too 🙂 Also, remember that if there isn’t enough room left inside your sentence then putting them somewhere else will help improve its structure so don’t worry about getting creative here 🙂
8. Compound subject
- A compound subject is a subject that consists of two or more nouns that are connected by a coordinating conjunction.
- The coordinating conjunctions are and, but, for, nor and so. For example, You and I are going to the mall, but my sister is staying home. The subjects in this sentence are you and I, but because they’re connected by a coordinating conjunction (and), they become one compound subject. 9. compound predicate A compound predicate is when two or more verbs are used together within a sentence; however they must be joined by either “and” or “or”.
Conclusion
There are many more grammar rules that you need to keep in mind while writing a sentence. If you are not familiar with these grammar rules, it is better to consult a professional before you start writing any work. A mistake in this area can ruin your whole piece and it will be very hard to correct the same later on. So go ahead and read through all these tips we have shared with you, but don’t forget to practice them as well!