Basic English Grammar Rules Every Student Must Know

 

basic english grammar rules every student must know


Many students say,
“I know English… but I’m not confident.”
The reason is simple — weak grammar basics.

English grammar is not about memorizing hundreds of rules.
It is about understanding small, powerful foundations.

When your grammar base is strong,
✔ you speak confidently
✔ you write correctly
✔ you think clearly in English

In this article, I will explain the most important basic English grammar rules that every student must know, whether you are in school, college, or preparing for exams or interviews.

Let’s start step by step, in simple and easy language.

1. Sentence Structure: Subject + Verb + Object

Every English sentence follows a simple order:

Subject + Verb + Object

✔ I eat rice.
✔ She likes music.
✔ They play cricket.

❌ Eat I rice.
❌ Likes she music.

👉 Rule to remember:
Verb always comes after the subject.

If your sentence order is correct, half of your grammar problems are already solved.

2. Parts of Speech: The Building Blocks

English has 8 main parts of speech, but you don’t need to fear them.

1. Noun

A name of a person, place, animal, or thing.
✔ boy, school, dog, book

2. Pronoun

Used instead of a noun.
✔ I, he, she, they, we

3. Verb

Shows action or state.
✔ run, eat, is, are

4. Adjective

Describes a noun.
✔ big house, happy child

5. Adverb

Describes a verb.
✔ run fast, speak clearly

6. Preposition

Shows position or relation.
✔ in, on, under, at

7. Conjunction

Joins words or sentences.
✔ and, but, because

8. Interjection

Shows emotion.
✔ wow!, oh!, alas!

👉 Tip:
You don’t need to remember definitions.
Learn by using them in sentences.

3. Use of ‘Be’ Verbs (am, is, are, was, were)

‘Be’ verbs are very important in English.

Present Tense

✔ I am happy.
✔ He is a student.
✔ They are ready.

Past Tense

✔ I was tired.
✔ They were late.

❌ I is happy.
❌ She are my friend.

👉 Golden Rule:

  • I → am / was

  • He, She, It → is / was

  • You, We, They → are / were

4. Singular and Plural Nouns

Add ‘s’ or ‘es’

✔ book → books
✔ pen → pens
✔ bus → buses
✔ box → boxes

Irregular Plurals

✔ child → children
✔ man → men
✔ woman → women

❌ childs
❌ womans

👉 Important:
Always match plural nouns with plural verbs.

✔ Children are playing.
❌ Children is playing.

5. Articles: a, an, the

Articles look small but are very powerful.

A / An

Used for any one, not specific.

✔ a book
✔ an apple

👉 Rule:

  • Use a before consonant sound

  • Use an before vowel sound

✔ a university
✔ an honest man

The

Used for specific things.

✔ the sun
✔ the teacher (we know which one)

❌ She is teacher.
✔ She is a teacher.

6. Tenses: Time of Action

Tenses show when an action happens.

Present Simple

Used for daily habits.

✔ I wake up early.
✔ She teaches English.

Past Simple

Used for finished actions.

✔ I went to school yesterday.
✔ He watched a movie.

Future Simple

Used for future plans.

✔ I will help you.
✔ We will meet tomorrow.

👉 Tip for students:
First master present, past, and future simple.
Don’t jump to advanced tenses too early.

7. Subject-Verb Agreement

The verb must match the subject.

✔ He plays football.
✔ She likes tea.

❌ He play football.
❌ She like tea.

Easy Rule

  • He / She / It → verb + s

  • I / You / We / They → base verb

✔ Dogs bark.
✔ A dog barks.

8. Use of ‘Have’ Verbs (have, has, had)

Present

✔ I have a pen.
✔ She has a car.

Past

✔ We had a meeting.

❌ She have a pen.
✔ She has a pen.

👉 Remember:

  • I, You, We, They → have

  • He, She, It → has

9. Prepositions: Small Words, Big Confusion

Prepositions show place, time, and movement.

Time

✔ at 5 o’clock
✔ on Monday
✔ in July

Place

✔ in the room
✔ on the table
✔ at the door

❌ in Monday
❌ at July

👉 Practice is the only key.
There are no shortcuts here.

10. Capital Letters and Punctuation

Good grammar also means good writing habits.

✔ Start every sentence with a capital letter
✔ Use full stop (.) at the end
✔ Use question mark (?) for questions

❌ i am happy
✔ I am happy.

❌ What is your name.
✔ What is your name?

11. Common Grammar Mistakes Students Make

Let’s correct some common errors:

❌ He don’t know.
✔ He doesn’t know.

❌ She didn’t went there.
✔ She didn’t go there.

❌ I am agree.
✔ I agree.

👉 Rule:
After did / didn’t, always use base verb.

12. Grammar Is Not for Fear, It Is for Freedom

Many students fear grammar.
But grammar is not a monster.

Grammar is like traffic rules.
If you know them, you move freely.

You don’t need to speak perfect English.
You need to speak clear and correct English.

Start small.
Practice daily.
Make mistakes and learn.

Final Words

English grammar is not about marks.
It is about confidence.

If you master these basic grammar rules,
you will automatically:
✔ speak better
✔ write better
✔ think better

Remember:
Strong basics create strong English.

Keep learning.
Keep practicing.
And never stop believing in yourself.


Basic English Grammar Worksheets for Students

The following worksheets are designed to strengthen basic grammar through simple, clear, and practice-oriented exercises. Suitable for Class 4–10, beginners, and spoken English learners.

Worksheet 1: Identify the Parts of Speech

Underline the correct word and write whether it is Noun / Verb / Adjective / Pronoun.

  1. The boy is playing in the park.

  2. She likes mangoes.

  3. This is a beautiful flower.

  4. They are my friends.

  5. I read a book every day.

Worksheet 2: Fill in the Blanks (Be Verbs)

Fill in the blanks using am / is / are / was / were.

  1. I ___ happy today.

  2. She ___ my best friend.

  3. They ___ playing in the field.

  4. We ___ late yesterday.

  5. He ___ absent last Monday.

Worksheet 3: Choose the Correct Verb (Subject–Verb Agreement)

  1. He (play / plays) football every evening.

  2. The birds (fly / flies) in the sky.

  3. She (teach / teaches) English in our school.

  4. We (like / likes) ice cream.

  5. A dog (bark / barks) loudly.

Worksheet 4: Articles – a, an, the

Fill in the blanks with a / an / the.

  1. She is ___ honest girl.

  2. I saw ___ elephant in the zoo.

  3. He bought ___ new pen.

  4. ___ sun rises in the east.

  5. She is ___ teacher in our school.

Worksheet 5: Tenses (Simple Present & Simple Past)

Rewrite the sentences as instructed.

  1. I eat rice every day. (Change into Past Tense)

  2. She went to school. (Change into Present Tense)

  3. They play cricket. (Change into Past Tense)

  4. He watched TV. (Change into Present Tense)

  5. We write letters. (Change into Past Tense)

Worksheet 6: Correct the Sentences

Each sentence has one mistake. Correct it.

  1. He do not like tea.

  2. She is agree with me.

  3. They was late yesterday.

  4. I am go to school daily.

  5. She have two brothers.

Worksheet 7: Make Sentences

Make meaningful sentences using the given words.

  1. teacher

  2. happy

  3. play

  4. book

  5. school

Worksheet 8: Punctuation and Capital Letters

Rewrite the sentences using correct punctuation.

  1. what is your name

  2. i live in india

  3. she is a good student

  4. where are you going

  5. today is monday

Worksheet 9: Match the Following

Match Column A with Column B.

Column A | Column B
Noun | Action word
Verb | Name of a thing
Adjective | Describing word
Pronoun | Used instead of noun

Worksheet 10: Short Answer Practice

Answer in one sentence.

  1. What is a noun?

  2. What is a verb?

  3. What is a sentence?

  4. Write one example of a pronoun.

  5. Write one example of an adjective.

✨ Teacher’s Note

Practice a little every day. Grammar becomes easy when used regularly in speaking and writing.



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