English Grammar: The Complete Guide

Tenses in English

Present Tenses

Present Simple
- Form: Subject + base form of verb (+ s/es for 3rd person singular)
- Usage:
- Habits and routines: I walk to work every day.
- Permanent situations: She lives in London.
- General truths: Water boils at 100°C.
- Time markers: always, usually, often, sometimes, rarely, never, every day/week/month

Present Continuous
- Form: Subject + am/is/are + verb-ing
- Usage:
- Actions happening now: I am writing an email.
- Temporary situations: She is staying with her parents until she finds an apartment.
- Future arrangements: We are meeting Tom tomorrow.
- Time markers: now, at the moment, currently, these days

Present Perfect
- Form: Subject + have/has + past participle
- Usage:
- Experiences: I have visited Paris twice.
- Unfinished actions (with 'since/for'): She has lived here for ten years.
- Recent actions with present relevance: I have lost my keys.
- Time markers: just, already, yet, ever, never, since, for

Present Perfect Continuous
- Form: Subject + have/has been + verb-ing
- Usage:
- Actions that started in the past and continue to the present: I have been learning English for five years.
- Recent continuous activities: She has been working all day.
- Time markers: for, since, lately, recently

Past Tenses

Past Simple
- Form: Subject + past form of verb
- Usage:
- Completed actions in the past: I visited Rome last summer.
- Series of completed actions: She came home, had dinner and went to bed.
- Time markers: yesterday, last week/month/year, ago, in 2010

Past Continuous
- Form: Subject + was/were + verb-ing
- Usage:
- Actions in progress at a specific time in the past: At 8 pm, I was watching TV.
- Background actions: While I was cooking, the phone rang.
- Time markers: at that time, at this time yesterday, while, when

Past Perfect
- Form: Subject + had + past participle
- Usage:
- Actions completed before another past action: When I arrived, the train had already left.
- Time markers: before, after, by the time, already, just

Past Perfect Continuous
- Form: Subject + had been + verb-ing
- Usage:
- Actions that continued up to a specific moment in the past: She had been working for three hours when I called.
- Time markers: for, since, before

Future Tenses

Future Simple (will)
- Form: Subject + will + base form of verb
- Usage:
- Predictions: I think it will rain tomorrow.
- Spontaneous decisions: I'll help you with that.
- Promises: I will call you later.
- Time markers: tomorrow, next week/month/year, in the future

Going to
- Form: Subject + am/is/are going to + base form of verb
- Usage:
- Plans and intentions: I'm going to study medicine.
- Predictions based on evidence: Look at those clouds. It's going to rain.
- Time markers: tomorrow, next week, soon

Future Continuous
- Form: Subject + will be + verb-ing
- Usage:
- Actions in progress at a specific time in the future: This time tomorrow, I'll be flying to Paris.
- Time markers: at this time tomorrow, this time next week

Future Perfect
- Form: Subject + will have + past participle
- Usage:
- Actions that will be completed before a specific time in the future: By next year, I will have graduated.
- Time markers: by, by the time, before

Modal Verbs

Can/Could
- Ability: I can swim. / I could swim when I was younger.
- Permission: Can I use your phone?
- Possibility: It could rain later.

May/Might
- Permission (formal): May I come in?
- Possibility: She might be at home.

Must/Have to
- Obligation: You must finish this today. / I have to go now.
- Prohibition: You must not touch that.
- Logical deduction: He must be tired after that long journey.

Should/Ought to
- Advice: You should exercise regularly.
- Expectation: They should arrive by 6 pm.

Passive Voice

Form: Subject + be (in appropriate tense) + past participle

Examples:
- Present Simple: The house is cleaned every week.
- Past Simple: The window was broken yesterday.
- Present Perfect: The report has been finished.
- Future: The project will be completed next month.

When to use:
- When the action is more important than who did it
- When we don't know who did the action
- When it's obvious who did the action

Conditionals

Zero Conditional
- Form: If + present simple, present simple
- Usage: General truths
- Example: If you heat water to 100°C, it boils.

First Conditional
- Form: If + present simple, will + base form
- Usage: Possible future situations
- Example: If it rains tomorrow, we will stay at home.

Second Conditional
- Form: If + past simple, would + base form
- Usage: Hypothetical present/future situations
- Example: If I had more money, I would buy a new car.

Third Conditional
- Form: If + past perfect, would have + past participle
- Usage: Hypothetical past situations
- Example: If I had studied harder, I would have passed the exam.

Reported Speech

Direct Speech: "I am happy," she said.
Reported Speech: She said (that) she was happy.

Main changes:
- Tenses shift back (present → past, past → past perfect)
- Pronouns change according to context
- Time expressions change (today → that day, tomorrow → the next day)

Articles

Indefinite Article (a/an)
- Used with singular countable nouns mentioned for the first time
- Used to talk about one of many: I need a pen.
- Used with professions: She is a doctor.

Definite Article (the)
- Used when talking about something specific: The car outside is mine.
- Used with unique things: The sun, the moon
- Used with superlatives: The best, the most

Zero Article (no article)
- Used with plural or uncountable nouns when talking generally: I like music.
- Used with countries, cities, streets: France, London, Oxford Street
- Used with meals, sports, languages: breakfast, football, English

Prepositions

Time Prepositions
- at: specific times (at 3 o'clock, at noon)
- in: months, years, seasons, parts of the day (in June, in 2023, in summer, in the morning)
- on: days, dates (on Monday, on July 4th)

Place Prepositions
- at: specific places/events (at home, at the station, at a concert)
- in: enclosed spaces, cities, countries (in a box, in London, in France)
- on: surfaces, public transport (on the table, on the bus)

Conjunctions

Coordinating Conjunctions (FANBOYS)
- For, And, Nor, But, Or, Yet, So

Subordinating Conjunctions
- Time: when, while, before, after, until, since
- Cause/Effect: because, since, as, so that
- Condition: if, unless, provided that
- Contrast: although, though, even though, whereas

Relative Clauses

Defining Relative Clauses (essential information)
- who/that: for people
- which/that: for things
- whose: for possession
- where: for places
- when: for times

Example: The woman who called yesterday is my teacher.

Non-defining Relative Clauses (additional information, with commas)
- who: for people
- which: for things
- whose: for possession

Example: My brother, who lives in Spain, is visiting next week.

Gerunds and Infinitives

Gerunds (verb + -ing)
- Used as subjects: Swimming is good exercise.
- After certain verbs: enjoy, avoid, consider, finish, practice
- After prepositions: I'm interested in learning English.

Infinitives (to + base form)
- Used to express purpose: I went to the store to buy milk.
- After certain verbs: want, hope, decide, plan, agree
- After adjectives: It's difficult to learn a language.

Verbs followed by either gerund or infinitive (sometimes with a change in meaning)
- remember, forget, stop, try, regret

Phrasal Verbs

Phrasal verbs consist of a verb + particle(s) and often have meanings that cannot be guessed from their individual parts.

Examples:
- look up: search for information
- give up: stop trying
- get along with: have a good relationship with
- run out of: have no more of something
- put off: postpone

Common Mistakes to Avoid

1. Subject-verb agreement: She walks (not She walk)
2. Irregular verbs: I saw (not I seed)
3. Double negatives: I don't have any money (not I don't have no money)
4. Countable/uncountable nouns: much water, many books
5. Word order: She always goes (not She goes always)
6. Confusing adjectives and adverbs: She speaks English well (not She speaks English good)