Grammar Hacks: Short Tricks for English Grammar

These short tricks for English grammar will help you remember common grammar rules, save you time, and allow you to express yourself more effectively.

Ten Short Tricks for English Grammar

1. Articles

Articles modify nouns (people, places, things, ideas). The article is a noun-modifying adjective.

Adjectives describe nouns, but articles refer to them. We employ definite and indefinite articles to refer to a noun or nouns in writing and conversation. Examples of articles are “a”, “the” and “an”

The following are the common shortcuts rules for Articles.

No articles should be used when naming meals like breakfast/lunch/dinner/brunch.

Example:

• I have the dinner at 6 o’clock in the evening. (Wrong)
• I have lunch at 3 o’clock in the afternoon. (Right)

No articles should be used after di-transitive verbs like Elect/Make/Appoint.

Example:

• We appointed her a counsellor.(Wrong)
• We appointed her counsellor. (Right)
• The Government of the USA appointed a committee. (Right – Mono transitive verb)

No articles after type/sort/kind/post/title/rank

Example

• Jane was promoted to the rank of a Director. (Wrong)
• Jane was promoted to the rank of Director. (Right)

2. Nouns

The following are the common shortcuts rules for Nouns.

Nouns name people, places, things, and ideas. Nouns can be subjects, objects, complements, appositives, or adjectives.

Don’t use ‘A/An’ before uncountable words.

Examples:

• He has many informations at his disposal. (Wrong)
• He has much information at his disposal. (Right)

Pay attention to words such as News, Statistics, Mumps, Ethics etc. They look plural but are singular.

Examples:

• The statistics are not reliable. (Wrong)
• The statistics is not reliable. (Right)

Some nouns have the same form whether singular or plural e.g. Sheep, Fish, Series, Apparatus etc

Example

• I saw five deers in the zoo. (Wrong)
• I saw five deer in the zoo. (Right)

3. Prepositions and Noun or Gerund

Up, down, in, out, on, and off are nearly always followed by a noun or a gerund. What exactly is a gerund? It’s a verb + ing that serves as the verb’s object or subject. It’s a technique for turning a verb into a noun. I

Examples:

• I’m into sewing.
• He used to be great at lawn tennis.
• I’m looking forward to hearing from you. 

4. Every and Singular Noun

Every is followed by a singular countable noun.

Examples:

• Every table was occupied at the restaurant.
• Everybody cheered and danced at the carnival.

5. The Use of “Much and Many”

Much is used with uncountable words such as air, money, and labor. Many is used with plural countable nouns, including books, pupils, opportunities, and individuals.

However, “much” is not used with a noun in an independent affirmative phrase. In this scenario, “a lot” can be used.

 Examples:

• How much money did you invest? (Question)
• I didn’t spend much money last week. (Negative statement)
• I spent a lot of money in the market today. (Positive statement)

6. The Use of “Most and Most of the”

Avoid the error of using most of + noun. We can use most + noun to communicate generally about anything. Alternatively, we might use most + of + the + noun to refer to a certain thing or group.

 Example:

• Most English textbooks have a few units about verb tenses.
• Most of the people who voted for the president are unhappy with recent events.

7. The Use of “In and On”

When discussing various modes of transportation, use the appropriate preposition. Use in + automobiles, taxis, pickup trucks, and vans. Use on + bigger vehicles that permit standing and walking, such as airplanes, trains, buses, and boats.

Examples:

• I got in the car. Later, when we got to the market, I got out of the car.
• I fell asleep on the plane. At 5PM, we got to the airport and everyone got out off the plane.

8. Subject and Verb Agreement

One of the most fundamental English grammar rules is that the subject must agree with the verb. In other words, the verb must adopt the same form as the subject.

To approach English fluency, it is essential to comprehend subject-verb agreement.The subject of a sentence may be solitary or plural, which determines the form of the verb.

For example:

• He likes bread.
• We like pizza.

 9. The Use of “Your and You’re”

This is likely the most frequent error on the internet today. Your, and you’re sound identical, yet they have vastly distinct meanings and applications.

Your is a possessive determiner that identifies anything as belonging to you.

Example:

• Your dress is getting wet.
• Your siblings have dressed up for the party.

You’re is a contraction of “you are”:

Example:

You’re nice to me. (You are nice to me.)

10. Never interchcange “I and Me”

Example:

• Matt and I went for a walk. [Right]
• Matt and me went for a walk. [Wrong]

Despite being erroneous, many native English speakers use the second sentence in informal conversation.

However, it’s important to note that I and me aren’t interchangeable. They are utilized in many grammatical structures.“I” functions as the subject pronoun in a sentence.

In the first example,

• Matt and I went for a walk

I and Matt are both subjects, whereas the verb is went. Meanwhile, “me” functions as the object pronoun in a sentence.

“Me” is required when another individual is conducting the action. Using the preceding example, it would be perfectly acceptable to state:

• Matt took me for a walk.

In this sentence, Matt is the subject and I am the object.

To Wrap Up

English grammar can be so confusing. You can write fantastic blog articles, creative essays, and more without a linguistics degree.

English grammar is a language game, and it will take time and effort, but it’s worth it. Explore different grammatical and linguistic rules in English, and you’ll find that discipline is a powerful tool. Grammar is your ally and with a little practice, you’ll soon be a fluent writer.