Grammar is the way in which language is structured, the rules that are the foundation of that structure and the study of those rules. At the most basic level, grammar is the way words are used together to form sentences. When a baby learns his native language, those grammar rules are absorbed effortlessly, languages learned later in life take a bit more conscious effort.
English has borrowed from many other languages and as a result, it is very complex. There are numerous rules concerning English grammar, and many exceptions to those rules. Grammar can be tricky because the rules may change. For instance, some words that were once hyphenated are now rendered as one word. Sentences are now only separated by one space, instead of two. Words and phrases are constantly added to the dictionary while other words and phrases fall into disuse. What is considered slang today may be listed in the Oxford English Dictionary tomorrow.
Don’t despair! Grammarist is here to explain the grammar rules that have endured for generations, as well as the usage that continues to evolve today.
Here are some examples:
affect vs effect
grey or gray
then and than
adv isor
cancelled or canceled
realise or realize
favorite or favourite
center or centre
plural of fish
alumnus female
practice vs practise
its vs it’s
learnt or learned
spelled or spelt
hanged vs hung
program or programme
fourty ir forty
donut or doughnut
to too
travelled or traveled
bear or bare
defence or defense
began or begun
everyday vs every day
here here or hear hear
i.e. e.g
in regard or in regards
sympathy vs empathy
awhile vs a while
nevermind or never mindnever mind or nevermind
through vs thru
capitol vs capital
paid vs payed
among vs amongst
difference between morals and ethics
nerve wracking or nerve racking
lie vs lay
further vs farther
principal vs principle
Want to know more?
A
- Abbreviations, acronyms, and initialisms
- Adjectives and Adverbs Exercises (With Printable PDF)
- Adjectives and Adverbs – Difference, Examples & Worksheet
- Adjective Definition, Usage & List of Examples
- Adverbs of Frequency – Rules, List of Examples & Worksheet
- Adverbs – Definition and Examples (with Worksheet)
- Agent and recipient nouns
- Alliteration vs assonance
- Analogy vs allegory
- Apostrophe Rules and Punctuation Guide With Examples
- Appositive Phrases and How to Use Them in a Sentence
- As vs. Like – Difference & Examples
- Auxiliary Verbs – Uses, Examples & Worksheet
- A little and A Few Exercises (with Printable PDF)
- A Little vs. A Few – Difference, Examples & Worksheet
B
C
- Causative Verbs Exercises (With Printable PDF)
- Causative Verbs – Rules, Structure & List of Examples
- Collective nouns
- Comma Before or After Thus
- Comma Rules and Usage With Examples
- Comparatives and Superlatives – Examples & Worksheet
- Comparative Adjectives Exercises (With Printable PDF)
- Compared To or With – Which One To Use?
- Conditionals Exercises (With Printable PDF)
- Conditionals – Uses, Examples & Worksheet
- Conjunctions to start sentences
- Contractions
- Coordinate adjectives
- Coordinate and Cumulative Adjectives – Examples & Worksheet
- Could Have, Should Have & Would Have Exercises
- Could Have, Should Have, and Would Have – Examples & Worksheet
- Countable Nouns – List of Examples & Worksheet
D
- Danglers
- Dangling modifier
- Declarative, imperative, exclamatory and interrogative sentences
- Definite Articles in English With Examples and Quiz
- Definition and Examples of Interjections
- Demonstrative Pronouns Definition and Examples – This, That, These, Those
- Double negatives
- Do You Capitalize Words in Parentheses?
- Drink, Drank or Drunk – Usage, Rules & Examples
E
F
- Figures of speech
- Finite Verbs – Definition and Examples
- First Conditional Exercises (With Printable PDF)
- First Conditional – Uses, Examples & Worksheet
- Future Continuous Tense Exercises (With Printable PDF)
- Future Continuous Tense – Uses, Examples, & Worksheet
- Future Perfect Continuous Tense Exercises (+ Printable PDF)
- Future Perfect Continuous Tense – Uses & Worksheet
- Future Perfect Exercises (With Printable PDF)
- Future Perfect Tense – Uses & Examples (With Worksheet)
- Future Tense Exercises (With Printable PDF)
G
H
I
- Identifying Subjects and Predicates With Printable Worksheets
- If vs whether
- Incomplete comparison
- Indefinite Pronouns Exercises (With Printable PDF)
- Indirect Questions Exercises (With Printable PDF)
- Indirect Questions – Examples & Worksheet
- Infinitives – Uses, Definition & Examples
- Infinitive of Purpose — Examples and Worksheet
- Inversion Exercises (With Printable PDF)
- Inversion in English Grammar – Examples & Worksheet
- Irregular plural nouns
- Irregular Verbs Exercises (With Printable Worksheet)
- Irregular Verbs List (with Printable PDF)
- Irregular Verbs – Uses, Definition & Examples
- I or me
L
M
N
O
P
- Parentheses (Round Bracket) Use With Examples
- Parenthetical Phrases – Definition & Examples
- Participial prepositions
- Participle Clauses – Usage, List of Examples & Worksheet
- Passive Voice Exercises (With Printable PDF)
- Passive Voice – Usage, Misuses & Worksheet
- Passive vs. Active Voice – Difference, Examples & Worksheet
- Past Continuous Tense Exercises (With Printable PDF)
- Past Continuous Tense – Uses, Examples, & Worksheet
- Past Participle Adjectives – Uses & Examples
- Past Perfect Continuous Tense Exercises (With Printable PDF)
- Past Perfect Continuous Tense – Uses & Examples
- Past Perfect Tense Exercises (With Printable PDF)
- Past Perfect Tense – Uses, Examples & Worksheet
- Past Simple and Past Continuous Tense Exercises
- Past Simple Tense Exercises (With Printable PDF)
- Period Punctuation Rules and Examples
- Phrasal adjectives
- Phrasal prepositions
- Phrasal Verbs Exercises (With Printable PDF)
- Phrasal Verbs – List, Uses & Examples
- Phrases
- Plural Nouns – Rules, List of Examples & Worksheet
- Plural Possessive Nouns – Rules and Examples
- Poetry vs prose
- Possessive Adjectives and Possessive Pronouns (+ Worksheet)
- Possessive Adjectives – Definition, Examples & Worksheet
- Possessive Pronouns Exercises (With Printable PDF)
- Possessive Pronouns – List, Examples & Worksheet
- Postpositive adjectives
- Predicate Nominative – Definition and Examples
- Prepositions of Place Exercises (With Printable PDF)
- Prepositions of Place – Definition, Examples & Worksheet
- Prepositions of Time Exercises (With Printable PDF)
- Prepositions of Time – Usage, Examples & Worksheet
- Preposition Collocations Exercises (With Printable PDF)
- Preposition Exercises (With Printable Worksheet)
- Present Continuous Tense Exercises (With Printable Worksheet)
- Present Continuous Tense – Uses & Examples
- Present Perfect Continuous Tense Exercises (Printable PDF)
- Present Perfect Continuous Tense – Uses, Examples & Worksheet
- Present Perfect or Present Perfect Continuous Tense Exercises
- Present Perfect Tense Exercises (With Printable Worksheet)
- Present Perfect Tense – Uses, Examples & Worksheet
- Present Perfect vs Past Simple Tense (With Worksheet)
- Present Perfect vs. Past Simple Exercises (+ Printable PDF)
- Present Perfect vs. Present Perfect Continuous Tense (With Worksheet)
- Present Simple and Future Simple Exercises (+ Printable PDF)
- Present Simple and Present Continuous Tense Exercises
- Present Simple Exercises (With Printable Worksheet)
- Present Simple vs. Present Continuous Tense (With Worksheet)
- Pronoun Exercises (With Printable PDF)
Q
R
- Reflexive Pronouns – Definition & Examples (Worksheet Included)
- Relative Clauses Exercises (With Printable PDF)
- Relative Clauses – Definition, Examples & Worksheet
- Relative Pronouns – Usage & Examples (with Worksheet)
- Reported Speech Exercises (With Printable PDF)
- Reported Speech – Rules, Examples & Worksheet
- Reporting Verbs Exercises (with Printable PDF)
- Reporting Verbs – Usage, List of Examples & Worksheet
- Restrictive and nonrestrictive
- Run-on sentences
S
- Second Conditional Exercises (With Printable PDF)
- Second Conditional – Examples & Worksheet
- Sentence Structure Types and Examples
- Simple Future Tense – Examples & Worksheet
- Since vs because
- Slash (Virgule) Punctuation Rules With Examples
- Slayed or slew
- Split Infinitive – Usage, Rules & Examples
- Stative Verbs Exercises (With Printable PDF)
- Stative Verbs – Uses, Examples & Worksheet
- Stick to, stick by, or stick with
- Subject and Object Pronouns Exercises (With Printable PDF)
- Subject and Object Questions Exercises (with Printable PDF)
- Subject and Object Questions — Difference and Examples
- Subject vs. Object Pronouns – Usage, Difference & Examples
- Subject-verb agreement
- Subjunctive Mood – Definition, Examples & Worksheet
- Superlatives – Definition, Examples, & Worksheet
- Superlative Exercises (With Printable PDF)
T
- Tag Questions Exercises (With Printable PDF)
- Tag Questions – Uses, Examples & Worksheet
- Therefore
- There Is vs. There Are — Difference and Worksheet
- Third Conditional Exercises (With Printable PDF)
- Third Conditional – Uses, Examples, & Worksheet
- This, That, These, and Those Exercises (With Printable PDF)
- Types of Sentences With Examples –Â Declarative, Imperative, Exclamatory, and Interrogative
V
W
- What are Clauses? Definition, Examples & Worksheet
- What Are Collocations? – Examples & Worksheet
- What are Conjunctions? Rules & Examples (with Worksheet)
- What are Indefinite Articles? – Examples and Worksheet
- What are Indefinite Pronouns? Worksheet and Examples
- What Are Intensive Pronouns? Definition & Examples (Worksheet Included)
- What Are Interrogative Pronouns? Worksheet & Examples
- What Are Nouns? Definition & Examples (With Worksheet)
- What are Personal Pronouns? Examples & Worksheet
- What are Prepositions? Definition & Examples (with Worksheet)
- What Are Pronouns? Rules & Examples
- What is an Ellipsis and How to Use It (With Examples)
- What is a Complex Sentence? Definition and Examples
- What Is a Determiner? Types and Examples (with Worksheet)
- What is a Participle? Huge List of Examples
- What Is a Verb? – Usage & Examples (with Worksheet)
- What is Present Simple Tense – Examples & Worksheet
- What is Simple Past Tense? Uses & Examples (With Worksheet)
- What Is Syntax in English? – Definition, Rules & Examples
- What is the Objective Case? – Objective Case Pronoun Examples
- Will Or Be Going To – Explanation, Examples & Worksheet
- Will vs. Would – Difference, Examples & Worksheet
- Writing in First Person – Examples & Worksheet
- Writing in First, Second, and Third Person – Ultimate Guide (Worksheet Included)
- Writing in Second Person – Examples & Worksheet
- Writing in Third Person – Examples & Worksheet
- Writing numbers