English Grammar in Simple Manners

Learning advanced English grammar doesn't need to be that difficult. Over the 20 years that
I've been teaching English, I've noticed that some learners of the English Language have
difficulties with "the details."

It always seems to be the 'exceptions to the rules' that can make things a little harder for
them to grasp.

Sound familiar?
If yes, please read on...

When you add to this, phrasal verbs :( infinitives, gerunds, parallel structures, inversion,
dangling modifiers and the like... what do you get? You get intimidated or discouraged
students and frustrated and listless (tired) teachers.

Not exactly the best situation for learning to take place, right? Now, I'm not going to promise
you that I can change any of the above, or that Advanced English Grammar dot com is the
answer to all of the world's problems. Students will learn English grammar in a systematic,
practical, and sometimes entertaining way.

Learning English Grammar Definite Article 'THE'

1. 'The' is omitted before the following:
A city, a country, [in the singular] a continent: Detroit, France, Europe [But in the plural: The
Netherlands]

Exceptions: The United Kingdom, The Hague

2. a family name in the singular: Mr White [But in the plural: the Whites OR: the White
family]
3. a mountain, a lake [in the singular]: Mt Olympus, Lake Michigan [But in the plural: the
Alps, the Rockies, the Great Lakes, etc.]
4. an island [singular]: They went to Tahiti.[But in the plural: The Philippines, the Canaries,
the Falklands, etc.]
5. a meal: breakfast, lunch, dinner I rarely ever miss dinner.
6. a color, a game: Green is my favorite color. Football is my favorite game.
7. a language (when the word language is not used): Is Greek difficult to learn? [BUT: Is the
Greek language difficult to learn?]
8. a street, a square, a park: Maple street, Freedom Square, Central Park
9. Most magazines, periodicals: National Geographic, Newsweek, Car and Driver [BUT: The
Economist]
10. a bridge, station, airport: Mackinaw Bridge, Kings Cross Station, Heathrow Airport
11. airlines, companies: British Airways, Swiss Air, Sony, Ford
12. illnesses, diseases: diabetes, cancer, hepatitis, etc. [But we say: (the) flu, (the) measles,
(the) mumps]
13. a bank, store, theater, hotel or restaurant when it is in the genitive (the apostrophe
before the 's' is sometimes omitted): [McDonalds, Woolworths, Harrods]
14. a planet: Venus, Jupiter, etc.
15. a title: Doctor Smith, Professor Todd, President Bush, Captain Cook
16. heaven, hell, paradise: I can assure you that heaven and hell are real and do exist.
17. means of transport with the word by before them: by car, bus, taxi, train, etc.[BUT: in
his car, in a taxi, on the bus, on a bike]
18. the word work meaning place of work: Shes still at work and won't be home for some
time.
19. percentages, fractions: Ten per cent of the population don't have internet access.One half
of the flights were canceled due to bad weather.
20. a noun + number: Your train leaves from track 3. Im staying in room 333.

Learning English Grammar *** NOTE 1***

Dont use the before uncountable nouns, abstract nouns, or plurals in general statements.

I like coffee. [NOT: the coffee.]

Good health is important. [NOT: The good health]
Bananas are good for you. [NOT: The bananas]
The IS USED before the following:

1. a hotel, movie theater, theater, gallery, museum: the Mirage (hotel), the Harbor (theater).
the Multiplex (cinema), the Van Gogh Museum

2. a river, sea, ocean, gulf, desert: the Nile (River), the Red Sea, the Pacific (Ocean), the
Sahara (Desert), the Gulf of Mexico

3. a ship, canal: the Titanic, the Suez Canal

4. objects considered to be unique: the Parthenon, the Pyramids

5. some organizations: the UN (The United Nations) [But if an abbreviation is pronounced as

a word, then there is no article] UNICEF (United Nations International Childrens Fund) NATO
(North Atlantic Treaty Organization)

6. plural nationalities ending in 'sh', 'ch' or 'ese': the English, the French, the Japanese [But
the is optional with plural nationality names ending in 's': (the) Germans, (the) Greeks, etc.

7. a singular countable noun to refer to all things of that type in general: The computer is a
valuable office tool. OR: A computer is OR: Computers are

Learning English Grammar ***NOTE 2***

'The' is optional:
i) with seasons. He is leaving in (the) summer.
ii) with the word TV.
I watched a movie on (the) TV.
Learning English Grammar - Indefinite Articles a/an

1. 'a' is used before a consonant sound: a university student, a one-horse sleigh

2. 'an' is used before a vowel sound: an hourly wage, an heirloom, an egg

3. It is used in expressions like the following: 30 miles an hour, 90 cents a pint, twice a day,
$1.00 a gallon

4. Would you like a drink? Ill have a coffee, please.

The indefinite article is generally NOT USED before uncountable or abstract nouns: anarchy,
fun, assistance, lightning, behavior, luck, chaos, permission, confusion, progress, damage,
propaganda, evidence, scenery, excitement thunder, first aid, work (= ones job) etc.

Example: Did you give him permission to leave?

NOT: Did you give him the permission to leave?

Learning English Grammar Exercises

** Learning English Grammar... ARTICLES PRACTICE

Correct where necessary -- remove or add the right article.

1. The Greek islands are beautiful in the summer.

2. Did you visit Van Gogh Museum?
3. I always go to work by my car.
4. The fish you bought wasnt fresh.
5. Can you tell me what happiness means to you?
6. Theyre wealthy enough to be staying at Ritz Hotel.
7. Shell be arriving at the Kennedy Airport.
8. You must see Colosseum while in Rome.
9. How much does gallon of gas cost?
10. The Himalayas are spectacular.
11. Your son has made a very good progress.
12. Whats showing at Becks Movie Theater?
13. The ancient Greek and the Latin are referred to as dead languages.
14. There was an interesting article in The Washington Post today.
15. The diabetes can be very dangerous.
16. Everyone says he is honest man.
17. I used to work out at a gym twice the week.
18. Do you have an evidence to support your claims?
19. Microwave oven is handy to have in the home.
20. Approximately the twenty per cent of the crops were destroyed by the unseasonable
weather.
**Learning English Grammar... ARTICLES ANSWERS
1. The Greek island are beautiful in the summer.
The
2. Did you visit ^ Van Gogh Museum?
in OR by car
3. I always go to work by my car.
4. The fish you bought wasnt fresh.
5. Can you tell me what happiness means to you?
6. Theyre wealthy enough to be staying at the Ritz Hotel.
7. Shell be arriving at the Kennedy Airport.
8. You must see ^ Colosseum while in Rome.
9. How much does a gallon of gas cost?
10. The Himalayas are spectacular.
11. Your son has made a very good progress.
12. Whats showing at Becks Movie Theater?
13. Ancient Greek and Latin are referred to as dead languages.
14. There was an interesting article in The Washington Post today.
15. Diabetes can be very dangerous.
16. Everyone says he is ^ honest man.
A
17. I used to work out at a gym twice the week.
18. Do you have an evidence to support your claims?
19. ^ Microwave oven is handy to have in the home.
20. Approximately twenty per cent of the crops were destroyed by unseasonable weather.
ENGLISH PUNCTUATION
The purpose of English punctuation (or punctuation of any language) is to make clear the
reading of written communication.

In a sense, punctuation helps put into writing that which we do naturally when we speak.
In other words, we pause, we breathe, we get excited and angry, we communicate with
whole sentences and we ask questions as we speak -- all of which and more is communicated
in the written word through the use of punctuation.
Sadly, for the learner of English, there is no direct correspondence between phrases and
commas, or voice drops and periods.

Question marks, for instance, can tell you that an answer is expected, but they do not tell us
how to read the question. There are three different intonation patterns to questions (voice
rise, voice fall and voice level) which precede question marks.
Some of the punctuation rules can be considered more a matter of style than grammar;
however, many rules do exist and should be understood by the learner of the language.

Learn the rules of punctuation.

Remember to place a full stop at the end of each sentence. The following lists some of the
most common English punctuation; I recommend you print it out to use as a quick and ready
reference.

Full stop or period = (.)

All statements are followed by a full stop. Full stops come at the end of a complete
thought.
Most abbreviations are followed by periods, (Mr., Mrs., Dr.) some, however, now
consider this use optional (I still use it and recommend my students do too). An
abbreviation is a short way of writing something. Abbreviations follow standard forms;
there is no 'inventing' them. Some short forms, like TV and UN are not abbreviations at
all. They are pronounced as they are written and they are not followed by full stops.
When an abbreviation occurs at the end of a sentence a closing period is required
(DEA, TWA, RAF).
A full stop, not a comma, separates the two parts of a decimal in English
punctuation (e.g., 23.16 and is read twenty-three point sixteen.)

Modal Verbs

Learning modal verbs can be difficult for some learners of the English language. Of course, it
helps to know what they are, and how they are used, but it's just as important to know the
phrase combinations you'll find them in at the advanced level of the English language.

As an introduction to modal verbs, please look through the following information. It will help
you to get the most out of the modal verb pages on this site.

First off, there are a few things worthy to note concerning these types of verbs.
Typically, the following apply to all modals.
 interested
futures
medicines
expres
search
interactive

Modal Verbs - Main Points To Remember

A. Modals come first in a verb group.
B. All modals (except ought) are followed by the base form of the verb.
C. Ought is followed by a to infinitive.
D. Modals have only one form - they don't change from first, to second, to third person like
other verbs.

A.Modals are always the first word in a verb group.

I should go visit them.
I think it will be rather boring.
Things could have been so different.

B.All modals except for ought are followed by the base form of a verb.
I should go visit them.
I think it will rain tomorrow.
Things could have been better.
Someone may have seen them.
They might be home tomorrow.
They may be late.
They should have known.
He can come by anytime.

C. Ought is always followed by a to-infinitive.

She ought to go out with Tom.
Sam ought to have taken his medicine.
You ought to be doing this, not me.

D. There is no s form for the third person singular of the present tense modal verbs. Also,
there is no -ing or -ed forms.
She can't help him now.
I'm sure he can do it tomorrow.
She ought to have called him yesterday.

** Important Notes **
Modals usually do NOT indicate the time something happens. Shall and will, however, can
often indicate a future event or situation

I shall do whatever you suggest.

He will not be back for a few days.
Could is used as the past form of can to express ability.
When I was young, I could run really fast.

Would is used as the past form of will to express the future.

She remembered that she would be seeing him the next day.
Sometimes (especially when spoken) shall and will are shortened to 'll and would to 'd
and then added to a pronoun

Ill see you on Monday.

I thought shed agree to go out with me

If you're interested in more information about modal verbs, Wikipedia may be of some help.