English Grammar
You can use this English grammar in different ways.
Use English grammar like a book
Read through the different grammar areas in order:
pronouns;
determiners and quantifiers;
possessives;
adjectives;
adverbials;
verbs;
nouns;
clause, phrase and sentence.
Each section has interactive exercises to help you check understanding.
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Pronouns
Pronouns are words we use in the place of a full noun.
There are many different kinds of pronouns.
personal pronouns
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Pronouns - personal pronouns (I, me, you etc)
Pronouns are words we use in the place of a full noun.
We have both subject and object pronouns:
Subject
Object
me
you
you
he
him
she
her
it
it
we
us
you
you
they
them
We use he/him to refer to men, and she/her to refer to women. When we are not sure if we are talking about a man
or a woman we use they/them.
This is Jack. Hes my brother. I dont think you have met him.
This is Angela. Shes my sister. Have you met her before?
Talk to a friend. Ask them to help you.
You could go to a doctor. They might help you.
Subject pronouns
We use subject pronouns as subject of the verb:
I like your dress.
You are late.
He is my friend
It is raining
She is on holiday
We live in England.
They come from London.
Warning
Remember: English clauses always have a subject:
His father has just retired. Was a teacher. > He was a
teacher.
Warning
Im waiting for my wife. Is late. > She is late.
If there is no other subject we use it or there. We call this
a dummy subject.
Object pronouns
We use object pronouns:
as the object of the verb:
Can you help me please?
I can see you.
She doesnt like him.
I saw her in town today.
We saw them in town yesterday, but they didnt see us.
after prepositions:
She is waiting for me.
Ill get it for you.
Give it to him.
Why are you looking at her?
Dont take it from us.
Ill speak to them.
it and there
English clauses always have a subject:
His father has just retired. Was a teacher. > He was a teacher.
Im waiting for my wife. Is late. > She is late.
Look at the time! Is half past two.> Its half past two.
except for the imperative (see more)
Go away.
Play it again please.
If we have no other subject we use there or it.
there
We use there as a dummy subject with part of the verb be followed by a noun phrase. (see Clauses, sentences
and phrases):
to introduce a new topic:
There is a meeting this evening. It will start at seven.
There has been an accident. I hope no one is hurt.
with numbers or quantities:
There was a lot of rain last night.
There must have been more than five hundred in the audience.
to say where something is:
There used to be a playground at the end of the street.
There are fairies at the bottom of the garden.
I wonder if there will be anyone at home.
with an indefinite pronoun or expressions of quantity and the to-infinitive:
There is nothing to do in the village.
There was plenty to read in the apartment
There was nothing to watch on television.
There is a lot of work to do
If we want to show the subject of the to-infinitive we use for:
There is nothing for the children to do in the village.
There was plenty for us to read in the apartment
There was nothing for them to watch on television.
There is a lot of work for you to do.
with an indefinite pronoun or expressions of quantity and an -ing verb:
There is someone waiting to see you.
There were a lot of people shouting and waving.
We use a singular verb if the noun phrase is singular:
There is a meeting this evening. It will start at seven.
There was a lot of rain last night.
There is someone waiting to see you.
We use a plural verb if the noun phrase is plural:
There are more than twenty people waiting to see you.
There were some biscuits in the cupboard.
There were a lot of people shouting and waving.
It
We use it to talk about:
times and dates:
Its nearly one oclock.
Its my birthday.
weather:
Its raining.
Its a lovely day.
It was getting cold.
to give an opinion about a place:
Its very cold in here.
It will be nice when we get home.
Its very comfortable in my new apartment.
to give an opinion followed by to-infinitive:
Its nice to meet you.
It will be great to go on holiday.
It was interesting to meet your brother at last.
to give an opinion followed by an -ing verb:
Its great living in Spain.
Its awful driving in this heavy traffic.
It can be hard work looking after young children.
Using "it" to talk about people
We use it to talk about ourselves:
on the telephone:
Hello. Its George.
when people cannot see us:
[Mary knocks on door] Its me. Its Mary.
We use it to talk about other people:
when we point them out for the first time:
Look. Its Sir Paul McCartney.
Whos that? I think its Johns brother.
when we cannot see them and we ask them for their name:
[telephone rings, we pick it up] Hello. Who is it?
[someone knocks on door. We say:] Who is it?
you and they
We use you to talk about people in general including the speaker and the hearer:
You can buy this book anywhere > This book is on sale everywhere.
You cant park here > Parking is not allowed here.
They dont let you smoke in here > No smoking here
We use they or them to talk about people in general:
They serve good food here.
Ask them for a cheaper ticket.
especially about the government and the authorities:
They dont let you smoke in here.
They are going to increase taxes.
They are building a new motorway.
They say its going to rain tomorrow.
this, that, these and those
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pronouns: this, that, these and those
Why do we use this and these?
We use this (singular) and these (plural) as pronouns:
- to talk about people or things near us:
This is a nice cup of tea.
Whose shoes are these?
- to introduce people:
This is Janet.
These are my friends, John and Michael.
WARNING:
We dont say These are John and Michael.
We say This is John and this is Michael.
- to introduce ourselves to begin a conversation on the phone:
Hello, this is David, Can I speak to Sally?
Why do we use that and those?
We use that (singular) and those (plural):
- to talk about things that are not near us:
Whats that?
This is our house, and thats Rebeccas house over there.
Those are very expensive shoes.
- We also use that to refer back to something someone said or did:
- Shall we go to the cinema?
- Yes, thats a good idea.
- Ive got a new job.
- Thats great.
- Im very tired.
- Why is that?
this, these, that, those with nouns
We also use this, these, that and those with nouns to show proximity
We use this and these for people or things near us:
We have lived in this house for twenty years.
Have you read all of these books?
and that and those for people or things that are not near us:
Who lives in that house?
Who are those people?
one and ones
We use one (singular) and ones (plural) to avoid unnecessary repetition.
See those two girls? Helen is the tall one and Jane is the short one.
Which is your car, the red one or the blue one?
My trousers are torn. I need some new ones.
See those two girls. Helen is the one on the left.
Lets look at the photographs. The ones you took in Paris.
We often use them after Which ... in questions:
You can borrow a book. Which one do you want?
There are lots of books here. Which ones are yours?
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