Grammar Book:
Learn Basic English Grammar

By
Shaun Connell,
updated on
October 5, 2022

"let me live, love, and say it well in good sentences."

―Sylvia Plath

Every area of your life is improved when you know how to write and speak proper English.

Following the basic rules of English grammar will allow you to communicate, network, and even think better. To help you learn, we have launched this completely free, completely online grammar book.

You'll be able to learn basic English grammar. You just need to start from the beginning. If you ever have any questions about our materials, just ask us. We love talking with our readers.

We're still working on building this free resource out. Over time, we'll continue to update this page with new links to new resources as well as include our entire outline to the new grammar English book.

Table of Contents
1. Parts of Speech
2. Parts of a Sentence
3. Verbs
4. Sentence Structure
5. Sentence types
5. Punctuation
6. Mechanics
7. Style
8. Special writing conventions
9. Let’s get colloquial
10. Getting creative with language
11. So which is it, then?
12. Improve your writing

1. Parts of Speech

2. Parts of a Sentence

3. Verbs

  • Types of Verbs: What are the Types of Verbs? (helping, modal, linking, transitive, intransitive, stative, action)
  • Regular vs. Irregular Verbs: Definitions, Differences, Examples
  • Verb Tense: What Is Verb Tense? Definition and Types (Examples)
  • Mood in Verbs: What Is Mood? Definition and Types (Examples)
  • Auxiliary Verbs: What Are Auxiliary Verbs? Definition and Example
  • Modal Verbs: What Are Modal Verbs? Definition and Examples
  • Transitive and Intransitive Verbs: Definition and Examples
  • Regular and Irregular Verbs: Definition and Examples
  • Active and Passive Voice: Definition and Examples
  • Simple Sentences: What Are Simple Sentences? Definition and Examples
  • Compound Sentences: What Are Compound Sentences? Definition and Examples
  • Complex Sentences: What Are Complex Sentences? Definition and Examples
  • Compound-Complex Sentences: Definition and Examples
  • Parallelism: What Is Parallelism? Definition and Examples
  • Subordination and Coordination: Definition and Examples
  • Gerunds: What Is a Gerund? Definition and Examples

4. Sentence Structure

  • Clauses (dependent or independent)
  • Phrase (noun phrase, prepositional phrase, participial phrase, gerund phrase, infinitive phrase)
  • Predicate
  • Sentence types (Simple, compound, complex, compound-complex)

5. Sentence types

  • Declarative Sentences: What Are Declarative Sentences? Definition and Examples
  • Interrogative Sentences: What Are Interrogative Sentences? Definition and Examples
  • Imperative Sentences: What Are Imperative Sentences? Definition and Examples
  • Exclamatory Sentences: What Are Exclamatory Sentences? Definition and Examples
  • Assertive Sentences: What Are Assertive Sentences? Definition and Examples
  • Optative Sentences: What Are Optative Sentences? Definition and Examples
  • Conditional Sentences: What Are Conditional Sentences? Definition and Examples

5. Punctuation

  • Periods: When to Use Periods in Writing (Examples)
  • Question Marks: When to Use Question Marks in Writing (Examples)
  • Exclamation Points: When to Use Exclamation Points in Writing (Examples)
  • Commas: When to Use Commas in Writing (Examples)
  • Semicolons: When to Use Semicolons in Writing (Examples)
  • Colons: When to Use Colons in Writing (Examples)
  • Apostrophes: When to Use Apostrophes in Writing (Examples)
  • Quotation Marks: When to Use Quotation Marks in Writing (Examples)
  • Parentheses: When to Use Parentheses in Writing (Examples)
  • Brackets: When to Use Brackets in Writing (Examples)
  • Hyphens and Dashes: When to Use Hyphens and Dashes in Writing (Examples)
  • Ellipses: When to Use Ellipses in Writing (Examples)
  • Slash: When to Use Slash in Writing (Examples)

6. Mechanics

  • Capitalization Rules: What Are the Rules Capitalizing Words? (Examples)
  • Abbreviations: What Are Abbreviations? Definition and Examples
  • Contractions: What Are Contractions? Definition and Examples
  • Spelling Rules: Common Spelling Rules and Tips (Examples)
  • Compound Words: What Are Compound Words? Definition and Examples
  • Concepts: Understanding the Key Concepts in English Mechanics (Overview)
  • Homophones: What Are Homophones? Definition and Examples
  • Singular and Plural: Understanding Singular and Plural Forms in English (Examples)
  • Italics and Underlining: When to Use Italics and Underlining in Writing (Examples)
  • Numbers in Writing: Rules and Guidelines (Examples)
  • Homonyms: What Are Homonyms? Definition and Examples
  • Synonyms: What Are Synonyms? Definition and Examples
  • Antonyms: What Are Antonyms? Definition and Examples
  • Prefixes and Suffixes: What Are Prefixes and Suffixes? Definition and Examples

7. Style

  • Active voice
  • Passive Voice
  • Parallelism
  • Singular ‘they’

8. Special writing conventions

  • Writing numbers
  • Writing the time
  • Writing academically

9. Let’s get colloquial

  • Colloquialisms
  • Slang
  • Curse words

10. Getting creative with language

  • Idioms
  • Expressions
  • Metaphors
  • Hyperbole
  • Onomatopoeia
  • Similes

11. So which is it, then?

  • American vs. British English
  • Confusing words

12. Improve your writing

  • Avoid redundancy

Learn More:

  1. 'Looking Forward to Talking With You': Is This Correct Grammar?
  2. 'Dos and Don'ts': How to Write Them With Proper Grammar
  3. 'Hola' in English: Is 'Hola' or 'Ola' Correct?
  4. Thorn Letter: The Forgotten Old-English Letter
  5. 'Time Flies' or 'Time Flys': Which is Correct Grammar?
  6. Is 'Thanks Everybody' or 'Thanks Everyone' Correct Grammar?
  7. ‘Grammar' or 'Grammer': What's the Difference?
  8. ‘Funnest' vs 'Funner' vs 'More Fun': Which is Correct Grammar?
  9. ‘Learn the Hard Way’: Definition, Meaning, and Examples
  10. Articles: What Are Articles? Definition and Types (Examples)
  11. ‘Combating’ or ‘Combatting’: Which is Correct Grammar?
  12. 'Parent's' or 'Parents': Which is Correct Grammar?
  13. 'Other Than' or 'Other Then': Which is Correct Grammar?
  14. 'Memorium’ or ‘Memoriam’: Which is Correct Grammar?
  15. 'He and I' or 'He and Me': Which is Correct Grammar?
Written By:
Shaun Connell
Shaun Connell is the Founder and CEO of Connell Media and WritingTips.org. Shaun began his career as a freelance writer and eventually started his own website and media company using a small army of freelance writers. Shaun’s entire career has been dedicated to writing and publishing.

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