Glossary of Some Common English Grammar Terms
Here you’ll find some rules and explanations on the most important aspects of English Grammar.
Grammar term: | Explanation: | Example: |
Adjectives | Descriptive words to describe a thing, a person, a place, and an idea. Used for colour, size, feelings, qualities, nationalities and characteristics. | Pablo has a beautiful car |
Adverbs | They change a verb, an adjective, or another adverb. They give more information about what is being spoken about. | Pablo drives carefully. |
Article | Technically, an adjective, used to point out or refer to nouns. | I love the flowers in Pablo’s garden. |
Auxiliaries | Words that help the verb. | I don’t like broccoli. Where do you live? |
Apostrophes | Used to indicate missing letters or possession. | Pablo isn’t very tall. Pablo’s car is amazing. |
Cardinal numbers | Normal numbers | 1, 2, 3, 4, etc. |
Comparatives | Used to compare two nouns. | Pablo’s car is nicer than mine. |
Conditionals | Used to speculate about what could happen, what might have happened, and what we wish would have happened. | If it is sunny, I will go to the park. |
Contractions | Short forms of words. | We aren’t from London. |
Conjunctions | A word that connects two parts of a sentence. | I like Italian food, but it is very fattening. |
Countable nouns | Things you can count. | I have two pens. |
Demonstrative pronouns | Used to refer to things and people, to point out the objects to which they refer. | This is Pablo’s house. These houses are so expensive. |
Dependent prepositions | A preposition that always follows a verb, adjective or noun. | Always listen to your mum. |
Future simple | To talk about an action in the future. | I will eat Pizza tonight. I am going to visit London soon. |
Gerund | Nouns formed from a verb by adding “ing”. Used for real, complete actions, something you do and feelings. | Reading helps you to learn English. |
Idiomatic expression | An expression, word, or phrase that has a special meaning often understood by native speakers. This meaning is often different from the literal meaning of the idiom’s individual elements. | Every cloud has a silver lining. |
Imperative | Short, direct instructions. | Stop! |
Indefinite articles | Used before a singular noun. | This is a book. I have an iPhone. |
Infinitive | Nouns formed from the original form of the verb. Used for unreal situations, the purpose of something or after an adjective. | Rosy wants to learn English. |
Intensifiers | Words that make adjectives stronger. They express a high or low point along a scale. Used to describe the extent of something or the amount of something. | It’s a really interesting story. |
Interjection | A word that you use in between sentences or thoughts to express a sudden feeling. | Phew! |
Modals | A type of auxiliary that helps a verb and is used to express ability, possibility, permission or obligation. | I have to study hard today. You mustn’t drink and drive. |
Noun | A group of words for a thing, a person, a place or an idea. | Rosie’s cat has a long tail. |
Ordinal numbers | Numbers used for dates, floors of buildings, directions, etc. | My birthday is August, 26th. My flat is on the second floor. |
Participle adjectives | An ‘ed’ ending describes feelings; the present participle ‘ing’ indicates the cause of the feeling. | Titanic was the most boring film I’ve ever seen. I was bored out of my mind watching Titanic. |
Parts of speech | There are 8 parts of speech which make up a typical sentence – nouns, verbs, conjunctions, adjectives, pronouns, adverbs, prepositions and interjections. | My house is really big, and it is really comfortable. Wow! |
Passive voice | Used to show interest in the person / object that experiences an action rather than the person or object that performs the action. In other words, the most important thing or person becomes the subject of the sentence. | The house was built in 1926. |
Past perfect | An action that took place in the past before another past action and has an effect on the time you are talking about. | I went to see a film that we had discussed in class. |
Past progressive / continuous | Used for a longer, often temporary action that was happening in the past. | I was taking a shower, when Bill showed up at the door. |
Past simple | An action taking place in the past that is now over and complete. | I ate a pizza last night. Where were you born? |
Personal pronouns | These words take the place of a noun usually by referring to something already mentioned in a sentence or piece of text. They are used instead of nouns to prevent repetition of the noun to which they refer. | The train was late, the train had been delayed. Now with a pronoun = The train was late, it had been delayed. |
Phrasal / multi-word verbs | These are verbs with another word(s), which create a different meaning from the original verb form. | The plane takes off in 30 minutes. |
Possessive adjectives | Changes the noun following it to show possession. | I’ll get my books. |
Possessive pronouns | Shows that something belongs to someone. | That book is mine. |
Prepositions of movement | Used to show movement to and from a place. | She poured the juice into the jug. |
Prepositions of place | Used to show where something is located. | Andrew is at home. |
Prepositions of time | Used to show when something happens. | My birthday is on August, 26th. |
Present continuous / progressive | Used to describe an action that is taking place now or around the time you are speaking about. | I am playing the guitar. |
Present perfect | An action that has often stopped but has an influence on the present. | I have lived in Santiago for more than 10 years. |
Present perfect continuous / progressive | Actions that started in the past and continue up to now. | Rosy has been cooking since last night. |
Present simple | Our lives, routine, habits, facts. | I am 21 years old. Andrew lives in Paris. |
Quantifiers | Words that tell you how many, how much or how little you have of something without saying the number or the exact amount. | I have some coffee, but I don’t have any wine. |
Questions | Used to ask about specific qualities, times, places, things, etc. | What is your name? Where do you live? |
Question tags | They turn a statement into a question and are often used for checking information that we think we know is true. | You are Andrew, aren’t you? |
Reflexive pronouns
| Used when the same person is the subject and object of the verb. | Andrew cut himself shaving this morning. |
Reported speech | When we tell someone what another person said. | “I work in a bank,” said Daniel. |
Superlatives | Used to compare more than two nouns. | Chile is the best country in the world. |
There is / there are | Used to indicate that something exists or its physical location. | There is a pen. There are some pens on my desk. |
Uncountable nouns | Singular units / mass of things you can’t count like rice, coffee, money, etc. | I have a lot of rice in my kitchen. |
Used to / be get used to | Something you did in the past that you no longer do; and current, or near current habits. | I used to live in Ecuador. I am used to riding my bicycle every day. I am getting used to the cold weather. |
Verb tenses | There are 12 basic English tenses from the simple tenses through to the perfect tenses. | I worked hard yesterday. I have been writing a new book all summer. |
Word order | The order most sentences usually appear: Subject + verb + object + place + time | I read a book in the café every day. |
Yes / No questions | Short questions that need only a short answer. | Are you French? Do you speak Chinese? |