Kids education · English

Learn English Grammar

From the alphabet in KG to emails, meetings and interviews at work - simple rules with examples you can listen to. Press 🔊 to hear any example.

Little learners

KG ยท 7 lessons

โœ๏ธ Practise these in the quiz
The alphabetEnglish has 26 letters. Five of them are vowels: A, E, I, O, U. The others are consonants.
  • Vowels: a, e, i, o, u.
  • Consonants: all the other 21 letters - b, c, d, f, g ...

Examples

  • A for apple, B for ball, C for cat.
  • A, E, I, O and U are vowels.
Capital and small lettersEvery letter has a capital (big) form and a small form.
  • A sentence starts with a capital letter.
  • Names start with a capital letter: Ravi, Chennai.

Examples

  • My name is Meena.
  • I live in Chennai.
Naming wordsA naming word (noun) is the name of a person, animal, place or thing.
  • Person: mother, teacher, Ravi.
  • Animal: cat, dog. Place: school, park. Thing: ball, book.

Examples

  • The cat is sleeping.
  • I have a red ball.
Action wordsAn action word (verb) tells us what someone does.
  • run, jump, eat, sing, read, sleep

Examples

  • Birds fly.
  • The baby sleeps.
  • We play in the park.
A and anUse "an" before a vowel sound and "a" before other sounds.
  • an apple, an egg, an owl
  • a ball, a dog, a pen

Examples

  • I ate an apple.
  • She has a kite.
This, that, these, thoseUse them to point at things.
  • This (one, near) - These (many, near)
  • That (one, far) - Those (many, far)

Examples

  • This is my book.
  • Those are big trees.
One and manyAdd -s to show more than one.
  • one cat - two cats
  • one pen - three pens

Examples

  • I see two dogs.
  • She has five pencils.

Classes 1 and 2

1st – 2nd Std ยท 7 lessons

โœ๏ธ Practise these in the quiz
A sentenceA sentence is a group of words that makes complete sense.
  • Start with a capital letter.
  • End with a full stop (.), a question mark (?) or an exclamation mark (!).

Examples

  • The sun is hot.
  • Where is my bag?
  • What a lovely day!
Am, is, areThese words tell us about someone or something now.
  • I → am
  • He, she, it, one person → is
  • You, we, they, many → are

Examples

  • I am happy.
  • She is my sister.
  • They are in the garden.
Was, wereWas and were tell us about the past.
  • I, he, she, it → was
  • You, we, they → were

Examples

  • I was at home yesterday.
  • We were tired after the game.
Has, haveThese words show that someone owns something.
  • He, she, it, one person → has
  • I, you, we, they → have

Examples

  • Ravi has a bicycle.
  • We have two cats.
PronounsA pronoun takes the place of a noun so we do not repeat it.
  • I, you, he, she, it, we, they

Examples

  • Priya is my friend. She is kind.
  • The dog is hungry. It wants food.
Describing wordsA describing word (adjective) tells us more about a noun.
  • Colour: red, blue. Size: big, small. Feeling: happy, sad.

Examples

  • I have a big red ball.
  • The happy girl is singing.
More pluralsSome words change in special ways.
  • -s, -ss, -sh, -ch, -x → add -es: box → boxes, bus → buses
  • consonant + y → -ies: baby → babies
  • Special: child → children, man → men, tooth → teeth

Examples

  • There are three boxes.
  • The children are playing.

Classes 3 to 5

3rd – 5th Std ยท 10 lessons

โœ๏ธ Practise these in the quiz
Kinds of nounsNouns can be common, proper or collective.
  • Common noun: a general name - city, river, boy.
  • Proper noun: a particular name, with a capital letter - Chennai, Kaveri, Ravi.
  • Collective noun: a group - a herd of cows, a team of players.

Examples

  • Chennai is a big city.
  • A swarm of bees flew past.
Subject and object pronounsUse a subject pronoun before the verb and an object pronoun after it.
  • Subject: I, he, she, we, they
  • Object: me, him, her, us, them

Examples

  • She called me.
  • We met them at the park.
  • ✗ Me and Ravi went home. → ✓ Ravi and I went home. Use the subject form before the verb, and put yourself last.
Comparing with adjectivesComparative compares two; superlative compares three or more.
  • Short words: tall → taller → tallest
  • Long words: beautiful → more beautiful → most beautiful
  • Special: good → better → best, bad → worse → worst

Examples

  • Ravi is taller than Arun.
  • This is the best day of my life.
Simple tensesTense tells us when something happens.
  • Present: I play. She plays. (habits and facts)
  • Past: I played. (finished)
  • Future: I will play. (later)

Examples

  • The sun rises in the east.
  • We visited the zoo yesterday.
  • I will call you tomorrow.
Continuous tensesThe continuous form shows an action going on.
  • Present continuous: am / is / are + verb-ing
  • Past continuous: was / were + verb-ing

Examples

  • Look! It is raining.
  • I was reading when you called.
AdverbsAn adverb tells us how, when or where something happens.
  • How: slowly, happily. When: today, soon. Where: here, outside.

Examples

  • The tortoise walked slowly.
  • We will start soon.
PrepositionsA preposition shows place or time.
  • Place: in, on, under, between, behind
  • Time: at 5 o'clock, on Monday, in May, in 2025

Examples

  • The book is on the table.
  • School starts at nine o'clock.
Joining wordsConjunctions join words or sentences.
  • and (adds), but (contrast), or (choice), because (reason), so (result)

Examples

  • I was tired, so I went to bed.
  • She is poor but honest.
A, an, the"The" is used for a particular or unique thing.
  • a/an - any one: a pen, an hour (h is silent)
  • the - a particular one: the sun, the book on the table

Examples

  • I saw an elephant. The elephant was huge.
  • He is a university student.
PunctuationPunctuation marks make writing clear.
  • Comma (,) separates items in a list.
  • Apostrophe (') shows belonging (Ravi's bag) or missing letters (don't).
  • Question mark (?) ends a question; exclamation mark (!) shows strong feeling.

Examples

  • I bought apples, bananas and grapes.
  • It's Meena's birthday today!

Classes 6 to 8

6th – 8th Std ยท 9 lessons

โœ๏ธ Practise these in the quiz
The 12 tensesEach of the three times (present, past, future) has four forms.
  • Simple - a fact or a single action
  • Continuous - an action in progress
  • Perfect - an action completed before a point
  • Perfect continuous - an action that went on for some time up to a point
Present Past Future
Simple I write I wrote I will write
Continuous I am writing I was writing I will be writing
Perfect I have written I had written I will have written
Perfect continuous I have been writing I had been writing I will have been writing

Examples

  • I have finished my homework.
  • She had left before we arrived.
  • They have been waiting for two hours.
Active and passive voiceIn the passive, the object becomes the subject and the doer comes after "by".
  • Passive = form of "be" (in the same tense) + past participle
  • Use the passive when the doer is unknown or less important.

Examples

  • Active: Ravi wrote a letter.
  • Passive: A letter was written by Ravi.
  • The bridge is being repaired.
Direct and reported speechReported speech tells what someone said, usually moving the tense one step back.
  • am / is → was; will → would; can → could; have done → had done
  • Pronouns and time words change: I → he/she, tomorrow → the next day

Examples

  • Direct: Meena said, "I am tired."
  • Reported: Meena said that she was tired.
  • He asked me where I lived.
ModalsModal verbs add meaning such as ability, permission, advice or duty.
  • can / could - ability
  • may - permission or possibility
  • should - advice
  • must - duty or a rule
  • might - small possibility

Examples

  • You should drink more water.
  • Students must wear their ID cards.
  • May I come in?
ConditionalsConditional sentences talk about results of conditions.
  • Zero (facts): If you heat ice, it melts.
  • First (likely future): If it rains, we will stay home.
  • Second (imaginary): If I were a bird, I would fly.
  • Third (unreal past): If she had studied, she would have passed.

Examples

  • If you heat ice, it melts.
  • If it rains, we will stay home.
  • If I had known, I would have helped.
Question tagsA short question at the end of a sentence; positive statement → negative tag, and the other way round.
  • Use the same helping verb; use do/does/did if there is none.
  • Special: I am right, aren't I?

Examples

  • She is your sister, isn't she?
  • You didn't call, did you?
Kinds of sentencesSentences can state, ask, command or exclaim.
  • Assertive - a statement
  • Interrogative - a question
  • Imperative - a command or request
  • Exclamatory - strong feeling

Examples

  • The shop is closed.
  • Please close the door.
  • How beautiful the garden is!
Phrases and clausesA clause has a subject and a verb; a phrase does not.
  • Phrase: in the morning, a very tall man
  • Main clause stands alone; a subordinate clause depends on it (because, when, if, although ...)

Examples

  • I stayed home because it was raining.
  • When the bell rang, the children ran out.
Phrasal verbsA verb + a small word, often with a new meaning.
  • give up (stop), look after (take care of), put off (postpone), run out of (have none left), turn down (refuse)

Examples

  • Never give up.
  • The match was put off because of rain.

Classes 9 and 10

9th – 10th Std ยท 7 lessons

โœ๏ธ Practise these in the quiz
Subject–verb agreementThe verb must agree with its real subject.
  • Each / every / either / neither → singular
  • Words after "along with / as well as" do not change the subject
  • With "either ... or / neither ... nor", agree with the nearer subject
  • "A number of" → plural; "The number of" → singular

Examples

  • Each of the boys has a book.
  • The teacher, along with the students, is coming.
  • ✗ One of my friends are a doctor. → ✓ One of my friends is a doctor. The subject is "one".
Gerunds, infinitives and participlesNon-finite verb forms do not show tense.
  • Gerund (-ing as a noun): Swimming is good exercise.
  • Infinitive (to + verb): I want to learn.
  • Participle (as an adjective): a broken chair, a crying baby

Examples

  • I enjoy reading.
  • She decided to study law.
  • I look forward to meeting you. After "look forward to", use the -ing form.
Relative clausesWho, which, that, whose and whom join extra information to a noun.
  • who - people (subject), whom - people (object), which - things, whose - possession, that - people or things

Examples

  • The boy who won the prize is my brother.
  • This is the house which my father built.
  • The girl whose bag was lost is crying.
Reported questions and commandsQuestions become statements in word order; commands use "to".
  • Yes/no questions: asked if / whether ...
  • Wh- questions: asked where / what ... + statement order
  • Commands: told someone to / not to ...

Examples

  • He asked me if I was hungry.
  • She asked me what my name was.
  • The teacher told us not to make a noise.
Common errorsSmall mistakes students often make.
  • Prefer ... to (not than)
  • Discuss / return / reach (no extra about / back / to)
  • Senior / junior / superior take "to"

Examples

  • ✗ She prefers tea than coffee. → ✓ She prefers tea to coffee. "Prefer" takes "to".
  • ✗ Let us discuss about the plan. → ✓ Let us discuss the plan. "Discuss" needs no "about".
  • ✗ I have been waiting since two hours. → ✓ I have been waiting for two hours. "For" + a length of time; "since" + a starting point.
Figures of speechWriters use figures of speech to make language vivid.
  • Simile (like / as), metaphor (is), personification (human actions for things)
  • Alliteration (same first sound), hyperbole (exaggeration), onomatopoeia (sound words)

Examples

  • Her smile was as bright as the sun. Simile
  • The wind whispered through the trees. Personification
  • I have told you a million times! Hyperbole
Formal letter formatA formal letter follows a fixed layout.
  • Sender's address and date → receiver's address → subject → salutation (Dear Sir/Madam) → body → closing (Yours faithfully) → name

Examples

  • Subject: Request for leave on 5 March
  • I am writing to request leave for one day due to a family function.
  • Yours faithfully,

Classes 11 and 12

11th – 12th Std ยท 7 lessons

โœ๏ธ Practise these in the quiz
InversionAfter some negative or limiting words at the start, the helping verb comes before the subject.
  • No sooner ... than; Hardly / Scarcely ... when; Never / Rarely / Not only + auxiliary + subject

Examples

  • No sooner had I reached the station than the train left.
  • Never have I seen such a beautiful sunset.
  • ✗ Hardly he had left when it rained. → ✓ Hardly had he left when it rained. Invert: had + subject.
Wishes and unreal situationsUse a past form to talk about something unreal now.
  • If I were ... (for all subjects)
  • I wish + past (now) / past perfect (past)
  • It's (high) time + past

Examples

  • If I were you, I would apologise.
  • I wish I had more time.
  • It's time we left.
Mixed conditionalsA past condition with a present result, or the other way round.
  • If + past perfect, would + verb (past cause → present result)
  • If + past simple, would have + past participle (present fact → past result)

Examples

  • If I had taken the job, I would be living in Dubai now.
  • If she were more careful, she would not have made that mistake.
Cleft sentences for emphasisSplit a sentence to highlight one part.
  • It + be + highlighted part + who/that ...
  • What + clause + be + highlighted part

Examples

  • It was Meena who solved the problem.
  • What we need is more practice.
ParallelismItems joined by and / or / but should have the same grammatical form.
  • Nouns with nouns, -ing with -ing, to + verb with to + verb

Examples

  • She likes reading, writing and painting.
  • ✗ He likes to swim, cycling and to run. → ✓ He likes swimming, cycling and running. Keep all items in the same form.
Commonly confused wordsWords that look or sound alike but differ in meaning.
  • affect (verb) / effect (noun); principal (head) / principle (rule)
  • stationary (not moving) / stationery (paper and pens); fewer (countable) / less (uncountable)

Examples

  • The noise affected my sleep.
  • The new rule had a good effect.
  • There were fewer people and less noise.
Academic writingFormal writing is precise, objective and cautious.
  • Avoid contractions and slang in essays.
  • Use hedging when unsure: may, might, appears to, suggests.
  • Link ideas: however, therefore, moreover, in contrast.

Examples

  • The results suggest that regular reading improves vocabulary.
  • However, further research is needed.

Working professionals

College students and working professionals ยท 10 lessons

โœ๏ธ Practise these in the quiz
Professional emailsA clear subject line, a polite opening, one purpose per paragraph and a clear request.
  • Subject: say what the email is about (Invoice 245 - payment due on 10 June).
  • Open: Dear Mr. Kumar, / Hi Priya, Close: Best regards, / Kind regards,
  • Put the request or action in the first lines; keep it short.

Examples

  • I am writing to follow up on the proposal we sent last week.
  • Could you please confirm the delivery date by Friday?
  • Please let me know if you have any questions.
Avoid common Indian-English expressionsThese are common in India but sound unusual to international clients.
  • Use plain, standard phrases that everyone understands.

Examples

  • ✗ Please do the needful. → ✓ Please take the necessary action. State exactly what you want done.
  • ✗ Kindly revert at the earliest. → ✓ Please reply as soon as possible. "Revert" means go back to an earlier state.
  • ✗ Let us discuss about the project. → ✓ Let us discuss the project. "Discuss" does not take "about".
  • ✗ Can we prepone the meeting? → ✓ Can we bring the meeting forward? "Prepone" is understood only in India.
  • ✗ I am having five years of experience. → ✓ I have five years of experience. "Have" for possession is not used in the -ing form.
  • ✗ Myself Ravi from TechSoft4You. → ✓ This is Ravi from TechSoft4You. Introduce yourself with "I am" or "This is".
  • ✗ I will return back the laptop. → ✓ I will return the laptop. "Return" already means "give back".
  • ✗ Today morning I sent the file. → ✓ This morning I sent the file. Say this morning / this evening.
Tenses at workChoose the tense that matches what you are reporting.
  • Present perfect for updates without a time: I have completed the report.
  • Past simple with a finished time: I completed it yesterday.
  • Present continuous for fixed plans: We are meeting the client on Monday.
  • Will for decisions and promises: I will send it today.

Examples

  • I have shared the document with the team.
  • We are launching the website next week.
  • ✗ I have sent the email yesterday. → ✓ I sent the email yesterday. With a finished time (yesterday), use the past simple.
Polite and diplomatic languageSofter language keeps relationships strong, especially when disagreeing.
  • Requests: Could you ...? Would you mind ...? I would appreciate it if ...
  • Disagreeing: I see your point, but ... / I am not sure that will work because ...
  • Bad news: Unfortunately, ... / I am afraid that ...

Examples

  • Would you mind sending the figures again?
  • I see your point, but the deadline may be difficult to meet.
  • Unfortunately, the server will be down for maintenance on Sunday.
Meetings and callsUseful phrases for running and joining meetings.
  • Start: Shall we begin? The purpose of today's meeting is ...
  • Ask: Could you clarify that? What do you mean by ...?
  • End: To sum up, ... The next steps are ...

Examples

  • Let's get started. The purpose of today's call is to agree on the timeline.
  • Sorry, could you repeat that? The line was not clear.
  • To sum up, Priya will send the design by Thursday.
Reports and presentationsClear, active sentences and parallel bullet points.
  • Prefer the active voice: The team fixed the bug (not: The bug was fixed by the team).
  • Start bullets the same way: Reduced costs ... / Improved speed ... / Added features ...
  • Write numbers clearly: Sales grew by 12% in the second quarter.

Examples

  • We reduced page load time by 40 percent.
  • This quarter, we added three new clients.
Interview EnglishAnswer clearly, with examples, in the past simple for experience.
  • Tell me about yourself: present role → key experience → why this job
  • Strengths: name the strength + a short example
  • Use "I" for your work and "we" for team results.

Examples

  • I am a software developer with four years of experience in web applications.
  • In my last project, I led a team of three and delivered the app two weeks early.
Workplace phrasal verbsCommon two-word verbs in offices.
  • follow up (check again), set up (arrange), carry out (do), put off (postpone), sign off (approve), go over (review), touch base (talk briefly)

Examples

  • I will follow up with the client tomorrow.
  • Can we set up a call for Monday?
  • Let's go over the plan before the meeting.
Punctuation for professionalsSmall marks that change meaning.
  • its (belonging) vs it's (it is)
  • Use a colon before a list or explanation; a semicolon joins two related sentences.
  • Hyphenate compound adjectives before a noun: a well-known company, a two-day workshop.

Examples

  • The company changed its logo.
  • We have three goals: speed, quality and safety.
  • The project was delayed; however, the client was satisfied.
Formal and informalMatch your words to the situation.
  • Formal emails, reports and clients: complete sentences, no slang.
  • Team chats can be informal, but stay polite and clear.
Informal Formal
get receive / obtain
ask for request
tell inform
help assist
need require
start commence
sorry we apologise for

Examples

  • Formal: I would like to request a meeting.
  • Informal: Can we have a quick chat?