13 Grammar Rules to Know





Grammar Cheat Sheet 

The Grammar Rules You Must Know to Get High Marks
 
 
Rule 1: Subject-Verb Agreement
 
Rule 2: Noun-Pronoun Agreement       
 
Rule 3: Pronoun Subjects & Objects
 
Rule 4: Pronoun Consistency
 
Rule 5: Correct Tense
 
Rule 6: Adjectives & adverbs
 
Rule 7: Parallel Construction
 
Rule 8: Run-on Sentences & Sentence Fragments
 
Rule 9: Dangling Modifiers (Participles/participial phrases)
 
Rule 10: Sentence logic
 
Rule 11: Fixing commonly messed up expressions
 
Rule 12: Logical comparison
 
Rule 13: Comparative/superlative forms of words
 
 
But before we begin…
–        Noun—person, place, thing, idea (joy), quality (stickiness), or act (drooling)
–        Pronoun—word that takes the place of another noun (The Serpent is evil. He is cruel. He is a pronoun because it takes the place of Serpent.
–        Verb—word that expresses action (jump) or a state of being (be). Tells what’s happening in a sentence.
–        Subject—noun or pronoun that “does” the action of the verb in the sentence (He drooled. He is the subject because he is the thing that drooled.)
–        Object—noun or pronoun that the verb acts on. (He tickled me. Me is the object because me is the thing that got tickled.)
–        Preposition—Words like to at, in, up, over, under, after, of. They go with objects. (in the house…in is the preposition & house is the object.)
–        Singular—single thing or unit (noodle)
–        Plural—more than one thing (noodles)
 
 

Rule 1 Subject-Verb Agreement 
Subject & verb must agree in number, so isolate the subject & the verb & make sure they match.
 
Incorrect: The proctor, as well as the students, were overcome by the tedious ticking of the timer and fell asleep.
 
Isolate             subject: proctor (singular)             verb: were (plural)            combine: the proctor were overcome
 
Correct: The proctor, as well as the students, was overcome by the tedious ticking of the timer and fell asleep.
 
Problem: the plural students; it is set off by commas, so it’s not part of the subject. Three expressions similar to as well are: in addition to, along with, and together with
 
Practice:
  1. The anguish of the students have been a source of pleasure to the test. 
    • Note: the subject is never in a prepositional phrase
 
  1. Each of the streets were painted green. 
    • Note: 13 singular subjects: each, every, either, neither, one, no one, everyone, everybody, someone, somebody, anyone, anybody, & nobody. Each takes a singular noun.
 
 

Rule 2: Noun-Pronoun Agreement
Singular subjects take singular nouns; plural subjects take plural nouns. The 13 singular subjects above each take a singular pronoun. 
Incorrect:         Not one of the boys read their test book.
Correct:            Not one of the boys read his test book.
 
 

Rule 3: Pronoun Subjects & Objects
You must know when to use the words in the column on the left & when to use those on the right:
 
Subjects
Objects
I
Me
He
Him
She
Her
They
Them
We
Us
Who
Whom
 
 Examples
I like hotdogs, but hotdogs don’t like me.
She is good enough for Grape-Nuts, but are Grape-Nuts good enough for her?
 
 

Rule 4: Pronoun consistency 
                                                                                                                           
Pronouns should be consistent throughout a sentence.
 Incorrect: The more you study for the test, the more one thinks about moving to Mongolia.
Correct: The more you study for the test, the more you think about moving to Mongolia.
 
 

Rule 5: Correct Tense
Make sure the action is consistent. Look for key “time words” such as when, as, after, and so forth.

Incorrect: After he ate the newt and brushed his teeth, I will kiss him.
Correct: After he eats the newt and brushes his teeth, I will kiss him.
 

 Rule 6: Adjectives & adverbs
                                                                                                                           
Adjectives describe a noun or pronoun and answer three questions: What kind? Which one? How many?
The _____ wombat (lascivious)
 
Adverbs tell where, when, how, or to what extent (how often or how much)
The wombat did it ___ (lasciviously)
 
 

 Rule 7: Parallel Construction
                                                                                                                        
Ideas that are parallel (related) should be expressed the same way.

Incorrect: I like spitting, drooling, and to slurp.
Correct: I like spitting, drooling, and slurping.

 

Rule 8: Run-on Sentences & Sentence Fragments 
                                                                                                        
A run-on is usually two complete sentences that are incorrectly joined by a comma in stead of separated by a period or semi-colon.
 
Incorrect: JP ate the mysterious object, it was a noodle.
Correct: JP ate the mysterious object; it was a noodle. OR JP ate the mysterious object. It was a noodle.
 
Sentence fragments are parts of sentences that are made up to look like real sentences.
 
Incorrect: All the kids had rashes on their bodies. Especially those with uranium lunch boxes.
Correct: All the kids had rashes on their bodies, especially those with uranium lunch boxes.
 
 

Rule 9: Dangling Modifiers (Participles/Participial phrases)
                                                                           
Incorrect: Taking the test, his copy of the cheat sheet was in his pocket.
The sentence implies that the cheat sheet was taking the test.
Correct: Taking the test, he had his copy of the cheat sheet in his pocket.
 
 

Rule 10: Sentence logic
                                                                                                                                     
These questions will be grammatically correct on the test but don’t do a good job of saying what the writer wants them to say. 
Sample: There are often sentences that are sentences that are grammatically correct, and do not say what the writer wants them to say.
  1. correct, and do not say what
  2. correct and do not say that which
  3. correct but do not say what** (correct answer)
  4. correct, with the exception that
  5. correct saying not what
 
 

Rule 11: Fixing commonly messed up expression  
                                                                                                        
Sometimes “they” will deliberately mess up an expression to try to foil you. The only way to prepare for this type of question is by becoming familiar with standard, formal English and being able to hear or see which words or phrases just sound or look wrong. 
 
Incorrect: Since it’s a beautiful day, I’d just assume walk.
Correct: Since it’s a beautiful day, I’d just walk.
 
 

Rule 12: Logical comparison                                                                                                                             
Make sure that when you make a comparison, you compare two like things.
 
Incorrect: My mother’s salary is higher than Jane’s mother.
Correct: My mother’s salary is higher than Jane’s mother’s (salary).
 
 

Rule 13: Comparative/superlative forms of words
Adjectives have inflections. That is, adjectives change in spelling according to how they are used in a sentence.

Adjectives have three forms: positive, comparative, and superlative.

The simplest form of the adjective is its positive form. When two objects or persons are being compared, the comparative form of the adjective is used. When three or more things are being compared, we use the adjective's superlative form.

Examples:    
brave, braver, bravest
happy, happier, happiest 
 
Note:   Words of more than two syllables form the comparative with more and most:

beautiful, more beautiful, most beautiful.
resonant, more resonant, most resonate
 
Last few reminders
  •         Don’t split infinitives (incorrect: “to slowly walk” correct “to walk slowly”
  •         Don’t use slang (chirp) or clichés (cold as ice)
  •         Either goes with or; neither goes with nor
  •         When referring to a country, don’t use “they” 
    Example: 
    The US is the richest county in the world. They have the highest GNP. (It has the highest GNP.)











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IELTS Speaking Part 2: IELTS Cue Card/ Candidate Task Card. Describe something healthy you enjoy doing.







  • What you do
  • Where you do it
  • Who you do it with
and explain why you think doing this is healthy.
 
Possible Answer:
I wake up early in the morning and then walk for an hour every day. After that I swim in the nearby river for about 30 minutes and then I start my day. Waking up very early and then doing the physical exercise is the healthy habit I have developed from the early stage of my life.
I remember my father insisting us to wake up very early and then took us to the nearby high school ground for exercise. Nowadays, I wake up from bed at around 5:30 am and wear my exercise trousers and the pair of shoes. Then I start walking along with the road that has passed beside the river. The fresh air in the morning is very healthy for health. Sometimes I take my bicycle and instead of walking, I ride my cycle. I started doing this early morning exercise and swimming few years back but nowadays 2 of my friends and cousins accompany me almost every day. They enjoy doing the exercise very much.
The morning is a time when the air and environment remain fresher than anytime of the day. So breathing the fresh air, doing the exercises and finally swimming in the fresh water is definitely a very healthy habit. A sound mind lies on a sound body and this habit that I adopted is pretty helpful for keeping a sound health and sound mind.

 

Tips for answering this Cue Card Topic:

Exercise, visiting open and natural places, good food habit etc. are some of the habits which are related to the health. Exercise can vary from going for walking in the morning & evening, running, swimming, cycling, playing outdoor games, and going to gymnasium, doing yoga etc. You can talk about any exercise habit that you have for this cue card as exercise is healthy habit.

Again you can talk about your passion on visiting different places on your vacation as travelling to open spaces gives you mental refreshment as well as help keeping good health.

Finally a good food habit is something positive we can have to maintain a good health. You can talk about your habit of eating vegetable over fishes and meats. Your habit of drinking fruit juice daily is also something health you do. Gardening is a good habit which involved both the passion and physical exercise and can be described as a healthy habit.

Pick an idea related to exercise, good food habit or travelling and talk about that particular topic.

On the other hand, reading books, cooking, listening to music etc. are good for our mental health and thus keeps us joyful which is a healthy habit. If you want to talk about your habit of listening music, painting, cooking or reading, first mention the mental benefits it offers. Then relate the mental health with the physical health and then continue describing the habit.

The second question: "why you do it" and the fourth question "and explain why you think doing this is healthy" are actually similar. For the later one describe the benefits it offer and for the second question mention that  you have a passion on doing it, you spend a quality time this way and you really enjoy doing it. Since the cue card asks you to describe something healthy you enjoy doing, do not only mention the health benefit it offers. You should also talk about why you enjoy it, how passionate you feel about doing it and your involvement on the task.

 
Your preparation for this cue card would also help you answering the following cue card topics:

1. Describe something you enjoy doing.
2. Describe something you do every day.
3. Describe a habit you have.
4. Describe an outdoor activity you have.
5. Describe a game or sports you enjoy playing.
6. Describe a really good habit you have.
7. Describe something you maintain to keep a good health.
8. Talk about something you often do.
9. Describe a place you often go to.
10. Describe something healthy you would recommend your friends.
11. Describe a healthy food item you eat.









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Sample IELTS Speaking Topic 2: Describe someone in your family who you like.





Describe someone in your family who you like.

You should say:
    • How this person is related to you
    • What this person looks like
    • What kind of person he/she is
    • and explain why you like this person
Sample IELTS Speaking Response:

The person in my family I really like and also love is my mother. She is a very special person and I cannot imagine what I would be without her.
Physically, my mother is petite. She is only about 5 feet tall, and weighs about 110 pounds. She has fine, black hair and a fair complexion. One thing people often notice is that my mother always takes pride in her appearance. Even now, at the age of 80, my mother is a well dressed, well-groomed and elegant woman, with her fine choice of clothes and matching accessories, jewelry and shoes.
Intellectually, my mother always loves learning. Even after her busy day, she won't go to bed without reading the newspaper. She was one of the few members of her family that completed university. She also has many creative and cultural interests such as literature, music and dance. Through her own enjoyment, she passed on this love of culture to all her children, including me.
Emotionally, my mother has a heart of gold. All her life, she has been ready, willing and able to help anyone who needs anything, with a smile on her face.  She is of the old school - she remembers to wish friends and relatives on their birthdays and anniversaries, she attends their weddings, dinners and parties, and she visits them when they're hurt, unwell or in mourning. In fact, my mother has always been a kind soul and people of all ages love her as soon as they meet her. I think this is because she is good-hearted from her core, and her authenticity is what everyone relates to. She has taught me the meaning of being compassionate, loving, kind, helpful, supportive and so much more. In fact, thanks to the unconditional love of both my wonderful parents, I  feel I've been truly blessed in this lifetime.









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