English grammar basics: the 10 rules that matter most
English grammar has a reputation for exceptions, but its core is small: few endings, no gender for most nouns, a fixed word order. These ten rules — each checked against Cambridge Dictionary’s English Grammar Today — cover most of what beginners get wrong. Not sure of your level? Take the free English level test first.
Updated · 5 min read
Why English grammar is lighter than it looks
Over a thousand years English lost most of its endings (A short history of English tells how). The result, as Britannica puts it: adjectives never change (the tall man, the tall woman), a noun like man has just four forms (man, man’s, men, men’s) and a verb like ride five (ride, rides, rode, riding, ridden). Word order does the work that endings do in other languages — which is why rule 1 comes first.
1. Subject first, then the verb, then the rest
In a normal English sentence the subject — the doer — comes first, then the verb, then the object (Cambridge): Lesley has written four novels. Change the order and you change the meaning: The dog bit the man is not The man bit the dog. Every sentence needs a subject, even an “empty” one: It is raining, not Is raining (Cambridge).
2. Adjectives go before the noun — and never change
Say a yellow balloon, not a balloon yellow (Cambridge). The adjective is the same for one or many, for a man or a woman: a big house, two big houses.
3. Most nouns have no gender
Most English nouns have no grammatical gender (Cambridge): the is the same for every noun, and a table is always it. He and she are mainly for people. Some old female forms (actress) are giving way to neutral ones (actor).
4. a, an and the
Use a before a consonant sound and an before a vowel sound — it is the sound that counts, not the letter: a university, a one-year-old child, an hour, an umbrella (Cambridge). The points to something specific or already mentioned; before a vowel sound it is pronounced “thee”.
5. Plurals: usually -s, with a short list of exceptions
Most nouns add -s (week → weeks); nouns ending in -ch, -s, -sh, -x or -z add -es (box → boxes); a consonant + y becomes -ies (baby → babies); some -f nouns become -ves (wife → wives). Then learn the irregular ones by heart (Cambridge):
| One | More than one |
|---|---|
| child | children |
| man / woman | men / women |
| tooth / foot | teeth / feet |
| mouse | mice |
| sheep, fish, deer | sheep, fish, deer (no change) |
6. Some nouns cannot be counted
English treats some things as a mass: advice, information, news, work, furniture, luggage, money, homework, traffic (Cambridge). They take no a/an and no plural -s: some advice, a piece of information — never an advice or informations. Many languages count these words, so they are a classic trap.
7. The -s of he, she and it
In the present simple the verb has one ending only: -s for he, she, it (Cambridge). I work, you work, she works, they work. Have, go, do and be are irregular: she has, he goes, it does, she is.
8. Questions and “not” need do
A question puts an auxiliary or modal verb before the subject (Cambridge). When there is none, English adds do, does or did: Do you like it?, Does she work here?, Why did you leave? The negative works the same way: She doesn’t work here — not She works not or Works she here?
9. The past: -ed, and the irregular verbs
Regular verbs add -ed (work → worked), and the past form is the same for every person. But many common verbs are irregular, and Cambridge is blunt about it: “each one has to be learnt” (Cambridge). Questions and negatives use did + the base form: Did you go?, I didn’t buy it.
| Base form | Past | -ed form (participle) |
|---|---|---|
| be | was / were | been |
| go | went | gone |
| buy | bought | bought |
| have | had | had |
| see | saw | seen |
Source for the forms: Cambridge’s table of irregular verbs. Learn them in small groups, with a sentence each; if you speak Turkish or Arabic, our English word lists give each common verb with its meaning in Turkish or in Arabic.
10. There is no future tense form
“There is no future tense form of verbs in English,” Cambridge notes (Cambridge): the future is made with will, be going to or the present — I’ll call you, I’m going to study medicine, The train leaves at six. All the forms, from I work to I will have worked, are in English tenses explained.
One trick that saves time: English words often work as a noun and a verb with no change — to book a place, to place a book (Britannica). When you learn a new word, check whether it is both.
The ten rules at a glance
| Rule | Right | Wrong |
|---|---|---|
| Subject needed | It is raining. | Is raining. |
| Adjective first | a yellow balloon | a balloon yellow |
| a / an by sound | an hour, a university | a hour, an university |
| Uncountable | some advice | an advice |
| -s for he/she/it | She works here. | She work here. |
| Question with do | Does she work here? | Works she here? |
| Past with did | Did you go? | Did you went? |
Learn the words that go with the rules
Grammar needs words. 16Word gives you 16 English words a day with active recall, spaced repetition and a short Blocks game between answers — free to start.
Keep learning
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- A short history of English — why the endings disappeared
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Frequently asked questions
Is English grammar easy?
Its core is small: adjectives never change, most nouns have no gender and verbs have few endings. The harder parts are word order, the use of do in questions, uncountable nouns and the irregular verbs, which have to be learned one by one.
Does English have grammatical gender?
Most English nouns have no grammatical gender, Cambridge explains: the is the same for all of them and a thing is it. He and she are mainly for people.
When do I use a and when an?
It depends on the first sound, not the first letter: a before a consonant sound (a university, a one-year-old child), an before a vowel sound (an hour, an umbrella).
Why do English questions use do?
An English question puts an auxiliary or modal verb before the subject. If the sentence has none, do, does or did is added: Do you like it? Did you see her?
How many irregular verbs do I need to learn?
Start with everyday ones such as be, have, go, do, get, make, see and buy, and learn each with a sentence. Cambridge’s grammar has a full table; you will meet the rest gradually.
Does English have a future tense?
Not as a verb form. English talks about the future with will, be going to or the present: I’ll call you, I’m going to study, the train leaves at six.
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Official sources
- Britannica — English language
- Cambridge Dictionary — Word order: structures
- Cambridge Dictionary — Adjective phrases: position
- Cambridge Dictionary — Nouns and gender
- Cambridge Dictionary — A/an and the
- Cambridge Dictionary — Nouns: form
- Cambridge Dictionary — Nouns: countable and uncountable
- Cambridge Dictionary — Present simple
- Cambridge Dictionary — Questions
- Cambridge Dictionary — Past simple
- Cambridge Dictionary — Irregular verbs
- Cambridge Dictionary — Tenses and time
- Cambridge Dictionary — It
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