Category: Grammar

Shall vs. Will

Expressing simple future Shall can be used with first person pronouns (I, we) to express simple future. We shall discuss the matter with them. I shall write to him. We shall invite them for dinner. With the second (you) and third person (he, she, they, it) pronouns,...

Shall As A Modal Auxiliary Verb

Shall is a modal auxiliary verb. It is followed by an infinitive without to. Shall has no –s in the third person singular. I shall be home soon. We shall invite them to dinner. I think I shall send him a...

Tenses In Subordinate Clauses

When the principal clause is in the past tense When the principal (main) clause is in the past tense, the verb in the subordinating clause also should be in the past tense. He said (main clause) that he was not guilty (subordinate clause). He asked (main clause)...

Sequence Of Tenses In A Complex Sentence

The tense of a verb in the subordinate clause should be in accordance with the tense of the verb in the main clause. The sequence of tenses in a complex sentence Rule 1 If...

Sequence Of Verb Tenses

Sometimes the time expressed in a main clause is different from the time expressed in a subordinate clause. This can confuse ESL students because they don’t know whether it is appropriate to use different...

Simple Sentence, Complex Sentence, Compound Sentence

Types of Sentences There are four different types of sentences: simple, compound, complex, and compound-complex. Simple Sentences A simple sentence has one main clause. That means it has one subject and one verb. In addition, a simple sentence can have...

What Is A Sentence?

A sentence is a group of words that express a complete thought. It has two main parts: a subject and a predicate. The subject includes the noun or pronoun that tells what the subject is about. The...

Kinds Of Sentences

Sentences can be classified according to their functions. There are four sentence functions in English: declarative, exclamatory, interrogative and imperative. Declarative Declarative sentences state an idea. They end with a full stop. Examples are: Susie smokes. The war is...

Sentence Fragments

Fragments are a common mistake. A sentence must have a subject and a verb. The students worked hard. (Subject – the students; verb – worked) She wrote a story. (Subject –she; verb – wrote) They discussed the problem. (Subject...

Analysis Of A Simple Sentence

A simple sentence has only one subject and one predicate. The subject denotes the person or thing about which something is said. The predicate includes the verb that describes what the subject is doing....