Practice
English grammar lessons: a practical learning guide
Sign in to saveYou do not need to remember every grammar rule before you speak. Start with a clear sentence pattern, then check one small detail at a time.
Use a short, repeatable method to build and check clear English sentences in everyday situations.
Read and practice
Read the examples and try the written questions in this guide. Listening recordings are not available for this lesson yet.
Try the written questions
Are you waiting for the bus? /ɑː juː ˈweɪtɪŋ fə ðə bʌs/
The short answer
Begin with useful sentence patterns: subject plus verb plus information. Learn one time form at a time, then practise questions, negatives, and short corrections with your own examples.
My sister works near the station.
Why it works: The subject, verb, and place information appear in a familiar English order.
4 more examples
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We met the manager yesterday.
Yesterday points to a completed time in the past.
Not this:We
meetthe manager every Tuesday. What changes: Every Tuesday describes a regular habit, so the present simple fits. -
Are you waiting for the bus?
A form of be comes before the subject in this present-continuous question.
Not this:
You are waitingfor the bus. What changes: The same words make a statement when the subject comes first. -
I do not know that address.
Do not makes a present-simple negative with an ordinary verb.
Not this:I
knowthat address. What changes: The positive statement does not need do before know. -
She put the keys on the table.
On shows that the keys touch the surface of the table.
Not this:She put the keys
in the drawer. What changes: In shows that the keys are inside the drawer.
Read the full guide
Choose a small grammar target that you can use today. Learn the present simple for routines before moving to longer rules about every verb tense. Make sentences about your own life, listen for the pattern, and correct one feature at a time. Regular short practice is more useful than reading a long list of rules once.
Build a basic sentence first
Many useful English sentences begin with a subject and a verb. The subject is the person, thing, or idea you are talking about. The verb tells the listener about an action, state, or event. Add an object, time, or place when it helps the listener understand.
The train leaves at six.
The train is the subject, leaves is the verb, and at six gives the time.
Put these ideas in a normal order: every morning / coffee / I / drink.
Write: I drink coffee every morning.
Match the subject and the verb
In the present simple, a singular third-person subject usually changes the verb. He, she, it, and a singular name commonly use works, lives, or studies. I, you, we, and they use the base form. Look closely at the subject before you choose the verb.
Mina studies English after work.
Mina is one person, so studies has an s ending.
Mina and Leo study English after work.
Mina and Leo is a plural subject, so use study without s.
Use time words to choose a verb form
Time expressions help you choose a grammar pattern. Every day, usually, and on Fridays often point to the present simple for routines. Yesterday, last week, and in 2024 commonly point to the past simple for finished events. Right now and at the moment often introduce an action in progress.
I usually take the bus to work.
Usually describes a habit, so take is in the present simple.
I am taking the bus home now.
Now shows an action in progress, so am taking is appropriate.
Make questions and negatives carefully
English often uses an auxiliary verb to make questions and negatives. With an ordinary present-simple verb, use do or does. With an ordinary past-simple verb, use did. When the sentence already uses be, can, will, or another auxiliary, move or add that word instead.
Does the library open on Saturday?
Does comes before the singular subject the library, and open stays in its base form.
They did not arrive before lunch.
Did makes the past negative, so arrive returns to the base form.
Make a question from You speak Spanish.
Write: Do you speak Spanish?
Notice articles and prepositions
Small words carry useful information. Use a or an when you introduce one non-specific singular thing. Use the when both people know which thing you mean or when the context identifies it. Prepositions such as in, on, and at show relationships of place and time.
I need a pen for this form.
A pen means any suitable pen, not one already identified.
The pen on your desk is blue.
The listener can identify the pen because the phrase on your desk describes it.
Practise grammar in a useful order
A short study routine can make grammar easier to retain. Read one example, say it, change one detail, and write a sentence about your own day. Later, look for the same pattern in a message, a book, or a conversation. Keep a small list of errors that you make often and review that list rather than trying to study every topic at once.
I cook dinner on Thursdays.
Change one part to make your own routine sentence, such as I call my brother on Thursdays.
Choose one present-simple routine and make it true for you.
Use a subject, a base verb or s form, and a time expression when it helps: My neighbour walks to work every day.
Before you go
Remember this
Build a sentence around a subject and a verb. Add time and place information, then check the verb form, word order, and small grammar words. Practise one pattern with your own sentences until it becomes familiar, then add the next pattern.
Practice with the written examples
You can practice with the written questions in the Learn tab. Each answer includes an explanation.
Try the written questionsListening test not available yet
This lesson does not have the recordings needed for a listening test. Use the written questions in the guide to check your understanding.
Try the written questionsQuestions about "English grammar lessons: a practical learning guide"
What English grammar should a beginner study first?
Start with subject and verb order, the present simple for routines, be, basic questions and negatives, and common time and place words. These patterns appear often in everyday messages and conversations, so they give you useful material for speaking and writing.
My sister works near the station.
How can I practise English grammar every day?
Choose one short pattern, say two examples aloud, and write two sentences that are true for you. Then look for the same pattern in something you read or hear. A brief repeated practice routine is easier to continue than a long study session that covers many unrelated rules.
My sisters work near the station.
Why do English questions use do and does?
Do and does help form present-simple questions when the main verb is an ordinary verb such as work, live, or speak. Use does with he, she, it, or a singular noun, and keep the main verb in its base form after it.
We met the manager yesterday.
How do I know whether to use the past simple or present simple?
Use the past simple for a finished event at a finished time, often with words such as yesterday or last week. Use the present simple for routines, repeated actions, and general facts. Time expressions and the meaning of the sentence help you choose.
We meet the manager every Tuesday.
Should I correct every grammar mistake while speaking?
Focus first on mistakes that make the message unclear or that you repeat often. Finish your idea, then review one point, such as a verb form or word order. This lets you keep communicating while building accuracy through regular correction.
Are you waiting for the bus?