Study Notes

100
Rules of
Grammar
100 Rules of Grammar

Agreement Problems (Subject and Verb)

Rule 1 ⇒ A verb should agree in number with its subject; and a pronoun should agree in
number with its antecedent.
The flavour of dishes was remarkable. (Singular)
The flavours of dishes were remarkable. (Plural)
Use singular verbs with singular subjects (dish → was), and use plural verbs with plural subjects
(dishes → were).
A child has its own behaviour. (Singular)
Children have their own behaviour. (Plural)
Singular antecedents are referred to by singular pronouns (child → its) and plural antecedents
are referents of plural pronouns (children → their).
Exception: ‘You’ always uses plural verb immediately after it, even when it is used in singular,
referring to one person, e.g:
You were looking beautiful last evening.
Note: When ‘s’ is added to a noun, it indicates the plural form but when ‘s’ added to a verb, it
indicates the third person singular.
She likes fruits.
Rule 2 ⇒ The verb should agree only with the true subject and not with any intervening plural.
The bowl of dry fruits is missing.
(Here the true subject is BOWL and not DRY FRUITS. DRY FRUITS is the object of preposition
of.)
Rule 3 ⇒ (a) If two subjects, connected by AND refers to different persons or things, a plural
verb is used.
1. Her lipstick and my liner are a perfect match.
2. Amit and Naman are best friends.
(b) If a subject consisting of two singular nouns connected by and refers to the same person or
thing, a singular verb is used.
1. The singer and musician has won the award again.
Hence the subject is treated as singular because both refer to one person.
(c) When two subjects connected by AND are preceded by each, every or many a, singular verb
is used.
Each girl and boy is expected to be present tomorrow.
Every box, plate and spoon was removed from the kitchen slab.
Rule 4 ⇒ When words like ‘with, together with, along with, besides, as well as, including, in
addition to , etc.’ are used, the number of the verb is not affected. i.e. if the subject is singular, a
singular verb is used; if subject is plural, a plural verb is used.
1. The bedsheet, along with the covers, is to be bought.

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2. Mrs Dixit, with her friends, is going for shopping.

3. The theme of the party, including the decorations and food, is very attractive.

Rule 5 ⇒ When the subject contains both singular and plural words connected by or, nor, either
…. Or, neither … nor, not only … but also, the verb agrees with the nearer part of the subject.
1. Neither the mother nor the children have arrived for dinner.
2. Neither the children nor the mother has arrived for dinner.
3. Not only the chairman but also the employees are in favour of new policies.
4. Not only the employees but also the chairman is in favour of new policies.
5. Either my brother or my friends are going to clean the room.
6. Either my friends or my brother is going to clean the room.
Rule 6 ⇒ (a) Nouns that are singular in meaning but plural in form, such as news, measles,
mumps, physics, electronics, tactics, economics, etc. usually take singular verbs.
1. Economics is my favourite subject.
2. Tactics applied here is easy.
(b) Some nouns ending in –ics (such as athletics, statistics and politics) are considered singular,
when referring to an organized body of knowledge and plural when referring to individual facts,
qualities or activities.
1. Athletics provide good recreation. (i. e. various games)
2. Athletics is required of every student. (i. e. participation in games)
Rule 7 ⇒ When the group or collective noun acts as one single unit, the verb should be
singular.
1. The committee has decided to go ahead with the plan.
2. The Board of Directors is responsible for taking decisions.
3. The firm is taking tough decisions.
Rule 8 ⇒ When the members of the group are thought of as acting separately, the verb should
be plural.
1. The committee are arguing over who should be the next chairman. (individual members in the
committee are arguing)
2. The team were not happy with their performance.
Rule 9 ⇒ Company names may be either singular or plural, according to their meaning. The
plural form emphasizes the individual people forming the company.
1. Jain and sons have decided to open a new outlet in Mumbai.
2. Microsoft is planning to invest in the Philippines.
Rule 10 ⇒ Sometimes nouns denoting periods of time, amounts of money, or quantities are
considered as a single unit. In such cases, singular verbs are used.
1. Fifty rupees seems too little for this task.

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2. Three months is enough for the plant to flower.

3. Two fifty yards is enough for farming.

Rule 11 ⇒ When in sentences fractions or phrases like 'parts of', 'majority of', 'minority of' are

used, the verb depends on the noun following 'of'. If ‘of’ is followed by singular noun, singular

verb is used. If 'of' is followed by plural noun, plural verb is used.

1. A part of me is tired.

2. Two thirds of players have received the yellow card.

3. Majority of hanger is rusted.

4. Majority of hangers are rusted.

Rule 12 ⇒ When ‘The’ is used before ‘number’, singular verb is used. When ‘A’ is used before
‘number’, plural verb is used.
1. The number of students enrolled in the competition is very small.
2. A number of students were absent.
Rule 13 ⇒ When a sentence contains ‘One of’ or ‘One of the’, singular verb is used. When in a
sentence, ’one of’ is followed by ‘those’, ‘those who’, ‘the things that’, etc., plural verb is used.
When ‘one of’ is preceded by ‘only’, singular verb is used.
1. One of the pillows is not fluffed.
2. One of the towels is wet.
3. He is one of those people who prefer eating out.
4. He is the only one of my sons who is not an engineer.
Rule 14 ⇒ Certain collective nouns always take a plural verb. For example, gentry, cattle,
poultry, alphabet, offspring etc.
1. The alphabets are arranged in chronological order.
2. The cattle are grazing in the field.
Rule 15 ⇒ Certain nouns always use singular verbs. These are not used in the plural sense and
do not take on plural verbs. For example hair, issue, advice, information, scenery, luggage,
mischief, bread, abuse, furniture, land, business, machinery, poetry etc.
1. Her hair is very shiny.
2. This information is very crucial.
3. My luggage is too heavy.
Note: If these nouns are to be used in plural form, a plural noun/word is used before
these nouns. E.g. items, pieces, many, etc.
1. My recently bought items of furniture are expensive.
2. The pieces of bread are scattered all over the floor.

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Rule 16 ⇒ Each, every, either and neither, used as pronouns or as adjectives, are always
singular and require singular verbs, except when ‘each’ is associated with a plural noun or
pronoun.
1. Each of them holds a different opinion.
2. Each citizen is responsible for cleanliness of the country.
3. Neither of the girls is eligible for the competition.
4. They each have their own rooms.
5. Ten each of these breads are needed.
Rule 17 ⇒ All, any, more, most, some may be singular or plural depending on the noun
following it, and take verbs accordingly.
1. More of this drink is needed.
2. More of these drinks are needed.
3. All the students are in hurry.
4. All of it needs to be finished.
Rule 18 ⇒ The titles of books or magazines are singular and take singular verbs.
1. ‘The Hindu’ is good for exam preparation.
2. ‘The Lost Road’ is a best seller.
Rule 19 ⇒ The following words and their compounds are always singular and require a singular
verb.
1. body (anybody, everybody, nobody, somebody)
2. thing (anything, everything, nothing, something)
3. one (anyone, everyone, someone, no one)
1. Everybody knows the truth.
2. Nothing is permanent.
3. Everything needs to be finished off the plate.
4. No one is responsible for the outbreak.
Rule 20 ⇒
(a) Who - used when referring to persons, when the individual person or the individuality of a
group is talked about
(b) That – used when referring to persons, when, a class, type or species is being talked about.
Also used after superlative degrees.
After two antecedents, one of which is the name of a person, and the other the name of some
animal or thing, ‘that’ is used in place of ‘who’ or ‘which’.
After such words as all, any, none, only, alone, nothing use ‘that’ in place of ‘which’ or ‘who’.
(c) Which - Which is used when referring to places, objects and animals
1. He is the boy who stood first in our class.

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2. She is the kind of employee that we want.

3. This is the best thing that can happen to anybody.
4. The lady and her luggage that was lost has been found.
5. All that glitters is not gold.
6. None that barks, bites.
7. The Temple, which is situated at the main road, is closed for renovation.
Rule 21 ⇒ When ‘one’ is used as a subject in a sentence, it must be followed by ‘one’ or ‘one’s’
and not ‘his’, ‘her’ or ‘him’.
However, if anyone, anybody, each one, everyone, someone are used, do not use one but his
or her.
1. One should be proud of one’s achievement.
2. One should take care of one’s health.
3. Everyone should challenge his own limits.
2. Everyone should bring out the good in herself.
Rule 22 ⇒ ‘Each other’ is used when TWO people are being talked about. ‘One another’ is used
when more than two people are talked about.
1. The two sisters are fond of each other.
2. The residents have issues with one another.
Rule 23 ⇒ Use of either, neither, none, any, any one:
‘Either’ or ‘neither’ is used when talking about one out of two people or things.
‘Any’ or ‘None’ is used when talking about one out of more than two.
1. Either of you two can come for the meeting.
2. Any one of the team members can come for the meeting.
3. None of the crew members knows the right process for emergency evacuation.
Rule 24 ⇒ Comparative form is used when comparison is made between two persons, things or
places. Superlative form is used when comparison is made between more than two persons,
things or places.
1. She is taller than her sister.
2. She is the tallest in her class.
3. She is more loving than her brother.
4. She is the most loving girl I have ever met.
Rule 25 ⇒
(a) When comparing two qualities of the same person or thing, more is used instead of the –er
form.
(b) Comparatives and superlatives should neither be used together nor doubly.
1. She is more beautiful than intelligent.

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2. He is more intelligent than wise.

3. He is the richest businessman in town.
Rule 26 ⇒ Fewer refers to numbers and less refers to quantity and size or amount.
1. No fewer than thirty kittens were born in this month.
2. Less brainstorming was done for the new marketing project.
Rule 27 ⇒ As many as is used when numbers are talked about whereas as much as is used
when quantity is being talked about.
1. You have to learn to play as many instruments as possible.
2. You have to learn as much as you can.
Rule 28 ⇒ ‘Elder’ and ‘eldest’ are used for the members of the same family and is followed by
‘to’.
Older and Oldest can be used when people are talked about in general.
1. She is my eldest daughter.
2. Our clerk is older than our manager.
3. Sheetal is elder to Harry. (Here both elder or older can be used because they may be siblings
or may be not)
Rule 29 ⇒ Double negatives must be avoided.
Words like hardly, scarcely etc. are adverbs that are negative in meaning. Therefore, no other
negative should be used with them.
1. You could hardly teach him maths. (Not couldn’t hardly)
2. He rarely does that. (Not doesn’t rarely)
Rule 30 ⇒ ‘of’ is used after ‘all’ only when the next word is a pronoun.
1. All the women were present for the kitty party.
2. All of us went for the picnic.
3. All of them were present for the party.
Rule 31 ⇒ ‘Between’ is used when talking about two people. ‘Among’ is used when talking
about more than two people.
1. The toffees were distributed among the students.
2. Distribute the food among the poor.
3. The difference between the educated and uneducated is evident.
Rule 32 ⇒
‘In’ is used for the position within
‘Into’ is used for motion

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‘In to’ is a two word phrase in which ‘in’ is an adverb meaning inside.
1. The juice is in the container.
2. She walked into my room.
3. He came in to talk.
Rule 33 ⇒ ‘Besides’ means in addition to; ‘beside’ means by the side of.
1. Besides being intelligent, he is also wise.
2. The cottage is beside the river.
Rule 34 ⇒ Senior, junior, prefer, superior, inferior, preferable etc. are followed by to.
1. She is senior to me.
2. I prefer nature to wealth.
Rule 35 ⇒ Certain words use –ing form along with prepositions.
For example abstain, confident, fond, insist, keen, persist, prohibit, refrain, succeed etc.
1. I prohibited him from parking his car near the entrance. (Not to park)
2. She is confident of speaking English within six months. (Not to speak)
3. I abstain from drinking on Tuesday. (not to drink)
4. He worked hard and succeeded in securing good marks. (Not to secure)
Rule 36 ⇒ Certain words are followed by different prepositions in different contexts. For
example:
1. I agree with your father.
2. I agree to your proposal.
In the above example, the word agree is used with two different prepositions, with and to. Agree
with is used for agreement with a person, whereas agree to is used for agreement to a plan or
proposal.
Rule 37 ⇒
(a) Simple present tense is used to convey universal truth and habitual sentences.
(b) Present continuous tense is used to convey the continuity of the action.
(c) Present perfect tense is used to convey the completion of an action that has some bearing
on the present.
For Example
1. The moon is Earth’s natural satellite.
2. I always brush my teeth before sleeping.
Rule 38 ⇒ (a) The tense in all the clauses throughout the sentence must be uniform. If the
principal cause is in the past tense, subordinate clauses must also be in past tense.

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1. I thought that she needed my help.

2. I forgot that it was her birthday today.
3. I saw that he had left.
(b) When the subordinate clause expresses a universal truth, its tense is not changed.
He knew that sea water is salty.
She was told that the earth revolves round the sun.
(c) When the subordinate clause begins with than or as, any tense may be used in the
subordinate clause, independent of the tense used in the principal clause.
1. He cared for his family more than he cares for you.
2. She loved him as she likes you.
Rule 39 ⇒ A helping verb must be used before the subject (e. g. do, does, did, etc.) when a
negative co – relative is used in the beginning of a sentence.
1. Not only did she accuse him of theft, but also of harassment.
2. No sooner did the help came than she gave up.
Rule 40 ⇒ Though ….. yet
(a) When ‘though’ is used with a verb expressing doubt, a condition contrary to fact, a wish, a
concession, it is followed by yet and not by but.
1. Though he might not have scored well, yet it is casual of him.
2. Though she didn’t help me, yet I will help her.
(b) When though is used with a verb expressing a fact or making a statement, a comma is used
in place of yet.
1. Though he is my brother, I shall charge him the fee.
2. Though he is a good person, he must follow the law.
Miscellaneous Rules
Rule 41 ⇒ When “When, while, after, till, before” are used in the subordinate clause with
reference to some future event, they are not followed by a verb in the future tense.
1. Before the maid arrives, they would have finished with the household chores.
2. When you visit us, we will go to the waterpark.
Rule 42 ⇒ Until means time before where as unless means if not and shows condition.

1. I won't come unless he comes to pick me up.

2. She was unaware of her promotion until she received the mail from the employers.

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Rule 43 ⇒ In the present tense, with third person singular, when followed by a negative, the
final ‘s’ is not added to the verb.
1. He need not visit their office.
2. He dare not visit them.
However, if it is not followed by a negative word (not) or used in the sense of challenge, s is to
be added.
It should, however, not be confused when used as a normal verb:
I dare, he dares, she dares, they dare, we dare, Harry dares
Rule 44 ⇒ Since and from are used when talking about a point of time (definite time. Day, date
etc.) and for is used for a period of time.
(a) Since is used with present perfect or perfect continuous tense.
(b) From is used with all other tenses.
(c) For indicates period of time with present perfect or perfect continuous tense.
For example:
1. She has been laughing since yesterday.
2. She has been upset since last Monday.
3. He started working from today.
4. She is at her grandparents for the vacation.
Rule 45 ⇒ Usage of On and over: On is used when there is a contact with something; over is
used in case of a higher position without actual contact.
1. Sit on the chair.
2. Put the scarf over your head.
Rule 46 ⇒ You, he/she, I: When a sentence contains all first, second and third person
pronouns, the correct order of their appearance is: the second person (you) should come first,
then the third person (he or she) and lastly the first person. (I).
1. You, he and I should go trekking this weekend.
2. You and I make a wonderful team.
Rule 47 ⇒ Who and whom: To determine correct usage of who or whom, reframe the sentence
using he/him. If he sounds right use who; if him sounds right use whom.
It was he whom we decided to vote for.
(We decided to vote for him)
It was she who we thought would bring the trophy.
(We thought she would bring the trophy)

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Rule 48 ⇒ Prepositions are not required after such words as: attack, accompany, discuss,
emphasize, fear, join, request, resist, pervade, precede, violate, reach, shirk, resemble,
recommend, etc.
1. We attacked the enemy. (not on the enemy)
2. She resembles her sister. (not with or to her sister)
3. We ordered the food. (not for the food)
Rule 49 ⇒ Do not use that with words like how, whether, why, what, where, when, whom,
whose, which, etc.
1. Nothing can be said when she is planning to leave.
2. He could not explain why he did it.
Rule 50 ⇒ Avoid redundant words i.e. avoid the use of unnecessary adjectives or words that
appear repeatedly without adding to the meaning of the sentence.
(important) essentials
In (the city of) Panipat
Red (in colour)
Small (in size)
Two (in number)
Refer (back)
Widow (woman)
Rule 51: The noun has to be in singular form if it is to be repeated after a preposition. The
noun is followed by a singular verb.
1. Police are beginning door-to-door inquiries in an increasingly intense search for clues to the
identity of a mystery body.

Not doors to doors inquiry

Rule 52: Some nouns have no singular form and are considered plural and hence take
plural verb and plural pronoun.

Example: Jeans, breeches, drawers, trousers, scissors, tweezers, pliers, pincers,

glasses, etc.

1. If jeans are stonewashed, they'll pretty much stay true to size throughout washings.

2. The pliers are part of his cabaret act, because he has become a celebrity.

Rule 53: If two or more nouns denote joint possession then possessive sign is used with
only the last noun.

1. I am preparing a surprise party for my mom and dad’s wedding anniversary.

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Not mom’s and dad’s wedding anniversary.

If two or more nouns denote separate possession then possessive sign is used
independently with the different nouns.

1. Amit’s and Rohit’s exam papers are being analysed by our HOD.

Rule 54: The following verbs are never used reflexively:

Bathe, break, burst, feed, form, gather, hide, keep, lengthen, make, move, open, qualify,
rest, roll, speed, steal, stop, and turn.

1. I bathe in the river.

Not ‘I bathe myself in the river.’

2. Male mosquitoes feed on plant juices.

Not ‘Male mosquitoes feed themselves on plant juices.’

Rule 55: The relative pronoun must be placed near its antecedents.

1. The infrared rays which are emitted by the alarm are used to detect any intruder.

Not ‘The infrared rays are used to detect any intruder which are emitted by the alarm.

Rule 56: The relative pronoun 'what' is used without an antecedent.

1. She is watering what I gifted her.

Not ‘She is watering the plants what I gifted her.’

Rule 57: A defining clause (also called an essential clause or a restrictive clause) gives
information essential to the meaning of the sentence. That is used in defining clauses.

Which introduces non-defining clauses. Unlike defining clauses, non-defining clauses (also
called nonessential or non-restrictive clauses) don’t limit the meaning of the sentence. You
might lose interesting details if you remove them, but the meaning of the sentence wouldn’t
change.

If you can remove a clause without destroying the meaning of the sentence, the clause is
nonessential and you can use which.

1. To be yourself in a world that is constantly trying to make you something else is the greatest
accomplishment.

Here, ‘which’ cannot replace ‘that’. If it is replaced, then the essence of the sentence is lost.

Rule 58: For actions that started in the past and are still continuing; present perfect
continuous tense must be used and not present continuous.

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1. The janitor has been working here for the last twenty years.

Not ‘The janitor is working here for the last twenty years.’

Rule 59: Adverb of past time is never used with present perfect tense.

1. He has come home drunk.

Not ‘He has come home drunk last night’.

Rule 60: If the main clause is in simple future, the subordinate clause must be in simple
present and not in future tense.

1. They will run away if you scare them.

Not ‘They will run away if you will scare them’.

Rule 61: If two actions happen in the past, the earlier one is denoted by past perfect while
the latter is denoted by past simple.

1. They had warned me before I came here.

Not ‘They warned me before I came here.’

Rule 62: The phrase 'more than one' and 'nothing but' take a singular verb.

1. More than one person is planning the rebellion.

Not ‘More than one person are planning the rebellion.’

Rule 63: In a sentence with a positive and a negative subject the verb must agree with the
positive sentence.

1. It is my mom, not anyone else in the house, who decides on the menu.

Not ‘It is my mom, not anyone else in the house, who decide on the menu.’

Rule 64: In comparative comparison, the latter term of comparison must exclude the
former.

1. Sonia is smarter than other students in the class.

Not ‘Sonia is smarter than all students in the class.’

In superlative comparison, the latter term of comparison must include the former.

1. Sonia is the smartest of all students in the class.

Not ‘Sonia is the smartest of other students in the class.’

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Rule 65: If superlative 'best' or 'most' is used with 'like', then article 'the' is not used
before the superlative.

1. You should sing the song you like most.

Not ‘You should sing the song you like the most.’

Rule 66: While referring to place in superlative form 'in' is used in place of 'of'.

1. Palakkad is the hottest place in Kerala.

Not ‘Palakkad is the hottest place of Kerala.’

Rule 67: Certain adjectives do not admit comparison because of their very nature.

Example: absolute, complete, entire, extreme, flat, full, ideal, impossible, unique,
universal, whole, all geometric figures, etc.

1. Some extreme measures were taken by the principal against students.

Not ‘Some most extreme measures were taken by the principal against students.’

Rule 68: If more than one adjective is used in comparison and the adjectives are
connected with 'and', then all the adjectives must be either in comparative form or
superlative form.

1. Smriti is smatter and prettier than Sona.

Not ‘Smriti is smatter and pretty than Sona’ or ‘Smriti is smart and prettier than Sona’.

Rule 69: The' is used before countries with plural names and countries having words like
'kingdom', 'states' and 'republic'.

1. India is my country.

Not ‘The India is my country’.

2. The Republic of India is the seventh largest country in the world.

Not ‘Republic of India is the seventh largest country in the world’.

Rule 70: ‘The' is omitted when a particular year is referred.

1. 1994 was a good year for my parents.

Not ‘The 1994 was a good year’.

However, if 'year' precedes a specific year or a period of years is referred 'the' can be
very well used.

1. I was born in the year 1994.

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Not ‘I was born in year 1994.’

Rule 71: MPT order of adverbs. Adverb of Manner precedes adverb of Place and adverb
of Place precedes adverb of time.

1. They were happily playing outside yesterday.

Not ‘They were playing outside happily yesterday.’

Rule 72: Adverbs of frequency are usually put between the subject and the verb but if
there is more than one word in the verb the adverb is put after the first word.

1. You always go there.

Not ‘You go always there’.

2. You can always go there.

Not ‘You always can go there’.

If the verb is am/is/are/was, then the adverb of frequency is always placed after the verb.

1. He is never going there.

Not ‘He never is going there’.

The auxiliaries 'have to' and 'used to' take the adverb of frequency before them.

1. He always used to see the sunset from this point.

Not ‘He used to always see the sunset from this point.’

Rule 73: In/At- In is used with names of countries and large towns; at is used with small
towns and villages.

1. When I was in London, I saw Benedict Cumberbatch.

Not ‘When I was at London, I saw Benedict Cumberbatch.’

2. There is an old bungalow at Palampur.

Rule 74: By/With- 'With respect to action 'by' is used for the agent and 'with' is used for
the instrument.

1. She drew this picture with a pencil.

Not ‘She drew this picture by a pencil.’

2. I was attacked by a bee.

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Rule 75: For/During- Both refer to period of time however 'for' is used just to denote a
period of time and 'during' is used to denote something happened in that period of time.

1. I will be staying in the hotel for five days.

Not ‘I will be staying in the hotel during five days.’

2. They announced their wedding during lunch break.

Not ‘They announced their wedding for lunch break.’

Rule 76: When two persons or things are compared, it is important that the same parts of
things should be compared.

1. The quality of air in Chenai is much better than that in Delhi.

Not ‘The quality of air in Chenai is much better than Delhi.’

Rule 77: Article is not used before nouns of transport in general. 'By' is used instead.

1. I will reach soon if I go by car.

'By' is not used when the nouns of transportation are specified. 'In' or 'On' is used
instead.

1. I will go there in my dad’s car

'On' is used before specific bicycle, bus, plane, ship or train. And 'In' is used before
specific ambulance, car, lorry, taxi or van.

1. I will go there on Amit’s bicycle.

2. I will go there in my neighbour’s taxi.

Rule 78: The following verbs are always followed by the infinitive:

Agree, arrange, attempt, cease, consent, decide, determine, endeavour, forget, hesitate,
learn, manage, promise, propose, refuse, remember, seem, undertake, etc.

1. He managed to survive even under those circumstances.

Not ‘He managed surviving’.

Rule 79: Preposition like 'but' and 'except' take the infinitive without to.

1. He told everyone his plan except his best friend.

Not ‘He told everyone his plan except to his best friend.’

Rule 80: The following verbs are always followed by a gerund:

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Avoid, dislike, enjoy, mind, prevent, stop, etc.

1. Do you mind keeping quiet for some time?

Not ‘Do you mind to keep quiet for some time?’

Rule 81: The following phrases are always followed by a gerund:

Accustomed to, forward to, fed up with, habituated to, is no use, is worth, is no good, is
used to, tired of, tired with, etc.

1. I am used to drinking tea without sugar.

Not ‘I am used to drink tea without sugar.’

Rule 82: The following verbs are followed by a present participle:

Catch, hear, look, leave, listen, observe, perceive, see, smell, start, etc.

1. I observed the building falling apart.

Not ‘I observed the building fall apart.’

Rule 83: Don’t use a present tense after It’s time.

1. It’s time we had lunch.

Not ‘It’s time we have lunch’.

Rule 84: Use the present perfect with This is the first time … etc.

1. This is the first time she has talked with me.

Not ‘This is the first time she talked with me.’

Rule 85: Use whether, not if, after prepositions.

1. It is a question of whether we can do it or not.

Not ‘It is a question of if we can do it or not’.

Rule 86: We don’t normally use progressive forms of believe.

1. They don’t believe what I said.

Not ‘They are not believing what I said’.

Rule 87: With if, we normally use the present to talk about the future.

1. If you pay attention to it, you will understand its mechanism.

Not ‘If you will pay attention to it, you will understand its mechanism’.

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100 Rules of Grammar

Rule 88: Much is used to describe mass nouns or noncount nouns. When using much,
the noun will always be singular; it cannot be plural.

Many is used to describe count nouns or nouns that can be counted like books, ideas,
leaves, and shoes.

1. I don’t have much patience.

2. Many books were being sold.

Rule 89: Don’t use the past progressive for past habits.

1. When I was a child, I used to spend time with my grandmother.

Not ‘When I was a child, I was spending time with my grandmother.’

Rule 90: In ‘unreal’ conditions with if, use would, not will.

1. If I knew that he was at the party, I would not have gone there.

Not ‘If I knew that he was at the party, I will not go there.’

Rule 91: Say/suggest/propose/speak/reply/explain/talk/listen/write is followed by to-

Preposition if there is a person in the form of object.

1. Can you explain this problem to the whole class?

Not ‘Can you explain this problem with the whole class?’

2. I will suggest some good books to you.

Not ‘I will suggest you some good books’.

Rule 92: Know is followed by how/ where/when/why and Infinitive.

1. Do you know how to drive?

Not ‘Do you know to drive?’

Rule 93: Modal Auxiliaries are not used together. But two Auxiliaries can be connected
by a Conjunction.

1. He should and must come here tomorrow morning.

Not ‘He should must come here.’

Rule 94: To express quantity or degree some is used in affirmative sentences, any in
negative or interrogative sentences.

1. There are some nuts left in the tin.

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100 Rules of Grammar

2. Are there any nuts left in the tin?

Not ‘Are there some nuts left in the tin?’

Rule 95: A sentence which is based on ‘‘Too.... To" format, we cannot replace to with so
that. If we replace to with so that, too also must be replaced with cannot.

1. I am too weak to argue with you.

Not ‘I am too weak so that I cannot argue with you’.

Or we can say ‘I am so weak that I cannot argue with you’.

Rule 96: Much too is followed by Unpleasant Adjective, whereas too much is followed by
Noun.

1. This question is much too difficult for me.

Not ‘This question is too much difficult for me.’

2. They give him too much worries.

Rule 97: Quite and all are not used together.

1. You looked quite beautiful in that dress.

2. You looked all beautiful in that dress.

Not ‘You looked quite all beautiful in that dress’.

Rule 98: 'At present' means 'at the present time', 'presently' means 'shortly'. These
should not be confused.

1. I cannot take a leave at present.

2. The manager will be here presently.

Rule 99: On, in, at, are not used before today, tomorrow, yesterday, the following day, the
next day etc.

1. He wanted a leave tomorrow.

Not ‘He wanted a leave on tomorrow’.

2. When he came the following day, he was depressed.

Not ‘When he came on the following day, he was depressed.’

Rule 100: When a Pronoun is used as the complement of the Verb 'to be', it should be in
the nominative case.

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100 Rules of Grammar

1. If I were she, I would have grabbed this opportunity.

Not ‘If I were her, I would have grabbed this opportunity.’

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