UNDERSTANDING ENGLISH GRAMMAR: THE

FUNDAMENTALS

By Yaser S. Samman, MSc, RD

Module 1 Objectives:
Recognize and distinguish nouns, verbs, adjectives, and adverbs in sentences, enhancing their
understanding of sentence structure.

Develop the ability to speak and write clearly and enabling effective communication with others
healthcare personnel.

Compose examples of grammar elements, demonstrating the practical application of acquired

grammar rules.

Develop proficiency in grammar, oral skills, reading, writing, and study skills, contributing to overall
language enhancement.

Use grammar correctly in writing, incorporating real examples to reinforce understanding and
ensure accurate written expression

Understand the importance of utilizing electronic medical record in health care setting.

Demonstrate adequate communication skills using telephone or emails in hospital setting.

Contents
01 WORD ORDER
Determining the relationship between different words.

02 PUNCTUATION
To signify pauses, intonation, and stress words.

03 TENSE AND ASPECT

To signify whether a statement refers to the present, the past, or the
future by applying parameters to verbs.

04 DETERMINERS
Using words to give nouns meaning.

05 CONNECTORS
How to connect phrases, words, or clauses to one another.
The Five Elements of Grammar

1. Word order

2. Punctuation

3. Tense and Aspect

4. Determiners

5. Connectors
 WORD ORDER
English uses word order to determine the relationship between
different words.

1 2 3

objects and
Subject Verb
adverbial phrases
 The farmer is leading a cow.
The cow farmer is leading.
A cow is leading the farmer.

The child is playing with a Superman toy.

A Superman toy is playing with the child.
The Superman child is playing with a toy.
Examples

The teacher is helping the students.

The students are helping the teacher.
Helping the teacher are the students.
 PUNCTUATION
In written English, punctuation is used to signify
pauses, intonation, and stress words.

He came home.
He came home! Let's cook, Ahmed!
He came home? Let's cook Ahmed!
He came, home.
Let’s Practice!
 1. Correct the punctuation in the following sentence:
"the cat jumped on the table knocked over the vase and ran away"
2. Rearrange the words to form a grammatically correct sentence:
"the park beautiful in spring is"
3. Add the necessary punctuation to the following sentence:
"i cannot believe you forgot my birthday"
4. Correct the word order in the following sentence:
"She to the library went yesterday."
5. Rewrite the sentence with correct punctuation:
"do you want to go to the movies with us tomorrow"
6. Rearrange the words to form a grammatically correct sentence:
"was the book interesting very"
7. Add the necessary punctuation to the following sentence:
"where did you put the keys"
8. Correct the word order in the following sentence:
"Yesterday to the store I went to buy groceries."
9. Rewrite the sentence with correct punctuation:
"john asked mary if she wanted to go to the beach with him"
“The cat jumped on the table, knocked over the vase, and ran away."
"the cat jumped on the table knocked over the vase and ran away"
"The park is beautiful in spring."
"the park beautiful in spring is"
"I cannot believe you forgot my birthday."
"i cannot believe you forgot my birthday"
"She went to the library yesterday."
"She to the library went yesterday."
"Do you want to go to the movies with us tomorrow?"
"do you want to go to the movies with us tomorrow"
"The book was very interesting."
"was the book interesting very"
"Where did you put the keys?"
"where did you put the keys"
"Yesterday, I went to the store to buy groceries."
"Yesterday to the store I went to buy groceries."
"John asked Mary if she wanted to go to the beach with him."
"john asked mary if she wanted to go to the beach with him"
TENSE AND ASPECT
Tenses signify whether a statement refers to the present,
the past, or the future by applying parameters to verbs.

She's drinking coffee.

I'm an orthopedic technician.
She drinks coffee.
I was a orthopedic technician.
She drank coffee.
 Tense
Expresses the time of an action or state.

Past Now/Present Future

 Tense
Expresses the time of an action or state.

Examples:

Past Simple: She danced at the party last night.

Present Continuous: They are playing football in the park.

Future Perfect: By next year, he will have completed his degree.

 Aspect
Expresses how a verbal action, event, or state, extends over time.
Examples:
1. Simple Aspect:

She reads a book every evening.

He walked to school this morning.

They listen to music in the car.

2. Continuous (Progressive) Aspect:

She is studying for her exam.

They are playing football in the park.

He was working on his laptop all day.

3. Perfect Aspect:

She has finished her homework already.

They had eaten dinner before the movie started.

He will have completed his project by next month.

These examples demonstrate how tense and aspect work together.

Let’s Practice!
Choose the correct tense form of the verb to complete the sentence: "By the time we ______ (arrive), the meeting ______ (start)."
A) arrived / has started
B) arrive / starts
C) will arrive / started
D) arrived / started
Identify the aspect of the verb in the sentence: "She had been waiting for hours before the concert started."
A) Simple past
B) Present perfect
C) Past perfect continuous
D) Future perfect
Select the correct tense form of the verb to complete the sentence: "By this time next year, I ______ (graduate) from university."
A) will graduate
B) am graduating
C) will have graduated
D) graduated
Identify the aspect of the verb in the sentence: "He is playing football with his friends this afternoon."
A) Simple present
B) Present continuous
C) Present perfect
D) Past continuous
Choose the correct tense form of the verb to complete the sentence: "Before she ______ (leave) for the airport, she ______ (pack) her suitcase."
A) leaves / has packed
B) left / packs
C) will leave / packed
D) leaves / packed
Choose the correct tense form of the verb to complete the sentence: "By the time we ______ (arrive), the meeting ______ (start)."
A) arrived / has started
B) arrive / starts
C) will arrive / started
D) arrived / started
Identify the aspect of the verb in the sentence: "She had been waiting for hours before the concert started."
A) Simple past
B) Present perfect
C) Past perfect continuous
D) Future perfect
Select the correct tense form of the verb to complete the sentence: "By this time next year, I ______ (graduate) from university."
A) will graduate
B) am graduating
C) will have graduated
D) graduated
Identify the aspect of the verb in the sentence: "He is playing football with his friends this afternoon."
A) Simple present
B) Present continuous
C) Present perfect
D) Past continuous
Choose the correct tense form of the verb to complete the sentence: "Before she ______ (leave) for the airport, she ______ (pack) her suitcase."
A) leaves / has packed
B) left / packs
C) will leave / packed
D) leaves / packed
 DETERMINERS
A word that appears before a noun, providing clarifying context
about the number, definiteness, or ownership of the noun.
DETERMINERS ARE USED TO MAKE UNCOUNTABLE
NOUNS COUNTABLE:

• PLEASE GIVE ME 2KG OF RICE.

• I WOULD LIKE SOME COFFEE.
• DO YOU HAVE A LOT OF TIME?
• THERE ISN‘T MUCH SPACE IN MY FLAT.
• I ONLY HAVE (A) LITTLE TIME. MAKE IT QUICK.
Some and Any

(rules apply for ‘somebody‘, ‘anything‘, etc.)

• pos.: I have some apples.
• neg.: I don‘t have any apples.
• ques.: Do you have any apples?

• but:
• offer: Would you like some coffee? (yes)
• expectation: Have you got some news? (yes)
• ‘no limit‘: You can do any exercise you want to.
Let’s Practice!
Choose the correct determiner to complete the sentence: "I need to buy _____ apples for the recipe."
A) some
B) any
C) many
D) few
Identify the determiner in the sentence: "All students must submit their assignments by Friday."
A) All
B) must
C) their
D) by
Select the appropriate determiner to complete the sentence: "______ dogs in the neighborhood bark
loudly at night."
A) This
B) Every
C) Much
D) Many
Choose the correct determiner to complete the sentence: "I need to buy _____ apples for the recipe."
A) some
B) any
C) many
D) few
Identify the determiner in the sentence: "All students must submit their assignments by Friday."
A) All
B) must
C) their
D) by
Select the appropriate determiner to complete the sentence: "______ dogs in the neighborhood bark
loudly at night."
A) This
B) Every
C) Much
D) Many
 CONNECTORS
Connectors "connect" are words or phrases that link different parts of a sentence or
multiple sentences together. They help to show relationships between ideas and improve
the flow of writing.
Examples of Usage
Coordinating Conjunctions:
"I like tea, but my friend prefers coffee."
Subordinating Conjunctions:
"She went to bed early because she was
tired."
Correlative Conjunctions:
"You can either go to the party or stay
home."
Importance of Grammar Connectors

Improve coherence and clarity in writing.

Enhance the logical flow of ideas.

Ensure sentences are well-structured and

convey intended meaning effectively.

Let’s Practice!
Choose the correct connector to complete the sentence: "She couldn't go to the concert _____ she had a
final exam the next day."
A) and
B) because
C) but
D) or
Select the appropriate pair of correlative conjunctions to complete the sentence: "______ he is smart,
______ he is hardworking."
A) Either / or
B) Neither / nor
C) Both / and
D) Not only / but also
Identify the coordinating conjunction needed to join the two independent clauses: "The movie was
long, ______ it was captivating."
A) but
B) so
C) or
D) and
Choose the correct connector to complete the sentence: "She couldn't go to the concert _____ she had a
final exam the next day."
A) and
B) because
C) but
D) or
Select the appropriate pair of correlative conjunctions to complete the sentence: "______ he is smart,
______ he is hardworking."
A) Either / or
B) Neither / nor
C) Both / and
D) Not only / but also
Identify the coordinating conjunction needed to join the two independent clauses: "The movie was
long, ______ it was captivating."
A) but
B) so
C) or
D) and
 The Five Elements of Grammar
Word order
Punctuation
Tense and Aspect
Determiners
Connectors

These 5 key principles of English grammar

form the basic framework necessary for
coherent and grammatically-correct
communication.
Conclusion

Understanding them is essential for

effective communication in both
spoken and written English.
1. **What are the five fundamental principles of English grammar covered in the presentation?**
a) Nouns, verbs, adjectives, adverbs, and punctuation
b) Word order, punctuation, tense and aspect, determiners, and connectors
c) Subject-verb agreement, sentence structure, punctuation, tense, and aspect
d) Parts of speech, sentence fragments, verb conjugation, determiners, and connectors

2. **Explain the importance of understanding word order in English sentences. Provide an example.**
a) Word order affects pronunciation and stress in sentences. Example: The teacher helps the students.
b) Word order determines the relationship between different words in a sentence. Example: The cat chased the mouse.
c) Word order impacts punctuation usage in sentences. Example: Running in the park are the children.
d) Word order affects the length and complexity of sentences. Example: The children happily played in the park.

3. **How does punctuation contribute to effective communication in written English? Give examples of punctuation marks and their functions.**
a) Punctuation marks indicate tense and aspect in sentences. Example: He came home?
b) Punctuation marks signify pauses, intonation, and stress words. Example: Let's cook, Garry!
c) Punctuation marks determine word order in sentences. Example: The farmer is leading a cow.
d) Punctuation marks modify adjectives and adverbs in sentences. Example: She's drinking wine!

4. **Describe the role of tense and aspect in English grammar. Provide examples of how different tenses can change the meaning of a sentence.**
a) Tenses signify the relationship between different words in a sentence. Example: I'm a police officer.
b) Tenses indicate whether a statement refers to the present, past, or future. Example: I watched that show.
c) Tenses show the subject-verb agreement in a sentence. Example: The child is playing with a Superman toy.
d) Tenses modify adverbs and adjectives in a sentence. Example: She drinks wine.

5. **What is the purpose of determiners in English grammar? Give examples of determiners in action.**
a) Determiners establish the tense and aspect of a sentence. Example: I'm a police officer.
b) Determiners provide additional information about a noun. Example: My wife.
c) Determiners link phrases, words, or clauses in a sentence. Example: She's a programmer who lives in San Diego.
d) Determiners determine the subject-verb agreement in a sentence. Example: The child is playing with a toy.

6. **What function do connectors serve in English sentences? Provide examples of subordination, coordination, and correlation connectors.**
a) Connectors indicate the relationship between different words in a sentence. Example: He wears a uniform because he's a policeman.
b) Connectors link phrases, words, or clauses to one another. Example: She's a programmer who lives in San Diego.
c) Connectors modify adjectives and adverbs in a sentence. Example: The cat chased the mouse.
d) Connectors determine the tense and aspect of a sentence. Example: I watched that show.

7. **Why is it important to grasp the fundamental principles of English grammar before moving on to more specialized rules?**
a) Specialized rules are easier to understand without knowledge of basic grammar principles.
b) Fundamental principles provide a foundation for more complex grammatical concepts.
c) Specialized rules are unrelated to basic grammar principles.
d) Understanding basic grammar principles is unnecessary for effective communication.

8. **Can you identify a common mistake in word order and provide the corrected version?**
a) Incorrect: A sandwich eating is he. Corrected: He is eating a sandwich.
b) Incorrect: The cat chased the mouse. Corrected: Chased the mouse, the cat.
c) Incorrect: The farmer is leading a cow. Corrected: A cow is leading the farmer.
d) Incorrect: Let's cook, Garry! Corrected: Let's cook Garry!

9. **How does understanding sentence structure enhance communication clarity and precision?**
a) Sentence structure determines the tense and aspect of a sentence.
b) Sentence structure helps in choosing appropriate determiners.
c) Sentence structure aids in recognizing word order errors.
d) Sentence structure ensures accurate communication by organizing ideas logically.

10. **Discuss the significance of feedback in improving communication skills in English.**

a) Feedback is irrelevant to improving communication skills.
b) Feedback helps in understanding specialized grammar rules.
c) Feedback plays a crucial role in identifying areas for improvement and refining communication skills.
d) Feedback is only necessary for beginners in English grammar.
1. **What are the five fundamental principles of English grammar covered in the presentation?**
a) Nouns, verbs, adjectives, adverbs, and punctuation
b) Word order, punctuation, tense and aspect, determiners, and connectors
c) Subject-verb agreement, sentence structure, punctuation, tense, and aspect
d) Parts of speech, sentence fragments, verb conjugation, determiners, and connectors

2. **Explain the importance of understanding word order in English sentences. Provide an example.**
a) Word order affects pronunciation and stress in sentences. Example: The teacher helps the students.
b) Word order determines the relationship between different words in a sentence. Example: The cat chased the mouse.
c) Word order impacts punctuation usage in sentences. Example: Running in the park are the children.
d) Word order affects the length and complexity of sentences. Example: The children happily played in the park.

3. **How does punctuation contribute to effective communication in written English? Give examples of punctuation marks and their functions.**
a) Punctuation marks indicate tense and aspect in sentences. Example: He came home?
b) Punctuation marks signify pauses, intonation, and stress words. Example: Let's cook, Garry!
c) Punctuation marks determine word order in sentences. Example: The farmer is leading a cow.
d) Punctuation marks modify adjectives and adverbs in sentences. Example: She's drinking wine!

4. **Describe the role of tense and aspect in English grammar. Provide examples of how different tenses can change the meaning of a sentence.**
a) Tenses signify the relationship between different words in a sentence. Example: I'm a police officer.
b) Tenses indicate whether a statement refers to the present, past, or future. Example: I watched that show.
c) Tenses show the subject-verb agreement in a sentence. Example: The child is playing with a Superman toy.
d) Tenses modify adverbs and adjectives in a sentence. Example: She drinks wine.

5. **What is the purpose of determiners in English grammar? Give examples of determiners in action.**
a) Determiners establish the tense and aspect of a sentence. Example: I'm a police officer.
b) Determiners provide additional information about a noun. Example: My wife.
c) Determiners link phrases, words, or clauses in a sentence. Example: She's a programmer who lives in San Diego.
d) Determiners determine the subject-verb agreement in a sentence. Example: The child is playing with a toy.

6. **What function do connectors serve in English sentences? Provide examples of subordination, coordination, and correlation connectors.**
a) Connectors indicate the relationship between different words in a sentence. Example: He wears a uniform because he's a policeman.
b) Connectors link phrases, words, or clauses to one another. Example: She's a programmer who lives in San Diego.
c) Connectors modify adjectives and adverbs in a sentence. Example: The cat chased the mouse.
d) Connectors determine the tense and aspect of a sentence. Example: I watched that show.

7. **Why is it important to grasp the fundamental principles of English grammar before moving on to more specialized rules?**
a) Specialized rules are easier to understand without knowledge of basic grammar principles.
b) Fundamental principles provide a foundation for more complex grammatical concepts.
c) Specialized rules are unrelated to basic grammar principles.
d) Understanding basic grammar principles is unnecessary for effective communication.

8. **Can you identify a common mistake in word order and provide the corrected version?**
a) Incorrect: A sandwich eating is he. Corrected: He is eating a sandwich.
b) Incorrect: The cat chased the mouse. Corrected: Chased the mouse, the cat.
c) Incorrect: The farmer is leading a cow. Corrected: A cow is leading the farmer.
d) Incorrect: Let's cook, Garry! Corrected: Let's cook Garry!

9. **How does understanding sentence structure enhance communication clarity and precision?**
a) Sentence structure determines the tense and aspect of a sentence.
b) Sentence structure helps in choosing appropriate determiners.
c) Sentence structure aids in recognizing word order errors.
d) Sentence structure ensures accurate communication by organizing ideas logically.

10. **Discuss the significance of feedback in improving communication skills in English.**

a) Feedback is irrelevant to improving communication skills.
b) Feedback helps in understanding specialized grammar rules.
c) Feedback plays a crucial role in identifying areas for improvement and refining communication skills.
d) Feedback is only necessary for beginners in English grammar.
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