English Grammar Essentials and Word Building

Posted on Apr 18, 2025 in Administration and Management

Connectors and Conjunctions

  • So that + subject + verb (often with modal like ‘could’/’would’)
  • Although + subject + verb
  • As well as + -ing form
  • As soon as + subject + verb
  • As long as
  • As far as I’m concerned
  • In case + subject + verb
  • In order to + infinitive
  • If / Unless
  • Despite / In spite of + -ing form / the fact that + subject + verb
  • Before / After
  • Because of + noun / the fact that + subject + verb
  • Even so / Even if / Even though
  • Either … or … (e.g., either on Monday or Tuesday)
  • However (sentence start or mid-sentence with commas: …, however, …)
  • So / Therefore
  • Not only … but also …
  • Whether or not
  • What’s more
  • On the contrary

Prepositions, Adverbs, and Common Phrases

  • Known as / Known for
  • At least / At all (often used after a negative statement)
  • No longer (placed before most verbs, but after ‘to be’)
  • According to
  • Like / Such as (for examples)
  • On account of
  • Rise / Fall / Drop / Increase / Decrease / Reduction in
  • Aware / Unaware of
  • The same as
  • Between … and … (e.g., between ages 20 and 30)
  • For / Since (time duration vs. starting point)
  • Ever since / Since then
  • As a whole
  • Far from
  • Close to
  • Time expressions: [time period] ago / [time period] later / later on
  • On one’s own / By oneself / myself / yourself etc.
  • Up to + number
  • Look like
  • Throughout

Quantifiers and Comparisons

  • As many (countable) / As much (uncountable)
  • All + plural noun / Every + singular noun / Each + singular noun
  • Adjective + enough (e.g., easy enough to do / for someone)
  • So + adjective + that (e.g., so easy that everyone understood)
  • Too + adjective + to / for (e.g., too easy to be challenging / for experts)
  • Few (countable) / Little (uncountable) – meaning ‘not many/much’
  • A few / A little – meaning ‘some’
  • Very little / Very few
  • Comparatives: More / Less + adjective + than; Verb + rather than
  • Intensifying comparatives: Even / A lot / Far / Much + MORE + adjective
  • Superlatives: The most … / One of the most …
  • Amount of + uncountable noun / Number of + countable noun
  • A great deal of / A good deal of + uncountable noun

Verb Usage and Phrasal Verbs

  • Regard as
  • Find + it + adjective (e.g., I find it difficult)
  • Make use of / Make sure / Make it (succeed/attend)
  • Take part in / Take care of / Take advantage of / Take + time
  • Modal Verbs (can, could, may, might, will, would, shall, should, must)
  • Reciprocal pronouns: Each other / One another
  • Be able to
  • Come up with (ideas)
  • Look after (take care of)
  • Carry on (continue)
  • Keen on + -ing form (like)
  • Work out (solve/calculate/exercise)
  • Sort out (organize/resolve)
  • Get rid of (eliminate)
  • Set up (establish/assemble)
  • Turn out (result/attend)
  • Turn into (become/transform)

Pronouns, Determiners and Negation

  • Demonstratives: That / This / These / Those (referring to previous items)
  • Object Pronouns: me, you, him, her, it, us, you, them (e.g., most of them…)
  • Negation: No + noun + positive verb / Not + any + noun / Verb + not

Word Formation Patterns

Common Word Families

  • Success: successful / unsuccessful / successfully / unsuccessfully / succeed
  • Science: scientist / scientific
  • Fortune: unfortunate / fortunately / unfortunately / misfortune
  • Surround: surrounding / surroundings
  • Appear: appearance / disappearance / disappear
  • Impress: impression / impressive
  • Choose: choice
  • Add: addition / additionally / additional
  • Increase: increasingly
  • Crowd: crowded
  • Suit: suitable / unsuitable
  • Delight: delightful
  • Rely: reliable / unreliable / reliance
  • Remark: remarkable
  • Coast: coastal
  • Usual: unusual / usually / unusually
  • Far: farther / further
  • Near: nearby
  • Sure: unsure / surely / ensure + that / assure + object + that
  • Encourage: encouragement / discouraging
  • Short: shortly / shorten / shortage
  • Able: unable / enable + something + to infinitive / ability / disability
  • Joy: enjoy / enjoyment / enjoyable / unenjoyable
  • Grow: growth
  • Surprise: surprising / surprised / surprisingly / unsurprisingly
  • Prove: proof
  • Appropriate: inappropriate / appropriately / inappropriately
  • True: truth / truly / truthful / untrue
  • Know: knowledge / knowledgeable / unknown
  • Vary: variety / various / invariably
  • Point: pointless
  • Doubt: doubtful / undoubted / undoubtedly
  • Effect: effective / ineffective / effectively / ineffectively
  • Fit: fitness
  • Treat: treatment / mistreat / mistreatment
  • Relax: relaxed / relaxing / relaxation
  • Advise: advice / advisable / unadvisable / advisor
  • Patience: patient / impatient / patiently / impatiently / impatience
  • Argue: argument / arguably + superlative
  • Signify: significant / insignificant / significance
  • Amaze: amazement / amazing / amazed
  • Day: daily
  • Cost: costly
  • Same: similar / similarity
  • Safe: safety / unsafe
  • Proud: pride / proudly
  • Like: likely / unlikely / likelihood / liking (for) / unlike + noun / dislike
  • Life: lives / living / alive
  • Bore: boredom / boring / bored
  • Commit: commitment / committed
  • Accompany: accompaniment
  • Enthusiast: enthusiastic / enthusiasm / (un)enthusiastically
  • Efficient: inefficient / efficiency / inefficiency / efficiently / inefficiently
  • Initial: initially / initiate / initiative
  • Inhabit: inhabitant
  • Agree: disagree / agreement / disagreement / agreeable
  • Improve: improvement
  • Particular: particularly
  • Hot: heat
  • Rough: roughly
  • Decide: decision / decisive / indecisive
  • Distinct: distinctive / distinctively / distinction
  • Warm: warmth
  • Weigh: weight
  • Long: length / lengthen
  • Wide: width / widen
  • Tall / High: height / heighten
  • Deep: depth / deepen

General Rules and Affixes

  • Article + Noun: the / a / an + noun
  • Verb Tenses: Past / Present
  • Infinitives: to + base verb
  • Passive Voice Structure: be + adverb + past participle
  • Adjective to Verb: Often add prefix en- (e.g., sure -> ensure) or suffix -en (e.g., wide -> widen)
  • Adjective to Noun: Often add suffix -ness (e.g., happy -> happiness) or -ity (e.g., similar -> similarity)
  • Noun to Adjective: Add suffix -ful (e.g., success -> successful) or -less (e.g., point -> pointless)
  • Verb to Adjective: Add suffix -able (e.g., rely -> reliable) or -ive (e.g., impress -> impressive)