You probably don’t need us to tell you that English can often be a tricky language to use. English has a lot of rules and seemingly even more exceptions to those rules. It can be a lot to keep straight, and that can make it hard to keep your grammar perfect every time. Fortunately, at Thesaurus.com we have tons of grammar information to help you out.
And when we say tons, we mean it. Don’t worry, though, because we have gathered all of our grammar resources together here for quick and efficient reference. You can find links to general topics here, such as “What are nouns?”, which will have additional links to more specific aspects of grammar, like proper, common, singular, and plural nouns, for example. Think of this as the central hub where you can start your journey into whatever grammar topic you need.
What is grammar?
Before we get to specifics, we should define what we mean when we talk about grammar. Typically, the word grammar is used to refer to the set of rules that are used to form comprehensible sentences in a language. For example, a rule of English grammar is that every complete sentence must have a subject and a predicate. Another rule of grammar is that the subject and predicate must agree in number. That is, a singular subject needs a singular verb, and a plural subject needs a plural verb. Generally speaking, English writers and speakers typically try to all follow the same grammar rules so that we can easily understand each other.
Some major aspects of grammar include:
- Phonology: The sounds of a language. For example, combining the sounds made by the letters c, a, and t creates a word that English speakers know sounds like [ kat ].
- Morphology: The formation of words. It involves combining morphemes (the smallest grammatical units) to form words. For example, the word jumping is formed by combining the morphemes jump and -ing.
- Syntax: The rules about how words, phrases, and clauses are arranged to form sentences. For example, syntax tells us that the sentences Tom told Jerry and Jerry told Tom have different meanings.
- Semantics: The meaning of words and sentences. For example, knowing that idioms like break a leg and the apple of my eye aren’t meant to be interpreted literally is a matter of semantics.
To make things simple, we have divided up our grammar resources into major topics such as parts of speech. This should make it easier for you to find the specific content you are looking for or to jump from one topic to another if you just want to brush up on as much grammar knowledge as possible.
Nouns
▶ What Are Nouns And How Do You Use Them?
Our guide to nouns offers a great explanation of what nouns are and how they are used in grammar. It also has links to other detailed guides about the specific types of nouns that we use in English.
For more information on nouns, we also have articles explaining the difference between:
- singular and plural nouns
- common and proper nouns
- concrete and abstract nouns
- countable and uncountable nouns
- compound and collective nouns
Verbs
▶ What Is A Verb? Definition And Examples
Our guide to verbs provides an explanation of verbs and how we typically use them in our sentences. Going further, it can direct you to more articles on the 12 verb tenses in English.
If that isn’t enough, you can also browse our article on the common types of verbs, which introduces the different types of verbs and has links to more detailed explanations about each one.
Speaking of verbs, we also have great articles on other grammar topics closely related to them. Check out our guides about:
Feeling especially interrogative? It’s imperative that you learn about verb moods in English.
Adjectives
▶ What Is An Adjective? Definition And Examples
If adjectives are giving you trouble, you’ll want to browse our excellent guide to adjectives. It has a detailed explanation of what adjectives are and the proper way to use them in grammar. If that isn’t enough, it also has links to detailed guides to 13 different types of adjectives and contrasts the differences between adjectives and adverbs.
We also have a fantastic article about the order of adjectives if you aren’t quite sure about which adjectives go where.
Adverbs
▶ What Is An Adverb? Definition And Examples
Are adverbs giving you issues? We have an awesome adverb explainer, too! It has a detailed rundown on what adverbs are and how to properly use both them and adverb clauses. It can also redirect you to more detailed articles on the different types of adverbs and the differences between adverbs and adjectives.
Pronouns
▶ What Is A Pronoun? Types And Examples
Our grammatical guide to pronouns is where you need to go for all your pronoun problems. It explains what pronouns are, lays out how to use them, and gives a brief overview of the different types of pronouns with links to more detailed articles on each type of pronoun.
Need a different point of view? We have more articles on:
Prepositions
▶ What Is A Preposition? Types And Examples
Our prepositions guide is what you need for all things prepositions. It explains what they are and how to properly use them. It also discusses the different ways we use prepositions and settle that pesky issue about putting them at the end of sentences. (Hallelujah!) For further information, it also has links to detailed explanations of prepositional phrases and objects of prepositions.
Go above and beyond with our list of 75+ prepositions by type.
Conjunctions
▶ What Is A Conjunction? Types & Examples
Our conjunctions guide has all the details on the functions of conjunctions. It will help you understand what conjunctions are and how to properly use them. You’ll also find links to more guides on the different types of conjunctions we use.
Articles
▶ What Is An Article? Types & Examples
Our guide to articles is an articulate article about articles. It will explain the rules behind English’s three articles: a, an, and the. It also provides links to more in-depth information about definite and indefinite articles.
Interjections
▶ What Is An Interjection? Definition And Examples
Hey! Look! We have a cool guide to interjections. It has all of the details about what interjections are, how we often use them in informal writing, and how they differ from conjunctions. Great!
Punctuation marks
▶ 26 Types of Punctuation Marks & Typographical Symbols
Last but most certainly not least is our guide to punctuation marks. It introduces what punctuation marks are and why we use them. It is also the central location for links to guides to 26—yes, 26—different types of punctuation marks and symbols. Exclamation mark!
