PRINCIPLES &

CONCEPTS IN THE
TEACHING
GRAMMAR
5 FUNDAMENTAL PRINCIPLES
OF ENGLISH GRAMMAR
1. Principles of word order
Word order is the most important element of what is
known as syntax. English is an "analytic language.”
The relation between words is principally determined by
the order in which they are placed. The most fundamental
rule is that in a basic declarative statement, the subject
comes first; it is followed by the verb, then by the objects
and adverbial phrases.
 Examples:
Subject Object
• My friend is reading a good book by George Orwell.
Verb Adverb
• My good friend George is reading a book by Orwell.
• My good friend is reading George a book by Orwell.

These examples in which the original word order has been

changed are still completely grammatical, and use identical
words. They also still have meaning and are still logical
sentences.
2. Principles of punctuation
Punctuation is another main element of syntax. In written
language, punctuation takes the form of a number of
"punctuation marks" that are used in many different
languages:

• Period (.) • Colon (:)

• Comma (,) • Semicolon (;)
• Question mark (?)
• Exclamation point (!)
Punctuation is indicated by the means of pauses, stressed words,
and inflexions of the voice.
Punctuation is not usually essential to the understanding of the
statement.
Examples:
• Let's eat Grandma!
• Let's eat, Grandma!

• Doctor I have problems with eating sore feet and hair falling out.
• Doctor I have problems with eating, sore feet, and hair falling out.

• He's won first prize!

• He's won first prize?
Colon- is used to give emphasis, present dialogue, introduce lists or text, and clarify composition titles.

• Emphasis
She had one love: Western Michigan University.
• Dialogue
Reporter: What is the Western Edge?
Dunn: It is a strategic plan for promoting student success.

• Lists, text or tabular material

Our future is dependent on three things: sustainability, diversity, and enhancing our strength and
health.
• Title of books, lectures and other compositions
He wrote "Crisis Management by Apology: Corporate Response to Allegations of Wrongdoing."
Semicolon- has two general uses: to clarify a series and to indicate two closely
related sentences.

• Series
Members of the Western Jazz Quartet are Tom Knific, bassist; Trent Kynaston,
saxophonist; Steve Zegree, pianist; and Tim Froncek, drummer.

• Two closely related sentences

Good grades are integral to student success; a strong support network is also
important.
3. Tenses and Aspects

Tenses - it indicates the time of event or when did the

action happens. (present, past and future actions.)

Aspects - refers to the state of action of a verb and

indicates the duration or completion of an event.
a. Simple Present Tense
> It expresses a habit or often repeated actions.
Adverbs of frequency ( often, seldom, sometimes, never, etc.)

(base form/ -s form of the verb.)

examples:
She goes to work everyday.

They always eat dinner together.

b. Present Progressive
> This tense is used to describe an on-going action. at this moment,
today, this week, etc.

(am/is/are) verb + ing form of a verb.

examples:
She is typing a paper for her class

Diane can't leave. She is sleeping right now.

c. Present Perfect
> is used to talk about an event that began in the past and continues up to
the present.

(has/have + the past participle of a verb)

example:

He has lived in Manila for two years.

d. Present Perfect Progressive
> Expresses an action in progress that is not yet completed or a
situation or habit that began in the past and that continues up to the
present.

(has/have + been + -ing of a verb)

examples:

He has been studying grammar for an hour.

She has been cooking all day.
e. The Simple Past
> Use to indicate exactly when an action or event took place in the
past.

(For reg. -ed, -d, ied for irreg. )

examples:

I visited my sister yesterday.

We went out for dinner last night.
f. Past Progressive
> Is used to talk about an activity that was in progress at a specific
point of time in the past.

(be (was/were) verb + -ing )

examples:

I was studying for an exam while my mom was cooking

dinner.
We were walking in the park around 7 p.m last night
g. Past Perfect
> It describes completed events that took place in the past before
another past event.

(had + past participle of a verb)

example:

I had already eaten when my friend stopped by to visit.

h. Past Perfect Progressive
> Is used to emphasize the duration of an action that was completed
before another action or event in the past.

(had + been + ing form of a verb)

example:

She had been driving around the city for three hours before she
finally found the right office.
i. Simple Future Tense
> Indicates an action that will occur in the future, and that has no real
connection with the present time.

(will/shall + base form of a verb)

examples:

Shane will graduate in June.

I shall go home early
j. Future Progressive
> Is used to describe an event or action that will occur over a period of
time at a specific point in the future.

(will/shall + be + -ing form of a verb)

example:

I will be teaching English at 10 a.m tomorrow

k. Future Perfect
> Is used to describe an event or action that will be completed before
another event or time in the future.

(will/shall + have + past participle of a verb)

example:

We will have finished the exam by the time class ends tomorrow.
l. Future Perfect Progressive
> describes an action that has been in progress for a duration of time
before another event or time in the future.

(will/shall + have + been + -ing form of a verb)

example:

By the time he finishes law school, we will have been living in the
U.S. for 8 years.
4. Use of Determiners

Determiners are used in conjunction with nouns. In English sentences,

nouns do not often stand alone; and a noun standing by itself is pretty
meaningless.  
 Examples:
  My car !
  That car !
  The car over there !
A car with a powerful engine.
 
5. Use of Connectors
Connectors are the vital link words that relate words, phrases or
clauses to each other.

• Coordination
• Subordination
• Correlation
a. Coordination
◦ Coordinating connectors that give equal value to the two elements that they
coordinate.
◦ For, and, nor, but, or, yet and so.

Examples:
I want three beers and a glass of lemonade.
They’ll win, or they’ll lose.
We’re going to Paris, but not to Rome.
He was very tired yet very happy
b. Subordination
◦ Subordinating conjunctions are used to link two clauses within a single
sentence, when one clause is subordinate to other.
◦ Cause (as, because and since)
◦ Purpose (so and so that)
◦ Contrastive (although and though)
◦ Temporal (after, before, while, etc.)
◦ Conditional, indirect question (if, unless, as long as, provided, whenever,
whatever
◦ Reported speech (that)
Examples:
 I’m going to London because I’ve got a new job.
 She didn’t want any more wines, as she’d already drunk enough.
 I’m locking the door, so nobody can get in.
 So he wouldn’t forget to wake up, he set his alarm for 5:30.
 I won’t go there, whatever he says.
  
Correlation
◦ Correlating coordinators are connectors that either correlate words,
or phrases, or clauses.
◦ Combining correlators (both…and, not…only, but also)
◦ Binary choice correlators (either…or, whether…or not)
◦ Negative correlators (neither…nor)
Examples:
 This is both stupid and incomprehensible.
 Both president and prime minister were there.
 Not only can I hear him, but also see him.
 It’s either right or wrong.
 I’m neither angry nor happy.
4 ENGLISH GRAMMAR
CONCEPTS
Subject-Verb Agreement
> means that the subject and verb in a sentence must agree in number. They both
need to be singular, or they both need to be plural.

Examples:
(singular subjects and verbs) (plural subjects and verbs)

• My dog waits for the postal carrier. • Basketballs roll across the floor.

• I understand the assignment. • These clothes are too small for me.

• The cats meow at the door.

• Peter likes vegetables.
 What is a pronoun?
In English, pronouns are used in place of nouns, once the noun (the referent)
is known. We can only make sense of the pronoun if we know to whom or
to what the pronoun refers.

Sir Walter Elliot (referent) was a vain man. He (pronoun) constantly

looked at himself in the mirror.
 Types of pronouns
Pronouns come in different forms depending on person (I, you, he/she/it), gender
(female, male, neuter) and number (singular/plural). They can also be divided into
five broad categories:

1. Subject/object pronouns
2. Possessive determiners and pronouns
3. Reflexive pronouns
4. Demonstrative determiners and demonstrative pronouns
5. Reciprocal pronouns.
 1. Subject or object pronoun

Writers and speakers are sometimes confused about whether a pronoun is

the subject or object of an utterance or sentence. This is not surprising since
common usage does not always conform to formal grammatical rules and
also changes over time. For example, in speech, when the reply to a
question is a pronoun, the object form often replaces the subject form of
the pronoun.
Examples:

'Who received the letter?' previously the response would have been: 'It was
I', more recently it is: 'It was me'.

'Is that the girl from your university?' previously the response would have
been: 'That is she', more recently it is: 'That is her' or 'That's her'.
 2. Possessive determiners and pronouns
Pronouns can be used to indicate possession either as a determiner before the
noun (or noun phrase) or as a pronoun.

Determiner Pronoun

My shoes are red. Mine are red.

 3. Reflexive Pronouns
Reflexive pronouns are always used in the same sentence as the noun (or
noun phrase) to which they refer.

Examples:

The lecturer blamed herself for the confusion.

I try to imagine myself receiving my degree.

Dolphins protect themselves through a sophisticated social structure.

The participants in the study contradicted themselves.

 4. Demonstrative determiners and
demonstrative pronouns
Like the possessive determiners and pronouns, demonstratives can function
as both a determiner, before a noun, and as a pronoun replacing the noun.

Examples:
This (Determiner) survey must be completed.
This (Pronoun) must be completed
These (Determiner) surveys must be completed.
These (Pronoun) must be completed.

That (Determiner) survey should be tested before use.

That (Pronoun) should be tested before use.

Those (Determiner) surveys should be tested before use.

Those (Pronoun) should be tested before use.
Both the demonstrative determiners and demonstrative pronouns also vary
in relation to proximity (near or far) and number (singular one or plural
more than one ) in utterances and written texts.
Examples:

These (plural near) lecture notes are easy to understand, but those
(plural far) from the guest speaker are not.
This (singular near) student at the front asks relevant questions, but that
(singular far) one at the back is asleep!
 5. Reciprocal Pronouns
Two common phrases used to express personal reference are the
reciprocal pronouns, each other and one another. Like reflexive pronouns,
they are always used in the same sentence as the noun (or noun phrase) to
which they refer. However a reciprocal pronoun always refers to a plural
(or conjoined) subject.
Examples:

Students should encourage and support one another in group projects.

The two politicians shared such animosity towards each other that they
could not work constructively together in the committee.
Churchill, Roosevelt and Stalin did not trust each other.

In many cases, both species benefit from the interaction with each other.

Come on people now; smile on your brother; everybody get together, try to
love one another right now (lyrics from Get Together a song written by
Chet Powers)
◦Verbs

>expresses action or a state of being and tells (in

active voice) what the subject of the clause is or
does.
>A verb is necessary to make a complete
statement.
 Active and Passive Verbs
◦ Active Voice:
> The subject of the sentence is the one doing the action.

Examples: S V
The boy kicked the ball.
S V
Students need good study skills to succeed in college.
◦ Passive Voice:
Tells what is done to the subject.
The actor moves to the end of the sentence with by or drops off altogether if t
is unimportant or unknown. The verb must include a form of be, followed by a
past participle (normally an –ed ending).

Example:
The ball was kicked by the boy.

Good study skills are needed to

succeed in college.
USING THE AUXILIARY VERB “BE”
The passive voice is formed by using a form of the auxiliary verb “be”(be, am, is,
are, was, were, being, been) followed by the past participle of the main verb.

Active Passive
◦ He loves me. ◦ I am loved.
◦ We took our children to the ◦ The children were taken to
circus. the circus.
◦ A thief stole my money. ◦ My money was stolen.
 ◦ How the “be” auxiliaries change the meaning of the verbs from
action to condition or from “doing” to “being”.

He remembers his grandmother. (“he” is doing an action:

remembering)

His grandmother is remembered. ( “she” is in a condition: being

remembered)
KNOW WHEN ACTIVE VOICE IS APPROPRIATE OR
PREFERRED.

• To focus readers’ attention on the actor, not what is being

acted upon.

Active: Captain Ahab pursues the whale relentlessly.

Passive:The whale is pursued relentlessly.(Or,The whale is pursued

relentlessly by Captain Ahab.)
•When it is important that readers know exactly who did (or
said) what to whom.

Active: When U.S. troops invaded Iraq, they inadvertently killed

many civilians.

Passive: When Iraq was invaded, many civilians were killed

inadvertently.
 KNOW WHEN PASSIVE VOICE IS APPROPRIATE OR
PREFERRED.

•To focus attention on the processor materials, rather than

on the actor.

•To focus attention on the object, rather than the actor