Getting to grips with English grammar rules is essential for academic success. Understanding the language inside out makes learning easier and enables you to communicate your ideas better in coursework and exams.
Of course, English grammar is annoying sometimes. The rules aren’t always consistent, and sentence construction is challenging. The language is useful because it is so flexible, but this adaptability can come at the cost of more difficult learning.
Fortunately, this guide can help. It explores how to master English grammar rules so you can succeed at school or college.
Understanding Basic Grammar Rules
Grammar rules in English require practice and consistency. The more you get into the habit of using them, the more naturally they will come.
- The subject and verb must be in agreement
For example, if you have a singular subject, you require a singular verb.
- The barbarians destroyed most of Rome as they entered
- The science experiment took many weeks to complete
- The researchers prolonged the experiment to collect more data
- Adjectives usually come before nouns
English differs from many European languages, where adjectives come after nouns. Here are some examples:
- The long experiment took several weeks to complete
- The Byzantine Empire was known for its decorative floor mosaics.
- Most academics now prefer the passive tense
There’s a growing tendency for academics to prefer the active over the passive tense. Here, the subject precedes the object of the sentence.
Here is an example:
- Active: Constantinople’s leaders fragmented during the period following the collapse of the Western Roman Empire
- Passive: Constantinople’s leaders were fragmented during the period following the collapse of the Western Roman Empire.
Here’s another example:
- Active: We gave study subjects 3 minutes to complete the questionnaire
- Passive: Study subjects were given a questionnaire to complete in three minutes by us
Both forms are correct, but the active voice is more fashionable than the passive voice these days.
- Use “less” to describe matters of degree, and fewer to describe quantities
Many native speakers also get this rule wrong. However, it is important for academic writing and helps professional text flow.
For example:
- People living in Ancient Rome were less aggravated than today
- Scientific research shows fewer people going to clubs in 2025 than in 2019
- Collective nouns can be singular or plural
English allows you to refer to collective nouns as “it” or “they.” Sometimes, you will encounter this rule in academic writing when discussing companies, committees, or other groups, like governments.
Grammar checkers aren’t always consistent with this rule, and the preference has been toward using the singular form more recently.
- Don’t confuse “its” and “it’s” – they are two different words.
“Its” is the third-person possessive:
- The Italian Renaissance superseded its culture.
- Its economy shrank by 20% last year.
Meanwhile, “it’s” is short-hand for “it is.”
- It’s a surprise to some historians that the barbarians managed to get all the way to Rome.
- It’s a paradigm change that sociologists worked on in the mid-2000s.
Correcting Grammar Usage Errors
Learning these language rules is helpful, but everyone makes mistakes. Therefore, this section lists some common English grammar rules used in academic settings
Improper Article Usage
Improper article usage is a common error in academic writing for non-native speakers. For example, a student might write “The researchers conducted experiment to see…” instead of “The researchers conducted an experiment to see…” or “The researchers experimented to see if…”
English uses a/an for indefinite nouns and “the” for definite or specific nouns. For example, “A legion of barbarians entered Rome during the last days of the empire” indicates that the writer is being poetic instead of referring to a specific legion (i.e., “the tenth legion”).
Sentence Fragments
Fragmented sentences are also problematic in complex academic texts (more than in regular speech). For example, “Which led to significant results” is not a sentence because it does not contain a subject.
A better way of writing this would be: “The experiment led to significant results.” “Experiment” is the subject, while “led” is the verb.
Confusing Homophones
Confusing homophones is another common issue in academic writing. Words that sound the same when spoken are more prone to misuse when written.
- Incorrect: The presence of noise in the room effected the results.
- Correct: The presence of noise in the room affected the results.
Run-On Sentences
Finally, run-on sentences are another issue you can encounter in academic writing. These occur when you have long sentences or misplaced commas.
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- Incorrect: The study was inconclusive, it didn’t support the hypothesis.
- Correct: The study was inconclusive and didn’t support the hypothesis.
- Correct: The study was inconclusive; it didn’t support the hypothesis.
Improving Your Grammar Skills
Improving your grammar skills takes time and practice. However, it will click when everything fits together.
Tip 1: Use Apostrophes Accurately
Start by focusing on using apostrophes correctly. You only need to use these when possession is unclear.
For example:
- Incorrect: The theories’ of some academics are wrong.
- Correct: The theories of some academics are wrong.
- Correct: Some academics’ theories are wrong.
Tip 2: Ensure Pronoun-Antecedent Agreement
Mismatches between pronouns and antecedents are mistakes even native speakers make. However, avoiding them makes your academic writing more compelling and less jarring.
A mismatch would be something like:
- Each participant submitted their sputum sample
Here, participants are “his/her,” but the pronoun is “their,” which doesn’t work well in formal English.
Therefore, it is better to change the antecedent to third-person plural:
- All participants submitted their sputum samples
Tip 3: Position Modifiers Correctly
Finally, you want to position your modifiers correctly.
- Incorrect: Charging into Rome, the barbarians destroyed many houses.
- Correct: While charging into Rome, the barbarians destroyed many houses.
Summary
Mastering grammar skills is essential for academic learning and writing. It improves your communication and also helps you think in a more structured manner. You can better understand what teachers and lecturers are saying, and detect greater subtlety in the lessons being learned.
