Topic: Semantic structure of the English words content

Articles and Gender
Understanding articles and gender in English is crucial for being able to refer to a person or thing correctly. Unfortunately, this highly important English grammar rule is also one of the strangest for many non-native speakers.
That’s because in many languages, the way that you describe a noun is dependent on its gender. In French, for instance, there are different articles for feminine and masculine nouns.
In English, nouns don’t have a grammatical gender.
It’s common for new English speakers to refer to objects as “he” or “she” because they’re used to them having a gender in their native language.
The good news is that once you break this habit, the English grammar is actually very simple. The two articles you need are “the” and “a.” We use “the” to refer to specific objects directly, while we use “a” to refer to objects more generally.
I would like to eat the banana you bought at the store today.
I would like to eat a banana, but there aren’t any in the house.
If a noun begins with a vowel, the indefinite article becomes “an” rather than “a.”
A bicycle
An apple
Confusingly, English speakers love to humanize objects, even though we don’t use genders. Vehicles are often treated as feminine. You may hear someone say, “Look at her engine, she’s a real beauty!” when talking about a car. This doesn’t mean that a car should actually be referred to as “she,” it’s just a way of expressing pride or fondness for a machine by making it sound more like a person.
You can reach more bravely into the scary world of sentence construction and accurate communication if you are armed with grammar guidelines.
11 rules of grammar will help you become a champ at selecting words and punctuation.
Key Rules
1. Use Active Voice
Every human language starts an active sentence with the subject, or the "doer." In English, the verb (what's being done) follows the subject. If there is an object (the receiver of the action), it comes after the verb. The formula looks like this:
S+V+O. This rule is the foundation of the English language.
Here are some examples:
Mary walked the dog.
The dog liked Mary.
I did not like the dog.
2. Link Ideas with a Conjunction
Sometimes you want to link two ideas with a second S+V+O combination. When you do, you need a coordinating conjunction. The new formula looks like this:
S+V+O, COORDINATING CONJUNCTION+S+V+O Coordinating conjunctions are easy to remember with an acronymic mnemonic device: FANBOYS
For, And, Nor, But, Or, Yet, So
3. Use a Comma to Connect Two Ideas As One
FANBOYS are used when connecting two ideas as one in a single sentence, but don't forget the comma. For example:
I do not walk Mary's dog, nor do I wash him.
Mary fed her dog, and I drank tea.
Mary feeds and walks her dog every day, but the dog is still hyperactive.
4. Use a Serial Comma in a List
The serial, or Oxford, comma is a controversial rule of grammar. Some want to eliminate it altogether while others just don't know how to use it. The serial comma is the last comma in a list, usually appearing before "and." The serial comma comes after "dog" in this sentence:
Pets R Us has lizards, dogs, and birds. Commas separate units in a list. In the above case, each unit only has one part, so it's easy. Where people get confused is when the units are bigger, but the rule still applies:
Pets R Us has lizards and frogs, dogs and cats, and parakeets and macaws. Notice that the serial comma comes before "and" but not the last "and" in the sentence. The "and" that follows the comma is only there because it sounds better. Grammatically, "and" is irrelevant. Only units matter.
5. Use the Semicolon to Join Two Ideas
A list of grammar rules has to include the scariest of punctuation marks. It might look funny, but don't be afraid of the semicolon; it's the easiest thing in the world to use! Say you want to join two ideas but can't figure out or can't be bothered to use a coordinating conjunction. The two ideas can be separate sentences, but you think that they are so closely connected; they really should be one. Use a semicolon.
Mary's dog is hyperactive; it won't stop barking or sit still.
My heart is like a cup of Lapsing Slouching tea; it's bitter and smoky.
Mary has to walk her dog every day; it is the most hyperactive dog anyone has ever seen.
6. Use the Simple Present Tense for Habitual Actions
The simple present is the tense you use for any habitual action. The things you always do or do every Tuesday are described with the simple present, which just means you pick the first form of any verb.
Mary likes dogs.
I don't walk Mary's dog.
Mary and I drink tea every Tuesday together.
7. Use the Present Progressive Tense for Current Action
The present progressive tense is for anything that is happening right now. All of the progressive tenses are easy to spot because their verbs always end with "-ing" and get a helping verb. A helping verb is just so we know who and when we're talking about. In the present progressive, the helping verbs are the present tense conjugations of "to be."
I am drinking Lapsing Slouching tea.
The barking dogs outside are driving me crazy.
Mary is playing with her hyperactive dog.
8. Add "ed" to verbs for the Past Tense
When we talk about the past, we have to add an "-ed" to regular verbs to make the second form. Irregular verbs are tricky and have their own sets of rules. Drink, for example, turns to "drank." Most of the time, though, "-ed" will do.
I drank a lot of Lapsang Souchong tea yesterday, but Mary didn't.
The dogs stopped barking two seconds ago, and I am feeling better.
Mary played fetch with her hyperactive dog.
9-11. Use Perfect Tenses
Practice makes perfect with the perfect tenses. Here are three rules to finish the 11 rules of grammar. If you remember these, you'll be well on your way to perfection.
9. Use Present Perfect for the Unfinished Past
The present perfect can be confusing for some, but it is one of the most important rules of grammar. When people talk about things that have already happened but consider the time in which they occurred to be unfinished, they use the third form of the verb with a helping verb. The helping verb for the present perfect is the present tense conjugation of "to have."
I have drunk three cups of Lapsing Slouching tea today.
Mary's hyperactive cur dog has bitten me three times so far.
Mary has walked her hyperactive poodle 100 times this week.
Unfortunately, the only way to know the third forms of verbs is to remember them.
10. Use Present Perfect Progressive for Unfinished Action and PastWhen the action as well as the time is considered unfinished, the verb loads up on third form helping verbs ("to be" and "to have") and changes to the progressive form.
Western countries have been waging wars in the Middle East for thousands of years.
I have been drinking tea all day.
Mary's dog has been barking like crazy since it was born.
11. Use Past Perfect for the First of Two Past Actions
When two things happen in the past, we have to mark which one happened first. The one that happened first changes to third form and gets the helping verb, "had."
By the time I drank one cup of Lapsing Slouching, Mary's dog had barked a million times.
I had not yet eaten breakfast when Mary walked her dog.
He could not pay for lunch because he had lost his wallet.
What is so Important About English Grammar Rules?
-Do you get nervous just seeing that word?
-Do you think “I need to improve my grammar so I can speak English better”?
-Do you spend a lot of time memorizing grammar rules but wonder why your English hasn’t improved?
Grammar rules are nice, but they should not be the main focus of your English studies.