Grammar Cheat Sheets

a university — it starts with a “yoo” sound, so it takes a.

an hour — the h is silent, so it starts with an “ow” sound and takes an.

The rule is about sound, never simply the first letter.

❌ He are happy. → ✅ He is happy.

❌ They is happy. → ✅ They are happy.

Count first: one → is, many → are, and "I" → am.

❌ He have a book. → ✅ He has a book.

❌ They has books. → ✅ They have books.

Only he, she, it take has. Everyone else takes have.

❌ Does she goes? → ✅ Does she go?

❌ He do not know. → ✅ He does not know.

After do or does, the next verb goes back to its simple form — the -s moves onto does.

❌ They was late. → ✅ They were late.

❌ You was right. → ✅ You were right.

Watch "I": it takes am in the present but was in the past.

❌ This books are mine. → ✅ These books are mine.

❌ Those book is yours. → ✅ That book is yours.

Ask two questions every time: near or far? and one or many?

❌ in Monday → ✅ on Monday

❌ at May → ✅ in May

❌ on 5 o’clock → ✅ at 5 o’clock

Days take on. Months and years take in. Clock times take at.

❌ How much books? → ✅ How many books?

❌ I have any water. → ✅ I have some water.

Can you count it? Then many. Do you measure it? Then much.

❌ What you live? → ✅ Where do you live?

❌ Why time is it? → ✅ What time is it?

Answer why with because. Answer how with a way — by bus, by walking.

❌ There are a book. → ✅ There is a book.

❌ There is many people. → ✅ There are many people.

Count the thing that comes right after — that decides it.

❌ Me and him went. → ✅ He and I went.

❌ This is mine book. → ✅ This is my book.

Test it by removing the other person: Me went is wrong, so it must be I went.

❌ two boxs → ✅ two boxes

❌ two babys → ✅ two babies

❌ two childs → ✅ two children

Say the word aloud. If the ending hisses, it needs -es.

❌ She can goes. → ✅ She can go.

❌ I could to swim. → ✅ I could swim.

After can and could the verb stays plain — no -s and no to.

❌ I will to help. → ✅ I will help.

❌ I going to help. → ✅ I am going to help.

Going to always needs am / is / are in front.

❌ He is more taller. → ✅ He is taller.

❌ He is tallest than me. → ✅ He is taller than me.

Two things need -er and than. One winner needs the and -est.

❌ I goed home. → ✅ I went home.

❌ I have went. → ✅ I have gone.

Use the third form after have, has or had — never the past form.

❌ The dog wagged it’s tail. → ✅ The dog wagged its tail.

❌ Its raining. → ✅ It’s raining.

Say “it is” in your head. If the sentence still works, it needs the apostrophe.

❌ He said me the answer. → ✅ He told me the answer.

❌ I told to him. → ✅ I talked to him. / I spoke to him.

If a person comes straight after with no to, the word is tell.

❌ I make my homework. → ✅ I do my homework.

❌ She did a cake. → ✅ She made a cake.

If something new exists afterwards, the word is make.

❌ on may → ✅ in May

❌ in monday → ✅ on Monday

Days and months always start with a capital letter.

❌ Their is a cat on the roof. → ✅ There is a cat on the roof.

❌ There going home now. → ✅ They’re going home now.

Try “they are” first. If it fits, it is they’re. If a noun follows, it is their. Otherwise, there.

❌ Your welcome. → ✅ You’re welcome.

❌ Is this you’re car? → ✅ Is this your car?

Say “you are” in its place. If the sentence still makes sense, it needs the apostrophe.

❌ I want too go home. → ✅ I want to go home.

❌ It is to cold today. → ✅ It is too cold today.

If you can replace it with “also” or “very”, it is too. If you can replace it with “2”, it is two.

❌ She is older then me. → ✅ She is older than me.

❌ We ate and than we left. → ✅ We ate and then we left.

Look for an -er word or “more”. If one is there, you need than.

❌ There are less students this year. → ✅ There are fewer students this year.

❌ I want fewer sugar. → ✅ I want less sugar.

This is the same rule as many / much. Many → fewer. Much → less.

❌ He plays cricket good. → ✅ He plays cricket well.

❌ She is a well teacher. → ✅ She is a good teacher.

Find the word it describes. A thing → good. An action → well.

❌ I have a little friends. → ✅ I have a few friends.

❌ Add a few sugar. → ✅ Add a little sugar.

Same test as many / much: many → a few, much → a little.

❌ Every students were happy. → ✅ Every student was happy.

❌ I have a ring on every hand. → ✅ I have a ring on each hand.

Both are followed by a singular noun and a singular verb: each / every student IS.

❌ Both boy is here. → ✅ Both boys are here.

❌ Neither of them don’t know. → ✅ Neither of them knows.

Both = 2, either = 1 of 2, neither = 0 of 2.

❌ The most people like tea. → ✅ Most people like tea.

❌ All of students came. → ✅ All students came. / All of the students came.

Before a plain noun use the word alone (most people). Before “the” or a pronoun add “of” (most of the people, most of them).

❌ The room is enough big. → ✅ The room is big enough.

❌ It is very hot to go out. → ✅ It is too hot to go out.

Adjective first, then enough: big enough, old enough, good enough.

❌ I have worked here since two years. → ✅ I have worked here for two years.

❌ He has been away for January. → ✅ He has been away since January.

Can you point to it on a calendar? Then it is since. Is it a number of days, weeks or years? Then it is for.

❌ This film is too good! → ✅ This film is very good! (no problem, so not too)

❌ It was very dark that I fell. → ✅ It was so dark that I fell.

Too always means something is wrong. If you are happy about it, you want very or so.

❌ You must go now? (question) → ✅ Do you have to go now?

❌ You must not come if you are busy. (meaning: not necessary) → ✅ You don’t have to come if you are busy.

The negatives are the trap: must not = forbidden, don’t have to = optional.

❌ It may rains tomorrow. → ✅ It may rain tomorrow. (no -s after may / might / could)

❌ Might I borrow your pen? → ✅ May I borrow your pen? / Could I borrow your pen?

All three are followed by the plain verb — may go, might go, could go. Never may to go.

❌ The girl which sits next to me is kind. → ✅ The girl who sits next to me is kind.

❌ My laptop, that is new, stopped working. → ✅ My laptop, which is new, stopped working.

Never use which for a person. After a comma, never use that.

❌ Although it was late, but we kept working. → ✅ Although it was late, we kept working.

❌ I was late so the bus broke down. → ✅ I was late because the bus broke down.

Because answers why. So answers what happened next. Do not use both in one sentence.

❌ I have not already finished. → ✅ I have not finished yet.

❌ Are you yet here? → ✅ Are you still here?

Yet lives at the end of questions and negatives. Already, still and just live in the middle.

❌ I fell asleep during I was reading. → ✅ I fell asleep while I was reading.

❌ We talked during two hours. → ✅ We talked for two hours.

Look at the next word. A thing → during. A person doing something → while. A number of hours → for.

❌ Look the board. → ✅ Look at the board.

❌ I saw TV last night. → ✅ I watched TV last night.

TV, films at home, matches and games are things you watch. A photo, a board or a page is something you look at.

❌ Listen me! → ✅ Listen to me!

❌ I listened a bang outside. → ✅ I heard a bang outside.

Music, the radio, a teacher, a podcast — you listen to them. A sudden noise — you hear it.

❌ Take me the salt, please. (said at the table) → ✅ Bring me the salt, please.

❌ I will bring the children to school and come back. (going away) → ✅ I will take the children to school and come back.

Stand where the speaker stands. Coming closer → bring. Going away → take.

❌ Can you borrow me your bike? → ✅ Can you lend me your bike?

❌ I lent a pen from Ravi. → ✅ I borrowed a pen from Ravi.

Same idea as take and give: borrow = take, lend = give.

❌ My father learned me to ride a bike. → ✅ My father taught me to ride a bike.

❌ She teached us English. → ✅ She taught us English.

If there is a “me / us / them” right after the verb, the verb is teach.

❌ Can I go with you to your office? (talking to the listener) → ✅ Can I come with you to your office?

❌ I go to home now. → ✅ I go home now.

Think of where the two speakers are. Movement towards either of them is come. Movement to a third place is go.

❌ Please remember me to buy milk. → ✅ Please remind me to buy milk.

❌ This photo remembers me of Goa. → ✅ This photo reminds me of Goa.

If there is a “me / him / her” straight after the verb, it must be remind.

❌ Wear your jacket, it is cold outside. (the action) → ✅ Put on your jacket, it is cold outside.

❌ She is putting on a blue dress today. (the state) → ✅ She is wearing a blue dress today.

Wear can last all day. Put on takes ten seconds.

❌ the twelveth floor → ✅ the twelfth floor

❌ the twenty-oneth of May → ✅ the twenty-first of May

❌ in 12 September → ✅ on 12 September

Say the short form out loud: 1st = fir-ST, 2nd = seco-ND, 3rd = thi-RD. The last two letters tell you the ending.

❌ Today is rain. → ✅ It is raining today. / It is rainy.

❌ Climate is nice today. → ✅ The weather is nice today. (climate = the usual pattern over years)

❌ It is too beautiful weather. → ✅ It is very beautiful weather.

Weather is today. Climate is the whole year, every year.

❌ He is India. → ✅ He is Indian.

❌ I speak Indian. → ✅ I speak Hindi. (there is no language called Indian)

❌ She is from UK. → ✅ She is from the UK.

The endings come in families: -an (Indian, American), -ese (Chinese, Japanese), -ish (British, Spanish), -i (Pakistani, Nepali).

❌ my cousin brother → ✅ my cousin

❌ my mother-in-laws (two of them) → ✅ my mothers-in-law

❌ my real brother (to mean not a cousin) → ✅ my brother — cousins are never called brother in English

English does not care which side of the family a relative is on. Mama and chacha are both just “uncle”.

❌ You like cricket, isn’t it? → ✅ You like cricket, don’t you?

❌ Priya is coming, isn’t Priya? → ✅ Priya is coming, isn’t she?

❌ He can’t swim, can’t he? → ✅ He can’t swim, can he?

“Isn’t it?” only works when the sentence has “it is”. Every other sentence needs its own tag.

❌ I amn’t sure. → ✅ I’m not sure.

❌ He willn’t come. → ✅ He won’t come.

❌ Yes, I’m. (at the end) → ✅ Yes, I am.

❌ Its raining. → ✅ It’s raining. (it is)

The apostrophe goes exactly where the missing letters were: do not → do n(o)t → don’t.