GOLDEN GRAMMAR RULES
Limpad Nurrachmad, S.Pd., M.Pd.
Improve your grammar now !!!
1. Don’t use an with own.
Sue needs her own room. (NOT Sue needs an
own room.)
I’d like a phone line of my own. (NOT … an own
phone line.)
For more details, see Practical English Usage 3rd
Edition section 405.
2. Use or rather to correct yourself.
• She’s German – or rather, Austrian. (NOT She’s German – or better,
Austrian.)
I’ll see you on Friday – or rather, Saturday.
For more details, see Practical English Usage 3rd Edition section 157.
3. Use the simple present – play(s), rain(s) etc – to talk about habits
and repeated actions.
• I play tennis every Saturday. (NOT I am playing tennis every
Saturday.)
It usually rains a lot in November.
For more details, see Practical English Usage 3rd Edition sections
461–4.
4. Use will …, not the present, for offers and promises.
• I’ll cook you supper this evening. (NOT I cook you supper this
evening.)
I promise I’ll phone you tomorrow. (NOT I promise I phone you
tomorrow.)
5. Don’t drop prepositions with passive verbs.
• I don’t like to be shouted at. (NOT I don’t like to be shouted.)
This needs to be thought about some more. (NOT This needs
to be thought some more.)
6. Don’t use a present tense after It’s time.
• It’s time you went home. (NOT It’s time you go home.)
It’s time we invited Bill and Sonia. (NOT It’s time we invite Bill
and Sonia.)
7. Use was/were born to give dates of birth.
• I was born in 1975. (NOT I am born in 1975.)
Shakespeare was born in 1564.
For more details, see Practical English Usage 3rd Edition
section 108.
8. Police is a plural noun.
• The police are looking for him. (NOT The police is
looking for him.)
I called the police, but they were too busy to come.
9. Don't use the to talk about things in general.
• Books are expensive. (NOT The books are
expensive.)
I love music. (NOT I love the music.)
10. Use had better, not have better.
• I think you’d better see the doctor. (NOT I think
you have better see the doctor.)
We’d better ask John to help us.
11. Use the present progressive - am playing, is raining etc - to talk
about things that are continuing at the time of speaking.
• I’m playing very badly today. (NOT I play very badly today.)
Look! It's raining! (NOT Look! It rains!)
12. Use for with a period of time. Use since with the beginning of the
period.
• for the last two hours = since 9 o'clock
for three days = since Monday
for five years = since I left school
I’ve been learning English for five years. (NOT I’ve been learning
English since three years.)
We’ve been waiting for ages, since eight o’clock.
14. Don't use the present perfect - have/has seen, have/has gone etc -
with words that name a finished time.
• I saw him yesterday. (NOT I have seen him yesterday.)
They went to Greece last summer. (NOT They have gone … last
summer.)
15. English (the language) normally has no article.
• You speak very good English. (NOT You speak a very good
English.)
16. After look forward to, we use -ing, not an infinitive.
• I look forward to seeing you. (NOT I look forward to see you.)
We’re looking forward to going on holiday. (NOT … to go on
holiday.)
17. Information is an uncountable noun.
• Can you give me some information? (NOT Can you give me an
information?)
I got a lot of information from the Internet. (NOT I got a lot of
informations from the Internet.)
18. Use -ing forms after prepositions.
• I drove there without stopping. (NOT I drove there without to
stop.)
Wash your hands before eating. (NOT Wash your hands before
to eat.)
19. Use this, not that, for things that are close.
• Come here and look at this paper. (NOT Come here and look at
that paper.)
How long have you been in this country? (NOT How long have
you been in that country?)
20. Use a plural noun after one and a half.
• We waited one and a half hours. (NOT We waited one and a
half hour.)
A mile is about one and a half kilometres. (NOT A mile is about
one and a half kilometre.)
21. Use the present perfect, not the present, to say how long
things have been going on.
• I've been waiting since 10 o'clock. (NOT I'm waiting since 10
o'clock.)
We've lived here for nine years. (NOT We live here for nine
years.)
22. The majority is normally plural.
• Some people are interested, but the majority don't care. (NOT
... but the majority doesn't care.)
The majority of these people are very poor. (NOT The majority
of these people is very poor.)
23. Use too much/many before (adjective +) noun; use too
before an adjective with no noun.
• There's too much noise.
I bought too much red paint.
Those shoes are too expensive. (NOT Those shoes are too
much expensive.)
24. Use that, not what, after all.
• I've told you all that I know. (NOT I've told you all what I know.)
He gave her all that he had.
25. Don't say according to me to give your opinion.
• I think it's a good film. (NOT According to me, it's a good film.)
In my opinion, you're making a serious mistake. (NOT According to
me, you're making a serious mistake.)
26. Don't ask about possibilities with May you ...? etc.
• Do you think you'll go camping this summer? (NOT May you go
camping this summer?)
Is Joan likely to be here tomorrow? (NOT May Joan be here
tomorrow?)
27. Use who, not which, for people in relative structures.
• The woman who lives upstairs is from Thailand. (NOT The woman
which lives upstairs is from Thailand.)
I don't like people who shout all the time. (NOT I don't like people
which shout all the time.)
28. Use for, not during, to say `how long'.
• We waited for six hours. (NOT We waited during six hours.)
He was ill for three weeks. (NOT He was ill during three weeks.)
29. Use to ..., not for ..., to say why you do something.
• I came here to study English. (NOT I came here for study
English.)
She telephoned me to explain the problem. (NOT She
telephoned me for explain the problem.)
30. Use reflexives (myself etc) when the object is the same as
the subject.
• I looked at myself in the mirror. (NOT I looked at me in the
mirror.)
Why are you talking to yourself? (NOT Why are you talking to
you?)
31. Use a present tense to talk about the future after when, until,
as soon as, after, before etc.
• I’ll phone you when I arrive. (NOT I’ll phone you when I will arrive.)
Let’s wait until it gets dark. (NOT Let’s wait until it will get dark.)
We’ll start as soon as Mary arrives. (NOT We’ll start as soon as
Mary will arrive.)
32. Before most abstract nouns, we use great, not big.
• I have great respect for her ideas. (NOT I have big respect for her
ideas.)
We had great difficulty in understanding him. (NOT We had big
difficulty in understanding him.)
33. Don’t use the with a superlative when you are not comparing
one person or thing with another.
• Compare:
• She’s the nicest of the three teachers.
• She’s nicest when she’s working with small children.
• This is the best wine I’ve got.
• This wine is best when it’s three or four years old.
34. Put enough after, not before, adjectives.
• This soup isn’t hot enough. (NOT This soup isn’t enough hot.)
She’s old enough to walk to school by herself.
35. Don’t use a structure with that … after want or would like.
• My parents want me to go to university. (NOT My parents want
that I go to university.)
I’d like everybody to leave. (NOT I’d like that everybody
leaves.)
• 36. After link verbs like be, seem, feel, look, smell, sound,
taste, we use adjectives, not adverbs.
• I feel happy today. (NOT I feel happily today.)
This soup tastes strange. (NOT This soup tastes strangely.)
37. Use than after comparatives.
• My mother is three years older than my father. (NOT My mother
is three years older that/as my father.)
Petrol is more expensive than diesel.
38. In questions, put the subject immediately after the auxiliary
verb.
• Where are the President and his family staying? (NOT Where
are staying the President and his family?)
Have all the guests arrived? (NOT Have arrived all the
guests?)
39. Used to has no present.
• I play tennis at weekends. (NOT I use to play tennis at
weekends.)
Where do you usually have lunch? (NOT Where do you use to
have lunch?)
40. Use through, not along, for periods of time.
• All through the centuries, there have been wars. (NOT All along
the centuries, there have been wars.)
41. Use can’t, not mustn’t, to say that something is logically
impossible.
• It can’t be the postman at the door. It’s only 7 o’clock. (NOT It
mustn’t be the postman at the door. It’s only 7 o’clock.)
If A is bigger than B, and B is bigger than C, then C can’t be
bigger than A. (NOT … then C mustn’t be bigger than A.)
42. Use the present perfect with This is the first time … etc.
• This is the first time I’ve been here. (NOT This is the first time
I’m here.)
This is the fifth cup of coffee I’ve drunk today. (NOT This is the
fifth cup of coffee I drink today.)
43. Use be, not have, to give people’s ages.
• My sister is 15 (years old). (NOT My sister has 15 years.)
44. Use between, not among, to talk about position in relation
to several clearly separate people or things.
• Switzerland is between France, Austria, Germany and Italy.
(NOT Switzerland is among France, Austria, Germany and
Italy.)
The bottle rolled between the wheels of the car.
45. We don’t normally use the before abbreviations that are
pronounced like words (‘acronyms’).
• My cousin works for NATO. (NOT My cousin works for the
NATO.)
The money was given by UNESCO. (NOT … by the UNESCO.)
46. Everybody is a singular word.
• Everybody was late. (NOT Everybody were late.)
Is everybody ready? (NOT Are everybody ready?)
47. Use any, not some, in negative sentences.
• She hasn’t got any money. (NOT She hasn’t got some money.)
I didn’t see anybody. (NOT I didn’t see somebody.)
48. Use interested for feelings; use interesting for the things that
interest people. The same goes for bored/boring, excited/exciting
etc.
• I’m interested in history. (NOT I’m interesting in history.)
History is interesting.
I’m bored in the maths lessons. (NOT I’m boring in the maths lessons.)
I think maths is boring.
49. Use by, not until/till, to mean ‘not later than’.
• Can you mend this by Tuesday? (NOT Can you mend this until
Tuesday?)
I’ll finish the book by tonight. (NOT I’ll finish the book till tonight.)
50. Use like, not as, to give examples.
• I prefer warm countries, like Spain. (NOT I prefer warm countries, as
Spain.)
I eat a lot of meat, like beef or lamb.
To be continued…
