Foundations
Grammar
The rules that hold every English sentence together — explained with real examples and the mistakes learners make most often.
Grammar notes here move from the everyday (parts of speech, articles, present simple) through all 12 tenses to the more advanced (conditionals, passive voice, reported speech). Each note ends with a short 'common mistake' section so you can check your own writing.
Foundations
Start here: core grammar
Parts of Speech: The 8 Building Blocks
Nouns, verbs, adjectives, and more — the foundation every other rule builds on.
A1–B2Articles: A, An, and The
When to use 'a', 'an', 'the', or no article — plus the a/an exceptions (an hour, a university).
A2–B2Subject-Verb Agreement
12 rules for is/are, has/have — each, neither…nor, collective nouns and more.
A2–B2Prepositions Guide
In, on, at, and fixed preposition pairs, with comparison tables.
A2–B1Degrees of Comparison
Comparatives and superlatives: -er/-est, more/most, good–better–best.
A2–B2Modal Verbs
Can, could, may, might, must, should — ability, permission, obligation and advice.
Tenses
The 12 English tenses
All 12 Tenses: Chart & Formulas
Every tense on one page — positive, negative and question formulas, signal words.
A2Present Simple vs. Present Continuous
The single question that tells you which tense to use, every time.
A1–A2Present Simple
Habits, facts and routines — he/she/it -s rules.
A1–B1Present Continuous
am/is/are + -ing, spelling rules, stative verbs and future plans.
A2–B1Present Perfect
have/has + past participle — experience, results and unfinished time.
B1Present Perfect Continuous
Duration up to now: has been working since…
A1–A2Past Simple
Finished actions — regular and irregular past forms.
A2–B1Past Continuous
was/were + -ing for interrupted and background actions.
B1Past Perfect
The 'past before the past' — had + past participle.
B1–B2Past Perfect Continuous
Duration before a past moment: had been waiting for…
A2Future Simple
will vs. going to, and when to use each.
B1Future Continuous
Actions in progress at a future time.
B1–B2Future Perfect
Completed by a future point: will have finished by…
B2Future Perfect Continuous
Duration up to a future point: will have been working for…
Intermediate & advanced
Sentence grammar
Keep exploring
Related on English Notes
Frequently asked
Questions about grammar
Where should I start if grammar feels overwhelming?
Start with Parts of Speech to understand the basic categories, then Present Simple vs. Present Continuous — together these two notes make almost every other grammar rule easier to follow.
Do I need to memorise grammar rules, or is understanding enough?
Understanding the pattern matters more than memorising the rule word-for-word. Try to notice the same pattern in real sentences you read or hear — that's what makes a rule stick long-term.
Is there a quick way to test what I've learned?
Yes — our Grammar Quiz covers tenses, articles, prepositions, and subject-verb agreement with instant scoring and explanations.
More grammar notes are added every week.
Have a topic you'd like explained? Tell us and we'll add it to the notebook.