English grammar cheat sheet

Past

Simple Past

• Usage: Something that happened once in the past.
• Formula: verb [past]
• Examples:
  1. I went to school.
  2. I helped my friend yesterday.
  3. She visited Paris last summer.
  4. They played football yesterday.

Past Perfect

• Usage: An action completed before another past event.
• Formula: had + verb [past participle]
• Examples:
  1. I had gone to school.
  2. I had helped my friend clean his attic before I fixed his car.
  3. She had visited Paris before moving to London.
  4. They had played football before it started to rain.

Past Continuous

• Usage: An action happening at a specific time in the past.
• Formula: was/were + verb [present participle]
• Examples:
  1. I was going to school.
  2. I was helping my friend when he brought me an orange juice.
  3. She was visiting Paris when I called her.
  4. They were playing football when it started to rain.

Past Perfect Continuous

• Usage: An action ongoing until a certain time in the past.
• Formula: had + been + verb [present participle]
• Examples:
  1. I had been going to school.
  2. I had been helping my friend for a year before he finally thanked me.
  3. She had been visiting Paris for a week when I called her.
  4. They had been playing football for an hour before it started to rain.

Present

Present Simple

• Usage: General truths, habits, routines.
• Formula: verb [present]
• Examples:
  1. I go to school.
  2. I help my friend every day.
  3. She visits Paris every year.
  4. They play football every weekend.

Present Perfect

• Usage: An action started in the past and continuing in the present.
• Formula: have/has + verb [past participle]
• Examples:
  1. I have been to school.
  2. I have helped my friend too much this week.
  3. She has visited Paris.
  4. They have played football together.

Present Continuous

• Usage: Actions happening at the moment of speaking.
• Formula: am/is/are + verb [present participle]
• Examples:
  1. I am going to school.
  2. I am helping my friend while he fixes up his house.
  3. She is visiting Paris.
  4. They are playing football now.

Present Perfect Continuous

• Usage: An action that started in the past and is still happening.
• Formula: have/has + been + verb [present participle]
• Examples:
  1. I have been going to school.
  2. I have been helping my friend since I met him.
  3. She has been visiting Paris for a week.
  4. They have been playing football for an hour.

Future

Future Simple

• Usage: Decisions made at the moment of speaking, predictions.
• Formula: will + verb
• Examples:
  1. I will go to school.
  2. I will help my friend tomorrow.
  3. She will visit Paris next year.
  4. They will play football tomorrow.

Future Perfect

• Usage: An action that will be completed before a specified time in the future.
• Formula: will] + have + verb [past participle]
• Examples:
  1. I will have gone to school.
  2. I will have helped my friend a hundred times by the end of the year.
  3. She will have visited Paris by the time you go there.
  4. They will have played football a hundred times by the end of the year.

Future Continuous

• Usage: An action occurring at a specific time in the future.
• Formula: will + be + verb [present participle]
• Examples:
  1. I will be going to school.
  2. I will be helping my friend next when when he moves.
  3. She will be visiting Paris this time next year.
  4. They will be playing football when you arrive.

Future Perfect Continuous

• Usage: An action that will continue until a specific time in the future.
• Formula: will + have + been + verb [present participle]
• Examples:
  1. I will have been going to school.
  2. I will have been helping my friend for a year next month.
  3. She will have been visiting Paris for a week by the time we meet.
  4. They will have been playing football for an hour by the time we finish.

In, On, At

The prepositions "in," "on," and "at" are fundamental in English, serving as indicators of time and place. Their use, while seemingly straightforward, requires understanding of specific rules and nuances to ensure accuracy in communication.

• In is often used to speak about something contained within large or undefined areas (cities, countries, rooms) or periods of time (months, years).
• On is used for more defined areas or surfaces (streets, floors, objects) and specific days and dates.
• At is used when referring to specific points or precise locations, as well as specific times.

Additional Notes

• In can also denote a state or condition (e.g., in love, in trouble).
• On can indicate being in a state of engagement or operation (e.g., on fire, on a call).
• At can also refer to activities (e.g., at work, at play).

Understanding the nuanced differences between "in," "on," and "at" is essential for accurately conveying time and place in English. Their correct usage is a key aspect of mastering English prepositions, significantly affecting the clarity of communication.

Time: In, On, At

• In is used for nonspecific times during a day, month, season, or year.

• Examples:

• In the morning

• In February

• In summer

• In 2022

• On is used with days and dates, indicating more specific moments in time.

• Examples:

• On Monday

• On Christmas Day

• On October 5th

• On my birthday

• At is used for precise times, the most specific of the three, referring to exact moments.

• Examples:

• At 8 o'clock

• At midnight

• At lunchtime

• At the moment

Place: In, On, At

• In indicates being inside or within a boundary, used for general locations.

• Examples:

• In a room

• In a building

• In Paris

• In the garden

• On refers to surfaces, or being directly above something and touching it, used for more specific locations than "in."

• Examples:

• On the table

• On the second floor

• On a bus

• On the street

• At points to precise locations, often seen as a point in space.

• Examples:

• At the door

• At the bus stop

• At 150 Main Street

• At the entrance

Direction

• Usage: Indicate the direction in which something or someone moves.
• Examples:
• To: I am going to the office.
• Into: She walked into the room.
• Towards: He ran towards the park.
• From: They moved from Canada to France.

Time

• Usage: Indicate the time when something happens.
• Examples:
• At: We will meet at 5 PM.
• On: My birthday is on Monday.
• In: I will finish this in an hour.
• By: I need to complete this by tomorrow.
• During: She sleeps during the day.
• For: I lived in Spain for two years.
• Since: I have been working here since 2010.
• Until: Keep trying until you succeed.

Place

• Usage: Indicate a specific place or position.
• Examples:
• At: She is waiting at the entrance.
• On: The book is on the table.
• In: He is in his room.
• Under: The cat is under the table.
• Between: The park is between the museum and the river.
• Next to / Beside: The bank is next to the supermarket.
• Above: The plane is flying above the clouds.
• Below: The fish swim below the surface.

Location

• Usage: Specify the location of something.
• Examples:
• At: She studied at Harvard University.
• In: They live in New York.
• On: Paris is on the Seine.

Movement

• Usage: Show movement from one place to another.
• Examples:
• Through: We drove through the tunnel.
• Into: She jumped into the pool.
• Across: He walked across the bridge.
• Along: They moved along the road.

Additional Prepositions

Time

• Before: Before the movie starts, let's get some popcorn.
• After: After the party, they cleaned up the house.
• During: They stayed silent during the lecture.
• Until: We waited until the rain stopped.

Place and Direction

• Above: The painting is above the fireplace.
• Below: The pressure below sea level is higher.
• Within: You should receive a reply within 24 hours.
• Outside: It's raining outside.

Personal Pronouns

• Usage: Refer to specific persons or things.
• Forms:
• Subjective: I, you, he, she, it, we, they
• Objective: me, you, him, her, it, us, them
• Examples:
• She loves coffee. (subjective)
• The teacher spoke to him. (objective)

Possessive Pronouns

• Usage: Indicate ownership or possession.
• Forms: mine, yours, his, hers, its, ours, theirs
• Examples:
• That book is mine.
• The choice is yours.

Reflexive Pronouns

• Usage: Refer back to the subject of the sentence.
• Forms: myself, yourself, himself, herself, itself, ourselves, yourselves, themselves
• Examples:
• I taught myself to play the guitar.
• They prepared themselves for the exam.

Demonstrative Pronouns

• Usage: Point to specific things or people.
• Forms: this, that, these, those
• Examples:
• This is the one I was talking about.
• Those are not mine.

Indefinite Pronouns

• Usage: Refer to non-specific things or people.
• Forms: anyone, everybody, nobody, something, anything, each, few, many, etc.
• Examples:
• Everyone is welcome.
• Something needs to be done about this.

Relative Pronouns

• Usage: Introduce relative clauses, connecting clauses to nouns or pronouns.
• Forms: who, whom, whose, which, that
• Examples:
• The person who called me was unknown.
• That is the dog that I found.

Interrogative Pronouns

• Usage: Used to ask questions.
• Forms: who, whom, whose, which, what
• Examples:
• Who are you?
• What did you do?

Reciprocal Pronouns

• Usage: Indicate a mutual action or relationship.
• Forms: each other, one another
• Examples:
• They looked at each other.
• We help one another.

Additional Notes

• Pronoun Agreement: Ensure pronouns agree in number, gender, and person with the nouns they replace.
• Clarity: Use pronouns clearly to avoid ambiguity about what or whom they are referring to.

Links

• Verb Tenses Explained
• https://academicguides.waldenu.edu/writingcenter/grammar/prepositions