Simply, Reported Speech is a retelling of what someone had already said. And although the definition is a mouthful, Reported Speech isn’t complicated, especially if the speaker makes a Declarative Statement in Simple Present Tense.
If the aforementioned person spoke in Simple Present Tense (Pronoun, Verb, Noun), the Reported Speech will be in Simple Past Tense (Pronoun, Verb + d/ed, Preposition “to,” Noun). Be aware of irregular Verbs. Words like “say” become “said” and ETC.
Here’s an example:
Statement: I want to play the zither.
Reported Speech: Qi said that she wanted to play the zither.
Having perfect knowledge of the essential English grammar, used to sound fluent in English can be considered a difficult and impossible task to many non-native English speakers. Having said so, learning English is never too difficult if you know how to go about it. It is not a magical trick nor do the native speakers use secret ways to practice fluency in this language. Yes, the native speakers practice too by extensive reading, writing and speaking in English as much as possible.
As the famous English proverb states, “Practice makes a man perfect”. This is a proverb that tells us the importance of continuously practising any subject that we wish to learn perfectly.
As we grow older, we take our understanding and memory for granted, giving very little or no time to practising and then wondering why we do not improve as quickly as the others.
Learning English and being fluent in it wouldn’t be difficult if you knew the basic English grammar rules. Basic English grammar is the solid foundation of English. To learn any skill, learning the basics is important to level up. So is the same in learning English as a language.
Importance of learning the basics of English grammar for beginners
So, has the thought ever struck you as to why should you learn English grammar in the first place? Do native speakers learn and practice the basics? What does Basics have to do with spoken English and writing in English? Well, the answer to all of this is, Yes, even the natives start with learning the basics of grammar. Grammar is important as it helps the learner get perfect and accurate in English.
Top Reasons for English Grammar in Use being essential to effective communication
Grammar is the foundation of the English language. English being a second or a foreign language to many is not acquired naturally. Hence instruction and structured learning are important to be perfect with English. Here are the top 10 reasons why you must consider learning English Grammar in order to be fluent in the language.
1. Ability to communicate clearly in English through writing
Writing skill is a very important skill one must possess to be able to communicate personally and professionally. Perfect grammar is essential when you write in English, be it for a resume to a new job, answering a client’s email, for business purposes or even just writing to your daughter’s school. Writing clearly is essential so that the reader understands exactly what you meant.
2. Ability to communicate clearly while speaking
Grammar is essential to any language. If your grammar is incorrect, the language you speak would be unclear and it would sound meaningless to the listener.
3. Written grammar skills essential for students
Imagine working on a thesis or an article in English, imagine your teacher asking you to write in English. Having a library of words but not knowing how to put them together in a proper sentence, can be quite frustrating. Grammar helps you put words together to form a sentence in the right way.
4. Important professionally
With the growing market and the level of competition increasing in every profession. Working knowledge of English is a skill one cannot afford to miss. Mastery over English gives you an upper hand over those you compete with.
5. Bridge of understanding between the speaker and the listener
Grammar plays a vital role as a bridge of understanding between the speaker and the listener or the sender and the receiver. Be it through writing or speaking, the use of wrong grammar can always lead to unclear messages and instructions. For example: “Let’s eat, my child” it is easily understood you are inviting your child to eat their supper. Consider writing the same without proper punctuations. “Let’s eat my child” This would give out the wrong meaning of you wanting to eat your child!
6. Get the perfect Job you aspired for
Having the technical skills for a job is great, but not being able to show it out on your resume will not give you that perfect job that you aspire for. The way you write your resume would give the recruiters a glimpse of you! So writing well is important to be able to present yourself before the recruiter.
7. Work with International clients
Working among our known ones is not very difficult as we use our local languages, but working internationally, and a growing business will always involve clients from other countries. English is the primary language that binds most countries together be it in business or education.
8. Social Life, chatting and social media
Communication is an important skill that can be learned. We must learn how to communicate to be able to express ourselves in a successful manner. It can be easier when we communicate with people face to face as it involves facial expression, making it easier to understand what the speaker is trying to say. However, it is not the case when we chat with our friends or on social media.
9. Gain respect and become a figure of authority
Everyone likes being respected and adored by others. People who can speak perfect English are respected, and gain authority in many situations when compared to those who have lesser or no knowledge of English. Grammar helps you write perfectly, which is usually envied by many who lack the skill.
10. Get an edge over competitors
Everyone knows popularity is important to any profession. The more skills you possess the better edge you have over your competitors, In today’s world knowledge of English is a skill everyone seeks to master!
Market Statistics: How many people Speak and are learning to speak English around the world?
It is proven that the knowledge of grammar enhances all the four important skills one must possess, which is writing, reading, listening and speaking skills. Non-native English speakers are well aware of this.
There are 1.5 billion English-language learners worldwide according to the statistics of the British council. The company is one of the largest providers of English language instruction in the world with more than 3,000 full-time English teachers globally.
The EF EPI English Proficiency Index compiles exam results annually from hundreds of thousands of adults in 80 countries across the world and it ranks countries based on their English skills. About 840 million people worldwide can speak English, the largest number when compared to any other language spoken on the planet.
Many countries have English designated as the de jure official language, meaning it is legally recognized as the official language. In some cases, English may be the official language but may not be the primary language. This means that English can be used in business, education, and official documents but may not be the majority of its residents’ primary language. This is the case for nations like India and Pakistan
There are also nations where English is a de facto national language, meaning that it exists in reality and is practised, even though it is not officially recognized by law. For example, the United States has no official language at the federal level, even though English is the most commonly spoken language.
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Essentials of English Grammar. Lessons to learn from.
Click on the important grammar lessons to learn and be perfect while communicating in English
Making sentences and knowing the essentials of English grammar in use is not only important, it’s also the easiest way to be fluent in English. It makes reading and writing in English simpler. The first rule to understanding Basic English grammar is understanding the foundation of English or the grammatical sentence structure well. Understanding the foundation of English grammar helps in writing simple sentences perfectly and improves your English communication be it written or in spoken English.
Index
Basic grammatical sentence structure to keep in mind as a beginner
Sentence building or construction is something that needs to be learned at the beginning of learning English grammar. It forms the fundamentals of English grammar.
A good sentence must always have a subject and predicate. Example: Lara plays video games (“Lara” is the subject. The noun is always the subject. “Plays video games” is the predicate)
Types of Sentence structure
There are 4 important types of sentence structures to be kept in mind while making sentences:
1. The Simple sentence
A simple sentence would have only one independent clause in it. (An independent clause is a sentence that has just a subject and a verb within it. It always expresses a complete thought)
Example: I like playing the guitar.
2. The Compound sentence
A compound sentence is a sentence when two or more independent clauses are put together by using a conjunction or semicolon in the sentence.
Example: I like playing the guitar but Meena likes playing the piano.
3. The Complex sentence
These kinds of sentences have an independent clause along with a dependant clause in the sentence (A dependant clause is a clause that has a subject and a verb but cannot express a complete thought on its own)
Example: My dog barks when he is hungry.
4. The compound-complex sentence
A compound-complex sentence has at least 2 independent clauses and one dependent clause within a single sentence.
Example: Sally did not attend the party because she was ill so Susan was disappointed.
Top 15 English grammar rules to keep in mind while making English sentences
Rules are meant to be broken! Well said, but grammar rules are best to be followed, for you to be precise and fluent in English. Here are the top 15 rules that you would prefer to follow rather than breaking as they form the ground rules to English grammar.
Make sentence rules
Making simple sentences perfectly is important, for the reader to understand the thoughts of the writer. This makes it even more important for both to know and follow the same grammar rules while conversing in English. Simple rules to follow while conversing in English:
1. A sentence is considered complete only when it has a noun and a verb in it. Example: Birds are flying.
2. The order of a basic sentence should be Subject-verb-object. Example: Lara loves football.
3. A proper noun always begins with a capital letter. Example: Mary, London, etc.
4. Always have the subject and verb in the same number agreement. If a subject is singular, the verb must also be singular; if a subject is plural its verb must also be plural. Example: A cat is sleeping on the grass / Two cats are sleeping on the grass.
5. The words “your” and “you’re” are two different words with different meanings
Sentence Structure rules
A sentence structure makes it easier to make perfect sentences in English, follow these rules to be perfect at sentence building.
6. Use an Active voice preferably a passive voice in sentences. Example: I practice the piano every day.
7 . While speaking of Habitual actions, use the simple present tense. Example: David likes exercising.
8. Use Adjectives before a noun. Example: She is a charming girl.
9. Use the indefinite article a/an for countable nouns and use the definite article “the” for specific countable nouns and all uncountable nouns. Example: I ate an apple / She had a book.
10. Add “ed” to words to regular verbs to describe past tense. Example Walk + ed = walked, Jump + ed = jumped.
11. Use a conjunction to join two sentences together. Example: Lara did not go to school as she was unwell.
Punctuation Rules
We can write the perfect sentence, but placing the wrong punctuation marks is one easy way for being mistaken by your readers reading your sentence. Punctuation rules to follow to be able to express your thoughts and it’s intensity perfectly.
12. The apostrophe is a punctuation mark placed where a letter or letters has been removed from any word. Example: You are = You’re, I am = I’m.
13. Always start a sentence with a capital letter and end with a full stop. Example: Mary had a lamb.
14. Always use an apostrophe to show the possession or owner of an object. To show possession with a singular noun, add an apostrophe plus the letter ‘s’. Example: Mary’s lamb. Alice’s watch, etc.
15. Use a comma to connect two ideas into one in a sentence. Example: Rio went shopping, and Brad walked the dog.
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Linking words adds meaning to sentences by combining thoughts. They can be used to express a number of ideas. The concepts expressed by Linking Words include ordinal qualities such as “firstly,” contrast, and much more.
Yet, today’s lesson covers Linking Words and phrases that express exceptions. These words are “yet”, “although”, “despite” and “nevertheless.”
For example:
“I don’t like broccoli, nevertheless, I eat it every day.”
In the above example, “nevertheless” demonstrates the contrast between the speaker’s distaste for Broccoli and the fact that he eats it daily.
A few full sentences that include linking words that express exception
How do I include linking words of exception in full sentences? It’s possible to express the earlier example’s sentiment with any of this lesson’s Linking Words. Let’s look at a chart.
Linking Words and phrases, also known as Cohesive Devices, are grammatical gems! They may be deployed for a variety of purposes. In fact, they sometimes express exceptions, bridge two clauses together, present contrast, demonstrate comparisons, and much more.
Notably, the list of English Linking Words is expansive. There are dozens and dozens of them. This is due to their variety of uses. And perhaps, Grammarians, those who study Grammar, haven’t even compiled a full list of these little gems.
All of this aside, today’s lesson covers the phrase “for example.” “For example” introduces a chosen item as a case to prove a point.
You may encounter a native English speaker saying, “Foods eaten in the South West, Santa Fe for example, are inspired by both the native population and German settlers.”
By saying this, the speaker is telling the listener that cuisine from Santa Fe is typical of South Western dishes and vice-versa. Furthermore, these foods are a blend of native and German recipes.
In general, Prepositions demonstrate direction, time, place, location, and spatial relationships. These short words have a variety of uses and fall into different categories.
Despite being varied in use, Prepositions, in regards to grammar, most often precede a Noun. And typically, their usage falls into this pattern: Verb, Preposition, Noun. For example:
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Prepositions of Time are short words like “in”, “an” and “at.” These little words form a bridge between Verbs and Nouns. Here’s an example:
“I —> work at noon.”
The Preposition of Time “at” connects the Verb to the Noun and makes the sentence meaningful.
In addition to binding grammatical structures, Prepositions of Time inform the listener as to when and how long an action takes place.
For instance, “until,” the focus of today’s lesson, describes a definite or indefinite point in time when an action or event ends.
Here’s an example:
“We can’t enter our house until we get the key.”
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By saying this, the speaker is informing the listener that they are barred from opening the door unless the key is located. And, the period of time that the word “until” describes began when “the key” was lost and will end when it’s found.
