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English grammar guide, made simple

This English grammar guide covers punctuation, word choice, sentence structure and style for clear professional writing. Every guide explains the reason behind the rule, with examples from real emails, reports and essays, so you can decide for yourself in cases the rule doesn’t cover.

ACTIVE The managerapprovedthe plan. who actsactionwhat is acted on PASSIVE The planwas approvedby the manager. now the subjectbe + past participleoptional Same facts. Active is shorter and says who did it.
Most style guides suggest writing at least four sentences in five in the active voice, and choosing the passive on purpose.
Short answer

English grammar for clear writing rests on a few ideas: every sentence needs a subject and a verb that agree; punctuation marks where ideas join or separate; the active voice is the default; and your choice of words sets the tone. The guides below take each of these in turn, with examples you can copy.

English grammar, by topic

  1. 01 Commonly confused words 15 guides Affect and effect, their and there, who and whom, lay and lie.
  2. 02 Punctuation rules 9 guides Commas, semicolons, colons and apostrophes.
  3. 03 Sentence structure 8 guides Active and passive, compound and complex sentences.
  4. 04 Grammar rules 9 guides Subject-verb agreement, capitals and the essentials.
  5. 05 Writing style 5 guides Formal and informal tone, and the passive on purpose.
  6. 06 Vocabulary 4 guides Business English phrases and professional word lists.
  7. 07 Transition words 3 guides Complete lists by function, for essays and reports.
  8. 08 Correct usage in practice 3 guides Email, business and ESL grammar, explained side by side.

Four rules that answer most questions

These are the questions readers ask us most. Each rule has a quick test you can use while writing.

Affect or effect Affect is usually a verb: to influence. Effect is usually a noun: the result.
VerbThe delay will affect the launch.NounThe effect was immediate.
Quick test: swap in “influence” (affect) or “result” (effect). Commonly confused words →
The semicolon Join two full sentences that belong together, or separate list items that already contain commas.
Two sentencesThe report was thorough; it covered every team.Complex listLondon, England; Paris, France; and Tokyo, Japan.
Quick test: could each side stand alone as a sentence? Semicolon rules and examples →
Active or passive Use the active voice by default. Choose the passive when the doer is unknown, unimportant, or tactfully left out.
ActiveThe team collected the data.Passive, on purposeThe data was collected over six months.
Quick test: look for “be” + past participle, then ask who acts. When to use the passive voice →
A comma before “and” Use one before the last item in a list of three (the Oxford comma), and between two full sentences joined by “and”.
ListWe need pens, paper, and notebooks.Two sentencesThe report is finished, and the team is ready.
Quick test: only two items, or no second subject? No comma. Punctuation rules →

The eight parts of speech

A part of speech is the job a word does in a sentence. The same word can do different jobs: in “a fast car” fast describes a noun, in “she runs fast” it describes a verb. Knowing the names makes every other grammar rule easier to follow.

PartJobExample (the word in bold)
NounNames a person, place, thing or idea.The report is ready.
PronounStands in for a noun.She sent it yesterday.
VerbAn action or state.The team approved the plan.
AdjectiveDescribes a noun.A short meeting.
AdverbDescribes a verb, adjective or another adverb.She replied quickly.
PrepositionShows position, time or relation.The file is in the shared folder.
ConjunctionJoins words or clauses.I called, but nobody answered.
InterjectionAn exclamation.Oh, I see the problem.

Anatomy of a sentence

A sentence needs at least a subject (who or what it is about) and a verb (what they do or are). Everything else adds detail. This diagram labels each part of one business sentence. Joining two of these into one is explained in complex and compound sentences.

Yesterday,our new managerquicklyapprovedthe budget. time phrasesubjectadverbverbobject whenwho actshowthe actionwhat is acted on Remove the light-blue parts and “Our new manager approved the budget” is still a complete sentence.
The comma after “Yesterday” marks an introductory phrase. Most style guides allow it to be dropped after short phrases of one or two words.

Punctuation at a glance

Each mark has one main job. When you are unsure, ask which job you need, then pick the mark.

. Full stop Ends a statement. The meeting is at 3.
, Comma Separates list items and marks a pause between parts. After lunch, we’ll review it.Mastering Commas: A Comprehensive Guide to Usage →
; Semicolon Joins two full sentences that belong together. Sales rose; costs fell.Semicolon Rules for Effective Writing: A Complete Guide →
: Colon Introduces a list, an explanation or a quote. One rule matters: be clear.Colon Rules: When and How to Use →
’ Apostrophe Shows possession or a missing letter. The client’s file. It’s late.Apostrophe Rules: The Complete Guide →
- Dash Adds a sharp break or an aside. The result - finally - was good.Em Dash vs En Dash vs Hyphen: Complete Guide →
“ ” Quotation marks Show someone’s exact words. She said, “Send it today.”Quotation Marks Rules: Punctuation Guide →
? Question mark Ends a direct question. Can you join us?

Formal, neutral and informal

Register is the level of formality in your writing. Grammar stays correct at every level; what changes is word choice, contractions (such as don’t for do not) and sentence length. Most workplace writing today is neutral. See formal vs informal writing and matching tone to your audience for the full picture.

SituationFormalNeutralInformal
Asking for somethingI would be grateful if you could send the report.Could you send the report?Can you send the report?
Saying sorryPlease accept our apologies for the delay.Sorry for the delay.Sorry it’s late!
Giving newsWe are pleased to inform you that…I’m happy to say that…Good news:…
Following upI am writing to follow up on my email of 3 May.I’m following up on my email from last week.Just checking you saw my email?
Signing offYours sincerelyBest regardsThanks!

How to proofread your own writing

Your brain reads what you meant, not what you typed. These steps break that habit. For a fuller routine, try the three-pass editing method.

  1. 1Take a break firstEven ten minutes away lets you see the text as a reader would.
  2. 2Read it aloudYour ear catches missing words and clumsy rhythm that your eye skips.
  3. 3Check one thing at a timeOne pass for spelling, one for punctuation, one for names and numbers.
  4. 4Change the viewPrint it, enlarge the font or read it on your phone: a new look shows new errors.
  5. 5Read the last sentence firstWorking backwards stops you following the meaning and makes each sentence stand alone.

Grammar references for other languages

Alphabets, sounds, core grammar and everyday vocabulary for ten more languages, each explained for English speakers.

Русский Russian Cyrillic, cases and verb aspect. 20 guides Español Spanish Conjugation, ser and estar, sounds. 20 guides 中文 Chinese Tones, characters, radicals, measure words. 20 guides 日本語 Japanese Hiragana, katakana, kanji, particles, keigo. 20 guides العربية Arabic The alphabet, roots and verb forms. 20 guides Українська Ukrainian Cyrillic, seven cases, how it differs from Russian. 20 guides Kiswahili Swahili Noun classes and Bantu verb building. 20 guides Yorùbá Yoruba Tones, the alphabet and base-20 numbers. 20 guides বাংলা Bengali Script, honorifics and conjugation. 20 guides اردو Urdu Nastaliq script and Perso-Arabic vocabulary. 20 guides A ↔ B Language comparisons Alphabets, tenses, cases and difficulty side by side. 5 guides C2 Learn a language fully Full LangLibra courses in Russian, Spanish, German and French, from zero to fluent. Start with Russian →