Sentence Foundations: Build Accurate English
Build correct English sentences, one step at a time.
70 practice questions
Start here. This module shows you how an English sentence is built: who or what the sentence is about, the verb, and the words that come after it. You do not need to know any grammar words before you begin. Each one is explained when you first meet it.
After these lessons you can make correct statements, negatives and questions, give instructions, ask politely and join two ideas in one sentence. Every later module builds on these patterns, so take your time with them.
Further reading and editorial notes
These explanations, examples and questions were written for EnglishGrammar.org. The pages below explain the same grammar points and are useful for further reading. Their publishers are not sponsors or endorsers of EnglishGrammar.org.
- Cambridge English Grammar Today: word and phrase classes (opens in a new tab)
- British Council: clause structure and verb patterns (opens in a new tab)
- British Council: present simple, to be (opens in a new tab)
- British Council: the verb be (opens in a new tab)
- British Council: present simple, have got (opens in a new tab)
- Cambridge English Grammar Today: subject–verb agreement (opens in a new tab)
- British Council: some, any, every and no (opens in a new tab)
- British Council: it and there as dummy subjects (opens in a new tab)
- British Council: using there is and there are (opens in a new tab)
- British Council: there is, there are and it (opens in a new tab)
- British Council: question forms (opens in a new tab)
- British Council: question tags (opens in a new tab)
- Cambridge English Grammar Today: clause types (opens in a new tab)
- British Council: questions and negatives (opens in a new tab)
- British Council: question words (opens in a new tab)
- British Council: pronouns in questions (opens in a new tab)
- Purdue OWL: independent and dependent clauses (opens in a new tab)
- British Council: conjunctions and, or, but, so, because and although (opens in a new tab)
The stage labels are a suggested study order, not an official language level. Where British and American English differ, the lesson says so.