Essential English Grammar and Essay Writing Rules

Quantifiers: Countable, Uncountable, and Both

• Uncountable: much, a bit, little, a great deal of, a little, very little.
• Countable: several, many, a number of, few, very few, most, all, some, any, no.
• Both: all, enough, none, some, more, most, a lot of, less, any, plenty of.

Grammar Rules: Prepositions and Modals

Every time we have a preposition (in, on, of, at, with, for, about), the verb following it must be in the gerund form. Note that to does not take a gerund, except in phrases like looking forward to or getting/being used to.

Speculation

• In the past:
  • Certainty: MUST, CAN’T, or COULDN’T + HAVE + PAST PARTICIPLE.
  • Possibility: MAY, MIGHT, or COULD + HAVE + PAST PARTICIPLE.
• In the present:
  • Certainty: MUST, CAN’T, or COULDN’T + infinitive.
  • Possibility: MAY (not), MIGHT (not), or COULD + infinitive.

Academic Essay Writing

1. Structure: Introduction, 1st paragraph (1st note), 2nd paragraph (2nd note), and Conclusion (link ideas and provide your opinion).
2. Style Guidelines: Do not use contractions, stay impersonal, avoid talking to the reader, use statistics, include linkers, and provide reasons or examples.

Essential Linkers

• Similarities: likewise, correspondingly, equally, not only... but also, in the same way, similarly.
• Cause and Effect: consequently, as a result, since, because, therefore, accordingly, it follows that, for this reason.
• Comparing and Contrasting: alternatively, however, on the other hand, instead, yet, on the contrary.
• Limitation and Contradiction: despite, in spite of, while, even so, on the contrary, nevertheless, although, admittedly.
• Emphasis, Addition, and Examples: to illustrate, to clarify, further, first/second/third, for instance, moreover, typically, especially, in fact, in addition.
• Concluding: to summarise, it can be concluded that, as can be seen, ultimately, as described, finally.

Future Tenses

• Will + infinitive: Hopes, expectations, predictions (e.g., They will probably graduate); decisions/offers at the moment of speaking (e.g., I’ll call the doctor); future facts (e.g., It will rain).
• Be going to + infinitive: Personal intentions and plans (e.g., I’m going to correct exams); predictions (e.g., It’s going to rain).
• Modals for Possibility: Intentions (e.g., I might go swimming); predictions (e.g., It may rain).
• Present Continuous: Arrangements (e.g., They are getting married tomorrow).
• Present Simple: Timetabled events (e.g., My plane leaves at 4 pm).
• Future Continuous (Will + be + -ing): Actions in progress in the future (e.g., I’ll be flying over Spain).
• Future Perfect (Will + have + past participle): Completed actions by a certain time (e.g., I will have arrived in France).