English grammar is an important part of competitive examinations in India. Questions on error detection, sentence correction, fill in the blanks, pronouns, tenses, subject-verb agreement and prepositions frequently test a candidate’s understanding of grammatical principles. The most effective strategy is to understand the basic rules rather than memorise hundreds of isolated sentences. Once you identify the part of speech, the actual subject and the structure of a sentence, many grammatical errors become easier to detect.
This guide explains 60 important English grammar rules with incorrect and correct examples, examination tips and practical explanations. The rules are organised into six major categories for systematic revision.
Quick navigation
- Rules 1–10: Pronouns and question tags
- Rules 11–20: Nouns and subject-verb agreement
- Rules 21–30: Advanced subject-verb agreement
- Rules 31–40: Adjectives, comparisons and pronouns
- Rules 41–50: Tenses and sentence construction
- Rules 51–60: Conjunctions, prepositions and voice
- Practice questions
Rules 1–10: Pronouns and Question Tags
Rule 1: Identify indefinite pronouns
Words such as everybody, somebody, anybody, nobody, everything, something, anything and nothing are indefinite pronouns.
They refer to people or things without identifying a specific individual or object.
Examples:
- Incorrect: Everybody are present.
- Correct: Everybody is present.
Exam tip: Identify the pronoun before selecting the verb.
Rule 2: Indefinite pronouns generally take singular verbs
In conventional examination grammar, everybody, somebody, anybody and nobody take singular verbs.
- Incorrect: Everybody are ready.
- Correct: Everybody is ready.
- Incorrect: Nobody have arrived.
- Correct: Nobody has arrived.
Remember the common combinations: everybody is, somebody has, nobody does.
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