Grammar reference
English Grammar Guide
Clear rules, real examples and quick practice — free, no sign-up.
Three focused references for the grammar that matters most in everyday English and exams: tenses, connectors and modal verbs.
- guides
- 3 guides
- topics
- 79 topics
- practice questions
- 40 practice questions
Reference library
Choose a guide
Each guide is searchable, with examples, common mistakes and a short practice set.
Grammar & Tenses
When did it happen — and is it finished?
All 12 tenses plus the sentence-level rules: articles, quantifiers, comparisons, prepositions, questions, conditionals, the passive, verb patterns and reported speech.
- Present, past and future
- Articles, prepositions, conditionals
- Signal words and common mistakes
Conjunctions & Transitions
Connect ideas without comma splices.
Coordinating conjunctions, subordinating conjunctions, correlative pairs and the transitions that make essays flow — with punctuation rules and the classic “although … but” trap.
- FANBOYS and subordinators
- Essay transitions by function
- Punctuation and common errors
Modal Verbs
Ability, permission, obligation and deduction.
Can, could, may, might, must, should, would and the semi-modals — organised by function, with a certainty scale, past modals and a politeness ladder for requests.
- 15 core and semi-modals
- Degrees of certainty
- Past modals and polite requests
Method
How to use this guide
Read a rule, see it in a sentence, then test yourself. That is the whole method.
Search or filter
Every guide has a search box and category filters. Looking for “unless”? Type it and open the matching card.
Read the examples
Each topic shows the form, the meaning in context, and a “common mistakes” box with the fix.
Practise immediately
Finish each guide with multiple-choice questions. You get instant feedback and an explanation for every answer.
FAQ
Quick answers
How many English tenses are there?
Traditional grammar describes 12: three times (present, past, future) × four aspects (simple, continuous, perfect, perfect continuous). Most everyday communication uses only six or seven of them, but recognising all twelve makes exam questions much easier.
Open the grammar guideWhat is the difference between a conjunction and a transition?
A conjunction joins two clauses inside one sentence (“I stayed home because it rained”). A transition (such as “however” or “therefore”) links ideas across sentence boundaries and needs a full stop or semicolon before it. Using a comma alone before a transition creates a comma splice.
See conjunctions & transitionsDo I need to memorise every modal verb?
No. Learn them by function instead: how to express ability, permission, obligation, advice and certainty. Nine core modals cover almost everything; the semi-modals (have to, need to, be able to, used to) fill the gaps where modals have no past or future form.
Review modal verbsReady to put it into practice?
Learn new words from our core list of 5,000+ words, then use them in quizzes and the taboo game. Everything is free and stored in your browser.