Basic English Grammar For Dummies, UK Edition

English is a hard language to get right. It's all too easy to make simple mistakes, whether writing or speaking?which can land you in embarrassing social situations or even cost you a job. Luckily, Basic English Grammar For Dummies UK Edition is here to help you get to grips with English. Without the complexity of formal grammar and through plenty of examples and brief exercises, it gets you up and running on common spelling errors, how to structure sentences to make yourself easily understood, and find the right tone and style for any situation, whether you're talking on the phone or writing a letter, email, or text.

Is it good or well? There, their or they're? Some people don't have to think twice about using proper English grammar, but for the rest of us it can become tricky and confusing. Easy to understand and free of jargon, this friendly and accessible guide sticks to the basics and makes it easy to build your English grammar skills. In no time, you'll leave the ?me or I?' debate at the door and speak and write confidently and correctly.

• Includes quizzes and self-tests
• Provides guidance on composing letters, emails, and texts
• Uses easy vocabulary to make the content accessible to all
• Serves as a great guidebook to English grammar for overseas learners

If English is your second language or you simply missed or have forgotten the nuances that were taught in school, Basic English Grammar For Dummies UK Edition is the fast and easy way to brush up on your skills and make a good impression.

Introduction 1

Part I: Getting Started with Basic English Grammar 5

Chapter 1: Getting a Grip on Grammar 7

Chapter 2: Language in Action 21

Part II: The Parts of Speech 31

Chapter 3: People to See, Places to Go, Things to Remember: Recognising Nouns 33

Chapter 4: Practising Pronouns 47

Chapter 5: Doing and Being Words: Verbs 65

Chapter 6: Describing with Adjectives and Adverbs 83

Chapter 7: Little Things Mean a Lot: Prepositions 101

Chapter 8: Joining and Commenting: Conjunctions and Interjections 113

Part III: Creating Correct Sentences 125

Chapter 9: Making Progress: Verbs Ending in –ing 127

Chapter 10: Revisiting the Past: The Perfect Tenses 139

Chapter 11: Searching for Subjects 153

Chapter 12: Adding Meaning with Complements 169

Chapter 13: Finishing the Job: Writing Complete Sentences 183

Part IV: Punctuation and Capitalisation 197

Chapter 14: Small Punctuation Mark, Big Trouble: Apostrophes 199

Chapter 15: Pausing for a Rest: Commas 213

Chapter 16: Who Said What: Quotation Marks 229

Chapter 17: Big or Small? When to Write Capital Letters 243

Part V: Grammar in Action 259

Chapter 18: Writing with Electronic Media 261

Chapter 19: Presentation Slides and Bulleted Lists 273

Chapter 20: Writing at School and on the Job 285

Part VI: Common Errors 299

Chapter 21: Spelling Your Way to Perfection 301

Chapter 22: Tricky Word Traps 311

Chapter 23: Avoiding Common Mistakes 323

Part VII: The Part of Tens 333

Chapter 24: Ten Easy Ways to Improve Your Writing Skills 335

Chapter 25: Ten Mistakes to Avoid 341

Index 347

Geraldine Woods has more than 35 years of teaching experience. She is the author of more than 50 books, including English Grammar Workbook For Dummies and Research Papers For Dummies.