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Essential English Grammar Course

Essential English Grammar Course

Essential English Grammar Course - Improved Layout & Examples

This rewritten course is based on the structure and progression of “Essential Grammar in Use” (4th Edition by Raymond Murphy), but is reorganized for clarity, with enhanced explanations and more practical, modern examples. Each unit includes a concise explanation, clear tables, and sample sentences for real-life situations.

Course Structure

  • Part 1: Foundations
    • Unit 1: The Verb “To Be” (am, is, are)
    • Unit 2: Present Simple & Present Continuous
    • Unit 3: Questions & Negatives
    • Unit 4: Nouns, Pronouns, & Possessives
  • Part 2: Tenses
    • Unit 5: Past Simple & Past Continuous
    • Unit 6: Present Perfect & Past Perfect
    • Unit 7: Future Forms (will, going to, present continuous)
  • Part 3: Expanding Sentences
    • Unit 8: Modals (can, could, must, should, might)
    • Unit 9: Articles (a/an, the)
    • Unit 10: Countable & Uncountable Nouns
    • Unit 11: Adjectives & Adverbs
  • Part 4: Sentence Building
    • Unit 12: Word Order & Questions
    • Unit 13: Conjunctions & Clauses
    • Unit 14: Prepositions
  • Part 5: Practical Grammar
    • Unit 15: Passive Voice
    • Unit 16: Reported Speech
    • Unit 17: Gerunds & Infinitives
    • Unit 18: Phrasal Verbs
  • Appendices
    • Irregular Verbs List
    • Spelling Rules
    • Contractions
    • Additional Practice Exercises

Part 1: Foundations

Unit 1: The Verb “To Be” (am, is, are)

Explanation: “To be” is used to describe people, places, things, and feelings.

SubjectVerbExample
IamI am happy.
YouareYou are a student.
He/She/ItisShe is at home.
We/You/TheyareThey are doctors.

Short Forms: I’m, you’re, he’s, she’s, it’s, we’re, they’re

Negatives: I’m not tired. She isn’t here. We aren’t ready.

Questions: Are you ready? Is he your brother?

Real-Life Example:

  • “Hi, I’m Alex. I’m from Canada. Are you from here?”

Unit 2: Present Simple & Present Continuous

Present Simple: Used for habits, routines, and facts.

SubjectVerb (base) or Verb + s/es
I/You/We/Theywork, play, read
He/She/Itworks, plays, reads

Examples:

  • I work in a bank.
  • She plays tennis every Sunday.

Present Continuous: Used for actions happening now.

Subjectam/is/are + verb-ing
Iam working
He/She/Itis playing
We/You/Theyare reading

Examples:

  • I am reading a book now.
  • They are watching TV.

Comparison Table:

Present SimplePresent Continuous
I eat breakfast at 7.I am eating breakfast.

Real-Life Example:

  • “I usually walk to work, but today I’m taking the bus because it’s raining.”

Unit 3: Questions & Negatives

Present Simple Questions: Do/Does + subject + verb

  • Do you like coffee?
  • Does she live here?

Present Simple Negatives: do/does + not + verb

  • I don’t like tea.
  • He doesn’t play football.

Present Continuous Questions: Am/Is/Are + subject + verb-ing

  • Are you coming?
  • Is it raining?

Short Answers:

  • Yes, I do. / No, I don’t.
  • Yes, she is. / No, she isn’t.

Real-Life Example:

  • “Do you speak English?”
  • “Yes, I do.”

Unit 4: Nouns, Pronouns, & Possessives

Nouns: People, places, things, ideas.

  • dog, city, happiness

Pronouns: Replace nouns.

SubjectObjectPossessive AdjectivePossessive Pronoun
Imemymine
Youyouyouryours
Hehimhishis
Sheherherhers
Ititits-
Weusourours
Theythemtheirtheirs

Examples:

  • This is my book. It’s mine.
  • That’s her bag. It’s hers.

Real-Life Example:

  • “Whose phone is this?”
  • “It’s mine.”

Part 2: Tenses

Unit 5: Past Simple & Past Continuous

Past Simple: For completed actions in the past.

RegularIrregular
workedwent, saw, ate

Examples:

  • I watched a movie yesterday.
  • She went to Paris last year.

Past Continuous: For actions in progress at a specific time in the past.

Subjectwas/were + verb-ing
I/He/She/Itwas reading
We/You/Theywere playing

Examples:

  • At 8pm, I was studying.
  • They were watching TV when I arrived.

Real-Life Example:

  • “What were you doing at 10 o’clock last night?”
  • “I was sleeping.”

Unit 6: Present Perfect & Past Perfect

Present Perfect: For actions that happened at an unspecified time or have relevance now.

Subjecthave/has + past participle
I/You/We/Theyhave eaten
He/She/Ithas finished

Examples:

  • I have visited London.
  • She has just left.

Past Perfect: For actions completed before another action in the past.

Subjecthad + past participle
Allhad gone

Examples:

  • I had finished my homework before dinner.

Real-Life Example:

  • “Have you ever tried sushi?”
  • “Yes, I have.”

Unit 7: Future Forms

Will: For decisions made at the moment, predictions.

  • I will call you tonight.
  • It will rain tomorrow.

Going to: For plans and intentions.

  • I’m going to visit my friend next week.

Present Continuous for Future: For fixed arrangements.

  • I’m meeting Sarah at 6pm.

Comparison Table:

FormUsage Example
WillI’ll help you with that.
Going toI’m going to start a new job.
Present ContinuousI’m having dinner at 8pm.

Part 3: Expanding Sentences

Unit 8: Modals (can, could, must, should, might)

ModalUsageExample
canability, permissionI can swim. Can I go out?
couldpast ability, politeI could swim when I was five.
mustnecessityYou must wear a seatbelt.
shouldadviceYou should see a doctor.
mightpossibilityIt might rain later.

Unit 9: Articles (a/an, the)

  • a/an: Used with singular, countable nouns when mentioning for the first time.
    • I saw a cat. An apple is on the table.
  • the: Used for specific or previously mentioned nouns.
    • The cat is black. The apple is red.

Unit 10: Countable & Uncountable Nouns

CountableUncountable
apple, book, carwater, rice, money

Examples:

  • I have two apples.
  • I need some water.

Unit 11: Adjectives & Adverbs

  • Adjectives: Describe nouns.
    • She is tall. This is a big house.
  • Adverbs: Describe verbs, adjectives, or other adverbs.
    • She runs quickly. He is very tall.

Part 4: Sentence Building

Unit 12: Word Order & Questions

  • Basic Order: Subject + Verb + Object
    • I like chocolate.
  • Questions: (Wh-) + Auxiliary + Subject + Verb
    • Where do you live?
    • What are you doing?

Unit 13: Conjunctions & Clauses

  • Conjunctions: and, but, or, so, because
    • I like tea and coffee.
    • She was tired, so she went home.
  • Clauses:
    • Relative: The man who lives next door is a doctor.
    • Conditional: If it rains, we’ll stay home.

Unit 14: Prepositions

  • Time: at, on, in
    • at 5pm, on Monday, in April
  • Place: in, on, at
    • in the room, on the table, at school
  • Other: with, about, for, to
    • I’m good at tennis. She is afraid of dogs.

Part 5: Practical Grammar

Unit 15: Passive Voice

ActivePassive
They clean the room.The room is cleaned.
Someone stole my bag.My bag was stolen.

Examples:

  • The cake was made by Anna.
  • English is spoken in many countries.

Unit 16: Reported Speech

  • Direct: She said, “I am tired.”
  • Reported: She said that she was tired.

Examples:

  • He said he would call me.
  • They told me they were leaving.

Unit 17: Gerunds & Infinitives

  • Gerund (verb + -ing): I enjoy swimming.
  • Infinitive (to + verb): I want to swim.

Common Verbs:

  • enjoy, like, love + -ing
  • want, need, decide + to

Unit 18: Phrasal Verbs

  • Definition: Verb + preposition/adverb
    • get up, turn on, look after

Examples:

  • I get up at 7am.
  • Please turn on the light.
  • She looks after her brother.

Appendices

  • Irregular Verbs List: (go/went/gone, see/saw/seen, etc.)
  • Spelling Rules: (study → studied, stop → stopped)
  • Contractions: I’m, you’re, he’s, can’t, don’t
  • Additional Practice Exercises: Mixed grammar for review

Teaching & Practice Approach

  • Each unit: Explanation, table/chart, real-life examples, and exercises.
  • Practice: Fill-in-the-blanks, sentence writing, error correction, and short dialogues.
  • Study Guide: Diagnostic test to identify weak areas.
  • Answer Key: For self-checking.

Sample Enhanced Exercise (Unit 2)

Choose the correct form:

  1. She (play/plays) the piano every day.
  2. I (am reading/read) a book now.
  3. They (don’t like/doesn’t like) coffee.

Answers:

  1. plays
  2. am reading
  3. don’t like

Conclusion

This improved course keeps the logical progression and depth of Murphy’s original but adds:

  • A clearer, modular structure
  • Modern, relatable examples
  • Tables for quick reference
  • Real-life dialogues and practical exercises

This approach ensures learners not only understand grammar rules but can use them confidently in everyday communication1234.

⁂

  1. https://archive.org/download/EssentialGrammarInUse4thEditionByR.Murphy/Essential Grammar in Use 4th Edition by R. Murphy.pdf ↩︎

  2. https://www.cambridge.es/en/catalogue/grammar-vocabulary-and-pronunciation/grammar/essential-grammar-in-use4 ↩︎

  3. https://www.slideshare.net/slideshow/essential-grammar-in-use-4th-edition-by-r-murphypdf/255821575 ↩︎

  4. https://dl.zabanbook.com/Essential Grammar in Use 4th Edition/Essential Grammar in Use 4th Edition.pdf ↩︎

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