BASIC ENGLISH GRAMMAR

Basic points of English Grammar
BY : TRUNG TRUC
THE SEVEN BASIC SENTENCE PATTERNS
Pattern I NOUN + VERB + ADVERBIAL
My father works at night.
Water vapour occurs in the air.
Pattern II NOUN + BE + ADVERBIAL
John is at the party.
Everyone should be there.
Pattern III NOUN + VERB + ADJECTIVE
The coffee tastes good.
The situation remains unchanged.
Pattern IV NOUN + LINKING VERB +NOUN
His father is a teacher.
We remain friends.
Pattern V NOUN + VERB + NOUN
Peter asked several questions.
Science requires accuracy.
Pattern VI NOUN+ VERB+ I.O +D.O
We told our mother the new.
The mayor gave the press an interview.


Pattern VII
NOUN + VERB + NOUN + COMPLEMENT
Her classmates elected Maria president
Perseverance made her a success.

SOME SPECIAL EXPRESSIONS
1. -No sooner ...than
-Hardly...when
-as soon as
We had no sooner gone out than it began to rain.
Our discussion had hardly been over when another started.
As soon as the astronaut saw Europe , he saw Asia.
2.-For the sake of
-for his (her) sake of
-because of
He worked even at night for the sake of his children.
He acted like that just for the sake of money.




3. -On condition that I`ll help you on condition that you must try your best.
4. moreover/ furthermore
I wouldn`t try to argue with him; moreover, it wouldn`t do any good.
5.however/ but /yet
From the earth the sky looks blue; however, from a spaceship it looks black.
6. The reason why...
The reason why that happened was because they misunderstood me.
The reason why he left school was that his mother got seriously ill.
7. therefore/ that`s why/ so/ consequently
Jeeps are light; therefore, they are fast.
Central Vietnam lies along the coast, so most of the people here make a living by fishing.
8. Owing to/ thanks to
Thanks to modern equipment, man has conquered the moon.
Owing to its favorable position , Singapore has made important economic progress.

9.- so that /- in order that
He went to France so that he could perfect his French.
10.- partly because
He didn`t joint the trip partly because he was busy, partly because he didn`t have enough money.
11.-once
Once his friends refused to help, he often spoke ill of them.
12. - not until / It is (was) not until.......that + clause
I didn`t see him until yesterday.
It was not until recent time that the pictures of Neptune were taken.
13. provided (that)
He will go to college provided (that) he wins a scholarship.
14. -let alone/ much less ( huống hồ, nói gì đến)
He can`t speak English and French, let alone Spanish.
He didn`t score a goal, much less two or three.
15.-What`s more / furthermore
Overeating makes a person unattractively fat; what`s more, it harms one`s health.
16. each time / whenever / once ( hễ / hễ mà )


Each time she gets angry, she usually breaks dishes.
Whenever Pelé scored a goal, his teammates carried him astride on their shoulders.
17.- no matter what / -whatever/ however +adj / adv.
- for all + N/ clause
-even if
-Adj. (adv.) + as + clause
No matter what had happened, they remained friends.
Even if it takes six months , I`m determined to finish the job.

For all her wealth, she doesn`t feel happy.
For all you say, I still like him.
Rich as he is , I don`t care.
Much as we respect Mr Green, we cannot agree that he is a wise politician.
However often you ring, no one will answer.
18. was v-ing...... when...v-ed..
The ship was sailing smoothly when a storm came.
19. The + comparative.....the + comparative.....
The more learned a man, the more modest he is.

20. consequently / as a consequence / as a result/hence/ therefore
The moon doesn`t have an atmosphere; as a consequence, no form of life exists there.
The spaceship lost its orbit; hence, all contacts by radio stopped.
21. but no +N
Vietnam has elephants and tigers ,but no lions.
He has much talent, but no virtue.
22. It is/was.....that........
It is with the help of electronic calculating machines that scientists can calculate the orbits of spaceships and satellites.
23. -as long as ( chừng nào mà )
She will go on talking as long as there is someone to listen.
24. Otherwise( bằng không)
We must leave at once; otherwise, we should be late.
25. he who / anyone who / one who ( hễ ai )
Would he who doesn`t understand raise his hand.



Knowledge is power