Grammar Essentials: The Complete Guide

Direct and Indirect Speech

Direct speech involves quoting someone’s exact words, while indirect speech involves paraphrasing.

  • Direct Speech: “She said, ‘I will help you.’”
  • Indirect Speech: “She said that she would help me.”

Gerunds and Infinitives

  • Gerunds are verbs acting as nouns, ending in “-ing” (e.g., “Running is fun.”).
  • Infinitives are verbs in their basic form, preceded by “to” (e.g., “I want to run.”).

Sentence Fragments and Run-On Sentences

  • Sentence Fragments: Incomplete sentences that lack a subject or a verb (e.g., “Because I was late”).
  • Run-On Sentences: Two or more independent clauses incorrectly joined without punctuation (e.g., “I like coffee I drink it every morning.”).