120 Grammar Rules – Part 1: Pronouns, Nouns & Subject-Verb Agreement (Rules 1–24)

Rule 1: Difference between "Each" and "Every"

Students often use "Each" and "Every" interchangeably, but they are fundamentally different. Let me explain this like you're sitting in my classroom. Think of it this way — "Each" is like a teacher who takes attendance one by one, looking at every single student individually. "Every" is like a teacher who sweeps the room with one glance and says "everyone is here." Both always take a singular noun and singular verb.

Basic Rule: Both take singular verb

• ✅ Each student is very talented.
• ✅ Every student is very talented.
• ✅ Each of my students is very talented.
• ❌ Every of my students is very talented. ("Every" cannot be used as a pronoun — it is ONLY an adjective)

Key Differences (Exam Favourite!)

Why "Each" for two, "Every" for more than two?

Because "Each" focuses on individual identity — when you have two items, you can easily identify each one separately. "Every" implies a group, which logically needs at least three members.

• ✅ He has a book in each hand. (two hands — correct, focusing on individual hands)
• ❌ He has a book in every hand. (cannot use "every" for exactly two things)
• ✅ Each of his two children is smart. (two → use "each")
• ✅ Every child in this school is smart. (many children → use "every")

Special Case: "Every" with Abstract Nouns

"Every" (not "each") can be used with abstract nouns to mean "all possible":

• ✅ They have every reason to be happy. (= all possible reasons)
• ❌ They have each reason to be happy. (sounds odd with abstract thought)
• ✅ I wish you every success. (abstract → use "every")
• ✅ She made every effort to pass. (abstract → use "every")

🎯 Exam Trick: If you see "of" after the blank → it's "Each" (pronoun). If no "of" → both can work, but check number: exactly two → "Each", more than two → "Every".

Rule 2: "Both" and "Not" Cannot Be Used Together

This is a rule that even advanced English speakers get wrong! The word "Both" inherently means "the two together". When you add "not" to it, you create a logical contradiction — are you saying "the two together are not..."? That's ambiguous. Instead, use "Neither…nor" to clearly express that none of the two is doing something.

Why is "Both...not" wrong?

Consider: "Both Ram and Shyam are not going." Does this mean (a) Neither of them is going, OR (b) Only one of them is going? It's ambiguous! Grammar demands clarity, so we use "Neither...nor" to remove ambiguity.

• ❌ Both Ram and Shyam are not going to visit this place. (ambiguous!)
• ✅ Neither Ram nor Shyam is going to visit this place. (clear!)
• ❌ This is a war which both sides cannot win.
• ✅ This is a war which neither side can win.
• ❌ Both of them did not pass the exam.
• ✅ Neither of them passed the exam.

Remember: "Neither" always takes singular noun + singular verb when used alone, and means "not either" — strictly for two things. For more than two, use "None of them."

• ✅ Neither answer is correct. (two answers)
• ✅ None of the answers is/are correct. (three or more)

🎯 Exam Trick: Whenever you see "Both" + a negative word (not, never, cannot, hardly) in the same clause — it's an error. Replace with "Neither...nor".

Rule 3: Relative Pronouns — Who, Whom, Which, That

• "Who/Whom" → Used for people (and named/domestic animals).
• "Which" → Used for animals (general) and non-living things.
• "That" → Used for people, animals, or things (no restrictions).

Examples:

• ✅ The people who boarded the plane are in a rock band.
• ✅ The bomb, which killed 15 people, was terrible.
• ✅ The car that Jasprit bought runs on electricity.

Important: After all, any, the only, the same, none, much, no, the little, the few, something, anything, nothing, and superlative degrees — use "that" only:

• ❌ This is the same book which you were reading.
• ✅ This is the same book that you were reading.
• ✅ This is the best that I can do for you.

Rule 4: Conditional Sentences (If Clauses)

• ✅ If I study, I will pass the exam. (Type I)
• ✅ If I studied, I would pass the exam. (Type II)
• ✅ If I had studied, I would have passed the exam. (Type III)

Exception: For universal truths, use Simple Present in both clauses:

• ✅ If water reaches 100°C, it boils.

Rule 5: "One of the" + Plural Noun

This rule is a goldmine for exams — it appears in almost every error spotting paper! The logic is simple: when you say "one of the...", you are picking one item from a group. The group must be plural (because it contains multiple items), but the subject "one" is singular.

Basic Pattern

• ✅ One of the birds is red. (noun = plural "birds", verb = singular "is" because subject = "one")
• ❌ One of the bird is red. (noun after "one of the" MUST be plural)
• ✅ One of my friends has gone abroad.
• ❌ One of my friend has gone abroad.

Tricky Part: What about the relative clause after it?

This is where most students make mistakes. If there's a "who/that/which" clause, the verb depends on what "who" refers to:

• ✅ She is one of the mothers who are working hard. ("who" refers to "mothers" → plural verb)
• ✅ Rina is the only one of the girls who has been to India. ("who" refers to "the only one" → singular verb)
• ✅ He is one of the students who have cleared the exam. ("who" = students → plural)

🎯 Exam Trick: "One of the" = noun must be PLURAL. "The only one of the" = verb in relative clause is SINGULAR. Without "only" = verb is PLURAL.

Rule 6: Number + Unit + Noun = Singular Unit (Hyphenated Compound)

When a number + unit combination works as an adjective before a noun, the unit word stays singular and is joined with hyphens. Think of it as one compound adjective describing the noun.

Why singular?

Because "ten-inch" is acting as a single adjective, not a measurement. Just like you say "a beautiful snake" (not "a beautifuls snake"), you say "a ten-inch snake" (not "a ten-inches snake").

• ✅ He saw a ten-inch snake. (adjective — singular)
• ❌ He saw a ten-inches snake.
• ✅ She gave me two five-hundred-rupee notes.
• ✅ It was a three-hour movie. (not "three-hours")
• ✅ She is a ten-year-old girl. (not "ten-years-old")
• ✅ This is a twenty-foot wall. (not "twenty-feet")

When to use plural?

When the unit stands alone (not as an adjective before a noun):

• ✅ I have five rupees. (standalone — plural)
• ✅ The snake was ten inches long. (standalone — plural)
• ✅ He had five dozen eggs. ("dozen" is always singular after a number)
• ✅ Dozens of people came. (no specific number → plural)

Rule 7: Time, Money, Distance — Singular or Plural Verb

This rule confuses many students because they think "ten miles" or "five thousand rupees" sounds plural. The secret is: it depends on how the amount is being used or distributed.

One way / One lump sum → Singular verb

When the entire amount is treated as a single unit (covered in one way, spent as one sum):

• ✅ Ten miles needs to be covered on foot. (one way only)
• ✅ Five thousand rupees is a big deal for him. (one amount)
• ✅ Ten years is a long time to wait. (one duration)
• ✅ Two kilograms is the weight of this package.

Multiple ways / Split → Plural verb

When the amount is divided or distributed across different uses:

• ✅ Ten miles need to be covered partly by car and rest on foot. (two ways)
• ✅ Five thousand rupees were spent on food and entertainment. (split spending)
• ✅ Ten years have been spent on different projects. (split time)

🎯 Exam Trick: If the sentence mentions one purpose → singular. If it mentions multiple purposes or "and" → plural.

Rule 8: Comparisons — "All" vs "Any Other"

This rule is about logical consistency in comparisons, and it's a favourite in competitive exams. The core idea: you cannot compare something with a group that includes itself!

The Logic Behind It

If you say "Gold is more precious than all metals" — you're saying gold is more precious than gold (because gold IS a metal!). That's illogical. Use "any other" to exclude gold from the comparison group.

• ❌ Gold is more precious than all metals. (Gold is a metal — comparing with itself!)
• ✅ Gold is more precious than any other metal. ("any other" excludes gold)
• ✅ Diamond is more precious than all metals. (Diamond is NOT a metal — no self-comparison)

The Rule in Simple Words

• ❌ Delhi is bigger than all cities in India. (Delhi IS an Indian city!)
• ✅ Delhi is bigger than any other city in India.
• ✅ Delhi is bigger than any city in Pakistan. (Delhi is NOT in Pakistan — OK!)
• ❌ Sachin is better than all Indian cricketers.
• ✅ Sachin is better than any other Indian cricketer.

🎯 Exam Trick: Check if the subject belongs to the comparison group. If YES → use "any other". If NO → use "all/any".

Rule 9: "Since" vs "For" (Prepositions of Time)

This is one of the most commonly tested rules in exams! The confusion happens because both words talk about time, but they approach it differently. Let me give you a simple memory trick.

The Simple Rule

Examples

• ✅ He has been here for 6 months. (duration — how long)
• ✅ I've known her since last week. (starting point — from when)
• ✅ It has been raining since 8 a.m. (specific time)
• ✅ She has lived in Delhi for ten years. (duration)
• ✅ They have been friends since childhood. (starting point)
• ❌ He has been working here since five years. → ✅ ...working here for five years.

Important: "Since" + Simple Past (Never Past Perfect)

When a clause follows "since", it must be in Simple Past, not Past Perfect:

• ❌ I had been waiting since I had completed my graduation.
• ✅ I had been waiting since I completed my graduation.
• ❌ She has been absent since she had fallen ill.
• ✅ She has been absent since she fell ill.

🎯 Exam Trick: Can you put a number before it? (5 days, 3 hours) → use "for". Can you put a date/day/year? (Monday, 2020, morning) → use "since".

Rule 10: Two Past Actions — Past Perfect + Simple Past

When two actions happened in the past, we need to show which one happened first. Think of it like a timeline — the earlier action gets Past Perfect (had + V3), and the later action gets Simple Past (V2). This is how English creates a "flashback" within the past.

The Timeline Logic

📌 Action 1 (earlier) → Past Perfect (had + V3)
📌 Action 2 (later) → Simple Past (V2)

• ❌ The patient died before the doctor arrived. (both in Simple Past — unclear which happened first!)
• ✅ The patient had died before the doctor arrived. (clear: death happened first)
• ❌ He had finished the work after we had met him. (two Past Perfects — wrong!)
• ✅ He finished the work after we had met him. (meeting happened first)
• ✅ After the guests had left, I went to bed. (leaving first, then sleeping)
• ✅ The train had left before I reached the station.

Common Signal Words

before, after, by the time, already, when, until — these signal words often indicate two past actions and require this rule.

🎯 Exam Trick: If you see "before/after/by the time" connecting two past events, one MUST be Past Perfect. Never use two Past Perfects in the same sentence!

Rule 11: Possessive Adjective Before a Gerund

A gerund is a verb form (V1+ing) that acts as a noun. Since it's acting as a noun, it needs a possessive adjective (my, his, her, our, their, your) before it — just like any other noun would. Think of it this way: "I don't mind your question" → similarly, "I don't mind your asking."

How to identify a gerund?

If the -ing form is working as a noun (you can replace it with a noun and the sentence still works), it's a gerund.

• ❌ I hope you don't mind me borrowing your car. ("me" is objective case)
• ✅ I hope you don't mind my borrowing your car. ("my" = possessive before gerund)
• ✅ I know his reading every night has helped him pass the test.
• ✅ My father doesn't like my going outside with Ram.
• ❌ We were surprised at him winning the tournament.
• ✅ We were surprised at his winning the tournament.

🎯 Exam Trick: See a pronoun before an -ing word? Ask: is the -ing word acting as a NOUN? If yes → use possessive (my/his/her). If the -ing word is describing the pronoun (like "I saw him running") → objective is fine.

Rule 12: Law of Inversion (Helping Verb Before Subject)

Normally in English, the order is: Subject + Helping Verb + Main Verb. But when a sentence starts with certain negative or restrictive adverbs, the order flips — the helping verb comes before the subject. This is called inversion.

Words that trigger inversion

Never, Rarely, Seldom, Hardly, Scarcely, No sooner, Not only, Nowhere, Neither, Nor, Little, Only then

• Normal: I have never seen such beauty. → Inverted: Never have I seen such beauty.
• ✅ Rarely did he go there. (not "Rarely he did go")
• ✅ Seldom have I seen such a beautiful view.
• ✅ Not only did she win the prize, but she also topped the class.

"No sooner…than" (NEVER "when")

• ❌ No sooner had I entered the class when it began to rain.
• ✅ No sooner had I entered the class than it began to rain.

"Neither/Nor" also follows inversion

• ❌ He never goes to temple. Neither she does.
• ✅ He never goes to temple. Neither does she.
• ✅ I don't like pizza. Nor do I like burgers.

🎯 Memory Trick: If the sentence starts with a "negative feeling" word (never, rarely, hardly, seldom, no sooner) → FLIP the helping verb before the subject.

Rule 13: Article "The" with Places (Primary vs Secondary Purpose)

This is a beautiful, logical rule! Certain institutions like school, hospital, temple, church, jail, bed, market have a primary purpose (the main reason they exist). When someone goes there for that purpose, we don't use "the". When they go for any other reason, we use "the".

Primary Purpose = No "The"

• ✅ Children go to school every day. (primary purpose = to study)
• ✅ He goes to temple. (primary purpose = to worship)
• ✅ The politician was sent to jail. (primary = as a prisoner)
• ✅ He is in hospital. (he is a patient)
• ✅ I go to bed at 10 pm. (primary = to sleep)

Secondary Purpose = Use "The"

• ✅ He goes to the temple to deliver food. (not for worship → secondary)
• ✅ I went to the school to meet the principal. (not to study → secondary)
• ✅ She visited the hospital to meet her friend. (not a patient → secondary)
• ❌ The politician was sent to the jail. (wrong — going as prisoner = primary)

Rule 14: Hardly/Scarcely + "When" vs No sooner + "Than"

These are fixed pairs in English that you must memorize as a unit. They express the idea that "as soon as one thing happened, another thing happened immediately."

Fixed Pairs (Never Mix Them!)

• ✅ Hardly had I begun to speak when I was interrupted.
• ✅ Scarcely had we started our meal when the phone rang.
• ✅ No sooner had I arrived than they started to argue.
• ❌ Hardly had she entered than he left. (wrong pair!)
• ❌ No sooner had he come when it rained. (wrong pair!)

🎯 Memory Trick: Hardly → When (H-W). No sooner → Than (N-T). Just remember HW and NT!

Rules 15 & 16: Reflexive Pronouns — When to Use and When NOT to Use

Reflexive pronouns (myself, himself, herself, ourselves, themselves) are used when the subject and object are the same person. But there are two important sub-rules that exams love to test:

Rule 15: Verbs that NEED reflexive pronouns (when no other object)

These verbs are transitive — they MUST have an object. When no external object is mentioned, the reflexive pronoun fills that role:

enjoy, avail, absent, pride, adjust, reconcile, acquit, amuse, resign

• ✅ He enjoyed himself at the party. (no other object → reflexive needed)
• ✅ She availed herself of the opportunity.
• ✅ He absented himself from the class.
• ✅ She prided herself on her cooking.
• ✅ They enjoyed the picture last evening. ("picture" is the object → no reflexive needed!)

Rule 16: Verbs that NEVER take reflexive pronouns

These verbs are intransitive — they don't need any object at all:

hide, keep, stop, turn, qualify, bathe, move, rest, spread, steal

• ❌ He hid himself in the room. → ✅ He hid in the room.
• ❌ She has qualified herself for the post. → ✅ She has qualified for the post.
• ❌ Please stop yourself. → ✅ Please stop.
• ❌ He rested himself for an hour. → ✅ He rested for an hour.

🎯 Exam Trick: See "himself/herself" after a verb? Ask: does this verb NEED an object? If the verb can stand alone (hide, rest, stop) → remove the reflexive. If it can't (enjoy, avail, absent) and there's no other object → keep the reflexive.

Rule 17: "As well as", "Together with", "Along with" — Verb Agrees with First Subject

This is a critical rule that exams test heavily! When two subjects are connected by certain phrases, the verb does NOT agree with the nearest subject — it agrees with the first (main) subject. Why? Because phrases like "as well as" and "along with" are not true conjunctions like "and". They are parenthetical phrases — extra information that can be removed without changing the core sentence.

Key Phrases (verb agrees with FIRST subject)

as well as, together with, along with, and not, in addition to, like, unlike, with, rather than, except, no less than, nothing but, more than one

• ✅ John, as well as Mary, wants to drop the course. (John = singular → wants)
• ✅ The publisher, as well as the writers, has come. (publisher = singular)
• ✅ He, and not his friends, is found guilty. (he = singular)
• ✅ California, along with Florida, is among the most popular. (California = singular)
• ✅ The teachers, along with the Principal, are entering. (teachers = plural → are)
• ✅ Nothing but roses is available here. ("nothing" = singular)
• ✅ More than one student was absent. ("more than one" = grammatically singular)

Compare with "and" (true conjunction)

• ✅ John and Mary want to drop the course. ("and" makes it plural!)
• ✅ The publisher and the writers have come.

🎯 Exam Trick: Mentally remove the "as well as / along with" phrase. What's left is the real subject — match the verb to THAT. Example: "John, as well as Mary, wants..." → John wants. Perfect!

Rule 18: Noun vs Verb — Confusing Word Pairs

In English, many words look and sound similar but have different forms for noun and verb. These are exam favourites because students often use the noun form where the verb should be, or vice versa.

Complete Table of Confusing Pairs

• ✅ I advise you to practise a lot since practice makes a man perfect.
• ✅ He gave me a piece of advice. (noun — uses "c")
• ✅ It is my belief that my students are talented. I believe my students.
• ❌ He gave me good advise. → ✅ He gave me good advice. (noun needs "c")

🎯 Memory Trick: In most pairs, the noun has "c" and the verb has "s". "C" = thing (noun), "S" = action (verb).

Rule 19: Pronoun Cases in Comparisons (Subject vs Object)

This is a rule that even native speakers often get wrong by using "me" where "I" should be. When you compare two people, you must compare like with like. Subjective case must be compared with the subjective case, and objective with objective.

The Logic: The "Invisible Verb"

To find the right pronoun, just finish the sentence in your mind. If you can add a verb at the end, it's a subjective case comparison.

• ❌ She is taller than me. (Can you say "than me is"? No.)
• ✅ She is taller than I. (Short for: She is taller than I am.)
• ✅ He is as smart as she. (Short for: ...as smart as she is.)

The Difference in Meaning (Exam Special!)

Choosing the wrong case can completely change what you're saying:

• ✅ My parents scold me more than he. (= more than he scolds me. Comparison between parents and him.)
• ✅ My parents scold me more than him. (= more than they scold him. Comparison between me and him.)

🎯 Exam Trick: If the comparison is about a quality (tall, short, smart, fast), always use the subjective case (I, he, she, they, we).

Rule 20: Who vs Whom (Subject vs Object)

If Rule 19 was about cases, Rule 20 is about relative pronouns. Many students find "Whom" scary, but it's actually very simple if you use the "He/Him" Test.

The "He/Him" Test

Ask yourself: would the answer be "He" or "Him"?
📌 If the answer is He → use Who (both end in vowel sounds).
📌 If the answer is Him → use Whom (both end in "m").

• ✅ Jyoti is the girl who got the job. (Who got it? He/She got it → Who)
• ✅ Jack is the man whom I met. (I met who? I met him → Whom)
• ✅ Mrs. Dixit consulted an astrologer whom she met in Sonpur.
• ✅ Whom can we turn to? (We turn to him/her → Whom)

Advanced Trap: Who / Whom for "I think / He says"

Often, sentences have extra phrases like "I think" or "he believes" that distract you. Ignore them!

• ✅ He is the boy who I think is the thief. (Ignore "I think" → Who is the thief? He is.)
• ❌ He is the boy whom I think is the thief. (Wrong!)

Rule 21: No Possessive Case Before Certain Nouns

In English, certain nouns represent an abstract state or action that don't logically "belong" to a person as a possession. Using your, his, her, my before these words is a common error in competitive exams.

The Forbidden List

separation, excuse, mention, favour, pardon, leave, report, sight

• ❌ Your separation pains me. → ✅ Separation from you pains me.
• ❌ I want your favour. → ✅ I want favour from you.
• ❌ His mention in the story was brief. → ✅ Mention of him was brief.
• ❌ At his sight, the thief ran away. → ✅ At the sight of him, the thief ran away.
• ✅ I beg your pardon. (Wait! This is an exception used commonly in polite English, but for exams, follow the "from you" rule.)

🎯 Memory Trick: For these 8 words, always use the pattern: [Noun] + of/from + [Person].

Rule 22: "Each Other" vs "One Another" (Reciprocal Pronouns)

When two or more people perform an action to one another, we use reciprocal pronouns. The choice depends entirely on the total number of people involved.

The Simple Split

• "Each other" → strictly for exactly two people or things.
• "One another" → for three or more (a group).

Examples

• ✅ The two brothers fought with each other.
• ❌ All citizens should love each other. → ✅ ...love one another.
• ✅ The five players encouraged one another.
• ✅ Peter and Mary helped each other.

🎯 Exam Trick: "Each other" = 2. "One another" = 2+. If the sentence implies a large group (students, villagers, citizens), "one another" is your answer.

Rule 23: Fixed Adverbial Pairs (Seldom or Never)

Some expressions in English are fixed pairs. You can use "or" with a negative or "if" with a positive. Mixing them up (like "Seldom or ever") is a logical error.

The Correct Pairs

• ✅ Seldom or never (meaning: almost never or strictly never)
• ✅ Seldom, if ever (meaning: seldom, or perhaps once in a while)
• ✅ Little or nothing
• ✅ Little, if anything

Examples

• ❌ Seldom or ever does he come here. → ✅ Seldom or never...
• ✅ Seldom, if ever, does he smoke.
• ❌ He knows little or anything about music. → ✅ ...little or nothing...
• ✅ There is little, if anything, left to say.

🎯 Memory Trick: "Or" wants a friend like itself (Negative + Negative). "If" is used for doubt (Negative + Positive/Potential).

Rule 24: "Very" vs "Much" (Degrees and Participles)

Both "Very" and "Much" are used for emphasis, but they have very strict rules about what kind of words they can modify.

The Basic Split

Examples

• ✅ He is very smart. (Positive)
• ✅ He is much smarter than you. (Comparative)
• ✅ It is a very interesting book. (Present Participle)
• ✅ I am much interested in this project. (Past Participle)
• ✅ He is the very best student. (The + Very + Superlative)
• ✅ He is much the best student. (Much + The + Superlative)

🎯 Exam Trick: See a V3 (interested, tired, excited)? Use "Much". See a V-ing (exciting, boring, tiring)? Use "Very".