Master These Common English Grammar Patterns

English Learning Team •
Master These Common English Grammar Patterns

A practical guide for Vietnamese learners to understand and correct frequent English grammar mistakes, with clear examples and explanations.

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Subject-Verb Agreement

One of the fundamental rules in English is that the subject and verb must agree in number. This means singular subjects need singular verbs, and plural subjects need plural verbs.
❌ Incorrect: - He play football every weekend. - The students in my class is very smart.
✅ Correct: - He plays football every weekend. - The students in my class are very smart.

Why? In the present simple tense:

  • Singular subjects (he/she/it) use verb + s
  • Plural subjects use the base form of the verb

Article Usage

Articles (a, an, the) are often challenging for Vietnamese speakers since Vietnamese doesn't have an equivalent system.
❌ Incorrect: - I bought ∅ new phone yesterday. - She is ∅ best student in class.
✅ Correct: - I bought a new phone yesterday. - She is the best student in class.

Why?

  • Use “a/an” for singular countable nouns when mentioning something for the first time
  • Use “the” when referring to something specific or already mentioned
💡 Pro Tip: Think of "the" as pointing to something specific, like when you point at something with your finger. If you can point at it specifically, you probably need "the".

Preposition Usage

Prepositions in English often don't match directly with their Vietnamese counterparts.
❌ Incorrect: - I will arrive to the airport at 3PM. - He is good in playing guitar.
✅ Correct: - I will arrive at the airport at 3PM. - He is good at playing guitar.

Common Patterns:

  • arrive at (a specific place)
  • good at (a skill)
  • different from (not different than/to)
  • depend on (not depend in/at)

Tense Usage

English has a more complex tense system compared to Vietnamese, which often leads to confusion.
❌ Incorrect: - I live in Hanoi since 2010. - When I arrived home, she already left.
✅ Correct: - I have lived in Hanoi since 2010. - When I arrived home, she had already left.

Key Points:

  • Use present perfect for actions starting in the past and continuing to now
  • Use past perfect for actions completed before another past action

Countable vs Uncountable Nouns

Understanding whether a noun is countable or uncountable affects article usage and verb agreement.
❌ Incorrect: - I need some informations about the course. - I would like to buy a furniture for my room.
✅ Correct: - I need some information about the course. - I would like to buy a piece of furniture for my room.

Common Uncountable Nouns:

  • information
  • furniture
  • advice
  • knowledge
  • homework
  • research

Practice Tips

To master these patterns, try these effective practice methods:

  1. Daily Journal Writing

    • Write about your day using the patterns you’ve learned
    • Have a native speaker or teacher check your writing

  2. Error Correction Exercise

    • Find mistakes in your own writing
    • Keep a log of your common mistakes
    • Practice correcting similar errors

  3. Pattern Practice

    • Create your own examples using each pattern
    • Practice with a study partner
    • Use flashcards for common patterns
💡 Remember: Learning from mistakes is a natural part of language learning. Don't be afraid to make mistakes – they're opportunities to improve!

Want to practice more? Try creating sentences using these patterns and share them in the comments below!