Nowadays, the English language is becoming more and more critical. Aside from having access to stable career growth through international opportunities, English is the surest way to connect with others. You get to know diverse cultures, lifestyles, and places— the more fluent you are, the better.

To give you some insights and lessons about English, I’ll share three basic grammar rules in this blog post; as essential as the word structure is understanding the patterns in language. Grammar is the foundation for speaking and fluency. So without further ado, here are the basic rules.

1. MIND YOUR CAPITAL LETTERS.

• Capitalize the first word of a sentence.
• Example:

1. Studying English with 11Talk teachers is the best way to be fluent.
2. My teacher is kind and friendly.

• Capitalize names and other proper nouns.
• Example:

1. I saw teachers Rachel and Ross yesterday in the park.
2. One of my online classmates is a Doctor.

• Capitalize the first word of a quote.
• Example:

1. “The limits of my language mean the limits of my world.” — Ludwig Wittgenstein
2. My seatmate reacted when I said, “Imagination is more important than knowledge.”

• Capitalize days, months, and holidays; cities, countries, nationalities, and languages; the period of times and events.
• Example:

1. My birthday is on November 10.
2. Monica and Chandler celebrated their Christmas in London.

2. PROPER USE OF PUNCTUATION MARKS.

• The period is used to end a declarative sentence.
• Example:

1. Phoebe was adamant when Ross and Rachel said they were on a break.
2. Browsing social media is sometimes unhealthy.

• A comma indicates a pause in a sentence.
• Example:

1. My fellow English learners, Hanna and Drew, were arguing aggressively last Monday.
2. Danny, the one I referred to as my teacher, canceled his class because he was sick.

• An exclamation point makes a sentence exciting.
• Example:

1. Oh my! You look amazing!
2. Hurry! The admission for Harry Style’s concert will close soon!

3. EXAMINE THE DIFFERENT WORDS WITH DIFFERENT MEANINGS AND USES.

• “Its” is a possessive pronoun. In contrast, “it’s” is the shortened form of “it is” or “it has.”
• Example:

1. Danica loves her book Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone. It’s her first book. “One thing I love about this book is its well-written plot twist,” she said.

• “Their” indicates ownership, and “they’re” means “they are.”
• Example:

1. The Chui’s house looks so elegant. It is their inheritance from their great-grandfather. They’re the sole owner of the house since they are the only ones present.

• “Your” means something belongs to you or the person you are talking to. “You’re” is the shortened version of “you are.”
• Example:

1. Thank you for inviting us to your home. You’re always accommodating and so fun to be with.

There you have the first-three basic rules of grammar. Next week, I’ll be sharing more rules. In the meantime, you can browse 11Talk’s official blog site to learn more about the English language.