5 Tricky Grammar Rules You Should Remember

Overview

• Presenter: Wes
• Channel: Interactive English
• Goal: Help improve English skills through practicing difficult grammar rules.

1. Who vs Whom

• Who: Refers to the subject.
• Whom: Refers to the object of the verb or preposition.
• Trick: Use he/she for who and him/her for whom.
  • Example:
    • He would like some ice cream → Who would like some ice cream?
    • I should ask her for help → Whom should I ask for help?
• Noun Clauses: Can be tricky to determine who/whom.
  • Example:
    • He wrote the email → I don't know who wrote the email.
    • The email is about him → I don't know whom the email is about.
• Spoken English: In the US, people often use 'who' instead of 'whom.'
  • Example: That’s who you’re going against (should be whom).

2. American vs British Spelling

• Common Differences:
  • ** ER vs RE**: theater (US) vs theatre (UK)
  • ** Single L vs Double L**: traveled (US) vs travelled (UK)
  • ** O vs OU**: color (US) vs colour (UK)
• Advice: Be consistent in your spelling choice, either American or British.

3. Gender-Neutral Pronouns

• Issue: Lack of a widely accepted gender-neutral pronoun.
  • Example: He or She → People might use 'they' instead.
• Modern Usage: Increasing use of 'they' as a singular, gender-neutral pronoun.
  • Example: Is your friend taking a vacation? → Are they taking a vacation?
• Formal Writing: Prefer he/she. In speech, 'they' is often acceptable.

4. Irregular Plural Nouns

• General Rules:
  • Add S: shares
  • Add ES: boxes
  • Add IES: stories
• Irregular Plurals:
  • ** F or FE Endings**: Add VES
    • Example: wolf → wolves, leaf → leaves
  • Common Irregulars: Memorize them.
    • Example: child → children, foot → feet
  • Less Common: Memorize over time.
    • Example: ox → oxen, index → indices

5. Silent Letters in Pronunciation

• Examples:
  • KN: knee
  • WR: write
  • GN: foreign
• Historical Change: Silent letters due to changes in pronunciation over time (influences from other languages).
• Tips to Learn:
  1. Use subtitles when watching videos to see spellings and hear pronunciations.
  2. Listen to audiobooks while following along with the text.
  3. Watch pronunciation lessons that cover commonly mispronounced words/silent letters.
• Recommendation: Check out Wes's pronunciation video lessons on his playlist.

Additional Information

• Sponsor: Lingoda
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  • Offer: Free 7-day trial + 3 group classes. Use voucher code WEST7 for 20 euros discount on the first month.

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