Course on Main Grammar Concepts - TOEIC® Preparation
When learning English, it is essential to understand how words function in a sentence. These classifications are called grammar categories. These categories allow analyzing the structure of a sentence.
The main objective of this course is to introduce the main grammar concepts. You will find for each part a link to a complete course, to best prepare for the TOEIC®.
1. Main Grammar Categories (Parts of Speech)
English has 8 main grammar categories, plus determiners that play an essential role in sentence structure. Here is a general overview in table form:
| Category | Definition | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| Nouns | Refer to a person, place, object, or idea. | cat, London, happiness, book, information |
| Pronouns | Replace a noun to avoid repetition. | he, she, it, they, myself, yours, someone |
| Verbs | Express an action or state. | run, be, seem, write, eat |
| Adjectives | Describe a noun (color, size, opinion, etc.). | beautiful, small, delicious, intelligent |
| Adverbs | Modify a verb, adjective, or another adverb. | quickly, very, often, well, carefully |
| Prepositions | Link words by expressing a relationship (place, time, manner, etc.). | on, in, at, under, before, after, because of |
| Conjunctions | Link words or clauses. | and, but, or, so, because, although |
| Interjections | Exclaim a spontaneous emotion. | Wow!, Oh!, Oops!, Hey! |
| Determiners | Introduce a noun and specify its reference. | a, an, the, this, those, some, many |
In this course, you can find the associated sub-courses for each of these categories to prepare for the TOEIC®.
2. Common Prefixes in English
Prefixes are elements added to the beginning of a word to change its meaning. They often introduce a negation, an opposition, or a change of perspective.
| Prefix | Meaning | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| un- | Negation, opposite | happy → unhappy, fair → unfair |
| dis- | Opposition, negation | agree → disagree, connect → disconnect |
| re- | Repetition, do again | write → rewrite, build → rebuild |
| mis- | Misuse, error | understand → misunderstand, spell → misspell |
| in-/im-/il-/ir- | Negation (varies with the following letter) | possible → impossible, legal → illegal, regular → irregular |
3. Suffixes and Their Role in Identifying the Grammar Category
Suffixes are elements added to the end of a word to change its meaning or change its grammar category. For example, a verb can become a noun or an adjective through a suffix.
| Suffix | Indicates a... | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| -tion / -sion / -ation | Noun (action, state) | decide → decision, create → creation |
| -ment | Noun (result, state) | develop → development, agree → agreement |
| -ness | Noun (quality, state) | happy → happiness, dark → darkness |
| -ity / -ty | Noun (quality, state) | active → activity, rare → rarity |
| -er / -or | Noun (person or object doing an action) | teach → teacher, act → actor |
| -able / -ible | Adjective (possibility) | rely → reliable, access → accessible |
| -ous | Adjective (quality, state) | danger → dangerous, fame → famous |
| -ful | Adjective (full of) | beauty → beautiful, help → helpful |
| -less | Adjective (absence of) | home → homeless, use → useless |
| -ive | Adjective (tendency, nature) | act → active, create → creative |
| -ly | Adverb (manner) | quick → quickly, beautiful → beautifully |
| -ize / -ise (UK) | Verb (transform, make) | modern → modernize, real → realize |
| -ify | Verb (make) | clear → clarify, simple → simplify |
| -ate | Verb (action, process) | active → activate, illustrate → illustrate |
These suffixes allow you to guess the nature of a word in a sentence. If you see a word ending in -ly, it is likely an adverb. Similarly, a word ending in -tion is probably a noun.
4. Common Prepositions and Their Uses
Prepositions are used to link different elements of a sentence. They mainly express a relationship of place, time, or means.
| Type | Prepositions | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| Place Prepositions | in, on, at, under, between, next to | She is in the house. The book is on the table. |
| Time Prepositions | before, after, during, since, for, at, on, in | I will call you after lunch. He has lived here since 2010. |
| Means Prepositions | by, with, via, through | He traveled by car. I wrote the letter with a pen. |
| Cause/Motive Prepositions | because of, due to, thanks to | She was late because of the traffic. |
- 🔗 Course on prepositions for the TOEIC®
- 🔗 Course on which preposition to choose after a verb for the TOEIC®
- 🔗 Course on which preposition to choose after an adjective for the TOEIC®
- 🔗 Course on which preposition to choose after or before a noun in English
5. Common Conjunctions and Their Function
Conjunctions are essential for linking elements in a sentence and establishing logical connections.
| Type | Conjunctions | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| Coordinating Conjunctions | and, but, or, so, yet, nor | I like coffee and tea. He was tired but happy. |
| Subordinating Conjunctions | because, although, when, if, since, unless | I stayed home because I was sick. If you study, you will succeed. |
Conclusion
These tables provide a clear and quick view of grammar categories. They will help you better structure your sentences and avoid mistakes. Feel free to click on each link to discover a more complete course.