Grammar tricks that work across all languages

FANBOYS = Coordinating Conjunctions

FFor — explains reason

AAnd — adds information

NNor — negative addition

BBut — shows contrast

OOr — presents alternatives

YYet — shows contrast (like but)

SSo — shows result

Subject + Verb + Object = SVO (English default)

Word Order — "The cat (S) ate (V) the fish (O)." English is SVO. Japanese, Korean, Turkish are SOV (Subject-Object-Verb). Arabic is VSO. Understanding default word order helps learn any language faster.

Transitive = needs an object. Intransitive = doesn't.

Verb Types — "She kicked the ball" — kicked is transitive (needs "the ball"). "She slept" — slept is intransitive (complete without an object). Some verbs can be both depending on usage.

Affect = verb. Effect = noun. (usually)

Affect vs Effect — "Stress affects health" (verb). "The effect of stress on health" (noun). Memory trick: RAVEN — Remember Affect is a Verb, Effect is a Noun. Exceptions exist but this works 95% of the time.

Active: Subject does. Passive: Subject receives.

Active vs Passive Voice — Active: "The dog bit the man." Passive: "The man was bitten by the dog." Passive voice uses a form of "to be" + past participle. Academic writing prefers active voice unless the agent is unknown.

Comma rules: FANBOYS join independent clauses. Use comma before the conjunction.

Comma with Coordinating Conjunctions — Two independent clauses joined by FANBOYS need a comma before the conjunction: 'I wanted coffee, but the café was closed.' No comma needed if the second part is NOT an independent clause: 'I wanted coffee but couldn't find any.' Test: can each part stand alone as a sentence?

Apostrophes: possession (John's book) or contraction (it's = it is). Its = possessive, no apostrophe.

Apostrophe Rules — Possession: add 's to singular nouns (the dog's bone). Plural nouns ending in s: add apostrophe after (the dogs' bones). Contraction: it's = it is. Its (no apostrophe) = possessive pronoun. 'The dog wagged its tail. It's a happy dog.' Substitute 'it is' — if it works, use it's.

Run-on sentences: two independent clauses joined without proper punctuation. Fix: period, semicolon, or FANBOYS.

Run-On Sentences — Run-on: 'I was tired I went to bed.' Fix three ways: period ('I was tired. I went to bed.'), semicolon ('I was tired; I went to bed.'), coordinating conjunction ('I was tired, so I went to bed.'). Comma splice: using only a comma — also wrong.

Parallel structure: items in a list or comparison must have the same grammatical form

Parallel Structure — Wrong: 'I like running, to swim, and cycling.' Right: 'I like running, swimming, and cycling.' Parallelism with correlative conjunctions: 'either...or,' 'not only...but also,' 'both...and' — each side must match. Lack of parallel structure is a very common grammar error on standardized tests.

Pronoun agreement: singular antecedent needs singular pronoun. 'Everyone' and 'each' are singular.

Pronoun-Antecedent Agreement — Wrong: 'Everyone should bring their pencils.' (Everyone is singular.) Correct: 'Everyone should bring his or her pencil.' Or rewrite plural: 'All students should bring their pencils.' Indefinite pronouns that are ALWAYS singular: everyone, everyone, each, either, neither, one.

Semicolons join two independent clauses without a conjunction. Colons introduce a list or explanation.

Semicolons and Colons — Semicolon: 'I was tired; I went to bed.' — both sides must be independent clauses. Can also separate list items that contain commas. Colon: introduces what follows — a list, explanation, or quotation. 'She had one goal: to graduate.' What follows the colon elaborates on what came before.

Dangling modifier: 'Walking home, the rain started.' — the rain wasn't walking. Fix: 'Walking home, I got caught in the rain.'

Dangling and Misplaced Modifiers — Dangling modifier: the word being modified isn't in the sentence. 'Having studied all night, the exam seemed easy.' (The exam didn't study.) Fix: 'Having studied all night, I found the exam easy.' Misplaced modifier: modifier is in the wrong position. 'She almost drove her kids to school every day.' (Almost every day vs almost drove)