Basic Grammar — Only What You NEED

Don't memorise 12 tenses. You only need 4.

Tense 1: Present Simple

Rule	Example
For facts, habits, and general truths	"The sun rises in the east."
I/You/We/They → verb	"I eat breakfast every day."
He/She/It → verb + s	"He eats breakfast every day."

3 Examples:

"The table shows the results." ✅ (Use this in your essay!)
"Many students study hard every day."
"Water boils at 100 degrees Celsius."

⚠️ Common Mistake:

❌ "He go to school."
✅ "He goes to school." (He/She/It → add s)

Tense 2: Past Simple

Rule	Example
For finished actions in the past	"Yesterday, I went to school."
Regular: verb + ed	"I walked to the shop."
Irregular: change the word	"I ate / went / saw / did / had"

3 Examples:

"Last week, I visited my grandmother."
"She wrote a letter to her friend."
"They played football after school."

⚠️ Common Mistake:

❌ "Yesterday I go to the mall."
✅ "Yesterday I went to the mall." (Past time → past tense)

Tip: If you see "yesterday", "last week", "ago" → use Past Simple.

Tense 3: Present Continuous

Rule	Example
For actions happening NOW	"I am studying English."
am/is/are + verb + ing	"She is reading a book."

3 Examples:

"The students are waiting for the teacher."
"I am writing an essay right now."
"They are discussing the problem."

⚠️ Common Mistake:

❌ "He is go to school now."
✅ "He is going to school now." (Always use verb + ing)

Tense 4: Future (will / going to)

Rule	Example
will + verb → quick decision or promise	"I will help you."
going to + verb → planned future	"I am going to study tonight."

3 Examples:

"I will write the essay tomorrow."
"The government is going to build a new school."
"She will call you later."

⚠️ Common Mistake:

❌ "I will going to call you."
✅ "I will call you." (Use will OR going to, not both)

Subject-Verb Agreement (He/She/It → verb + s)

Correct	Wrong
"He runs fast."	❌ "He run fast."
"She likes coffee."	❌ "She like coffee."
"The dog barks loudly."	❌ "The dog bark loudly."
"They run fast."	✅ Plural = no s
"I like coffee."	✅ I/You = no s

Simple rule: If the subject is ONE person/thing (he, she, it) → verb needs s.

Articles: a / an / the

Article	When	Example
a	Before consonant sound	"a book, a car, a university (sounds like 'y')"
an	Before vowel sound (a, e, i, o, u)	"an apple, an hour (h is silent)"
the	For specific things	"the book on my table, the sun, the earth"

Simple tip:

First time you mention something → use a/an
Second time → use the
"I saw a cat. The cat was black."

Don't use a/an with plural:

❌ "a books"
✅ "a book" or "books"

Prepositions: in, on, at

For TIME

in	on	at
in months, years, morning/afternoon	on days, dates	at clock time, night
in May, in 2024, in the morning	on Monday, on June 5th	at 3pm, at night

"I was born in June."

"The exam is on Monday."

"The class starts at 8 o'clock."

For PLACE

in	on	at
in a city/country	on a street/surface	at a specific address/place
in Kuala Lumpur	on Jalan Ampang	at 123 Jalan Merdeka
in Malaysia	on the table	at school, at home

"I live in Malaysia."

"My book is on the table."

"She is at school."

Final Cheat Sheet

Grammar Point	Rule	Correct	Wrong
Present Simple	He/She/It → verb+s	"She works"	❌ "She work"
Past Simple	Use past form	"I went"	❌ "I go"
Present Continuous	am/is/are + verb+ing	"I am going"	❌ "I am go"
Future	will OR going to	"I will go"	❌ "I will going"
Article before vowel	use "an"	"an apple"	❌ "a apple"
Article before consonant	use "a"	"a book"	❌ "an book"
in + month/year	time	"in June"	❌ "on June"
on + day/date	time	"on Monday"	❌ "at Monday"
at + clock time	time	"at 5pm"	❌ "in 5pm"

Memorise only this table. It covers 90% of grammar mistakes in SPM.