English Grammar Checklist: 10 Rules to Check Before Sending

Priya Sharma

Priya Sharma writes English learning guides for ESL students. Pune-based language enthusiast.

Visual representation of the voice · not a photographic portrait

Quick answer: Check subject-verb agreement first, then verb tenses, articles, countable versus uncountable words (few versus little) and question word order. These areas cause most visible errors. Read your text out loud at the end to catch what your eyes missed.↗ Share on X

Before you send any English text, check these first: subject–verb agreement ("she works," not "she work"), verb tense, articles (a, an, the), countable vs. uncountable words ("few" vs. "little"), and word order in questions. These five areas cause most of the errors that make writing look careless. The checklist below explains each rule in simple words, shows right and wrong examples, and gives you a quick five-minute routine to check your writing.

Why check grammar in a specific order?

READ ALSOPick the Right English Tense for Daily Life Easily →English Grammar Rules to Learn First When Time Is Short →English Grammar Rules With Limited Time: The Essentials →

When you check everything at once, you miss things. Your brain reads what you *meant* to write, not what is on the page. A short checklist, used in the same order every time, catches more mistakes.

Start with the errors that change meaning or look most obvious. Leave small style choices for last.

Rule 1: Does the verb match the subject?

In the present simple tense, add -s or -es to the verb when the subject is *he, she, it*, or one person or thing.

Watch out for:

• Words between the subject and verb. In "The list of names is long," the subject is *list* (one), not *names*.
• Words like *everyone, someone, nobody, each*. They take a singular verb.

Quick check: Find the main subject in each sentence. Ask "one or many?" Then look at the verb.

Rule 2: Is the tense right and consistent?

READ ALSOThe 12 English Mistakes That Make You Sound Like a Beginner →English Grammar Checklist: The 10 Mistakes to Fix First →10 English Grammar Rules Beginners Need, With Real Examples →

Pick the tense that fits the time, and do not switch without a reason.

• Present simple – habits and facts: "I walk to work."
• Present continuous – happening now: "I am walking to work."
• Past simple – finished time: "I walked to work yesterday."
• Present perfect – past action linked to now, no specific time: "I have walked to work many times."

Common mistakes:

Quick check: Underline every time word (*yesterday, since, now, already, last week*). Make sure the verb near it matches.

Rule 3: Are you using a, an, and the correctly?

Articles are hard for many learners because some languages do not have them.

• Use a before a consonant sound: *a car, a university* (sounds like "you").
• Use an before a vowel sound: *an apple, an hour* (the "h" is silent).
• Use the when both people know which thing you mean: *the car in the garage.*
• Use no article for general plural or uncountable ideas: *Dogs are loyal. Water is important.*

Quick check: Look at every singular countable noun. It almost always needs *a, an, the, my, this*, or a similar word in front.

Rule 4: Few, a few, little, a little – which one?

This is one of the most confused pairs in English. Two things matter: whether the noun is countable, and whether you feel positive or negative about the amount.

• Countable nouns (you can count them: friends, books, days): use few / a few.
• Uncountable nouns (you cannot count them: time, money, water): use little / a little.

The small word "a" changes the feeling:

Wrong: "I have a few money." → Right: "I have a little money."

Wrong: "I have little friends." → Right: "I have few friends." (Note: "little friends" means friends who are small.)

Quick check: Ask "Can I count it?" Then ask "Am I saying there is enough, or not enough?"

Rule 5: Is the word order right in questions?

In most English questions, the helping verb comes before the subject.

Exception: In indirect questions, use normal order. "Can you tell me where the station is?" (not "where is the station").

Rule 6: Are your prepositions correct?

Prepositions (in, on, at, for, to) often do not translate directly from other languages. For time, a simple rule helps:

• at – exact times: *at 7 p.m., at noon*
• on – days and dates: *on Monday, on May 5*
• in – months, years, seasons, longer periods: *in July, in 2024, in the morning*

Common fixed pairs to memorize: *depend on, interested in, good at, married to, listen to, arrive at (a place) / in (a city).*

Rule 7: Is it "its" or "it's"? "Your" or "you're"?

These words sound the same but mean different things.

Quick check: Replace the word with the long form ("it is," "you are"). If the sentence still makes sense, use the apostrophe.

Rule 8: Are your sentences complete and not too long?

Two common problems:

• Fragments: a sentence without a main verb or subject. "Because I was tired." → "I went home early because I was tired."
• Run-on sentences: two full sentences joined with only a comma. "I was tired, I went home." → "I was tired, so I went home." or "I was tired. I went home."

Quick check: Each sentence needs a subject and a verb. If you have two full ideas, join them with *and, but, so, because*, or use a period.

Rule 9: Are you using make and do correctly?

• make – creating or producing something: *make a decision, make a mistake, make money, make a plan.*
• do – tasks, work, and activities: *do homework, do the dishes, do business, do your best.*

"Do a mistake" is a very common error. It should be "make a mistake."

Rule 10: Are plurals and irregular forms right?

Some nouns do not just add -s:

• child → children
• person → people
• man → men
• tooth → teeth

Some words stay the same: *sheep, fish, series.*

Some nouns are always uncountable, so they never take -s: *information, advice, furniture, equipment, homework, news.* Say "some information," not "some informations."

What is the fastest way to check your writing?

Use this five-minute routine before you send an email, post, or assignment:

1. Read it once for meaning. Does it say what you want?

2. Check subjects and verbs (Rule 1).

3. Check time words and tenses (Rule 2).

4. Check nouns: articles, countable or not, plurals (Rules 3, 4, 10).

5. Check questions and sentence length (Rules 5, 8).

6. Read it out loud slowly. Your ear often catches what your eyes miss.

Grammar tools can help, but they are not perfect. They sometimes miss errors and sometimes suggest changes that alter your meaning. Use them as a second check, not the only check.

How do you stop making the same mistakes?

Keep a personal error list. Every time a teacher, tool, or friend corrects you, write the wrong version and the right version in a notebook or phone note. Review it once a week. Most learners repeat the same five to ten errors, so a personal list is more useful than a general grammar book.

Your next step today

Open the last email or message you wrote in English. Run the five-minute routine above on it. Write down every error you find in a new "My Errors" note, with the corrected version next to it. Tomorrow, before you write anything new, read that note once.

FAQ

What is the difference between few and a few?

A few means some, enough (positive). Few means almost none (negative). Both are used with countable nouns.

When do I use little instead of few?

Use little and a little with uncountable nouns like time, money and water. Use few and a few with countable nouns like friends and books.

Are grammar checker tools enough?

They help, but they miss some errors and can change your meaning. Use them as a second check after your own review.