IV. PRONOUNS

1. The pronoun is the part of speech used to replace an unnecessary noun. It is used for
convenience and to reduce redundancy.
Table 3 – Simple Pronoun Declension
First Person
Singular Plural
Nominative I Nominative We
Possessive My or mine Possessive Our
Objective Me Objective Us
Second Person
Older Modern
Singular Plural Singular Plural
Nominative Thou Ye Nominative You You
Possessive Thy or thine Your Possessive Your Your
Objective Thee You Objective You You
Third Person
Singular Plural
Masculine Feminine Neuter Neuter or Common
Nominative He She It Nominative They
Possessive His Her Its Possessive Their
Objective Him Her It Objective Them
Table 4 – Compound Pronoun Declension
First Person
Singular Plural
Nom & Obj Myself Nom & Obj Ourselves
Second Person
Singular Plural
Nom & Obj Thyself or yourself Nom & Obj Yourselves
Third Person
Singular Plural
Masculine Feminine Neuter Neuter or Common
Nom & Obj Himself Herself Itself Nom & Obj Themselves
2. The antecedent is the noun or equivalent expression replaced by the pronoun. The
antecedent generally precedes the pronoun, but sometimes the antecedent can follow the
pronoun. Identifying the proper antecedent is crucial to understanding a pronoun.
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3. The pronoun has the same properties as the noun. It has gender, person, number, and case. In
fact, these properties can often be more easily identified in the pronoun. The gender, person, and
number of a pronoun always agree with its antecedent, but its case depends on sentence
construction.
APPLICATION:
Matt. 16:19 And I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven: and whatsoever
thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose on
earth shall be loosed in heaven.
Matt. 18:18 Verily I say unto you, Whatsoever ye shall bind on earth shall be bound in
heaven: and whatsoever ye shall loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.
Using the KJV and our new found understanding of the older 2nd person pronouns, we can notice
that in the first verse above, Jesus is speaking to one person (singular “thee”). In the second
verse, Jesus repeats the same thing to a group of people (plural “you). This means that the
Catholic Church cannot claim that Peter alone received the authority to reveal divine law (as they
understand it) because this promise is also made to a group of people (the Apostles).
4. Pronouns can be divided into four classes: personal, possessive, relative, and interrogative.
1 Personal Jesus saith unto her, I that speak unto thee am he.
2 Possessive My doctrine is not mine, but his that sent me.
3 Relative … Jesus, whom ye have crucified, …
4 Interrogative What seekest thou?
Personal Pronouns
5. Personal pronouns have a noun as their antecedent (1). The properties of a personal
pronoun are often clearly identified by the word itself. They can be simple or compound, where
a form of the term “self” is added.
6. “Mine” and “thine” are used before words beginning with a vowel sound in older English.
7. Thou, thy, thine, thee, thyself, and ye had no verifiable, exclusive meaning in their own era,
religious or otherwise. In modern times, the words have been commonly reserved for religious
or poetic purposes.
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Possessive, Relative, & Interrogative Pronouns
8. Possessive pronouns refer to the possessor or sometimes that which is possessed (2).
9. Relative pronouns are used to represent a preceding word or phrase and then to join them to
a limiting clause (3).
10. Interrogative pronouns are who, which, and what when used in questions (4). The
subsequent is the part of the answer represented by the interrogative pronoun. They must also
agree in gender, person, and number.
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Exercise IV: Pronouns
Instructions: Fill in the chart.
First Person
Singular Plural
Nominative Nominative
Possessive Possessive
Objective Objective
Second Person
Older Modern
Singular Plural Singular Plural
Nominative Nominative
Possessive Possessive
Objective Objective
Third Person
Singular Plural
Masculine Feminine Neuter Neuter or Common
Nominative Nominative
Possessive Possessive
Objective Objective
First Person
Singular Plural
Nom & Obj Nom & Obj
Second Person
Singular Plural
Nom & Obj Nom & Obj
Third Person
Singular Plural
Masculine Feminine Neuter Neuter or Common
Nom & Obj Nom & Obj
Instructions: Give the person and number of each pronoun.
1 Jesus saith unto her, I that speak unto thee am he.
2 My doctrine is not mine, but his that sent me.

III. NOUNS

Introduction to Nouns
1. Nouns are names, whether they are of a person or thing, concrete or abstract. Nouns are of
two general types: common and proper. A common noun is general and may refer to a class or
category, such as book, god, or human. A proper noun is specific and refers to a particular
entity, such as Bible, God, or Benjamin. A proper noun is marked by a capital letter. However,
this distinction is artificial in the Bible, because the manuscripts of the Bible have no case
distinctions. Anytime you see a proper noun in the Bible (such as “Spirit” as opposed to
“spirit”), the distinction is only the result of the translators interpretation of the noun as proper,
so use caution with such terms.
2. The properties of the noun are gender, person, number, and case.
Gender
3. In some other languages, sex is a natural distinction between objects whereas gender is a
grammatical distinction. An object with no sexual orientation may be referred to as masculine or
feminine. In English, however, gender is related to sex rather than an intrinsic character of the
word. The masculine gender denotes a male or figuratively something with male qualities. The
feminine gender denotes a female or figuratively something with female qualities. The neuter
gender denotes neither male nor female. In some grammar texts, the common gender is used to
denote either male or female.
4. Rarely will one see a grammatical distinction with regard to gender in English. The
exceptions are in some pronouns and in words borrowed from other languages. The gender of
children or animals is generally neutral.
5. As our living language becomes more gender sensitive, we will see some things change. For
example, the English language has always been a masculine leaning language, where “he” could
be used to represent both males and females in some cases (Mark 16:16). Today, the generic
“he” is being replaced by “he or she” or “one” in many cases.
6. Personification can give gender to a neuter object. As mentioned above, this is due to the
qualities of the object being considered. This is a common form of figurative language.
Number & Person
7. Number is the property of nouns that identifies quantity. Singular nouns refer to one.
Plural nouns refer to two or more. The most common way to identify the plural is through an
added “s” or “es” on the end of the noun. Some words require more change to indicate plurality
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(“knife” has a consonant change and becomes “knives”), while others have no normal plural
form (one “fish”, two “fish”, three “fish”, …).
APPLICATION:
I Cor. 6:15 Know ye not that your bodies are the members of Christ? shall I then take the
members of Christ, and make them the members of an harlot? God forbid.
I Cor. 6:19 What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in
you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own?
In these passages, a change in noun number helps the reader to interpret the passage. In verse
15, this group of people has a plurality of bodies. This would seem to point to the physical body
that each individual has. In verse 19, this group of people (contextually we can say the same
group of people) has one, singular body. Since the author chose to make the distinction, I am
compelled to believe that it is meaningful. For this and other reasons, I conclude that that they
are not the same “body”. Come back to this application box after you cover the section on
pronouns and you will notice that “your” is distinguishably plural as it is used in the KJV.
8. Person is the property of nouns that distinguishes perspective. A noun referring back directly
to the speaker/writer is in the first person. A noun referring to the person being addressed is in
the second person. A noun referring to a person being spoken of is in the third person.
Case
9. Case is the property of nouns that identifies the noun’s relation to other words. Nouns have
four cases: nominative, possessive, objective, and absolute. In English, case is rarely
distinguished by the word itself. Usually, only the word’s function in the sentence will indicate
case.
10. The nominative case is when a noun or pronoun is used in the subject of a clause. A noun
can be in the predicate and still be nominative in the case of a predicate nominative, where a
noun in the predicate simply renames the subject (God is light).
11. The possessive case is the use of a noun or pronoun to show ownership. This case can also
show relationship, as in “Ben’s hometown”. I do not own my hometown. The possessive is
merely showing that the hometown under consideration is the one related to me. The possessive
case is often indicated by the “-’s” form for a singular or a “-’ ”for plurals ending in “s”. Older
names ending in “s” (Moses, Jesus, etc.) can be tricky to make possessive, so many writers save
themselves the trouble by finding a different way of saying what they want (try “law of Moses”
instead of “Moses’es’es law”).
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12. The object case is the use of a noun or pronoun as the direct object, indirect object, or an
object of a preposition (to be studied later).
13. The absolute case is the use of a noun independent of any governing word. This is similar
to the nominative except in usage. It is commonly used in direct discourse (“Ben!”).
Other Items of Note
14. An appositive is a noun used to identify another noun in the immediate context. They are
generally set off by commas. The appositive is the same thing as the noun it identifies (“our
beloved brother, Paul, …” where Paul is the appositive).
15. Declension is the variation of nouns spelling to indicate its grammar. While other languages
use declension a great deal, English reserves it mainly for plurality. In the next lesson, we will
see that it is more extensively used for pronouns.
16. Parsing is the process of identifying a word’s part of speech, properties, and relationship to
sentence.
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Exercise III: Nouns
Instructions: Give the number and case for each underlined noun in the following verses.
The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want.
He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters.
He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name's sake.
Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art
with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.
Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with
oil; my cup runneth over.
Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house
of the LORD for ever.

ENGLISH Classes of Sentences

8. Sentences in English come in one of four classes. Though rarely used to describe these four
classes in English, a linguistic term that describes the property of a sentence or clause that
pertains to the response it expects from the reader/listener is called mood, or mode. The English
language has four moods: declarative, exclamatory, imperative, interrogatory.
Table 2 – Sentence Classes or Moods
1 Declarative Many shall come in my name.
2 Exclamatory Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites!
3 Imperative Take heed that no man deceive you.
4 Imperative Get thee hence, Satan.
5 Interrogatory When shall these things be?
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9. The declarative sentence makes a statement or assertion of fact (1). The only response the
declarative sentence expects from the reader is comprehension and contemplation. While not all
declarative sentences are true, declarative sentences are stated as true. The declarative sentence
is concluded with a period.
10. The exclamatory sentence is like the declarative sentence, but it expresses stronger emotion
on the part of the speaker/writer (2). The exclamatory sentence expects the reader to have an
emotional response to what is stated, or at least to recognize the emotion of the one making the
statement. Such sentences sometimes include interjections and are most often found in dialogue
or poetry. Because of the nature of an exclamatory statement, they often rearrange or contract
the common form of the simple sentence. The exclamatory sentence is concluded with an
exclamation mark.
11. The imperative sentence is a command. It expects the subject of the sentence to respond
with corresponding action. The subject of an imperative sentence is either not stated at all (3) or
is set off by a comma (4). Only the subject of the sentence is expected to obey the command
unless the command is elsewhere broadened by the context. Hermeneutically speaking, it is
understood in the Bible that an imperative includes as its broad subject anyone in the same
pertinent circumstances as the subject of the imperative. For example, if someone says, “cut
your red hair”, those with black hair would not be concerned. Similarly, the command to build
an ark would probably be limited to Noah because we do not share any of the important
circumstances (i.e. impending global flood). On the other hand, if someone says, “you are an
author, so use proper grammar”, all authors should take note. Similarly, all those in sin are
generally considered under the command to repent even though the command was given to
sinners 2000 years ago. The imperative sentence is concluded with a period or an exclamation
mark where the sentence is to reflect a shouted or emphasized command.
APPLICATION:
Eph. 4:28 Let him that stole steal no more: but rather let him labour …
We haven’t covered the subject of “person” yet, but here is a little side note that relates to the
Greek imperative. Greek grammar has a verb form for the 3rd person imperative. English lacks a
convenient form for that construction. Instead, the Greek 3rd person imperative is often
translated using the word “let” followed by the 3rd person subject. This can be seen twice in the
verse above. The word “let” is not really intended to signal permission, as in “let them stop
stealing if they wish”. It is just as imperative as the statement, “stop stealing” or “do not steal.”
12. The interrogative sentence is a question (5). It expects an answer from either the person
addressed or the general audience. A question can ask for several types of answers, but most
common types of questions are: who, what, when, where, why, and how. One important stylistic
device is the rhetorical question, which assumes a particular answer from the audience for
dramatic emphasis (“Have ye not read?”). The interrogative sentence ends with a question mark.
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Exercise II: The Simple Sentence
Instructions:
Identify the important parts of the sentence discussed in this lesson in the following verses.
Label the subject, predicate, and verb. If there is a direct or indirect object, identify those as
well. If the verse has more than one clause, treat each clause separately.
Pro. 10:12
Mark 16:16
I John 2:20
I Th. 5:22
Rev. 21:8
Instructions:
Find two verses in the Bible for each sentence class. The verse must have in it a sentence or
clause in the named mood.
Indicative
Interrogative
Imperative
Declarativ

II. English THE SIMPLE SENTENCE

Elements of Syntax
1. The simple sentence is the smallest complete unit of English words. Anything less than a
complete, simple sentence will fail to coherently communicate a complete thought. For example,
“preachers singers” or “speak sing” fail to communicate a complete thought, whereas “preachers
speak” and “singers sing” are proper simple sentences and communicate a complete thought.
2. The simple sentence is composed of two parts. In this context, the subject of a sentence
names what the sentence is about. The predicate of a sentence tells us what we should know
about the subject. While this is by no means an absolute rule, the subject of a sentence generally
starts at the beginning of the sentence and ends at the verb. Accordingly, the predicate of a
sentence commonly begins at the verb and continues to the end of a sentence. Consider the
following examples.
Table 1 – Subjects & Predicates
# SUBJECT PREDICATE
1 Jesus wept.
2 In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.
3 [Understood – You] Preach the word.
4 God is light.
5 God hath not given us the spirit of fear.
3. As demonstrated in Table 1, the subject part of the sentence contains the subject, sometimes
in the form of a noun (1). The subject also may contain adjectives, phrases, and even clauses
pertaining to the subject (2). In some sentences, like imperatives, the subject may not even
appear in the text, but it can be inferred from the context (3). Types of nouns and other subjects
will be discussed in future lessons. The term that could, by itself, be the subject of the sentence
is often called the simple subject to distinguish it from the complete subject, which includes all
words not in the predicate (2).
4. The verb of the sentence relates the “subject thought” to the “predicate thought”. As
demonstrated in Table 1, the verb may simply name an action done by or to the subject (1). The
verb may also relate without action. The verb may equate two thoughts or compare the subject
and predicate thoughts in a descriptive sense (4). The types and rules of verbs will be discussed
in a later lesson.
5. A predicate may also contain a direct object. The direct object is that which is directly
related to the subject by the verb. In Sentence 2, “heaven” and “earth” are those things that were
created by God, making them the direct objects of the sentence. In Sentence 3, the “word” is that
which is to be preached, making it the direct object of the sentence. You can usually find the
direct object by asking the question, “what?” God created what? Answer: the heavens and the
earth – your direct object. Not all sentences have a direct object.
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6. A predicate may also contain an indirect object. In Sentence 5, “the spirit of fear” is the
direct object because it is that which directly results (or in this cause does “not” result) from the
verb. God hath not given what? Answer: the spirit of fear. The word “us” identifies to whom
the spirit of fear has (not) been given. “Us” is then the indirect object of the sentence. The
indirect object is usually the answer to the question, to whom?
Not all sentences have an indirect object. Usually, you would not have an indirect object
without a direct object.
7. Sentences do not have to be simple in class or nature. You may run across very confusing
sentences that are still simple sentences in type. Later lessons will address complex sentences
(sentences with one or more dependent clauses and an independent clause), compound sentences
(sentences with two or more independent clauses), and compound-complex sentences (sentences
with multiple dependent and independent clauses). The simple sentence is still the basic pattern
for the English sentence.
APPLICATION:
John 14:26 But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my
name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I
have said unto you.
This sentence is complicated, but we can examine the independent clause like a simple sentence.
“He shall teach you all things.” The pronoun, “He”, is identified as the Comforter and the Holy
Ghost. “He”, as the subject, “shall teach”, our verb. What will be taught? Answer: “all things”
– the direct object. Who will be taught? Answer: “you”, the indirect object. To understand the
passage, one must answer the question: Who is “you”? In later lessons, we will learn that to
understand a pronoun, you must find its antecedent. For now, we have learned that the
Comforter was promised to whoever “you” is in this context.

I. PARTS OF SPEECH english

The following is intended to be a list, not so much a lesson. Entire lessons will be devoted to the
terms below later in this book. For now, just read and learn the terms. If you finish and feel a
little confused, just be patient!
1. The English language divides its words into nine classes: noun, adjective, pronoun, verb,
verbal, adverb, preposition, conjunction, interjection. This section will give an overview of the
classes, but a detailed study will be left for later in the text. It should be noted that this
classification is somewhat arbitrary. Some texts will arrange things differently, but this list will
at least give you the general idea.
2. A noun names some entity, such as person, place, or thing. A noun in this sense is merely a
name, whether specific or common. Examples: Bartholomew, Bethlehem, baptistery.
3. An adjective modifies a noun or pronoun. By modify, I mean that the adjective describes or
distinguishes the noun or pronoun it modifies. For instance, the noun “car” includes all that falls
under the classification “car”. However, “fast car”, where the adjective “fast” modifies the noun
“car”, limits the noun under consideration to just those cars that are fast. Examples: tall, small,
red.
4. A pronoun replaces a noun, usually for convenience sake. Rather than repeat the noun,
“establishmentarianism”, in every related sentence, one could simply insert the pronoun “it” in
the place of the noun. Examples: he, she, it.
5. A verb expresses action. The action does not have to be physical or even pertain to motion.
A verb can describe spiritual or mental processes. Verbs can also express being or state, as with
the verb “is”. Example: be, hit, repent.
6. A verbal is a word that comes from a verb, but it has the properties of another part of speech.
The three kinds of verbals are gerunds, infinitives, and participles. A gerund acts as a noun. An
infinitive acts somewhat like a noun as well. However, the participle is a modifier relates an
action to whatever word it modifies. For instance, I can show that a person wrote his lesson after
studying hard by saying, “Having studied hard, he wrote the lesson.” Here the participle,
“having”, shows a completed action on the part of the noun prior to the main verb. Examples:
singing, having, dangling.
7. An adverb modifies a verb, adjective, or another adverb. As with the adjective modifier, the
adverb describes or distinguishes a word that it modifies. The adverb often describes how a
thing is. Example: very, happily, often.
8. A preposition shows a relationship between the preposition’s object and something else.
They can show location, time, means, or nature. Example: in, after, by, of.
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9. A conjunction is used to connect thoughts together. It can be used in a variety of ways.
Conjunctions often have a definite logic value in the Bible that will be discussed later in this text.
Example: and, or, but.
10. An interjection expresses emotion. They are rarely used in formal writing, though are
prevalent in dialogues. They often come with exclamation marks. This is the only part of
speech that will not be discussed further in this text. Example: oh, ah, alas.
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Exercise I: Parts of Speech
Instructions:
Take a shot at identifying to which parts of speech the following words belong. If you don’t do
too well, don’t fret! This is just an introductory quiz. More will be said about the parts of
speech as we go.
Bonus: If the word could be more than one part of speech depending on context, put that answer
down as well.
1. adversary
2. deity
3. holy
4. holily
5. or
6. alas
7. ye
8. unto
9. sing
10. singing
Instructions:
Find the parts of speech in Bible verses. Site the verse below and list the word. One verse for
each part of speech will suffice. Don’t make it harder than it is!
Noun
Adjective
Pronoun
Verb
Participle
Adverb
Preposition
Conjunction
Interjection

INTRODUCTION Why Should the Bible Student Know English Grammar?

The reasons for a study of this type are many, but three simple reasons will be given here.
First, the Bible claims to be the inspired word of God (II Tim. 3:16). This expression means that
the Scriptures claim to be “God breathed”, and the Bible often makes this claim for even the
words of the text (II Sam. 23:2 “The Spirit of the LORD spake by me, and his word was in my
tongue.”). Inspired writers often use the grammar of the Scriptures to make doctrinal arguments.
Our Lord appealed to the tense of a verb to prove the resurrection, pointing out that God says “I
am” Abraham’s God as opposed to “I was” (Matt. 22:32). Paul makes a doctrinal point
concerning the promise of the Messiah by pointing to the number of the noun “seed” as being
singular and not plural (Gal. 3:16). This implies that a better understanding of grammar would
allow a better understanding of the Bible.
Second, the Bible was originally written in languages other than English. To properly learn
these languages, one must first be a master of the native tongue. When studying Greek, one will
often be asked to translate sentences in and out of English. Without a functional knowledge of
English, many fail in these exercises. Furthermore, in order to discern whether or not the
original language has been correctly translated by the multitudes of available versions, one must
understand the usage and senses of English grammar in addition to simple definitions. Is the
future perfect verb “shall have been bound” a better rendering than the simple future “shall be
bound” in Matt. 16:19? Who can say without first knowing the difference in the two verb tenses!
In any language, the rules of grammar mean as much or more to a sentence than the definitions
of the individual words.
Third, the Christian is often in a situation where his selection of words, either on the written
page or in oral speech, determines whether or not some lost soul comprehends the Gospel. Some
will claim that we are saved by “faith only”, which implies that grace, blood, love, and
repentance are unnecessary. What they probably mean is that we are saved “only by faith”,
which implies that faith is essential while not excluding the other essentials. For this reason, it is
prudent to learn how to carefully and properly construct sentences and complete thoughts.
Tools for Grammar Study and Improvement
I hope that this text will be a resource and a launching pad for an improvement of your
grammar. However, this text is by no means a comprehensive grammar book, as this book
assumes a working knowledge of English. For that matter, even an exhaustive grammar book is
insufficient for complete mastery of the English language. The following resources would be an
aide in your continuing growth in the English tongue.
1. A comprehensive grammar book. Like any language, English is filled with subtle,
tricky, deceptive rules that can completely change the meaning of a text. Because
English is a bubbling stew of rules and words from other languages, both of Romantic
4
and Germanic origin, it is especially full of exceptions and verbal cul-de-sacs. A
complete, comprehensive grammar book will fill in the holes left by this text.
2. An unabridged dictionary. While the rules of grammar have more control over a
sentence than the definitions of the individual words, the words are still the substance of
any sentence. An expansive vocabulary keeps communication precise, stimulates sleepy
audiences, and prevents misunderstandings. A good unabridged dictionary will provide
the etymology of a word and its meanings in various eras. This is especially important if
you are using a version of the Bible like the American Standard Version (1901 style
English) or the King James Version (1611-1769 style English). For example, knowing
that the words “perfect” and “conversation” have changed meanings over the years will
greatly improve your study of the King James Version.
3. Stimulating reading materials. The best way to keep your grammar skills and
vocabulary keen is to read. Obviously, a scholarly journal will do more for you than a
comic book. Fortunately, the Bible student with a reliable version already has an interest
in a classic text of the English language. Nothing has contributed to my personal
understanding of the English language more than my studies in the King James Bible, the
finest piece of English literature in existence. More modern versions lack some of the
eloquence and style of the older classics, so if you are trying to read to improve your
vocabulary and grammar, be careful what you choose to read.
4. Vocabulary builders. If you have had a love of reading from an early age, you have a
great head start above others. If not, you may need a good vocabulary builder to catch
up. Several such books flood the market every year and most are relatively inexpensive.
Generally they consist of a word-a-day type format.
5. Guide to English Usage. Many of the books in the grammar section of a bookstore
actually deal more with usage than grammar, as we will discuss it. “Usage” deals with
the distinction between commonly confused words and common grammar mistakes. A
book on this subject can be helpful to your written and oral communication. However,
since the Bible doesn’t contain grammar errors, this course will not deal with that in any
detail.
Disclaimer
I feel compelled to inform you that I am only an amateur English teacher. I have had good
training in the English language thanks to a pair of highly critical and helpful high school
teachers. I should also acknowledge that my understanding of the usefulness of grammar in
Bible study was built up by several preachers who are very dear to me. However, this does not
make me an expert. If you find grammar mistakes in this text (I try to always split a few
infinitives and leave a few participles dangling!) or conflicts with other grammar texts, I am most
likely in the wrong.
5
As an anecdotal explanation of my grammatical expertise or lack thereof, allow me to relate a
short story. In high school, I was often selected to attend scholastic competitions, often to
compete against other students by taking tests. On one such occasion, I was chosen to represent
my school in the grammar part of the competition. I was given a blank answer form and a test.
To my credit, I took first place in the competition. To my shame, I misspelled the word
“grammar” as “gramar” on the subject line of the answer form.
Format
I originally formatted this text using concise numbered rules. However, with each revision,
my numbered rules have become numbered paragraphs. Interspersed throughout the text are
example tables. The example sentences are numbered and then referenced in the lesson. Also,
to encourage application of this material, I have included some application sections, indicated by
the little Bible symbol, where the student is encouraged to apply the current concept to a passage
of Scripture.
At the end of the lesson is a brief exercise that will normally ask you to open your Bible and
think about English grammar at the same time. This can be a chore if this is the first attempt that
you have made in this kind of studying, but it is well worth the effort.
In addition, because this text is aimed in part toward those interested in studying Bible
languages like Greek, I will occasionally stop and make comments that compare Greek and
English. If you have no interest in Greek, then you may have little interest in these comments.
Sources
My primary source for grammar rules in this text is Harvey’s Revised English Grammar. Its
first copyright was in 1878, while my edition is copyrighted 1986. It is subtitled A Practical
Grammar of the English Language. I prefer the concise old primers for my purposes.
All Bible quotations will come out of the King James Bible of which I am a huge fan. Other
reliable translations exist, but none with the depth of style of the KJV. Furthermore, I take
theological issue with some of the modern speech translations … but that would be the subject of
another book entirely! Suffice it to say that I chose the KJV for this text for the reasons already
stated – scholarly journal instead of comic book.
Helpful Vocabulary
Sometimes we will have to split hairs as we discuss grammar. It will be helpful for me to
define a few words up front.
Linguistics is the science of languages. It is not a field specific to any one language, but
instead is universal to all.
Syntax is the structure of terms in a line. This term is used in computer programming and
grammar as well. It relates to order more than meaning.
6
Grammar is the specific set of rules that governs a language. The rules make it possible to
safely communicate an idea.
Usage is the study of specific words and how they should or should not be used in a
language. For example, “to”, “two”, and “too” are studied under usage. We will not deal lot
with this subject in this class.
Spelling relates to the formation of an individual word. We will not cover this much in this
class either.

English Grammar Grammar Assessment Test

Complete the sentences with: who, which, where,
1. The word chocolate, ________________ comes from the Aztec language, is
the only Aztec word in English.
2. The first person to bring chocolate to Europe was Cortes, ____________ was
an explorer.
3. The Aztecs made a drink from cocoa beans _____________ was called
Xocoatl.
4. Henri Nestle, _______________ was Swiss, developed the process of making
milk chocolate.
5. Chocolate, __________ contains a special chemical, makes us feel as if we
are falling in love.
6. In Mexico they serve chicken with mole, ____________ is a kind of chocolate
sauce.
7. People in Britain spend 98p a week on chocolate except in Scotland,
____________ they spend more.
8. The police arrested a couple in Switzerland, _____________ they were trying
to sell chocolate secrets.
9. He _______________ laughs last, laughs best.
10.Ibiza is the place __________________ she often spends her summer
holidays.
11.My parents are the only people _________________ always support me.
12.She enjoys watching films _________________ make her cry.

English The Parts of Speech for college

The parts of speech explains the ways words can be used in various contexts. Every
word in the English language functions as at least one part of speech; many words can
serve, at different times, as two or more parts of speech, depending on the context.
adjective A word or combination of words that modifies a noun (blue-green, central,
half-baked, temporary ).
adverb A word that modifies a verb, an adjective, or another adverb (slowly, obstinately,
much ).
article Any of three words used to signal the presence of a noun. A and an are known as
indefinite articles; the is the definite article.
conjunction A word that connects other words, phrases, or sentences (and, but, or,
because ).
interjection A word, phrase, or sound used as an exclamation and capable of standing by
itself (oh, Lord, damn, my goodness ).
noun A word or phrase that names a person, place, thing, quality, or act (Fred, New
York, table, beauty, execution ). A noun may be used as the subject of a verb, the object
of a verb, an identifying noun, the object of a preposition, or an appositive (an
explanatory phrase coupled with a subject or object ).
preposition A word or phrase that shows the relationship of a noun to another noun (at,
by, in, to, from, with )
pronoun A word that substitutes for a noun and refers to a person, place, thing, idea, or
act that was mentioned previously or that can be inferred from the context of the
sentence (he, she, it, that ).
verb A word or phrase that expresses action, existence, or occurrence (throw, be, happen
). Verbs can be transitive, requiring an object (her in I met her ), or intransitive, requiring
only a subject (The sun rises ). Some verbs, like feel , are both transitive (Feel the fabric )
and intransitive (I feel cold , in which cold is an adjective and not an object).