📖 English Grammar for DET

Master essential English grammar concepts to excel in your Duolingo English Test (DET). This comprehensive guide covers all the grammar topics you need to know.


🎯 Grammar Topics

Verb Tenses

Master present, past, and future tenses

Present Simple Past Perfect Future Continuous
Study Tenses →
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Sentence Structure

Learn proper sentence construction

Subject-Verb Agreement Word Order Clauses
Study Structure →
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Articles & Determiners

Use a, an, the correctly

Definite Articles Indefinite Articles Zero Article
Study Articles →
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Prepositions

Master prepositions and their usage

Time Prepositions Place Prepositions Phrasal Verbs
Study Prepositions →

⏰ Verb Tenses

Present Simple

Usage:

  • Habits and routines: I work every day.
  • Facts and general truths: The sun rises in the east.
  • Scheduled events: The train leaves at 3 PM.

Structure:

Positive: Subject + base verb (+ s/es for 3rd person singular)
Negative: Subject + don't/doesn't + base verb
Question: Do/Does + subject + base verb?

Present Continuous

Usage:

  • Actions happening now: I am studying for the DET.
  • Temporary situations: She is working on a project.
  • Future arrangements: We are meeting tomorrow.

Structure:

Positive: Subject + am/is/are + verb-ing
Negative: Subject + am/is/are + not + verb-ing
Question: Am/Is/Are + subject + verb-ing?

🏗️ Sentence Structure

Subject-Verb Agreement

Rules:

  • Singular subjects take singular verbs: The student studies hard.
  • Plural subjects take plural verbs: The students study hard.
  • Collective nouns can be singular or plural: The team is ready.

Word Order

Basic Structure:

Subject + Verb + Object
Example: I (S) + love (V) + English (O).

With Adverbs:

Subject + Adverb + Verb + Object
Example: I (S) + always (Adv) + study (V) + grammar (O).

📝 Articles & Determiners

Definite Article (The)

Usage:

  • Specific nouns: The book on the table is mine.
  • Unique things: The sun, the moon, the earth
  • Superlatives: She is the best student.

Indefinite Articles (A/An)

Usage:

  • First mention: I saw a cat in the garden.
  • General statements: A doctor helps people.
  • Professions: She is an engineer.

Rules:

A: Use before consonant sounds
An: Use before vowel sounds
Examples: a university, an hour, a European

🔗 Prepositions

Time Prepositions

Common Time Prepositions:

  • At: specific times - at 3 PM, at night
  • In: months, years, seasons - in March, in 2024, in summer
  • On: days, dates - on Monday, on March 15th
  • For: duration - for two hours, for a week
  • Since: starting point - since Monday, since 2020

Place Prepositions

Common Place Prepositions:

  • In: inside something - in the room, in the car
  • On: surface - on the table, on the wall
  • At: specific point - at the station, at home
  • Between: two things - between the trees
  • Among: more than two - among the students

📊 Practice Exercises

Quick Quiz

Question 1: Choose the correct form: "She _____ English every day."

Question 2: Choose the correct article: "I saw _____ interesting movie yesterday."


📚 Additional Resources

  • 📖 Grammar Books: English Grammar in Use, Practical English Usage
  • 🌐 Online Tools: Grammarly, Purdue OWL, Cambridge Dictionary
  • 📱 Apps: Duolingo, Grammarly, English Grammar Test
  • 🎥 Videos: YouTube channels: English with Lucy, BBC Learning English