THE NATIVE UK GRAMMAR BOOK

Grammar studies.
Real English.

Learn English grammar the bloody hilarious way

Because grammar doesn't have to be as boring as watching paint dry.

SMALL RULE.BIG DIFFERENCE.
I work.She works.
01 Find the rule02 See it in action03 Have a go
YOUR NEXT LIGHTBULB MOMENT

What’s tripping you up?

Find a rule. Try an example. Put it into practice.

68 lessons

01 / Tenses & timePiece of Piss

Present Simple

The grammar you use when describing your miserable, unchanging life.

"I hate my neighbour." vs "My neighbour hates me back." See? That little -s is a right miserable bastard.
02 / Tenses & timePiece of Piss

Present Continuous

For when you're doing something right bloody now, or pretending to be busy.

"I am working" (while actually browsing social media like a proper muppet)
03 / Tenses & timeAlright

Present Perfect

The tense that confuses everyone and makes grown adults cry.

"I have lived here for 10 years" vs "I lived here for 10 years" - spot the bloody difference!
04 / Tenses & timeAlright

Present Perfect Continuous

For when you've been doing something for ages and you're bloody tired of it.

"I have been waiting for the bus for 2 hours" (and it's still not here, typical)
05 / Tenses & timePiece of Piss

Past Simple

For talking about things that happened and are now dead and buried.

"Yesterday I ate too much cake and regretted every delicious bite."
06 / Tenses & timePiece of Piss

Past Continuous

For actions that were happening when life got in the way.

"I was having a lovely bath when the phone rang" (bloody typical)
07 / Tenses & timeAlright

Past Perfect

For when something happened before something else happened. Confusing? Absolutely.

"I had already eaten when she arrived" (so she got nothing, tough luck)
08 / Tenses & timeProper Hard

Past Perfect Continuous

The most unnecessarily complicated tense in the English language.

"I had been working for 10 hours when I finally went home" (and collapsed)
09 / Tenses & timePiece of Piss

Future Simple

For making promises you probably won't keep and predictions that'll go tits up.

"I will start my diet tomorrow" (said every Monday for the past decade)
10 / Tenses & timeAlright

Future Continuous

For things you'll be doing at specific times in the future (if you remember).

"This time tomorrow, I will be sitting on a beach" (or stuck in traffic, more likely)
11 / Tenses & timeProper Hard

Future Perfect

For showing off that you understand time sequences in the future.

"By next year, I will have learned Spanish" (or given up trying, let's be honest)
12 / Tenses & timeProper Hard

Future Perfect Continuous

The final boss of English tenses. Good luck with this one, mate.

"By December, I will have been working here for 5 years" (and still be miserable)
13 / Conditionals & wishesPiece of Piss

Zero Conditional

For stating obvious facts and universal truths that even a muppet knows.

"If you don't eat, you get hungry" (groundbreaking stuff, really)
14 / Conditionals & wishesPiece of Piss

First Conditional

For making plans that will probably go tits up anyway.

"If it rains tomorrow, I'll stay home" (and watch Netflix all day)
15 / Conditionals & wishesAlright

Second Conditional

For dreaming about impossible things and hypothetical scenarios.

"If I were rich, I wouldn't be explaining grammar to you lot"
16 / Conditionals & wishesAlright

Third Conditional

For regretting past decisions and playing the "what if" game.

"If I had studied harder, I wouldn't be stuck in this job" (too late now, mate)
17 / Conditionals & wishesProper Hard

Mixed Conditionals

The grammar equivalent of a Frankenstein monster - bits from different conditionals.

"If I had won the lottery, I would be living in Spain now" (but I didn't, so I'm not)
18 / PrepositionsPiece of Piss

At, In, On (Time)

The holy trinity of time prepositions that confuse everyone.

"At 3 o'clock, in January, on Monday" - simple as that, you muppet!
19 / PrepositionsPiece of Piss

At, In, On (Place)

Where the bloody hell are you? These prepositions will tell you.

"At the pub, in London, on the table" - now you know where everything is!
20 / PrepositionsPiece of Piss

Position Prepositions

Next to, under, between, behind - like GPS for your grammar!

"The cat is under the table, next to the dog, behind the sofa" - a proper preposition party!
21 / PrepositionsPiece of Piss

Movement Prepositions

Along, across, over, through - get your arse moving with these directional words!

"Walk along the street, across the bridge, over the hill" - like a bloody adventure!
22 / PrepositionsAlright

On Time vs In Time

The preposition pairs that make grown adults weep with confusion!

"On time" vs "In time" - one's punctual, the other's just not too late!
23 / PrepositionsAlright

Verb + Preposition

The unholy marriages that make English bloody confusing!

"Look at, listen to, wait for" - verbs that can't function without their preposition partners!
24 / PrepositionsAlright

Adjective + Preposition

When adjectives get clingy and need their preposition partners!

"Good at, interested in, afraid of" - adjectives that refuse to work alone!
25 / PrepositionsAlright

During, For, While

The time trio that makes everyone's brain hurt!

"During the meeting, for two hours, while I waited" - time words that confuse the hell out of everyone!
26 / PrepositionsAlright

For, Since, From

Time prepositions that make your head spin faster than a washing machine!

"For 2 hours, since Monday, from 9 to 5" - time's a bloody nightmare!
27 / PrepositionsAlright

Noun + Preposition

When nouns get needy and demand their preposition partners!

"Reason for, solution to, difference between" - nouns that won't work alone!
28 / Relative clausesAlright

Defining Relative Clauses

The grammar that tells you exactly which bloody thing we're talking about!

"The man who stole my sandwich" - now we know which bastard did it!
29 / Relative clausesAlright

Defining vs Non-Defining Relative Clauses

The difference between essential info and just showing off!

"My brother who lives in Spain" vs "My brother, who lives in Spain" - commas matter, you muppet!
30 / Relative clausesAlright

Whatever, Whenever, Wherever

The "I don't give a toss" words of English grammar!

"Whatever you want, whenever you like, wherever you go" - the ultimate flexibility!
31 / Relative clausesProper Hard

Advanced Relative Clauses

The grammar equivalent of rocket science - good bloody luck!

"The reason why I'm here, the way in which it happened" - showing off at its finest!
32 / Verbs & patternsAlright

Verbs + To/Infinitive/Ing

The verb patterns that make English learners want to give up!

"I want to go, I enjoy going, I made him go" - verbs are bloody complicated!
33 / Verbs & patternsAlright

Expressing Purpose (To/For)

Why the hell are you doing that? These words will tell you!

"I came to see you, I bought it for you" - purpose with a point!
34 / Verbs & patternsProper Hard

Infinitives, Gerunds & Verb Patterns

The grammar nightmare that haunts English teachers' dreams!

"I stopped smoking vs I stopped to smoke" - one letter changes everything!
35 / Verbs & patternsProper Hard

Do, To Do, Doing

The verb forms that make grown adults weep with confusion!

"I do, I want to do, I'm doing" - three ways to drive yourself mental!
36 / Verbs & patternsProper Hard

Advanced Verb Patterns

The final boss of verb patterns - abandon hope, all ye who enter!

"I had him fix it, I got it fixed, I made him do it" - causative chaos!
37 / Verbs & patternsAlright

Would Rather vs Would Prefer

Polite ways to say "I'd rather not, thanks very much!"

"I'd rather stay home, I'd prefer to go out" - preferences with attitude!
38 / Verbs & patternsAlright

Reporting Verbs

Fancy ways to say "he said" without sounding like a broken record!

"He claimed, she insisted, they denied" - gossip with grammar!
39 / Verbs & patternsAlright

Passive Voice

When you want to avoid blame or sound all official and boring!

"Mistakes were made" (but not by me, obviously!)
40 / Verbs & patternsPiece of Piss

Question Tags

Those little questions at the end that make you sound properly British, innit?

"You're coming, aren't you– - fishing for confirmation like a pro!
41 / Verbs & patternsAlright

Make and Do Collocations

The most confusing verb pair in English - even natives get this wrong!

"Make dinner, do homework" - why can't English just make sense?
42 / Description & emphasisPiece of Piss

Enough and Too

The Goldilocks words - one's just right, the other's way too much!

"Hot enough vs too hot" - the difference between perfect and painful!
43 / Description & emphasisPiece of Piss

So and Such

Two ways to say "bloody hell, that's extreme!" with proper grammar!

"So tired vs such a long day" - emphasis with attitude!
44 / Conditionals & wishesAlright

Wishes and Regrets

For when life goes tits up and you want to change the past!

"I wish I hadn't eaten that curry" - regret with perfect grammar!
45 / Nouns & pronounsPiece of Piss

Articles: A and An

The little words that make the difference between sounding smart and stupid!

"A university vs an umbrella" - it's about sound, not spelling, you muppet!
46 / Nouns & pronounsAlright

Articles: The

The most overused word in English - when to use it and when to sod off!

"The Queen vs Queen Elizabeth" - specificity matters!
47 / Verbs & patternsProper Hard

Phrasal Verbs

The nightmare combinations that make English learners want to give up!

"Put up with, get over, run out of" - verbs gone mental!
48 / Tenses & timePiece of Piss

Going To

Plans you've actually thought about and intentions that aren't just wishful thinking!

"I'm going to learn Spanish" (you've bought the books) vs "I will learn Spanish" (yeah, right!)
49 / Verbs & patternsPiece of Piss

As...As Comparisons

Comparing things like a proper human without being a complete tosser about it!

"As good as gold, as stubborn as a mule" - equal comparisons with attitude!
50 / Joining ideasPiece of Piss

Coordinating Conjunctions

The FANBOYS - your new best mates for connecting ideas without sounding like a robot!

"For, And, Nor, But, Or, Yet, So" - the glue that holds your sentences together!
51 / Joining ideasAlright

Subordinating Conjunctions

The boss and minion relationship - one clause rules, the other follows orders!

"Because I was tired, I went to bed" - complex sentences made simple!
52 / Joining ideasAlright

Linking Words

The sophisticated way to connect your thoughts without sounding like a caveman!

"However, furthermore, nevertheless" - make your English flow like a proper conversation!
53 / Nouns & pronounsPiece of Piss

Quantity

How much vs how many - the eternal struggle that confuses everyone!

"Much money vs many coins" - countable chaos made clear!
54 / Nouns & pronounsPiece of Piss

Personal Pronouns

The little words that replace big names and save you from sounding like a broken record!

"I, me, my, mine" - shortcuts that make you sound less annoying!
55 / Nouns & pronounsPiece of Piss

Reflexive Pronouns

When you do things to yourself - grammatically speaking, you dirty-minded sod!

"I hurt myself, she taught herself" - when subject meets object in perfect harmony!
56 / Verbs & patternsAlright

Get and Its Many Meanings

The Swiss Army knife of English verbs - more meanings than a politician has promises!

"Get up, get on, get over it" - the most overworked word in English!
57 / Description & emphasisPiece of Piss

Comparative Adjectives

Bigger, better, stronger - the art of comparison without sounding like a caveman!

"Good, better, best" - because "more good" makes you sound like a muppet!
58 / Description & emphasisAlright

Order of Adverbs

The traffic rules for adverbs - where the bloody hell do they go in a sentence?

"Manner → Place → Time" - She drove carefully to London yesterday, not yesterday to London carefully!
59 / Description & emphasisAlright

Intensifiers vs Mitigators

The volume control of English - turn it up or tone it down like a proper native!

"Very tired vs quite tired" - one's knackered, the other just needs a cuppa!
60 / Description & emphasisAlright

Absolutely / Completely / Totally

The holy trinity of emphasis - nuclear weapons for your English vocabulary!

"Absolutely perfect, completely different, totally awesome" - emphasis with proper attitude!
61 / Description & emphasisPiece of Piss

Adverbs of Frequency

How often do you mess up English? These words will tell you exactly!

"Always, usually, sometimes, never" - the timeline of your grammar mistakes!
62 / Description & emphasisPiece of Piss

Adverbs of Manner

How you do things matters - and these words show exactly how you're doing them!

"Quickly, carefully, badly" - the -ly words that describe your style!
63 / Description & emphasisAlright

Comparative Modifiers

Making comparisons even more dramatic with words that pack a punch!

"Much better, far worse, slightly bigger" - comparisons with proper attitude!
64 / Description & emphasisAlright

Gradable vs Non-Gradable Adjectives

Some adjectives can be "more," others are already at maximum - learn the bloody difference!

"Very tired vs absolutely exhausted" - know when to stop adding "very"!
65 / Description & emphasisAlright

So, Such, Quite, Rather, Pretty

The fine art of emphasis without sounding like you're shouting at everyone!

"So good, such fun, quite nice, rather lovely, pretty cool" - emphasis with class!
66 / Description & emphasisPiece of Piss

Too, Enough, Very

The Goldilocks of grammar - too much, not enough, or just right!

"Too hot, cold enough, very warm" - getting the temperature of your English just right!
67 / Tenses & timeAlright

Used To vs Would

Talking about the good old days when grammar was simpler (it wasn't)!

"I used to smoke vs I would smoke" - past habits with proper distinction!
68 / Nouns & pronounsPiece of Piss

Prefixes

The little bits that go at the front and completely change everything!

"Un-, re-, pre-, dis-" - the building blocks that make words do backflips!