English grammar explained in plain language simple enough to be understood.
A subject is the person or thing that a sentence is about. A subject does the action in a sentence. I collected colorful fall leaves for an art project.I have been studying math all weekend. In each of these sentences,… Read more181. Use the Pronoun I as a Subject
Section A: In each sentence below, find the two words that need a hyphen. Write the new hyphenated word. One sentence does not get a hyphen.1. My cousin has twenty three chickens in his backyard coop.2. His home sits on… Read more170. Practice With Hyphenated Words
Here is a usage mistake that I hear quite frequently:Be sure to let Jeff or I know.Talk to Bob or I if you have any questions. Maybe you’ve heard this too. If you take Bob and Jeff out, these sentences… Read more184. Pronoun with a Compound Object
A dash ( – ) looks like a hyphen. A hyphen is used inside of words. A dash is used between parts of a sentence. Use a dash when you want to show an interruption in thought. I really need… Read more171. Using the Dash
Parentheses ( ) are a type of punctuation. Parentheses always come as a pair – in twos. We put parentheses around words and information that are not of major importance. The words in a parentheses can be left out and… Read more172. Parentheses
A direct quotation is the quoting of someone else’s words. When you write someone else’s words into your own document, you must place quotation marks around those quoted words. Quotation marks always come in a set of two. Here is… Read more173. Quotation Marks in Direct Quotations
In writing, we use italics (slanted writing like this) to designate titles of larger pieces of writing. Use italics for book titles, movie titles, television shows, magazine names, newspaper names. I saw the movie Jaws.My mother has a subscription to… Read more174. Quotation Marks and Italics in Titles
Section A: Insert dashes into these sentences.1. Some people my sister, for example are hard to understand.2. The two guys down the hall Jeff and Bill started a new company.3. I heard a noise it was really loud up in… Read more175. Practice Dash, Parentheses, and Quotation Marks