English grammar explained in plain language simple enough to be understood.
We often talk about clauses and phrases in sentences, but you may be wondering about the difference between the two. It’s really a very simple difference: a clause is a groups of words with a verb in it; a phrase… Read more237. The Difference Between Clauses and Phrases
Look at this sentence: He likes ice cream more than me. Do you know what the writer is trying to say? Here are two possibilities: He likes ice cream more than he likes me.He likes ice cream more than I… Read more183. Pronoun Problem
Section A: Is each word a noun or not a noun? Write NOUN or NOT.1. dog2. running3. house4. lunch5. beautiful6. flower Section B: Write concrete or abstract for each noun.7. happiness8. truck9. love10. basket11. joy12. peace Answers: 1- noun; 2-… Read more445. Practice with Concrete and Abstract Nouns
The apostrophe (‘) has two basic uses. 1. In a contraction. When we push two words together to make one word, we contract the two words by taking out some letters. An apostrophe goes into the space where the letters… Read more403. The Apostrophe – Use it Correctly
Anytime you write a numeral four numbers or larger, you must insert a comma. A comma goes into a numeral after the third place column, like this: 1,000 Here are some other four-number numerals: 2,500 6,7259,900 If you write a… Read more382. Use a Comma in Large Numerals
Section A: Find the prepositional phrase in each sentence. Some sentences have more than one prepositional phrase.1. I took my dog to the park.2. Jeff helped me with my homework.3. The baseball sailed over the fence and into the street.4…. Read more355. Practice with Prepositions and Phrases
A collective noun has many pieces inside of it, but the pieces are working together as one unit, so we write about a collective noun as if it is one thing. We consider a collective noun to be a singular… Read more263. Collective Nouns are Usually Singular
A complex sentence has two parts: a subordinate clause and an independent clause. The subordinate clause always begins with a subordinating conjunction.Today we’ll talk about two subordinating conjunctions that can begin a complex sentence: as and while. As I was… Read more217. Complex Sentences Using As and While
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