English grammar explained in plain language simple enough to be understood.
Section A: Choose the correct verb for each sentence.1. Last night, I ____ on the couch to watch television. (lie, lay, laid)2. My dog _____ on the rug every day while I eat breakfast. (lies, lays, laid)3. The workers ______… Read more430. Practice with Confusing Verbs
When you resign yourself to something, you make peace with the situation. I am resigned to the fact that I will never be a tall person. The word resign can also be used when you are quitting or leaving a… Read more429. The Difference Between Resign and Re-sign
Use the verb sit when someone is doing it themselves.I sit on the sofa.The squirrel will sit in the tree. Use the verb set when you are talking about someone placing an object.I will set the book on the desk.The… Read more427. Using the Verbs Sit and Set
Coordinating conjunctions are sometimes referred to as the FANBOYS – For, And, Nor, But, Or, Yet, So.We use coordinating conjunctions to join together two complete thoughts.It is raining, so practice is canceled. One complete thought: It is raining.Second complete thought:… Read more412. Semicolon Replaces a Coordinating Conjunction
In writing, we use a colon to signal the coming of a list and after the greeting of a business letter, but there are three other uses for the colon. Writing Time: We use a colon between the hour and… Read more409. Other Uses for the Colon
When writing a business letter, the greeting is followed by a colon instead of a comma. If you know the name of the person to whom you are addressing the business letter, use their name with a colon, like this:Dear… Read more408. Use the Colon in a Business Letter Greeting
We sometimes begin a sentence with a prepositional phrase. This is called an introductory phrase. Always use a comma after an introductory phrase. Here are some sentence examples:After breakfast, Meg did the laundry.Before dinner, Sam practiced his piano piece.At the… Read more392. Put a Comma after an Introductory Phrase
When you are addressing a person by name, you need to put a comma after their name.Look at this example:John, I need your help. You are speaking to John, so you must put a comma after his name before saying… Read more388. Use a Comma to Set off a Person’s Name
Today America celebrates Independence Day. On July 4, 1776, the Declaration of Independence was read in the city of Boston – and America’s freedom from rule by Great Britain was declared. Notice how the date is written. First we write… Read more381. Comma in a Date
A pronoun always takes the place of a noun. An indefinite pronoun takes the place of an unknown noun. The words each, either, and neither are indefinite pronouns. Because they are singular pronouns, they take a singular verb. Mom baked… Read more379. Indefinite Pronouns: Each, Either, Neither