English grammar explained in plain language simple enough to be understood.
When you include a quoted statement inside a sentence, you put quotation marks around the quoted words. Be sure to place a comma before the quotation marks. Here are some examples of what I mean:My teacher always says, “Once begun… Read more389. Use a Comma Before Beginning a Quote
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
When we write a note or a letter or an email, we often begin by using a greeting such as Dear.We might say Dear Mom, or Dear John, before writing the main part of the message. We always put a… Read more383. Using the Comma in a Greeting
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
An indefinite pronoun has no antecedent. We don’t know which noun is being replaced by the pronoun. That’s what makes them indefinite pronouns. Here are three more indefinite pronouns: everyone, no one, someoneThese indefinite pronouns are singular. They each take… Read more377. More Indefinite Pronouns: Everyone, No one, Someone
The word my is a possessive pronoun that we use when talking about ourselves and what we own.That is my silver van.I dropped my phone and cracked the screen.I ate my dinner on the patio. Notice that the word my… Read more374. Possessive Pronouns – My/Mine
The pronoun our shows ownership. You and I together own something. That object is ours. This is our house. The house is ours. I brought our volleyball. The volleyball is ours. This is our chance of a lifetime. The chance… Read more372. Possessive Pronouns – Our/Ours
In our English language, several words are very similar and are often confused. One often-confused pair of words is they’re and their. It helps to remember that they’re is a contraction. They’re is made up of two words: they and… Read more366. Common Error: They’re vs. Their
Capitalize the first word of every sentence. The capitalized word tells the reader that a new sentence is beginning. Today is Thursday. Tomorrow will be Friday. The pronoun I is always capitalized. The word I is a name for yourself…. Read more364. More Capitalization Rules