English grammar explained in plain language simple enough to be understood.
Another use of the colon is to show emphasis for a word or group of words. Look at this example:My little brother eats only one thing: carrots. Notice that the words before the colon are a complete thought. The word… Read more654. Use a Colon for Emphasis
With active voice, the subject does the action. Look at these sentence examples and notice the subject doing something:Bob built a sandcastle. Bob is the subject. He builds.Mary found a seashell. Mary is the subject. She finds.The ocean waves flattened… Read more809. Using Active and Passive Voice with Verbs
Sometimes an action verb does not transfer action. That action verb is an intransitive verb. An action verb is intransitive if the verb ends the sentence.Jack runs.Betty sings. An action verb is also intransitive if the verb is followed by… Read more814. Intransitive Action Verbs
A phrase is a group of words that works together as a single unit. A phrase is different from a clause because a phrase does not contain a verb. There is no action in a phrase. A verbal phrase is… Read more986. Verbal Phrases
A verbal is a verb form that does not function as a verb. One type of verbal is a participle. A participle ends in –ing (present participle) and -ed or -en (past participle). The participle is used as an adjective…. Read more987. Verbal – The Participle
A verbal is a word that looks like a verb but does not act like a verb. One type of verbal is the infinitive. An infinitive is the base form of a verb used with the word to – to… Read more988. Verbal – the Infinitive
A verbal is a verb that is not used to show action. The gerund is a type of verbal. A gerund is a verb form that is used as a noun. Look at this example of a gerund:Playing a game… Read more989. Verbal – the Gerund
Hint: A verbal is a word that looks like a verb but is not showing action. A verbal might act as a noun, an adjective, an adverb, or an object of the preposition. Section A: Find the participle in each… Read more990. Practice with Verbals
A participial phrase almost always begins with a verb form ending in -ed, -en, or -ing. The participial phrase is used as an adjective. One way to use a participial phrase in a sentence is to place it at the… Read more991. Using the Participial Phrase
A participle is a verb form that is used as an adjective. Yesterday, we talked about participles ending in -ed or -en. Today we will look at participles that end in -ing. We put a participial phrase at the beginning… Read more992. More Participial Phrases