English grammar explained in plain language simple enough to be understood.
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
There is sometimes confusion about when to use a comma with the conjunction and. Here is a simple rule: use ,and whenever you could have used a period. Let me show you what I mean. John plays baseball, and his… Read more213. Fixing Mistakes with the Comma
A simple sentence is one complete thought. A complete thought has a subject doing something. The dog barked.Josh rode a bicycle.We ate pizza for dinner. Each of these complete thoughts has a subject doing something. dog barkedJosh rodeWe ate You… Read more206. The Simple Sentence
Section A: Decide which word or words in each sentence below should be in italics.1. The warplane Enola Gay dropped the first atomic bombs in WWII. 2. The Pilgrims traveled to North America on a ship called the Mayflower.3. Columbus… Read more190. Practice With Italics
Today we’ll talk about four other types of titles that must be italicized. 1- Movie titles are always italicized. Michael J. Fox stars in the 1985 movie Back to the Future.Ten years earlier, Richard Dreyfuss starred in Jaws. 2- Use… Read more187. Italicize Titles: Movies, Plays, Operas, Musical Works and Albums
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
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
Use a dash to set off a series of items when the sentence might be confusing otherwise.The three boys – Sam, John, and Bill – were eager to get to the beach.My four cousins – ranging in age from 13… Read more414. Using the Dash
Section A: Insert a colon into the proper place in each sentence below. Write NO if the sentence needs no comma.1. The movie starts at 815 tonight.2. I’m going to the show with my three best friends Jan, Laura, and… Read more410. Practice with the Colon