Grammar and Punctuation

What is a Verb? Subject verb agreement is important in a sentence. Before getting into subject verb agreement, it is important to remind ourselves briefly about what verbs are. Verbs are the most important parts of speech in English language. As a matter of fact, there can never be a sentence in the English without a verb. That is how...

Writing out numbers appears more complicated than it actually is. Luckily, in everyday life, your only objective is to make things clear enough that others don’t become confused. For example, when you are writing a cheque, you simply restate the numbers that were written numerically someplace else on the cheque. That being said, if you are writing something more formal, like...

What is verb tense consistency? Verb tense consistency refers to maintaining identical tense throughout a clause. The goal is to avoid having a single time period being described in multiple tenses. In the event that you are refereeing to more than one time period, it is advisable to start a new clause or a new sentence altogether. Take into consideration...

There are fourteen punctuation marks commonly used in English grammar. Of them, the comma is the one that is used incorrectly most often. And, there is little doubt as to why. There are so many different guidelines and rules pertaining to when or how a comma should be used, that many writers (especially those who are inexperienced) struggle with determining proper...

Proficient editing and proofreading skills are a necessary component of effective writing. However, they come far later in the process – after the brainstorming, content planning, drafting and revision. Writers who write hurriedly or forgo any of the aforementioned steps end up with a finished paper that is, well, unfinished. Papers written without following effective writing best practices are often...

Definition: Prepositions are words used in front of nouns or pronouns. They show the relationship between the pronoun or noun and other words in the sentence. English prepositions include prepositions of time, place and others. It also includes prepositional phrases. Prepositions of time include words such as: in, at, since, for, ago, before, past, to, till, until, by. Prepositions of place (position...

Knowing when to use active or passive voice is paramount in the English language. Yet, it is still an area where many writers struggle – including those who have been speaking English since birth. Growing up in the US education system, students are often told that they need to stay away from using passive voice because it is viewed as...

When we communicate verbally we use certain oral queues, like pausing or changing the tone of our voice, to indicate breaks in speech or emphasis. In written communication, these types of breaks in sentences or other places of emphasis are indicated through the use of punctuation. The purpose of the following guide is to not only introduce the various marks...

“The bug, a large, hairy spider that has set its sights on my apple, is floating down from the ceiling.” “While we were talking, Barnaby, the messiest eater, spit soup like an out of control garden hose.” What do each of these sentences have in common?  They all contain examples of appositives. What are appositives? Keep reading to learn more. Simple...

Separable phrasal verbs Separable phrasal verbs, are part of a larger group referred to as transitive phrasal verbs which typically have a direct object that separates the phrasal verb. That is, the verb and adverb or preposition making the phrasal verbs are not written one after the other in a sentence but rather separated by a direct object. For example;...