Archives for the ‘Grammar’ Category
- 7 Flawed Sentences Redeemed by Commas
- How the Three Types of Conjunctions Connect Ideas
- Phrasal Verbs and Phrasal Nouns
- A Guide to Nouns
- 10 Ways to Render Sentences More Concise
- Revive a Verb for Conciseness
- 3 Variations of Misplaced Modifiers
- 3 Examples of Interpolated Coordination
- Pleonasms
- Essential and Nonessential Clauses
- 3 Examples of Expletives to Be Expunged
- 3 Types of Errors Involving the Correlative Conjunction “Either”
- 3 Examples of How Missing Words Cause Confusion
- 3 Types of Faulty In-Line Lists
- 3 Examples of Problems with Parallel Structure
- Avoid Beginning a Sentence with “With”
- 3 Examples of Dangling Modifiers
- 3 More Cases of Dangling Modifiers
- 3 Examples of Confusion Caused by Missing Words
- 3 Types of Redundancy to Avoid
- 3 Cases of Tense Errors
- 5 Ways to Minimize Prepositional Phrases
- 3 Sentences with Flawed Parallel Construction
- 3 Types of Errors in Interpolated Coordination
- 3 Examples of Restructuring In-Line Lists
- 3 Types of Sentence Errors Resulting from Missing Articles
- 3 More Types of “Not Only . . . but Also” Errors
- 3 Cases of Missing Words and Phrases
- How to Treat Complex Phrasal Adjectives
- Consistent Use of “That” in Parallel Constructions
- 3 Sentences That Require a Tense Shift
- 3 Cases of Incomplete Parallel Structure
- 3 Types of Misplaced Modifiers
- 3 Problems with In-Line Lists
- Incomplete Parallels
- How to Test for Coordinate and Noncoordinate Adjectives
- Sentences with Interrogative Elements Are Not Questions
- 3 Errors Involving Correlative Conjunctions
- Temporary and Permanent Phrasal Adjectives
- 3 Types of Erroneously Located Modifiers
- How to Flatten Adjective Stacks
- Conditionals Besides “If” and “Unless”
- 3 Types of Problems with Complex Phrasal Adjectives
- 3 More Examples of Misplaced Modifiers
- 3 Errors Involving Prepositions
- Expletives and Agents
- 3 Types of Parenthetical Problems
- What to Do When a Dangling Participle Defies Revision
- Parallel Structure with Prepositions
- 5 Errors in Noun-Verb Agreement
- The Distraction of Prepositional Phrases in Noun-Verb Agreement
- 3 More Cases of Dangling Modifiers
- More Hyphenation of Phrasal Adjectives
- 3 Examples of Misplaced Modifiers
- 3 Cases of Restrictive and Nonrestrictive Confusion
- What’s the Difference Between a Dangling Modifier and a Dangling Participle?
- Coordinate vs. Noncoordinate Adjectives
- 5 Subject-Verb Disagreements
- 3 Sentences That Lack Just One Word to Be Correct
- Another 3 Cases of Misplaced Modifiers
- The Difference Between Restrictive and Nonrestrictive Clauses
- 3 More Cases of Misplaced Modifiers
- 5 Types of Errors in Parallel Construction of Sentences
- 3 Cases of Dangling Participles
- Answers to Questions About Restrictive and Nonrestrictive Constructions
- 3 Sentences with Disguised Subordinate Clauses
- 5 Types of Parallel-Structure Errors
- 3 Cases of Dangling Modifiers
- The Difference Between Coordinate and Noncoordinate Adjectives
- The Missing Article
- 5 Sentences with Misplaced Modifiers
- 5 Points About Parallel Structure
- 3 Cases of Misplaced Modifiers
- 5 Types of Parallel-Structure Problems
- 3 Modifiers Left Dangling Without a Supporting Subject
- 5 More Examples of Misplaced Modifiers
- Appositives and Descriptions
- 5 Cases of Dangling Modifiers
- As and Than To Introduce Elliptical Clauses
- 3 Sentences with Misplaced Modifiers
- Answers to Questions About Tense #3
- 5 Examples of Faulty Parallel Structure
- Misplaced Modifiers
- Myself Included
- The Uses of “The”
- Whether vs. If
- Good-paying Jobs
- Despite Is Not a Conjunction
- 10 Grammar Mistakes You Should Avoid
- It Ends When…
- Anyone and Everyone Are Welcome
- Below is Not an Attributive Adjective
- A Bunch of Comments
- 10 Ways To Form a Compound Noun
- Whom: More Than A Matter of Grammar
- Who vs. That: Rule or Stylistic Choice?
- Sentence Adverbs
- Modal Verbs
- Bare Infinitive After Certain Verbs
- What is Grammar?
- Collective Nouns: Singular or Plural?
- Between You and I vs. Between You and Me
- Dozen: Singular or Plural?
- Any
- An Came First
- Coordinating vs. Subordinating Conjunctions
- One of Few Who Are
- Indefinite Article With Initialisms
- Uses of Do
- How Perfect Is the Present Perfect?
- Which and That to Introduce Clauses
- How Many Tenses in English?
- Preceding a Gerund with a Possessive
- Back-Formation
- Apostrophe with Plural Possessive Nouns
- May Have vs. Might Have
- The Singular Possessive Apostrophe
- Good At, Good In, and Good With
- Present Participle as Adjective
- Uses of the Past Participle
- Irregular Past Participle Forms
- Arrive To vs. Arrive At
- 50 Words or Less
- Compound Plurals
- Double Possessive
- Revising with the Present Perfect
- Comparison of Adjectives
- One Scissor?
- Good vs. Well, Bad vs. Badly
- Do You Mean Passive or Just Weak?
- Has vs. Had
- The Present Participle and Continuous Tenses
- Can vs. May
- If I Was vs. If I Were
- If Only I Had Known
- Apply to, Apply for, and Apply with
- Main Verbs and Simple Sentences
- Forming the Comparative of One-syllable Adjectives
- I vs. Me
- Answers to Questions About Subject-Verb Agreement #2
- Irregular Verb Forms
- Answers to Questions About Prepositions
- Who vs. Whom
- Answers to Questions About Articles
- How to Treat Postpositive Adjectives
- Answers to Questions About Plurals
- Answers to Questions About Possessives
- “Amount” vs. “Number”
- 3 More Sentences with Dangling Modifiers
- Answers to Questions About Personal Pronouns
- 5 Appositive Phrases with Punctuation Problems
- True Phrasal Adjectives and Imposters
- Answers to Questions About Pronouns
- 5 Uses of Infinitives
- 3 More Misplaced Modifiers
- 3 Problems of Parallel Structure
- Confusion of Subjective and Objective Pronouns
- Adjectives That Look Like Adverbs
- Can Grammar Be Taught?
- 9 Types of Functional Variation
- Answers to Questions About Subject-Verb Agreement
- A Parenthetical Puzzle
- 10 Points About Possessives
- Answers to Questions About Tense #2
- What Is a Determiner?
- Are Tense Shifts Advisable?
- 4 Types of Gerunds and Gerund Phrases
- The 7 Types of Possessive Case
- 3 Cases of Confusion with Introductory Adverbial Phrases
- 5 Cases of “Which”/“That” Confusion
- 5 More Misplaced Modifiers
- 5 Cases of Faulty Parallelism
- 3 Appositive Errors
- When to Use “That,” “Which,” and “Who”
- 5 More Dangling Modifiers
- How Do You Determine Whether to Use Who or Whom?
- 10 Classes of Careless Usage
- When Is a Question Not a Question?
- 3 Types of “Not Only . . . But Also” Errors
- A Gerund Is a Verb and a Noun in One
- 6 Forms of the Subjunctive Mood
- Plural But Singular in Construction
- 5 Examples of Misplaced Modifiers
- 5 Erroneously Constructed “Not Only . . . But Also” Sentences
- 3 Problems of Nonparallel Interjections
- 5 Parallelism Problems in Sentence Structure
- 5 Usage Errors
- 3 Problems of Parallel Syntax
- 5 Cases of Confusion Between Things and Their Names
- The Return of the Dangling Modifiers
- Plurals and Apostrophes (Mostly) Don’t Mix
- The Fundamentals of Verbs
- The Fundamentals of Nouns
- The Principles of Possessives
- 5 Types of Modifying Mistakes
- 3 Revised Run-In Lists
- 3 Misplaced Modifiers
- 3 Sentences with Dangling Modifiers
- 8 Types of Parenthetical Phrases
- Noun/Verb Agreement with “Number”
- Does Everyone Know Every One?
- Another Quiz About Parallel Structure in Sentences
- How to Convert an Adjective to an Adverb
- How to Form Plurals of Compound Nouns
- 20 Verbs Smothered by “Be”s
- 20 Rules About Subject-Verb Agreement
- A Quiz About Compressing Accordion Sentences
- A Quiz About Semicolons in Run-In Lists
- Agent Nouns
- A Quiz About Combining Sentences
- The Function of “The”
- Attribute Tags and Their Alternatives
- A Quiz About Tactical Syntactical Revision
- Gradable Words
- An Emphatic Essay About Appositive Epithets
- A Quiz About Quotation Marks
- Don’t Be Negative About Negatives
- A Quiz About Attribution
- 25 Subordinating Conjunctions
- A Quiz About Expletives
- A Quiz About Missing Connections
- A Quiz About Misplaced Modifiers
- A Quiz About Clarity
- A Quiz About Parallel Structure
- 10 Types of Hypercorrection
- 5 Alternatives to Hyphenating Phrasal Adjectives
- Put Adverbs in Their Place
- Exceptions in the Rules of Hyphenation
- Put Adjectives in Their Place
- 10 Modes of Modifiers
- 7 Patterns of Sentence Structure
- A Short Quiz About Parallel Construction
- 7 More Fixes for Dangling Modifiers
- A “Not Only . . . But Also” Quiz
- 5 Rules About Conjunctive Adverbs
- 7 Classes of Phrases
- 20 More Smothered Verbs Set Free
- Plurals of Proper Names
- Bad vs. Badly
- Flat Adverbs Are Flat-Out Useful
- 9 Forms of the Past Tense
- The Many Forms of Plurals
- Is “They” Acceptable as a Singular Pronoun?
- 5 Ways to Reduce Use of Prepositions
- 7 Types of Euphemism
- 7 Editing Pet Peeves
- A Case for Technical Grammar Skills
- A Guide to Elliptical Constructions
- Why Is Advertising So Hostile to Hyphens?
- 7 Other Types of Pronouns
- 7 Classes of Noun/Verb Agreement
- 10 Varieties of Syntax to Improve Your Writing
- 5 Fluctuating Forms of Gender-Specific Language
- 5 Pairs of Compound Words, and How They’re Compounded
- Facts About Phrasal Verbs
- When a Pronoun is the “Subject” of an Infinitive…
- 10 Tips to Balance Parallel Sentence Structure
- How to Get into a Subjunctive Mood
- Who Cares About “Whom” Anymore?
- Adverbs Are Really Quite Acceptable
- One Never Knows, Does One?
- “To Be,” or Not “To Be”?
- 5 Ways to Work Your Way Around the Weak “With”
- 10 Sentences with Muddled Meanings Made Clear
- 7 Cases in Which the Name Is Not the Thing
- Coordinate and Noncoordinate Adjectives
- “That” Is Not Always Necessary
- 7 Tactical Fixes for Syntactical Impact
- 5 Points on Proper Usage for Proper Nouns
- 7 Dos for Dangling Modifiers
- 7 Solutions for Sentences with Problematic Parallels
- 5 Tips for Fixing “Not Only . . . But Also” Errors
- 5 Lessons for Mixing Past and Present Tense
- 7 Grammatical Errors That Aren’t
- Misplaced Modifiers Mix Meanings
- 7 Examples of Passive Voice (And How To Fix Them)
- 5 Billboard Taglines That Advertise Errors
- 5 Ways to Set Smothered Verbs Free
- The Problem with Grammar Check
- A Person Is Not a “They.” Neither Is an Army.
- Does Your Dictionary Rule?
- Compound Modifiers: Man-Eating Shark or Man Eating Shark?
- The Case of the Misplaced Modifier
- Car-Wreck Compounds
- “There’s” and “There are”
- Explaining the Explanation Regarding “than he”
- Taller Than He
- “Democrat” is a Noun
- Language Lovers Unite!
- Noun Clauses
- Continue and “Continue on”
- Some Perennial Grammar Questions
- Restrictive Appositives
- Beside and Besides
- Awoken or Awakened?
- Using “May” in a Question
- Participles and Perfect Verb Tenses
- “Fun, Funner, Funnest”?
- Learn the Forms of “drink,” Please!
- A Friend of Jim’s
- Could Have and Would Have
- “If” with conditional clause
- Preposition “near” Doesn’t Need a “to”
- Rich Halloween Moviemakers Hire Cheap Copywriters
- Who is Meant by “You”?
- “Access” and “access to”
- Slink, Shrink, and Wink
- Being and Been
- Comparative or Superlative?
- And Also
- Broadcast vs Broadcasted as Past Form
- Taking another Pass at “Passed”
- Feel Strong or Feel Strongly?
- Beware of the Irregular Past Participle Forms
- Word Inflation, or Unnatural Syntax?
- Ham and Eggs is or are?
- “Owing to” vs “Due to”
- Phrasal Verbs
- Royal Order of Adverbs
- Appositives and Possessives
- 10 Common ESL Mistakes
- Expletives
- Clauses and Phrases
- The Royal Order of Adjectives
- Who or That – That Is The Question
- Can And or But Begin a Sentence?
- Compared “to” or Compared “with”?
- Other, Another and “A Whole Nuther”
- The Subjunctive Mood
- Subject-Verb Agreement
- Doing Good
- Choosing Between “If” and “Whether”
- “So” and “Therefore” Are Clumsy Companions
- The irrealis “were” can say hello to the Dodo
- Television and the Present Perfect Tense
- An Exercise in Ambiguity
- Verbing Nouns
- A Girl Like I
- What’s Wrong with “Ain’t”
- Is “Number” Singular or Plural?
- Fly, Flew, (has) Flown—-Flied?
- Verbs Like “Know”
- Principal Parts of the Verb TO FIT
- It’s Me vs It is I
- No Sooner Than (Not “When”)
- Sneaking up on “Snuck”
- The Many Faces of “Run”
- Modernizing Liturgical English
- Participles Fused and Otherwise
- An Unexpected Question About “You”
- I wish I were…
- Tastes Good Like/As If…?
- Trouble with “Did” and “Had”
- When Most is Enough
- Mixing up “lay” and “lie”
- Are “Gone,” “Taken,” and “Written” on the Way Out?
- What is a Split Infinitive?
- What is Dative Case?
- Should THAT Be Allowed to Stand In for WHO?
- Use Modal Verbs With Care
- Pronoun Use is NOT Rocket Science
- Is That a Noun or a Verb? I’m Confused
- Verbless Sentences
- Definitely use “the” or “a”
- BlogMastermind: A Training Program for Bloggers
- That vs. Which
- The Difference Between “will” and “shall”
- No Country for English
- Warning: Microsoft Did Not Invent Grammar!
- Give me an “A”: a vs. an
- Go Ahead, Put that Preposition at the End!
- Companies Are It, not They
- What is the Difference Between “These” and “Those”?
- TV’s War on “Me” and “I”
- Six Rules for Making Subjects and Verbs Agree
- Comparative Forms of Adjectives
- Can You Start Sentences with “And” or “But”?
- The Many Forms of the Verb TO BE
- Needed: New Singular Possessive Adjective Combining “his” and “her”
- O Second Person Singular, Where Art Thou?
- Smart People, Bad Grammar
- 10 Rules for Writing Numbers and Numerals
- Parallelism Prevents Bumpy Communication
- Five Frequently Misused Verbs: Go, Come, Write, Give, and Eat
- Lay/Lie: Moribund, but Not Dead Yet
- Idiomatic English
- Mind Your -ed’s
- Prepositions for the Perplexed
- When to use “on” and when to use “in”
- Me, Myself, and I
- The Possessive Apostrophe
- All Pronoun Cases Are Created Equal
- Coordinating Conjunctions
- Clauses that need companionship
- Using “a” and “an” Before Words
- Beware of “Whom”
- Homonyms, Homophones, Homographs and Heteronyms
- Compound Modifiers
- Contractions
- It’s or Its?