The usage of the indefinite relative pronouns “whoever” and “whomever” can be confusing, especially in sentences in which one of these pronouns is part of the object of a preposition. When you are determining which pronoun to use in a sentence, remember that “whoever” is in the subjective case and “whomever” is in the objective [...]
The words “its” and “it’s” are homophones: they sound alike, but they have different meanings. Keep the different definitions in mind when you spell these words.
“Its” is a personal possessive pronoun that means “belonging to it.”
“It’s” is a contraction of “it is” or “it has.”
The word “because” is a conjunction that means “for the reason that.”
The reason I am hungry is because I did not eat lunch.
While this sort of diction is common in informal speech, it contains a redundancy according to the rules of standard American English. It is not necessary to have two words that the [...]
Sally can run faster than any girl in the class.
This sentence compares “Sally” to “any girl in the class.” Such a comparison implies that Sally is not a girl. Since “Sally” is part of the group defined by “girl in the class,” it is necessary to use the term “any other” instead of “any.”
Sally can [...]
The proper usage of “former” and “latter” depends upon an understanding of the definitions of these words.
former - (adjective) first-mentioned of two
latter - (adjective) last-mentioned of two
Notice that these definitions contain the words “of two.” This means that “former” and “latter” can only be used in reference to two people or things. [...]
The number of nouns and pronouns and the person of pronouns must remain consistent within a sentence. Standardized examinations will present questions that contain agreement shifts, making instant recognition of these errors essential.
All of my friends want to be a rock star.
“All of my friends” is a noun phrase that is plural. “Rock star” is [...]
A pronoun is a word that substitutes for a noun or a noun phrase. Pronouns are classified into 6 types: personal pronouns; demonstrative pronouns; indefinite pronouns; relative pronouns; interrogative pronouns; and reflexive and intensive pronouns.
Indefinite pronouns refer to unspecified people or things. These pronouns can be singular or plural; some are always singular, some are [...]
The verb “infer” means “to draw a conclusion based on given information.”
The verb “imply” means “to indicate without making a direct statement.”
Although she never states that she does not like her brother, the author implies in her book that they did not have a good relationship.
The reader can infer that the relationship between the author [...]
Yesterday I [hanged/hung] a picture on the wall.
In the United States, criminals are no longer [hanged/hung] as punishment for their crimes.
The verb “hang” means “to suspend” and it has two forms of the past tense: “hanged” and “hung.” The use of these words depends on their meaning. “Hanged” is used to mean “suspended with the [...]
The adjective “everyday” means “happening every day” and, perhaps because a routine can be perceived as relatively uninteresting, “ordinary.” Remember that “everyday” is one word: it is an adjective used to describe a noun and answer the question “How is it?” It is “ordinary”; it is “commonplace”; it is “everyday.”
The adverb phrase “every day” means [...]
