Grammar

You are probably asking, what is a dangling modifier? Of all the grammatical terms, this one is my favorite. It is just plain funny. Dangling conjures up the vision of someone hanging from a tall building by a long rope tied around one ankle and swinging uneasily from side to side. But in a grammatical sense,…

The schwa is the mid-central vowel sound and the most common vowel sound in English. It occurs in many words, unstressed syllables, or to contract auxiliary verbs and prepositions. The schwa sounds like “uh” in umbrella or under, and in phonetics, it is represented by the schwa symbol of an upside-down /ə/. If you look up a word in an English dictionary,…

In English, the subjunctive mood forms are easy to use. However, the subjunctive structure of the verb tense can cause a little bit of confusion. Verbs in the present subjunctive sentences take a distinct form that is similar to the imperative mood. As with all grammatical moods, we need to be careful in choosing grammar structures…

Is there a difference between a simile and a metaphor? Yes, there is. What is a simile? It is a figure of speech that expresses similarity. It uses the as-adjective-as comparative form or with like. What is a metaphor? It uses the verb to be and says someone or something is something. There are many examples…

It’s slow, but the art of proofreading is a necessary skill. Editing, copy editing, and proofreading are separate processes in preparing a text in the publishing industry. The three processes are used for newspaper articles, online content, or business documents. But the processes are more commonly associated with preparing a manuscript for a book. After…

What is the easiest way to improve your writing? Learn how to stop using passive voice. When I edit or proofread a text or manuscript, one of the common corrections I have to make is to turn causative and passive forms into active sentences. Yes, I use passive resistance against the passive tense. It is…

If you have arrived at this page, you are considering a premium online grammar checker and looking for an honest Grammarly review. There are many to choose from, so you need to know which one will work best for you. Time is tight, and you probably want a quick answer to one of the following…

Are you confused about sometime vs. some time? Some time ago, I would sometimes use sometime in the wrong place. Anytime you want to use an indefinite pronoun, be a little bit careful. You might find that you could need to use an adverb or modify a noun with an adjective or partitive. That all…