Grammar

In the phrases, the door creaked open, and the door slammed shut; the words open and shut are resultative adjectives. Perhaps it’s not a grammatical term you are familiar with, but you probably use it quite often. In the examples above, you can see that the adjectives, open and shut, are derived from infinitive verbs. However, there are…

When you use participle adjectives, also sometimes called participial adjectives, they help describe things, people, states, and actions in a much more dynamic manner in your creative writing. Verb phrase: The wind was howling and tore branches from all the trees in its path. Participle adjective phrase: The howling wind tore branches from all the…

Knowing when to use commas with names and titles is simpler than you think. There are just two key grammar rules to remember: 1. Essential names or titles: If the name or title is necessary for the sentence’s meaning and can’t be removed, don’t use commas. 2. Non-essential names or titles: If the name or…

Limiting adjectives, like limiting modifiers, are words that define or restrict a noun rather than describing its qualities. Unlike descriptive adjectives, they answer questions like which one, how many, or whose. To identify them, look for words that point to specific quantities or ownership. There are five main categories: Articles, Demonstrative, Possessive, Numerical, and Quantitative.…

I’m always reminding myself to stop using so, so often in my writing. But it’s not so easy. It is, along with for, and, nor, but, or and yet, one of the main coordinating conjunctions we use all the time. It’s rare that you would find writing advice to limit the use of the first…

Do you need a comma before especially? The quickest way to decide is to use the Stand-Alone Test. If the sentence still makes sense after removing the “especially” phrase, you need a comma. Comma needed: I love desserts, especially chocolate cake. The test: If you delete the “especially” phrase, the main point (I love desserts)…

Is it worth taking the time to learn grammar for new writers? Today, you have so many online tools to correct, rewrite, and even auto-generate text, so why bother? But writing is more than simply being correct. It’s about developing your style, voice, and clarity and learning what works with your readers. The best way to…

Correct verb agreement with group nouns, or collective nouns, is usually quite easy because, generally, they are grammatically singular. For a singular collective noun, it needs a singular verb to agree with the noun. For example, The team is celebrating its World Cup victory. But sometimes, you can use a plural collective noun that needs…

Why do we pronounce the last E in recipe but not in the word recite? Only one letter is different in the two words, so they should sound the same. But that’s not always how English works. Unlike other languages, spelling and pronunciation in English are sometimes not the best of friends. Think of words…

It’s very common to use sentences that begin with there is and there are. But using these two structures too often can weaken your writing. Whenever you see one, it’s always a good idea to consider editing the sentence. Sometimes, it’s as simple as deleting the word there and moving the verb. There is a…