Grammar and Usage

Nouns are the most common parts of speech you will encounter in your writing; however, many people need help identifying these vital pieces of sentence structure. They are a foundation for strong and grammatically correct sentences because nouns function as subjects and serve other important… continue reading

In this post we will discuss nominalization, or the process of turning verbs and adjectives into nouns, through the prism of two distinct styles that literate, communicating adults encounter every day. I refer to the difference between the Impersonal (or I) style and the Personal (or… continue reading

And now, a note on the use of and.  And  is what some traditional linguists would call the “unmarked form”:  other than connection or association, it carries no additional meaning.  Of course, we have other coordinating conjunctions, i.e., words that join two elements of equal… continue reading

Let’s tackle a hotly contested topic in the English language: “Is data singular or plural?” Data: Singular or Plural? The answer to this question comes down to a few points of contention. As a foreign word, people argue whether “data” should follow English plurality rules or the… continue reading

Let’s face it: English leaves plenty of opportunities to mix up words and spellings. One great example is deciding between using “too many” or “to many.” They both sound the same and look the same except for one little letter – how can you tell… continue reading

Nearly all of us were taught from a very young age that beginning a sentence with a conjunction (a word used to connect clauses or sentences) was wrong. Even today, that negative connotation still rings true, with writers struggling over whether starting with “or” is… continue reading

We all need a hero sometimes.  But what if the tasks calls for more that one hero? Should we simply add an “s” at the end to end up with “heros?”  No, that would indeed be incorrect.  So what is the plural of “hero?”  In… continue reading

You have probably heard “better than” or “better then” many times before – but have you always known whether someone is using “then” or “than”? They sound very similar and only differ in spelling by one letter, so it’s easy to see how they can… continue reading

Began vs. Begun: What’s the difference? Let’s have a look at began vs. begun. Both began and begun are forms of the verb begin. Began [ bih-gan ] is the past tense of begin. For example: She began classes last week.  Begun [ bih-guhn ] is the past participle of begin. For example: I have already begun… continue reading

Homophones are some of the toughest words to sort through, regardless of whether you are a native or non-native English speaker. Although they are spelled differently, homophones sound exactly the same when spoken out loud – so if you aren’t a terrific speller, you’re likely… continue reading