Punctuation marks, as a convention of written language, function to ensure the clarity of writing for readers and writers. There are seven rules for using hyphens as punctuation marks in written American English: With affixes In compound nouns In coequal nouns In compound modifiers In phrasal modifiers In numbers To avoid confusion and misreading The […] More
Present participles, or -ing participles, are a nonfinite verb form in English that perform verbal, adjectival, and nominal functions. The following sections explain how to form present participles and how to use present participles in English and include examples to illustrate form and function. Present participles are also referred to as -ing participles, active participles, […] More
Punctuation marks are a convention of written language that help readers and writers more easily understand language in written forms. There are five punctuation rules for using question marks, exclamation marks, and interrobangs in written American English: Question marks to end sentences Question marks in dates and numbers Exclamation marks to end sentences Exclamation marks […] More
Punctuation marks are a convention of written language that ensure the clarity of writing for both readers and writers. There are three punctuation rules for using apostrophes as punctuation marks in written American English: Possessive nouns Contractions and omissions Pluralized lowercase letters and words as words The following sections explain and provide examples of the […] More
Negation is the grammatical operation whereby a proposition is replaced by one that states the opposite. An affirmative form expresses the validity or truth of a basic assertion. A negative form expresses the falsity of a basic assertion. In the English language, sentences may be negated with the adverbs not and never, the determiner no, […] More
The English language contains many words with similar or identical spellings and pronunciations but different meanings. Learning the differences between paronyms, homophones, homographs, homonyms, heteronyms, capitonyms, and oronyms is essential for avoiding common and sometimes embarrassing mistakes. Paronyms Paronyms are words with similar pronunciations but different spellings and meanings. For example: accept – verb – […] More
Punctuation marks are a convention of writing that ensure the clarity of written language for readers and writers. There are eight rules for using colons as punctuation marks in written American English: Introduce lists Introduce appositives Introduce quotations Introduce elaborations and emphasizations Introduce rules and principles In business salutations In time notations In Bible references […] More
Writers often confuse words that sound the same or similarly in written English. The following sections explain the differences in spelling and meaning for the most commonly confused and misused paronyms and homophones in the English language. Paronyms Paronyms are words with the similar sounds but different meanings. In written English, writers often mistake one […] More
As a convention of written language, punctuation marks function to ensure the clarity of writing for readers and writers. There are three rules for using colons as punctuation marks in written American English: Joining related verb clauses Joining other verb clauses In series with commas The following sections explain and provide examples of the punctuation […] More
The English language is a language of many words with similar or identical spellings and pronunciations but different meanings. Oronyms are paronymic words or phrases with similar pronunciations but different spellings and meanings. Many plays on words use oronyms for a comical effect. The following sections list and exemplify some funny and downright strange oronyms […] More
Punctuation marks are a convention of written language that ensure the clarity of writing. There are five punctuation rules for using periods as punctuation marks in written American English: Sentence endings Decimal points Abbreviations Computer files and Internet addresses Play and poetry citations The following sections explain and provide examples of the punctuation rules for […] More
Linguistics is the study of language and encompasses a large number of more specific disciplines of language study. Therefore, linguistics is divided into a number of smaller, more specific subfields. The following sections provide definitions of some major subfields of linguistics. More Major Linguistic Subfields: Internal Language Sociolinguistics is the study of language use in […] More
Linguistics is defined as the scientific study of human language. However, because the study of language encompasses a large number of more specific disciplines, linguistics is often divided into a number of subfields. People who study linguistics are known as linguists. Grammar is the study of the set of structural rules governing the composition of […] More
The English language is full of words with identical or similar spellings or pronunciations but different meanings. The following sections explain the differences between some common English heteronyms and homographs. Common English Heteronyms Heteronyms are words with identical spellings but different pronunciations and meanings. Many heteronyms are related in meaning or origin. abuse – verb […] More
Many well-meaning but misinformed grammarians and language purists argue in favor of prescriptive grammatical rules. The English language has no shortage of prescriptions, or rules about what to do and what not to do. However, not all grammar rules are created equally. In fact, many of the most widely cited prescriptive rules for English fail […] More
Relative pronouns are both a type of pronoun that take the place of another word, phrase, or clause and a type of subordinating conjunction that introduce adjective, or relative, clauses. Adjective clauses perform the function of noun phrase modifier within noun phrases. The nine relative pronouns in English grammar are: who whom that which Ø […] More
Nouns are traditionally defined as “persons, places, things, and ideas.” Noun phrases are defined as phrases that consist of a noun or pronoun and any number of constituents including adjectives, determiners, prepositional phrases, verb phrases, and adjective clauses. Pronoun is a subcategory of noun. Pronouns and noun phrases headed by pronouns perform eight grammatical functions […] More
Adverbs are traditionally defined as “words that describe verbs, adjectives, and other adverbs.” Adverb phrases are defined as phrases that consist of an adverb plus any modifiers such as another adverb. Adverb phrases including adverbs perform eight main grammatical functions within sentences in the English language. The eight functions of adverbs and adverb phrases are: […] More
Notional grammars define adjectives as words that modify or describe nouns. An adjective phrase is a phrase that consists of an adjective functioning as the head of the phrase plus any modifiers or complements. In grammar, an object complement is a word, phrase, or clause that directly follows and describes or completes the direct object […] More
According to traditional grammars, adjectives as words that modify or describe nouns. An adjective phrase is a phrase that consists of an adjective functioning as the head of the phrase plus any modifiers or complements. In grammar, a subject complement is a word, phrase, or clause that follows a copular, or linking, verb and describes […] More
