Archive for 'English Grammar'
Syllables and Word Stress Posted by heather on Apr 21, 2012
photograph – photographer – photographic Do these three words sound the same when you say them out loud? If you are pronouncing them correctly, then they shouldn’t. The reason (and no, it is not just because they are three slightly different words) has something to do with syllables and word stress. What are Syllables? Syllables…
Backward versus Backwards Posted by heather on Apr 14, 2012
I’m walking backwards for Christmas, Across the Irish Sea, I’m walking backwards for Christmas, It’s the only thing for me. I’ve tried walking sideways, And walking to the front, But people just look at me, And say it’s a publicity stunt. I’m walking backwards for Christmas, To prove that I love you. -excerpt…
Punctuation Makes the Difference! Posted by Gabriele on Apr 5, 2012
I recently saw the above joke floating around* Facebook and it of course got me thinking about punctuation. In a previous post I addressed the names of punctuation marks in English, but I did not discuss their usage. So, that is what we will be covering today! Punctuation marks constitute the system of symbols that…
Language Learning: You Can Always Learn Something New Posted by heather on Mar 31, 2012
Just when you think you have gotten a language straight in your mind, it goes and throws you a curve ball. This is exactly what happened to me a few weeks ago. Despite being a native English speaker and even having studied and taught the language, I am still learning things on a regular basis…
“Can not” or “Cannot”: What is the Difference? Posted by Gabriele on Mar 23, 2012
I have to admit I decided to write this post because I really wanted to know the difference between “can not” and “cannot” for myself. I was proof reading some of my own writing recently and I realized I was not 100% sure on the difference usage of “can not” and “cannot”. Even as a…
Similes Posted by heather on Mar 14, 2012
“It’s been a hard day’s night, and I’ve been working like a dog.” – The Beatles A simile is something compared with something else to create an image in the reader’s mind. A simile usually includes the words “like” or “as.” You can create similes for adjectives (as light as a petal), verbs (He crawled…
Affect vs. Effect Posted by heather on Mar 10, 2012
One of the most misused and misunderstood word pairs would have to be affect and effect. Despite their almost identical spelling and similar (although different!) pronunciation, these two words do have a different meaning. Learning this difference and putting it to good use, will put you well ahead of many native English speakers. The difference…