Tag Archives: English grammar
Phrasal Verbs Using To Come Posted by Gary Locke on Jan 13, 2022
If you combine a common verb with a preposition or an adverb, you create a verbal phrase. Many of the most typical expressions in English are verbal phrases, and you hear them all the time. We’ve devoted a lot of time to this subject, such as this blog by Carol. But a review of our…
The English Language Blogs of 2021, Part 2 Posted by Gary Locke on Dec 30, 2021
We’re going to continue our wander through memory lane, reviewing the ten most engaging and popular English language blogs of 2021. The list is based on your response to them. These were the blogs that were opened the most, clicked on, and commented upon. Today, we’re counting down the top five. You can find the…
What’s Wrong With Nowadays? Posted by Gary Locke on Dec 9, 2021
There are English words that, the moment I see them, I want to scream my head off. We have adopted some words from everyday conversation and made them such common expressions that many have forgotten how unsophisticated they sound. One such word is nowadays, and I have begun to see it in writing a lot…
Coulda/Shoulda/Woulda Posted by Gary Locke on Sep 9, 2021
There are three common English verbs that everyone knows but many misuse: could, should, and would. All three verbs are in the past tense. All three are modal verbs. And all three, being past tense, are commonly paired with the auxiliary verb have – usually as a contraction. But they will mess you up. Could…
Fewer, Less, and Knowing the Difference Posted by Gary Locke on Sep 3, 2021
In English, we use quantifiers with our nouns all the time. A quantifier describes the number or amount of something within a phrase. Unfortunately, many English speakers confuse their quantifiers, using one when they should use another. Do you mean fewer of something or less of something? This is because many quantifiers are not specific…
Confusing Paronyms and Homophones Posted by Gary Locke on Apr 23, 2021
As confusing and maddening as English can be sometimes, learners and even native speakers have particular difficulty dealing with paronyms. In fact, to make matters worse, we even have trouble figuring out the difference between paronyms and homophones! Homophones are words that sound exactly alike, are even pronounced alike, but have very different spellings and…
It’s British, but is it English? Posted by Gary Locke on Feb 5, 2021
I admit to being an Anglophile, someone who is very fond of England, its culture, history, and people. Unfortunately, I also love the English language. Sometimes the two conflict with each other. I’m not just talking about words and phrases that the British use that are strange to those of us who are Americans. I’m…