Tag Archives: grammar
Linking English Sentences Together Posted by Gary Locke on Oct 26, 2017
As you begin to learn a language, you start small. Words have one syllable. Sentences are short and basic. There is nothing wrong with keeping your words and phrases simple. People will understand you. However, you know that people don’t really speak in short sentences all the time. It just isn’t easy to know…
What is Syntax? Posted by Gary Locke on Aug 31, 2017
“When nine hundred years old you reach, look as good you will not.” The way you order your words when you speak or write is important. You want everyone to understand you. When Yoda, of Star Wars fame, speaks it isn’t always easy to instantly comprehend his meaning because his syntax is a bit odd…
Somewhere in the English Language Posted by Gary Locke on Jul 27, 2017
Where do you find something in a group? Between, among, amid, betwixt, amongst, and amidst are all similar prepositions. What’s the difference, and when should you use one over another? I have a lot of books. No. Really. I have hundreds and hundreds of books in my library and bedroom, packed neatly onto shelves, stacked…
The Incomplete (English) Sentence Posted by Gary Locke on Jul 6, 2017
How can it be wrong, if it sounds so right? One of the first things you learn about constructing sentences in English is the very narrow definition of a complete sentence. A sentence must consist of A capital letter at the beginning A punctuation mark as a stopping point The main clause, consisting of an…
That’s a Real Word? Posted by Gary Locke on Jun 29, 2017
It is easy to mangle the English language. I hear native speakers do it all the time. But when I learn that a word, which I assume is either mispronounced or made up, is a real word then I’m gobsmacked. Gobsmacked Let’s start there. Gobsmacked is common British slang for being surprised and, to my…
Nonetheless, Nevertheless, Notwithstanding Posted by Gary Locke on Mar 23, 2017
Here they are again: Words which sound so much alike, have similar meanings, and everybody uses them. What, then, is the difference? Let’s begin with the fact that nonetheless, nevertheless, and notwithstanding are all compound words. This means that you can break the word up into separate words. By doing so, you can find clues…
Don’t Be So Sure! Posted by Gary Locke on Mar 3, 2017
Has this happened to you? As an English learner we all know the pitfalls of homonyms, but what happens when you encounter words which have the same cognate, a thesaurus tells us they all are synonyms, but you know instinctively they must somehow have different meanings? As an experiment, try looking up the word ensure…