Tag Archives: parts of speech
What is a Tag Question? Posted by Gary Locke on Aug 16, 2018
Sometimes we answer a question with another question or ask a question that can only have one answer. It is very common in English conversations, and can be deceptively tricky in some situations. We call it the tag question. A tag question is a grammatical structure in which a declarative statement is altered by use of an added interrogative (the…
How Can One be Many? Posted by Gary Locke on Jul 26, 2018
In English, some nouns can be both singular and plural. Yes, I know, that sounds like an impossible contradiction. But, this is English after all, and English is full of such maddening things. In fact, to add to the confusion there are several types of these nouns! There are irregular, non-changing nouns, which have the…
The New Suffix Posted by Gary Locke on Jun 7, 2018
A suffix is a letter, or several letters, added to a word which then forms a new word. It is a tail at the end, wagging at us and saying, “Look at me! I’m something new!” A suffix can change a verb to a noun or an adjective. Add -ly to an adjective and you…
Informal English Contractions Posted by Gary Locke on May 17, 2018
Native English speakers can be very lazy with our own language. We create contractions based on the way we actually say things. In time, these contractions work their way into everyday speech. However, if you are learning our language and you hear one of these contractions, you can’t be faulted for wondering just what is…
All the While Posted by Gary Locke on Apr 12, 2018
There are words in the English language which are frequently abused, commonly misapplied, and often indiscriminately placed in sentences and phrases. Near the very top of that list is the word while. It is also one of the most typically argued about words among English language stylists. To understand the controversy, you need to know…
Story of an English Word: Bespoke Posted by Gary Locke on Mar 22, 2018
Vocabulary is fluid. Words come and go like the tide, or they may mix with others to become something else. Some vanish, as if they vaporized into the air. Some words change their spelling over time, losing a vowel like a cup that spilled but righted itself. And some words reappear after decades of disuse…
Head-First Plural Nouns Posted by Gary Locke on Mar 8, 2018
I was listening to the news on my car radio recently when I heard a reporter say that the U.S. government was being sued by a group of “states attorneys general”. I’ve heard that term before and knew that the use of the plural was correct, but it still sounded odd to me. Then, a…