Category: Adjectives and Adverbs

Have you ever found yourself wondering whether you need a comma before or after the word however? If so, you aren't alone. This is a minor point of grammar that is often questioned, debated, and searched. It can sometimes even be difficult to find a good answer online. We are going to fix that in …

Percentages are common in our daily communication. They express groups of numbers in ways that let us quickly interpret them and relate them to one another. At the same time, we might wonder how we should present these figures in our writing. Do we use 10 per cent, 10 percent, or 10%? Let's review some …

Adjectives add to vivid writing and speaking, and we use them often, perhaps without even being aware. In this discussion, we'll explain what an adjective is, look at examples, and offer some guidance for using them well. What Is an Adjective? An adjective is a word that describes the qualities of a noun (an object, …

Adverbs are important to writing and speaking in English. However, even though adverbs are taught in school, many of us may not often consider them in such a way; they become words rather than parts of speech to us. We'll review what adverbs are, how they are used, and what they can add to our …

Imagine you are reading the police-report section of your community newspaper. Someone has been committing a rash of local burglaries. The description in the report says, "The man is identified as being age 20 to 25 and approximately 5'9" to 6' tall with shoulder-length blond hair weighing 160 to 170 pounds." You furrow your brow …

Are you familiar with adverbials? If you're interested in knowing more about what they are and how they're used, we can help you refine that part of your grammar. In this discussion we'll review adverbials and provide examples to reinforce your understanding. Let's begin with the definition. What Are Adverbials? A verb is an action …

If you write and speak in English, you surely use possessive adjectives even if you're not always aware that you are. Further understanding verbal components gives you even greater insight and command in using them. In this discussion, we'll review what possessive adjectives are and look at several proper examples of them. What Are Possessive …

Clear communication in writing depends on more than precise punctuation and word choice. It also relies on proper placement of modifiers. If related elements are not in proximity or the sentence does not otherwise make internal references clear, we will have a statement such as the following: To avoid an accident while driving at night, …

Do you know all of the grammatical parts of a sentence, or are you a participle of the problem? All joking aside, you have probably heard of a participle but might not know what it is or even what the word means. You also surely use participles in your communication throughout the day. In today’s …

A while and awhile both sound the same when spoken aloud, leading some to think that the two are the same or that one is a misspelling of the other. The two constructions—one as a two-word phrase and the other as a single word—mean different things. In today's post, we will explain the difference so …