The classic letter opening To Whom It May Concern was once incredibly common and popular. You might be seeing it used less often these days, which might lead you to wonder when the salutation is proper to include in a letter or email. We will address that topic and more in this discussion. The Concern …

A relative pronoun substitutes for a noun to introduce a subordinate (dependent) clause, which is one that must be joined with an independent (main) clause to complete the sentence in which it appears. A dependent clause led by a relative pronoun is also referred to as a relative clause. You might hear it called an …

Than and then look and sound alike, and both are used in casual conversation all the time. Because of their similarity, they can sometimes be tricky to keep straight, especially in writing. In today's post we'll review the differences between than and then so you know how to use both correctly within your communications. The …

A common debate in English grammar can concern whether commas need to be used before conjunctions such as and, or, and but. These debates may stem from the fact that different people have been taught different guidelines about this punctuation. Style guides often differ about it as well. Today's post will help to clear things …

A main way writing differs from speech is that it often has less-immediate versatility in stressing intentions and feelings behind the words being used. Unlike writing, speech offers instantly recognizable aspects such as verbal pacing, nonverbal cues, gesticulation, and inflection. To achieve desired emphasis, writers must become adept with their available tools. Italic, bold, and …

Suppose you wake with the strange sensation that you have just been in a desert made of brown sugar in a room where it was raining toasted marshmallows. Was all that sugar something you had dreamed, or had you dreamt of something sweet? If you're someone who focuses on improving your mastery of American English …

Do you ever have a hard time separating the one-word already from the phrase all ready? These words sound the same when spoken aloud unless you conscientiously emphasize the pause between them. Given that, it's easy to see why people might confuse them. In today's post we'll look at the differences so you can use …

Understanding superlative adjectives begins with recognizing the three forms (degrees) that most adjectives have: positive, comparative, and superlative. These different forms are likely familiar to many of you. Positive Comparative Superlative cold colder coldest tall taller tallest soft softer softest As shown, shorter adjectives often form the comparative degree with -er and the superlative degree …

Imagine that a higher cosmic power decided to speak with you directly. Overnight you might become a prophet. But did you receive a prophecy or a prophesy? Will you prophesy or prophecy to other people? If you're looking answers you're in the right place. Today we will review the proper use of each word. The …

A noun phrase is group of two or more words that function as a subject, an object, or a prepositional object in a sentence. The phrase is led by a noun and joined by one or more modifiers that can come before the noun or after it. For example, if you write the man with …