Search results for “can vs. may”

The English language includes four types of sentences: declarative, interrogative, exclamatory, and imperative. This discussion will focus on interrogative sentences. What Is an Interrogative Sentence? A declarative sentence "declares" something (e.g., facts, thoughts, opinions), an exclamatory sentence imparts a strong expression or emotion, and an imperative sentence issues a command. An interrogative sentence asks a …

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, …

Both crisis and crises are correct and acceptable words to use in American English, but they also differ slightly in meaning. Today we’ll explain the difference and ensure you know which one to use in the right context. Crises Is the Plural of Crisis The word crisis is defined as “a tragedy or negative event.” …

Which word do you use if you’re playing a game with more than one small, numbered cube that you have to roll? Today we’ll look at the word dice, along with some related thoughts. The Plural of Dice: Are We Using Correct English? To begin with, asking “What is the plural of dice?” is a …

Bare and bear are two commonly confused words. They sound the same and their spellings differ only by transposed letters, but they have different definitions so it's easy to use one when you might mean the other. Today we'll look at the distinctions between bare and bear and how you can use the words correctly. …

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 …

You're walking down the street. Someone hands you a piece of paper explaining a community effort. Did that person just give you a flyer, a flier, or something else? Let's answer that. Flyer vs. Flier as a Word Choice In the U.S., a promotional piece of paper using words and pictures to deliver a message …

The em dash in American English is a punctuation mark that helps to convey emphasis, introduction, interruption, or a swift change of thought. In doing so, the em dash acts similarly to commas, semicolons, colons, and parentheses. In formal writing, an em dash is the width of an m and longer than both a hyphen and an …

Those who write in American English may sometimes wonder when to abbreviate a word as well as how to abbreviate it. This review will help address those questions. An abbreviation is a shortened or contracted form of a word or a phrase (e.g., Mister to Mr.). If you're ever in doubt about when and how …

You might sometimes wonder whether it's all right to use the word alright. As it turns out, there is a mostly right answer to that. The Meaning of All Right and Alright The two-word expression all right is a short way of saying "all is right." That phrase itself is a quicker version of the …