Search results for “BB”

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 …

The last couple of years have seen a greater emphasis on how we refer to and write about cultural identity in a wonderfully diverse country such as the U.S. In this discussion, we'll share some current style guidance you can consider. When we seek reinforcement for certain style items at GrammarBook.com, we most often refer …

Indefinite articles are small but integral parts of English grammar. Today we'll discuss what an indefinite article is and how it serves communication. What Is an Indefinite Article? An indefinite article is simply the word “a” or “an” used before a noun. It denotes the class to which a noun belongs but does not make …

English has four types of sentence structures: simple, compound, complex, and compound-complex. In this review, we’ll discuss what a compound sentence is. A compound sentence is one that includes at least two independent clauses that are connected by a conjunction and a comma or by a semicolon. Examples Ricky went to the park on his bike, …

You may have seen three dots within text when reading a sentence (…). This punctuation mark is called an ellipsis. An ellipsis represents an omission of one or more words within a quoted passage. The plural of ellipsis is ellipses. The ellipsis serves efficient writing by allowing us to abbreviate content or otherwise include only …

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 …

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 …

Every English verb has an infinitive, which is the base form of the verb before it is conjugated. It consists of the word to and the present form of the verb (the infinitive stem): e.g., to run, to sing, to write, to follow. Although an infinitive is the base of a verb, it does not …

The chances are good that you have seen (and may even own) some collectibles. At the same time, you probably have other things that were collectable. The real question, though, is whether you know the difference between the two words. If not, today's post should be a big help. Collectible vs. Collectable Let's start by …

You probably use a and an in writing and speech every day. Do you also know which one is proper in each usage? In today’s post we’ll clear up any confusion you might have about a and an. Both a and an are indefinite articles, which are words that refer to a person or a …