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Is Dice Plural or Singular?

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 …

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Negative Words

Negation provides us the means of expressing the opposite of a word, thought, or idea. It can include words such as: no nothing not neither none nowhere no one never nobody Let's look at a few examples: I agree with what she said. I do not agree with what she said. Everyone loves paying taxes. …

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Euphemisms: What Is a Euphemism?

Some people may not be able to say what a euphemism is, but there’s a good chance they often use euphemisms, including sometimes without being aware. In today’s grammar post, we’ll explain what euphemisms are and how to use them. What Exactly Is a Euphemism? A euphemism is a mild term—typically an idiomatic one—that’s used …

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Compound Sentences: What Is a Compound Sentence?

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, …

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Is the Plural of Mango “Mangoes” or “Mangos”?

Sometimes with English, even when we think we know how to use and spell a word correctly, different forms of it can spring up and trip us. Mango can be one of those words when we are writing its plural. Should it be mangoes or mangos? That's not a fruity question, but rather one we …

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Relative Pronouns: What Is a Relative Pronoun?

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 …

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Quotation Marks for Emphasis

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 …

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Infinitives

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 …

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Palette, Palate, or Pallet: Do You Know the Difference?

We may often find ourselves distinguishing between two words that sound the same but have different meanings. In today's post, we have a threesome of such words. That's because palette, palate, and pallet are all said the same way, but each has a unique meaning and spelling. To help you tell them apart, let's begin …

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Subordinating Conjunctions

A subordinating conjunction is a word or a phrase that begins and therefore introduces a dependent (subordinate) clause. The subordinate conjunction marks how the dependent clause will modify the independent clause with information such as manner, place, time, contrast, cause, or a condition. Some common subordinating conjunctions include: after except that that although if though …

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