Search results for “sentence”

We recently discussed how nouns can be made into verbs, a practice referred to as verbing: e.g., Why don't you friend me on Facebook? Within its dynamic fluidity, English also often uses verbs as nouns or turns verbs into them, a process known as nominalization. Examples Let's go for a walk. What an epic fail. …

A fixed grammar lets us communicate with a clear, ordered structure we can all understand. Functioning as a GPS for directing our thoughts and ideas, it provides accurate markers and routes for moving our mind's content into intelligible expressions. While language is organized to unify understanding, it also can bend and flex to expand intentions …

With joy and inspiration we celebrate another year of grammatical discovery and discussion with you. In 2024, our ATGV (All-Terrain Grammar Vehicle) crossed far and wide into more diverse territory ranging from assonance and alliteration to diphthongs and sibilance. The vehicle we share in pursuit of written precision and eloquence will travel farther in 2025 …

Written words afford us the means to express ourselves with precision of thought and intent. When we are writing, we can dedicate greater attention to the words we are choosing, as well as the structure and flow in which we arrange them. At the same time, written words do not always give us what spoken …

We use nouns in American English to identify persons, places, things, states of being, and qualities. Our noun references might also be specific or nonspecific. Examples I saw the car. (specific) I saw the BMW four-door sedan. (specific) I saw a car. (nonspecific) In the first sentence, we explain we saw a particular car. It …

Language is the means by which we communicate through words with structure and meaning. Starting at an early age, we become increasingly aware of how words join with other words to form larger units such as phrases, clauses, and sentences, which can then together make paragraphs. In an opposite way, words also can be divided …

Communication is as much about sounds we make and interpret with meaning as it is words that are written with thought. Approximations of dates of origin of human speech have varied from 200,000 years ago to 50,000 years ago. Some recent research suggests our first speech sounds were made around 70,000 years ago. Unlike nonhuman …

Most of us are likely aware of the give and take of spoken and written language. We give extra license for looseness when speaking; we take that license back to ensure and protect proper form when writing (or at least that should be our aim). Like a thriving rooftop cocktail party at sunset, American English …

(This discussion revisits the subject of On to vs. Onto first posted in January 2010.) English is a rich, descriptive language with a versatile vocabulary. It also is one that can keep even well-studied native writers on their toes with its many nuances, such as those we'll find among homophones. Another English subtlety lies in …

Grammar mistakes remain common in daily communication. While those of us who spend time at GrammarBook.com can reduce such solecisms, even the most observant can still potentially be duped by the occasional sneaky error. Because grammar mistakes in American English have always been and likely always will be, we thought it'd be fun and informative …