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4-minute read
Grammar Tips: Using the Present Tense
“Carpe diem” is a Latin phrase often translated as “seize the day.” It’s used to urge people to appreciate the present moment instead of thinking about the past or future too much. And in that spirit, we’ve written this blog post about using the present tense. “Carp diem,” meanwhile, means...
3-minute read
Grammar Tips: Using the Past Tense
The past includes everything that has ever happened. And with every second that passes, the past gets bigger and bigger! As such, there’s plenty of stuff in the past we might want to write about. Lucky for us, then, we have the past tense to talk about things in the...
4-minute read
Grammar Tips: Independent and Dependent Clauses
Independent and dependent clauses are fundamental parts of writing. But what are these clauses? How do they differ? And how do you use them? In this post, we look the basics of independent and dependent clauses. What Is a Clause? A “clause” is a group of words that contains a...
3-minute read
Grammar Tips: Compound Subjects
Verb agreement gets tricky when it comes to compound subjects. Lucky for you, then, we’ve prepared this guide to help you avoid grammatical errors. Check out our advice on the different types of compound subject to find out how to use them in your writing. Subject–Verb Agreement and Compound Subjects...
3-minute read
Grammar Tips: Understanding Faulty Parallelism
Grammatical parallelism sounds complicated, but it’s easier to understand than it might seem. And knowing how parallelism works can help you avoid errors in your writing. In this post, then, we’ll look at the basics of creating a “parallel” sentence and how to avoid faulty parallelism. What Is Parallelism? (Parallelism...
4-minute read
Grammar Tips: Understanding Pronouns and Antecedents
Pronouns can be picky things, so you don’t want to mix them with the wrong words. But, what are the rules behind this? And which pronouns go with which words? Well, with our guide to pronouns and antecedents, you can be confident of keeping your writing error free. What Are...
3-minute read
Grammar Tips: Progressive Aspect
You probably know that the English language has three tenses (past, present, and future), but did you know that, for each of these tenses, there are four different aspects (simple, perfect, progressive, and perfect progressive)? The simple aspect of each tense describes actions, facts, and habits, but it can sound...
3-minute read
Grammar Tips: Defining vs. Non-defining Clauses
What Are Clauses? At its most basic, a clause is a grammatical unit that contains a subject and a verb. Clauses differ from sentences (which always contain at least one clause but usually contain more) and phrases (which do not have both a subject and a verb). What Are Defining...
4-minute read
Grammar Tips: Tautology
Tautology is the needless repetition of a word, phrase, or idea. The word, first used in 1566, comes from the ancient Latin and Greek word “tautologia,” meaning the saying of the same thing twice. Here are some common examples of tautology in everyday language: PIN number PIN means “personal identification...
4-minute read
Grammar Tips: Understanding Conditional Sentences
We use conditional sentences to talk about hypotheticals (i.e., things that might happen). These sentences have two parts: a conditional clause, which usually contains a word like “if,” and a consequence. They also come in four main types, each expressing something different. For instance: Conditional Type Usage Type zero General...
3-minute read
Grammar Tips: What Are Modal Verbs?
Modal verbs are a special category of verb in English. But how do they work? And how should you use them in your writing? In this post, we explain the basics. How Are Modal Verbs Used? Modal verbs are a type of auxiliary verb. These are “helping” verbs that work...
3-minute read
Grammar Tips: What Are Prepositional Phrases?
The term “prepositional phrase” describes a group of words that contains a preposition (e.g., on or after) and modifies a noun or a verb. In this post, we explain how to use prepositional phrases correctly in your writing. What Is a Prepositional Phrase? A prepositional phrase always contains a preposition...
