Author: frank

The quantifiers ‘a little’, ‘little’, ‘a few’, and ‘few’ are often used interchangeably in English. However, there is a difference based on whether the object specified is countable or uncountable. The use of the indefinite article ‘a’ also changes the meaning of these important words. Read More …

The words alternate and alternative are closely related, but they can’t be used interchangeably in all cases. DEFINITIONS Alternate As a verb, alternate (the last syllable rhymes with late) means to happen by turns, to take turns, or to exchange places. As a noun, alternate (the last syllable Read More …

The English Language is a difficult beast to tie down. Even those rules which we consider mandatory may actually change very quickly, especially with words moving into ever more fleeting media. However, there are a few mistakes which – for Read More …

Read the following sentences: It’s been a beautiful day. He’ll tell you about its smell. What’s the difference between ‘it’s’ and ‘its’ in these two sentences? In the first case, ‘it’s’ is short for the verb combination ‘it is’ in the sentence ‘It’s been a beautiful day. In Read More …

Enough can be used as an adjective, adverb or exclamation in English. Pay careful attention to the placement of ‘enough’ explained below. Enough Adjective / Adverb + Enough When enough modifies an adjective or an adverb place enough after the adjective / adverb: Examples: Do you Read More …

No dictionary has been able to adequately explain the difference between COMPLETE and FINISHED. However, in a recent linguistic conference held in London, England, and attended by some of the best linguists in the world: Samsundar Balgobin, a Guyanese, was Read More …

Use “a lot of” before nouns. “A lot of” + noun means a large quantity or a high number. “A lot of” can be used with both countable and uncountable nouns. There were a lot of students in the classroom. I drank a Read More …

The letters C and G have two pronunciations – “hard” and “soft.” The pronunciation depends on the letter that comes after the C or G. This photo shows you the general rule (but there are exceptions!)

All writers strew less-than-perfect turns of phrase in their first drafts, unnecessary words and phrases that slow down writing. Here are five stylistic flaws that can be eliminated in revision. 1. Unnecessary prepositional phrases EXAMPLE: After all my hard work, the Read More …