Understanding the difference between who vs whom can be confusing. Both words are pronouns, but they serve different functions in a sentence. Who is used as a subject: “Who ate all the cake?” On the flip side, whom serves as an object of a verb or preposition: “To whom did you give the letter?” Here are more examples: Who opened …
Synonyms and Antonyms: Definitions & Examples
Like any language, English expands and evolves. As a result, it now has over a million words that serve as building blocks of our thoughts and speech. Parts of this plethora of words are synonyms and antonyms. Synonyms are words that mean the same, while antonyms are those that have opposite meanings. What are Synonyms? Synonyms are words or phrases …
Further vs Farther: What’s the Difference?
How do you decide whether to use further vs farther in a sentence? Further and farther are among the plenty of commonly confused word pairs in American English. And this confusion can be linked to the inevitable evolution of language. Historically, farther and further have been interchangeable when we’re talking about distance – whether figurative or physical. Further vs Farther …
Cumulative Adjectives: Order & Examples
What is a Cumulative Adjective? We use adjectives to define, explain, and give layers to nouns or pronouns. And sometimes, we need more than one adjective to achieve that. Cumulative adjectives are two or more adjectives modifying the same noun such as thrilling old Japanese film or lively little yellow lights. Because they act as a group of words describing …
Adjectives: Modifying Nouns & Pronouns
Most times, nouns alone cannot encapsulate the intensity of our feelings, experiences, or thoughts. “A devastating storm” sounds more definite than “a storm.” We use adjectives (enormous, gigantic, slow, pink, insane, childlike, dull, excellent) to describe nouns or pronouns. The tiny words a, an, and the, also called articles or determiners, are the most frequently used adjectives. Remember that adjectives …
Verb Tense Consistency: Maintain or Change?
What is Verb Tense Consistency? Verb tense consistency means sticking to a verb tense for the entire clause, sentence, or paragraph. Do not shift tenses unless necessary and appropriate. Take this sentence with confusing and inconsistent verb tense, for example: Michelle painted her room red, arranges her closet, and will wash the car. The verb painted is in the past tense, …
Verb Tenses: When an Action Occurs
What are Verb Tenses? Aside from expressing what the subject does, verbs essentially show us the time of an action. Verbs specify different time frames through different verb tenses. In short, verb tenses tell when an action occurred. English has three main verb tenses: past, present, and future. The past tense describes an action that happened in the past, for …
Allusion: Implied or Direct Reference
What is an Allusion? In short, an allusion is a figure of speech that references a famous person, place, event, or literary work. Allusions are either implied or direct. If you hear someone say, “Cupid’s arrow keeps missing me,” he or she alludes to the classic mythology that hails Cupid as the arrow-bearing God of Love. In literature, writers use …
Definite and Indefinite Articles: The & A/An
What are Definite and Indefinite Articles? Articles are teensy words that tell if a noun is specific or general. Because they modify nouns, articles are adjectives, too. In fact, they are the most commonly used adjectives. The two articles of the English language are: the and a/an. They are known as definite and indefinite articles. Also called the definite article, the …
Linking Verbs & Subject Complements
What is a Linking Verb? A linking verb connects the subject to a word in the predicate. Because linking verbs do not express an action, they also don’t require a direct or indirect object. Related Reading: Direct and Indirect Objects: Pair with Verbs Here are the most popular linking verbs: am, is, are, was, were, be, being, been. All forms …