Object Nouns in a Sentence
In English sentences, a noun can be the main subject of the sentence or clause, or it can be an object, which is to say it is not the subject. The subject noun is the noun performing the verb. This…
Category English Grammar for Foreign Students
Causative Verbs
Causative verbs are a small number of verbs that are used to indicate that one person or thing causes another person or thing to perform an action or be in a certain state. Instead of doing the action themselves, the…
Anything, Something and Nothing
In English, the single negative principle means that only one negative word is used to express a negative idea. When forming negative sentences, one should never double up on negative words. One negative is enough. This lesson focuses on the…
The Difference between It and That
The words it and that can both be used as pronouns. A pronoun is a word used in place of a noun to avoid repetition and make sentences clearer. However, as pronouns, it and that serve different purposes. It refers…
Learn English Adjective Endings
Adjectives are important words in language because an adjective is a word that describes or modifies a noun, providing more detail about it. A noun is a word that represents a person, place, thing, or idea such as a dog,…
Reflexive and Ergative Verbs
Reflexive verbs are those where the action reflects back on the subject, using reflexive pronouns such as myself or yourself. Ergative verbs are those that exhibit a unique flexibility in allowing the subject of an intransitive sentence to be the…
The Difference between ‘Come’ and ‘Go’ and Other Commonly Confused English Words
Some English verbs are frequently confused because they can seem similar although they are used in different contexts. Two such verbs are to come and to go. While some think they are interchangeable, their use depends on perspective and direction.…
The Difference between the Words ‘When’ and ‘While’
When and while are two words that are often confused by intermediate English language learners. As is often the case with confusing words, these particular two words can sometimes be interchanged but frequently have distinct meanings of their own. When…
English Idiomatic Expressions – Idioms
Idiomatic expressions, or idioms, are phrases whose meanings cannot be deduced from the literal definitions of the words within them. They are an essential but confusing part of the English language, but also of many other languages. In the UK,…
Understanding the Pronoun ‘One’ in English
Nowadays, the third-person pronoun one is seldom used, except by the upper classes and in certain academic writing because of its formal tone. However, it has a unique role as a pronoun that allows it to be used in a…