In English, we often use a euphemism to cushion the blow when mentioning something harsh, unpleasant, or embarrassing. One of the most common applications for euphemisms is when discussing death, particularly when talking to children. But is it better to say “passed away” or “passed on” when talking about death? Both the phrases “passed away” …
You will occasionally hear several phrases in the English language that are essentially incorrect, yet people use them fairly often. While the person saying it is trying to be polite, is it correct to say, “May you please”? It is incorrect to say, “May you please,” as we use the word “may” to ask for …
As we write, we sometimes find it necessary to add a little more context for the reader. Parenthetical comments are a common way to add a brief aside or more than one aside, but what do we call this? Is it “parenthesis” or “parentheses”? The main difference between “parenthesis” and “parentheses” is that of the …
The apostrophe has three functions in English. We use it to form possessive forms of nouns, form the plurals of letters, numbers, and symbols, and show the omission of letters in contractions. Which function or functions does the apostrophe serve in “week’s” and “weeks’”? The apostrophe -s in “week’s” functions to create the possessive form …
In English, in everyday conversation with native speakers, you may come across certain phrases or expressions that you would rarely see in the written form. This written scarcity results from the abundance of expressions borne out of conversational usage, and “speaking of which” is such a phrase. “Speaking of which” is used to introduce extra …
A plural noun or pronoun refers to a group of similar objects, things, or ideas. We can form the plural possessive by adding an apostrophe or apostrophe -s to show something belongs to that plural noun pronoun. However, when it comes to pronouns like “everyone,” is it “everyones” or “everyone’s”? The word “everyone’s” is the …