Many of us are familiar with Thor and his hammer due to their appearance in Marvel’s Thor and the Avengers movies. But the legends of Thor and his hammer, Mjolnir, go back hundreds of years. The Vikings commonly wore Mjolnir amulets, so why did the Vikings wear Thor’s hammer? The Vikings wore Thor’s hammer for …
Dr. Patrick Capriola
When you’re in a meeting or writing an email and want to refer to a previous conversation, there are plenty of options in English. But what about when you refer to a specific point, fact, or opinion? Is it correct to say “as discussed”? You can use the phrase “as discussed” when describing a specific …
Language is easiest to learn when it follows predictable patterns. Unfortunately, that isn’t always the case. The word “feet” is one of those cases, so is it correct to say “both feet”? Yes, it is correct to say “both feet.” Since “foot” is an irregular noun, it does not end in “s” in its plural …
Any English language learner will know that pluralization of nouns — especially animals — can be confusing in English. For example, we have one sheep and two sheep, one mouse and two mice, or one goose and two geese. Then we have one shrimp and two…shrimp or shrimps? It is correct to say “shrimp” or …
When we want to determine whether things are the same or different, we “compare” them. We use comparisons to describe their relevant characteristics and determine how they measure up to one another. We use comparative adjectives to speak about their differences in English grammar, but can we say “bigger number”? It is correct to say …
Have you seen the new Marvel movie, which is based on a book? We hear this phrase, “based off of,” quite often, especially in conversations about popular media. Yet, is it correct to say “based off of”? It is not grammatically correct to say “based off of.” The proper way to discuss a topic and …