“You was” or “you were”? This is one of the great debates in the English language — well, definitely one of the debates at least! You might have heard “you was” often enough in speech to think it is correct. It is not proper grammar to say “you was.” When “you” is the subject of …
Language Arts
Understanding the various past tense forms in English can make even the most studied speakers feel like they are trying to master rocket science. How can you be sure which words to use and when to use them? You can use the word “just” with past perfect tense. The past perfect tense indicates that one …
Tenses are confusing. There’s no question about it. Whether you’re a first language speaker or just beginning to learn, there’s a lot to keep track of, and specific questions often come up, for example, is “than” past tense? The word “than” is not past tense. When you change the tense of your sentence from future …
In today’s world of technological advances, we can often wish for more simple times. Since we are comparing time periods here, we can also wish for simpler times. These both sound correct, but what is the comparative of “simple” — are times simpler or more simple? “Simpler” and “more simple” are both legitimate comparative forms …
It’s a familiar scene: you’re discussing a hot topic with your friends or family, and everyone has a different opinion. Some are for the idea, while others are against it; some talk about the pros and cons, and others say they are pro or against. In the heat of the discussion, you’re left wondering, does …
Your boss explains that she has to lay off half of the department, and you’re left sweating, wondering if you’ll still have a job by the end of the day. That’s when you wake up with a start and cold sweat. The phrase “laid off” is hard enough to hear, but it’s even harder to …