English language learners are sometimes confused by the seemingly illogical use of words, and the word “tomorrow” is for many a confusing concept. For example, learners often struggle to understand why we use words with “day” in them for “today” and “yesterday,” but instead of “nextday,” we use “tomorrow.” We use “tomorrow” literally to refer …
Language Arts
English grammar is anything but straightforward. There are rules you can follow, sure, but every rule comes with an exception, and every exception affects the way you interpret the rule. For instance, is “A or B” singular or plural? When “A or B” are both singular nouns connected by “or,” you’ll need a singular verb. In …
Most are familiar with past, present, and future tenses. But outside of school, we stop consciously thinking about the effect of simple, continuous, and perfect forms, especially in our writing, which can make knowing which tense to use a little bit tricky. Contrary to popular belief, past perfect tense can stand alone without another clause. …
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 …
Imagine that you’ve just finished a huge project at your job, and now it’s time to take a vacation. Your boss smiles and wishes you well on your holiday, then she says, “You deserve it!” But how can you respond when someone wishes you well, and how should you respond to “You deserve it?” The …
The Backstreet Boys told us, “What makes you different, makes you beautiful.” Christina Aguilera said, “You are beautiful, no matter what they say.” With so much positivity, can anyone be absolutely beautiful? It is correct to say “absolutely beautiful.” The adverb “absolutely” means completely and totally. “Beautiful” is an adjective that refers to someone very …