When speaking or writing in English, subtle differences in phrasing and word choice can make your language appear fluent and accomplished — or it can demonstrate that you don’t have a grasp of English grammar. The correct phrase to use is usually “I am at home.” when you’re speaking about being in your house or …
Language Arts
If you’ve recently watched a commercial or two in the US, you’ve likely heard that a promoted product is beneficial for your skin, your health, or perhaps your waning energy levels – but is it beneficial “to,” or is it beneficial “for”? The difference between “beneficial to” and “beneficial for” lies in the preposition that …
Most English language learners know the mnemonic “I before e, except after c.” One uses this rhyme to determine whether to use the digraph “ei” or “ie.” English teachers and learners are often not sure whether this short rhyme applies to the word “weird,” so is “weird” or “wierd” the correct spelling? The correct spelling …
The words “on” and “in” are prepositions, and we use them before a noun or pronoun. When we use them in combination with the noun “time,” these words form phrases with very different meanings. Knowing when and how to use each phrase in the proper context takes time to learn. “On time” means meeting a …
The word “eyeing” is the gerund or present participle of the word “eye.” In this case, the word “eye” is used as a verb, meaning to look at something closely or in particular. That is why it receives an -ing suffix to conjugate it when used as a present participle, meaning that the action is …
Many words in the English language have various forms that change according to their part of speech function. One word might have several meanings depending on whether you’re using it as a noun, verb, or adjective, and the words “half” and “halve” are no different. The difference between “half” and “halve” is that “half” is …