We will sometimes hear someone use the phrase “my dear” to address another person. While it is common to hear this for one person, it is less common to hear “my dears” in the plural. Is “my dears” grammatically correct? Since “dear” is a countable noun, the plural “my dears” is grammatically correct. We might …
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There are many strange word pairings in the English language, and “by way of” is no exception. One way you might see this word combination is in the phrase “by way of introduction,” but is this phrase grammatically correct? What exactly does it mean? It is correct to say “by way of introduction.” We most …
When we discuss progress, we often want to communicate what has or has not happened by a specific point in time. To do this, is it correct to incorporate the phrase “thus far”? It is correct to use the phrase “thus far” to refer to something that has or has not happened up until the …
Did you enjoy your breakfast, and was it tasty or very tasty? Maybe it was delicious. Is it grammatically correct to say, “I had an absolutely delicious breakfast,” or should it be, “I had a very delicious breakfast”? “Absolutely delicious” is a grammatically correct phrase to use. Intensifying adverbs like “absolutely” are appropriate for strong …
Accidents happen all of the time, no matter how hard we try to avoid them. You may be aware of two different phrases when accidents inevitably occur: “by accident” and “on accident.” Still, which one is correct? The correct adverbial phrase to use when explaining how an accident happened is “by accident.” While you may …
There are many words in English where we hear two similar versions and wonder which one to choose. Consider the case of “afterward” vs. “afterwards”? These adverbs are confusing because you may see both versions in use and wonder whether there’s a difference. British English favors “afterwards” more while“afterward” is more common in American English, …