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 …
Various chemical reactions can occur naturally or with added energy, and exergonic and exothermic are the two types of energy-releasing reactions. These chemical reactions are key components of thermodynamics, as they involve the transfer of energy with heat as a product. Even though they describe very similar reactions and processes, the terms are not synonymous, …
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 …