The expression “I regret to inform you” is a polite and formal way to present bad news. It can be used properly in many different contexts: professional letters, college admission emails, doctor correspondence, and more. However, different situations can call for different variations of this phrase to be used. In this post, we’ll give you … Read more
Play it by ear is the correct spelling. “Play it by ear” means to react to situations spontaneously and make decisions based on current circumstances rather than a predetermined plan. Have you ever tried to make plans with a friend only for him to respond, “I don’t know, we’ll just play by ear”? This is … Read more
“Freshman” is used to refer to a single first-year student, while “freshmen” is the plural form used for referring to a group of first-year students. As a freshman in high school, or college, you’re probably wondering which spelling is correct – freshmen or freshman. Both are technically correct spellings, but they cannot be used interchangeably … Read more
Adjectives are typically transformed into adverbs by adding “-ly” to the end of the word, or with slight modifications such as replacing “-y” with “-ily”, changing “-le” to “-ly”, or adding “-ally” to adjectives ending in “-ic”. There are a lot of interesting rules in English grammar that allow you to mold the language in … Read more
“Nonetheless” is a compound word used to suggest continuation or persistence in spite of obstacles. “Nevertheless” is also a compound word that is used to emphasize a strong contrast or opposition, highlighting that the following statement remains true despite the previous fact. There are many words in the English language that are downright tricky. Some … Read more
“However” is typically used as a single word and functions as a conjunction or adverb, indicating contrast or emphasizing a point. “How ever” is a two-word phrase where “how” is an adverb modifying “ever”. Many new writers get caught up with the spelling of the words “how ever” vs “however”. At first glance, these words … Read more
The past tense of a verb indicates an action that happened in the past, for example, “walked” or “ate.” The past participle is a verb form used mainly in perfect tenses and passive voice, like “walked” (which can be the same as past tense), “eaten,” or “written.” Past participles typically end in -ed, -d, -t, … Read more
Verbs are words that describe an action, state of being, or occurrence. However, verbs are a large category of words, and writers use many types of verbs on different occasions. While not everyone is a master of English grammar – not even English speakers – it’s essential to differentiate between various verbs for successful writing … Read more
A compound verb consists of two or more verbs that share the same subject and are joined by a conjunction or punctuation. This structure allows for the expression of multiple actions or states of being related to the subject. Compound verbs can enhance sentence variety and convey complex actions or ideas efficiently. If you’re a … Read more
The correct plural form of the word “goose” is “geese.” This change from “oose” to “eese” is an example of a linguistic phenomenon known as vowel mutation or umlaut, where a vowel in a word changes due to the influence of nearby sounds. Probably one of the most commonly confused words by new & experienced … Read more