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Results 1 to 10 of 52 (page 1 of 6)
insight about, insight as to, insight into, insight regarding
With the noun insight, the usual preposition is into. Other prepositions (including about, as to and regarding) are occasionally encountered. After studying this report for days, I now have some insight into this complex issue. Maxine has no insight regarding (as to) her son’s shortcomings. She thinks he can do no wrong. This experienced diplomat will provide us with fresh insight(s) about the war in the Middle East.Source: Writing Tips Plus (English language problems and rules)
Number of views: 27,346
subject complement
A complement (spelled with an e) is something that completes. And a subject complement is something that completes our idea of the subject of a sentence by giving us more information about it. Usually, the subject complement is a noun, a pronoun or an adjective. Location in the sentence A subject complement is found in the predicate of a sentence (the part of the sentence that contains the verb and makes a statement about the subject). The subject complement follows a linking verb (a verb that expresses a state of being). A verb of being is called a linking verb because it simply links the subject with the subject complement, without expressing any action. In a sentence with a linking verb and a subject complement, the subject is not doing anything; instead, the subject is being something. Our most common linking verb is the verb be and its forms am, is, are, was, were, been and being. In addition, the verbs seem, appear, become, grow, look, feel, sound, smell and taste can all act as linking verbs. Examples Here are some examples of sentences with linking verbs and subject complements: Jan is an excellent doctor. Here, the subject complement is the noun doctor (along with its modifiers an excellent), which tells us something about the subject Jan; the verb is simply links them without expressing any action. The winners of the bubble-tea-drinking contest are you and Wang. In the above example, the pronoun you and the noun Wang are the subject complements identifying the subject winners; the verb are simply links them without expressing any action. Arabella’s recipe for turnip cordial tasted unusual. Here, the subject complement unusual is an adjective describing the subject recipe; the verb tasted simply links them without expressing any action. The players seem excited about the upcoming game. In this last example, the subject complement excited is an adjective describing the subject players; the verb seem simply links them without expressing any action.Source: Writing Tips Plus (English language problems and rules)
Number of views: 12,593
forward, forwards
Forward is an adverb, an adjective, a verb and a noun. Please step forward when your name is called. [adverb] Without reverse gear, we are limited to a forward motion. [adjective] I will forward that email immediately. [verb] In hockey, soccer and football a forward plays on the front line. [noun] Forwards is a variant form of the adverb and is becoming rare. She rocked gently backwards and forwards (or backward and forward).Source: Writing Tips Plus (English language problems and rules)
Number of views: 10,819
The parts of speech: Introduction
Traditional grammar classifies words based on eight parts of speech: the verb, the noun, the pronoun, the adjective, the adverb, the preposition, the conjunction and the interjection. Each part of speech explains not what the word is, but how the word is used. In fact, the same word can be a noun in one sentence and a verb or adjective in another. The next examples show how the part of speech of a word can change from one sentence to the next. Following these examples is a series of sections on the individual parts of speech and an exercise. Example Explanation Books are made of ink, paper and glue. In this sentence, books is a noun, the subject of the sentence. Joe waits patiently while Bridget books the tickets. Here books is a verb and its subject is Bridget. We walk down the street. In this sentence, walk is a verb and its subject is the pronoun we. The letter carrier stood on the walk. In this example, walk is a noun that is part of a prepositional phrase describing where the letter carrier stood. The town council decided to build a new jail. Here jail is a noun, which is the object of the infinitive phrase to build. The police officer told us that if we did not leave immediately he would jail us. Here jail is part of the compound verb would jail. The parents heard high-pitched cries in the middle of the night. In this sentence, cries is a noun acting as the direct object of the verb heard. Their colicky baby cries all night long and all day long. Here cries is a verb that describes the actions of the subject of the sentence, i.e. the baby. The next sections explain each of the parts of speech in detail. When you have finished looking at them, you might want to test yourself by trying the exercise. The details Verb - Next Page Noun Pronoun Adjective Adverb Preposition Conjunction Interjection Review exercise: Parts of speechSource: HyperGrammar 2 (basics of English grammar)
Number of views: 7,179
old, older, elder
Elder and eldest are normally reserved for people. Use elder when comparing two people and eldest when comparing three or more. Lianna always admired her elder brother. The eldest person attending the reunion will receive a plaque. The title elder is often used for senior or highly respected members of a family or community. Having survived years of hardship, the elders were said to be very wise. As a title, Elder is often capitalized. Although barely middle–aged, Jacob was elected to the Board of Elders of his church. Sixteenth–century painters Lucas Cranach the Elder and Lucas Cranach the Younger were father and son. Old, older and oldest refer to either people or things. Use older when comparing two people or things and oldest when comparing three or more. Lianna always admired her older brother. The oldest person attending the reunion will receive a plaque. Houses in Halifax are older than those in Calgary. In the oldest office buildings, there are very few telephone connections.Source: Writing Tips Plus (English language problems and rules)
Number of views: 6,079
Objects and complements
Objects A verb may be followed by an object that completes the meaning of the verb. Two kinds of objects follow verbs: direct objects and indirect objects. To determine if a verb has a direct object, isolate the verb and make it into a question by placing whom? or what? after it. The answer—if there is one—is the direct object, as in the following examples: Direct object The advertising executive drove a flashy red Porsche. Direct object Her staff gave her a bouquet of flowers. The second sentence above also contains an indirect object (her). An indirect object (which, like a direct object, is always a noun or pronoun) is, in a sense, the recipient of the direct object. To determine if a verb has an indirect object, isolate the verb and ask to whom?, to what?, for whom? or for what? after it. The answer is the indirect object. Not all verbs are followed by objects, as in the following sentences: The guest speaker rose from her chair to protest. After work, Randy usually jogs around the canal. Transitive and Intransitive Verbs Verbs that take objects are known as transitive verbs. Verbs not followed by objects are called intransitive verbs. Some verbs can be either transitive or intransitive, depending on the context, as in the following examples: Transitive I hope the Senators win the next game. The verb win has a direct object (the next game) and is therefore a transitive verb. Intransitive Did we win? The verb win has no direct object and is therefore an intransitive verb. Subject Complements In addition to transitive verbs and intransitive verbs, there are linking verbs. The word or phrase which follows a linking verb is called a subject complement (not an object). The most common linking verb is be. Other linking verbs are become, seem, appear, feel, grow, look, smell, taste and sound, among others. Note that some of these can be linking verbs, transitive verbs or intransitive verbs, depending on how you use them, as in the following examples: Linking verb with subject complement He was a radiologist before he became a full-time yoga instructor. Linking verb with subject complement Your homemade chili smells delicious. Transitive verb with direct object I can’t smell anything with this terrible cold. Intransitive verb with no object The interior of the new Buick smells strongly of fish. Note that a subject complement can be either a noun (radiologist, instructor) or an adjective (delicious). Object Complements An object complement is similar to a subject complement, except that it modifies an object rather than a subject. In this example of a subject complement, The driver seems tired. the adjective tired modifies the noun driver, which is the subject of the sentence. Sometimes, however, the noun will be an object, as in the following example: I consider the driver tired. In this case, the noun driver is the direct object of the verb consider, but the adjective tired is still acting as its complement. In general, verbs that have to do with perception, judgment or change can cause their direct objects to take an object complement, as in the following sentences: Paint it black. The judge ruled her out of order. I saw the Prime Minister campaigning. In each of the above examples, you could reconstruct the last part of the sentence into a sentence of its own using a subject complement: it is black, she is out of order, the Prime Minister is campaigning.Source: HyperGrammar 2 (basics of English grammar)
Number of views: 5,051
Noun
A noun is a word used to name a person, place or thing, an animal or abstract idea. The highlighted words in the following sentences are all nouns: Late last year our neighbours bought a gazebo. Maureen Forrester was an opera singer. The bus inspector looked at all the passengers’ passes. According to Plutarch, the library at Alexandria was destroyed by fire. Philosophy is of little comfort to the starving. A noun can function in a sentence as a subject, a direct object, an indirect object, a subject complement, an object complement, an appositive, an adjective or an adverb. Noun Gender Many common nouns, like engineer or teacher, refer to both men and women. In the past, many English nouns would change form depending on their gender—for example, a man was called an author, a woman an authoress. This use of gender-specific nouns is very rare today. As far as possible, job titles should not imply that the job can be filled only by members of one sex. Use feminine nouns when women are referred to, or gender-inclusive nouns when a man or woman is not specifically referred to: spokeswoman/spokesperson/representative not spokesman chairwoman/chairperson/chair not chairman councillor not councilman or alderman technician not repairman trade worker not journeyman cleaner not cleaning woman Noun Plurals Most nouns change their form to indicate number by adding s or es, as illustrated in the following pairs of sentences: Matthew rarely told the truth if he thought he was going to be reprimanded. Many people do not believe that truths are self-evident. As they walked through the empty house, they were startled by an unexpected echo. Bridget liked to shout into the quarry and listen to the echoes. Joe tripped over a box carelessly left in the hallway. Since we are moving, we will need many boxes. Other nouns form the plural by changing the last letter before adding s. Some nouns ending in f form the plural by deleting the f and adding ves. Some nouns ending in y form the plural by deleting the y and adding ies, as in the examples below: Some nouns ending in f. The harbour at Marble Mountain has one wharf. There are several wharves in Halifax Harbour. Some nouns ending in y. Warsaw is their favourite city because it reminds them of their courtship. The vacation my grandparents won includes trips to twelve European cities. Other nouns form the plural irregularly. The women shouted, "Are you a mouse or a man?" All five men admitted that they were afraid of mice. If English is your first language, you probably know most of them already: when in doubt, consult a good dictionary. Possessive Nouns In the possessive case, a noun or pronoun changes its form to show that it owns or is closely related to something else. Usually, nouns become possessive by adding an apostrophe and the letter s. You can form the possessive case of a singular noun that does not end in s by adding an apostrophe and s, as in the following examples: The red suitcase is Cassandra’s. The only luggage that was lost was the minister’s. The exhausted recruits were woken before dawn by the drill sergeant’s screams. The miner’s face was covered in coal dust. You can form the possessive case of a singular noun that ends in s by adding an apostrophe alone or by adding an apostrophe and s, as in the following examples: The bus’s seats are very uncomfortable. The bus’ seats are very uncomfortable. The zoologist accidentally crushed the platypus’s eggs. The zoologist accidentally crushed the platypus’ eggs. Felicia Hemans’s poetry was once more popular than Lord Byron’s. Felicia Hemans’ poetry was once more popular than Lord Byron’s. You can form the possessive case of a plural noun that does not end in s by adding an apostrophe and s, as in the following examples: The children’s mittens were scattered on the floor of the porch. The sheep’s pen was mucked out every day. The men’s hockey team will play as soon as the women’s team is finished. The hunter followed the moose’s trail all morning and all afternoon. You can form the possessive case of a plural noun that ends in s by adding an apostrophe, as in the following examples: The speech was interrupted by the dogs’ barking, the ducks’ quacking and the babies’ squalling. The janitors’ room is downstairs and to the left. My uncle spent many hours trying to find the squirrels’ nest. The archivist quickly finished repairing the diaries’ bindings. Politics is often the subject of my roommates’ many late night debates. Using Possessive Nouns Note that a noun in the possessive case frequently functions as an adjective modifying another noun. In the following example, The miner’s face was covered in coal dust. the possessive noun miner’s modifies the noun face and together with the article the, they make up the noun phrase that is the sentence’s subject. In the sentence below, The speech was interrupted by the dogs’ barking, the ducks’ quacking and the babies’ squalling. each possessive noun modifies a gerund. The possessive noun dogs’ modifies barking, ducks’ modifies quacking, and babies’ modifies squalling. In the example below, The zoologist accidentally crushed the platypus’s eggs. the possessive noun platypus’s modifies the noun eggs and the noun phrase the platypus’s eggs is the direct object of the verb crushed. In the following sentence, My uncle spent many hours trying to find the squirrels’ nest. the possessive noun squirrels’ modifies the noun nest and the noun phrase the squirrels’ nest is the object of the infinitive phrase to find. Types of Nouns There are many different types of nouns. Some nouns, such as Canada or Bridget, are capitalized and others, such as badger or tree, are not (unless they start a sentence or appear in a title). In fact, grammarians have developed a whole series of noun types: proper, common, concrete, abstract, countable (also called the count noun), non-countable (also called the mass noun) and collective. You should note that nouns may belong to more than one type. For example, a noun may be proper or common, abstract or concrete, and countable or non-countable or collective. Proper Nouns Always capitalize a proper noun, as it represents the name of a specific person, place or thing. The names of days of the week, months, historical documents, institutions, organizations, religions and their holy texts and adherents are all proper nouns. Note that a proper noun is the opposite of a common noun. In each of the following sentences, the proper nouns are highlighted: The Maroons were transported from Jamaica and forced to build the fortifications in Halifax. Many people dread Monday mornings. Labour Day is celebrated on the first Monday in September. Abraham appears in the Talmud and in the Koran. Last year, I had a Baptist, a Buddhist, and a Sikh as roommates. Common Nouns A common noun refers to a person, place or thing in a general sense and is the opposite of a proper noun. It should be written with a capital letter only when it begins a sentence. In each of the following sentences, the common nouns are highlighted: According to the sign, the nearest town is 60 kilometres away. All the gardens in the neighbourhood were invaded by beetles this summer. Some people insist on having six different kinds of mustard in their cupboards. The road crew was startled by the sight of three moose crossing the road. Workers in Third-World countries are often underpaid. You may sometimes make proper nouns out of common nouns, as in the following examples: The tenants in the Garnet Apartments are appealing the high increase in their rent. The meals in the Bouncing Bean Restaurant are less expensive than meals in the cafeteria. Many witches refer to the Renaissance as the Burning Times. The Diary of Anne Frank is often a child’s first introduction to the history of the Holocaust. Concrete Nouns A concrete noun names anything (or anyone) that can be perceived through the physical senses (touch, sight, taste, hearing and smell). A concrete noun is the opposite of an abstract noun. The highlighted words in the following sentences are all concrete nouns: The judge handed the files to the clerk. Whenever they take the dog to the beach, it spends hours chasing waves. The real estate agent urged the couple to buy the second house because it had a new roof. As the car drove past the park, the thump of a disco tune overwhelmed the string quartet’s rendition of a minuet. The bookbinder replaced the flimsy paper cover with a sturdy, cloth-covered board. Abstract Nouns An abstract noun names anything that cannot be perceived through the five physical senses (touch, sight, taste, hearing and smell), and is the opposite of a concrete noun. The highlighted words in the following sentences are all abstract nouns: Buying the fire extinguisher was an afterthought. Tillie is amused by people who are nostalgic about childhood. Justice often seems to slip out of our grasp. Some scientists believe that schizophrenia is transmitted genetically. Countable Nouns A countable (or count) noun has both a singular and plural form, and names anything (or any being) that can be counted. A countable noun can be made plural and take a plural verb in a sentence. It is the opposite of a non-countable noun and a collective noun. In each of the following sentences, the highlighted words are countable nouns: We painted the table red and the chairs blue. Since he inherited his aunt’s library, Jerome spends every weekend indexing his books. Miriam found six silver dollars in the toe of a sock. The oak tree lost three branches in the hurricane. Over the course of twenty-seven years, the doctor delivered just over eight hundred babies. Non-Countable Nouns A non-countable (or mass) noun does not have a plural form and refers to something that is usually not counted. A non-countable noun always takes a singular verb in a sentence. It is similar to a collective noun, and is the opposite of a countable noun. The highlighted words in the following examples are non-countable nouns: Joseph Priestly discovered oxygen. Oxygen is essential to human life. The word oxygen cannot normally be made plural. Since oxygen is a non-countable noun, it takes the singular verb is rather than the plural verb are. We decided to sell the furniture rather than take it with us when we moved. The furniture is heaped in the middle of the room. As a non-countable noun, furniture has no plural and takes the singular verb is heaped. The crew spread the gravel over the roadbed. Gravel is more expensive than I thought. The noun gravel has no plural. Since gravel is a non-countable noun, it takes the singular verb form is. Collective Nouns A collective noun names a group of things, animals or persons. You could count the individual members of the group, but you usually think of the group as a whole. It is important to recognize collective nouns in order to maintain subject-verb agreement. A collective noun is similar to a non-countable noun, and is roughly the opposite of a countable noun. In each of the following examples, the highlighted word is a collective noun: The flock of geese spends most of its time in the pasture. The collective noun flock takes the singular verb spends. The jury is dining on take-out chicken tonight. The collective noun jury is the subject of the singular compound verb is dining. The steering committee meets every Wednesday afternoon. Here the collective noun committee takes the singular verb meets. The class was startled by the bursting light bulb. Class is a collective noun and takes the singular compound verb was startled.Source: HyperGrammar 2 (basics of English grammar)
Number of views: 4,982
absolute phrases
A phrase is a group of words that forms a unit simpler than a sentence. A phrase does not contain a finite (conjugated) verb. Most phrases modify a particular word in a sentence. However, an absolute phrase modifies an entire sentence instead of a single word: The birds having flown off, the cat climbed down from the tree. Unlike an ordinary phrase, the birds having flown off does not modify any word in the rest of the sentence, such as cat or climbed. This type of phrase is called absolute because it is self-contained: it usually has its own subject (in this case, birds) and does not need to attach to any word in the sentence. Structure of an absolute phrase Absolute phrases can have any of the structures shown below. Noun + participle Her work completed, Amanda flew home. [noun work + participle completed] We scrambled along the shore, the waves splashing at our feet. [noun waves + participle splashing] Noun + other modifier His mind on other matters, Jordan didn’t notice the growing storm. [noun mind + prepositional phrase on other matters] The children set off for school, faces glum, to begin the fall term. [noun faces + adjective glum] Pronoun + infinitive The audience filed out, some to return home, others to gather at the pub. [pronoun some + infinitive to return; pronoun others + infinitive to gather] Common expressions as absolute phrases Some participle and infinitive phrases are common expressions that are considered absolute. Since they do not need to attach to a particular word, they can be placed at the beginning (or end) of a sentence without dangling. Here are some examples: Financially speaking, Bob’s lifestyle changes worked well. Talking of music, have you heard the new band at Taco Jack’s? A storm is brewing, judging by the dark clouds. To get back to the main point, the budget needs to be bigger. The food was mediocre, to say the least. Punctuation tip As the above examples show, an absolute phrase is set off with a comma (or with a pair of commas if it occurs in the middle of the sentence).Source: Writing Tips Plus (English language problems and rules)
Number of views: 4,691
gerund, gerund phrase
A gerund is a type of verbal—a verb form that looks like a verb but does not act as the verb in a sentence. A gerund ends in -ing and acts as a noun. Like any noun, it can be a subject, the direct object of a verb or the object of a preposition: Swimming is good exercise. [subject of verb “is"] Aini likes fishing. [object of verb “likes"] You will gain skill by practising. [object of preposition “by"] A gerund phrase is a gerund with attached words. Because a gerund is formed from a verb, it retains some of the properties of a verb, so it can take an object: Swimming laps is good exercise. [gerund “swimming” + object “laps"] Like a verb, a gerund can also be modified by an adverb or a prepositional phrase: You will gain skill by practising daily. [gerund “practising” + adverb “daily"] Aini likes fishing from the dock. [gerund “fishing” + phrase “from the dock"] In the above examples, swimming laps, practising daily and fishing from the dock are all gerund phrases. Subject of a gerund Although gerund phrases do not contain a verb, they may have their own subject (the person or thing doing the action in the gerund). The subject of a gerund is in the possessive form: Sam appreciated my helping him. Abdul was surprised at Tina’s buying a Venus flytrap. Other gerund forms We can put a gerund into the past to show an action completed before another action: Natalie was proud of having won the tournament. [She won first; then she was proud.] Also, a gerund can be used in the passive voice: Being introduced to Wayne Gretzky was a once-in-a-lifetime experience. Irena was upset at having been passed over for the job. Note that in all of these gerund forms, the first word still ends in -ing.Source: Writing Tips Plus (English language problems and rules)
Number of views: 4,071
majority, most
Use a plural verb with majority when it is followed by a prepositional phrase containing a plural noun: The majority of our students take city buses. However, most is a more concise and often a better alternative: Most of our students take city buses. Note that some commentators recommend using majority only with countable nouns: The majority of public servants are happy in their work. The majority of these chairs have wobbly legs. Therefore, in the case of mass, or uncountable, nouns (e.g. furniture, water), you can avoid both criticism and wordiness by replacing majority with most: Most (not The majority) of my furniture comes from second-hand stores. Most (not The majority) of the water they drink comes from deep wells.Source: Writing Tips Plus (English language problems and rules)
Number of views: 3,903