Tricky Pairs and Groups of Words Part Four

This week, we’re going to clarify several more pairs and groups of “tricky words” that both native and non-native speakers have difficulty using correctly. In our commonly-confused words lessons, we’ve focused on words with similar spellings and/or pronunciations but different meanings. Our tricky words lessons, by contrast, focus on words whose uses are confused for…

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Tricky Pairs and Groups of Words Part Three

In this lesson, we’re going to look at a few pairs and groups of bothersome words that didn’t make it into our previous “tricky words” lessons. English has a large number of words that both native and non-native speakers have difficulty using correctly. In our commonly-confused words lessons, we’ve focused on words with similar spellings…

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When to Use Passive Voice

In one of our earliest lessons, we discussed passive voice and why you should usually use active voice instead. However, sometimes passive voice is either useful or necessary. This week, we’re going to explore a handful of situation in which you should use passive voice. Active Voice vs. Passive Voice Let’s start with a quick…

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More English Contronyms

This week we’re going to examine another ten commonly-used English contronyms: words with two contradictory meanings. A contronym, sometimes called an auto-antonym or “Janus word” (after the two-faced Greek god), is essentially its own opposite. Accordingly, the meaning that a contronym conveys is entirely context-dependent.   If you need more help with contronyms or any…

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English Contronyms

This week we’re going to examine ten commonly-used English contronyms. A contronym, sometimes called an auto-antonym or “Janus word” (after the two-faced Greek god), is a word with two opposite meanings. Which meaning a contronym is intended to convey is entirely context-dependent. Because of this, we’re providing both brief definitions and sample sentences for the…

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Irregular Plural Nouns Quiz

Test your knowledge of irregular plural nouns with this short quiz. Each sentence below has a singular noun in brackets. Replace this noun with its correct plural form to successfully complete the sentence. Keep in mind that irregular plural nouns in English can take many forms. Some of these nouns follow alternate pluralization rules. Other…

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More Fossil Words

In this lesson, we’re going to look at four more fossil words that have been preserved within modern English idioms. These archaic words are rarely, if ever, used outside of the idiomatic expressions in which they are embedded. In fact, an English speaker using an idiom containing a fossil word might not even be aware…

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Correlative Conjunctions Quiz

Correlative conjunctions are pairs of words which express relationships between equivalent ideas. Each pair expresses a particular type of relationship. Correlative conjunctions are not interchangeable. You cannot “mix and match” part of one correlative conjunction with a part of another. Each sentence below contains two blank spaces. Choose the correct pair of correlative conjunctions for…

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Four Fossil Words

A fossil word is an obsolete word that has been “fossilized,” or preserved, within an idiom. These words are rarely, if ever, used outside of the idiomatic expressions in which they are embedded. In fact, an English speaker using an idiom containing a fossil word might not even be aware of what the fossil word…

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Irregular Plural Nouns Part Two

The plural forms of most English nouns are made by adding –s to the singular form. “Forms” and “nouns” from the previous sentence are perfect examples. However, many commonly-used English nouns have irregular plural forms. In the previous lesson, we looked at native English words that follow alternate pluralization rules. This time, we’ll turn our…

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