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 and/or pronunciations but different meanings. For the next two lessons, we’re going turn our attention to words but whose uses are often confused for other reasons.…

In this lesson, we’re going to explore three myths about English grammar and reveal the truth behind each. The first two myths have an element of grammatical truth to them; they take what are essentially guidelines and turn them into absolutes. The third is the type of myth that seems to make sense at first…

In English writing, verb tenses need to remain consistent. When a sentence contains two or more verbs, those verbs must be in the same tense.   For this quiz, choose the verb tense from the ones in parenthesis that is consistent with the other verb(s) in the sentence. Check the answer key at the end…

In this week’s lesson, we’re going to look at three common errors that both native and non-native English speakers make when writing and speaking. Because these errors are extremely common, they are generally considered acceptable in casual speech and writing. However, in business writing and other situations where precision language is important, they can give…

In this lesson we’re going to look at three more grammar errors that native English speakers routinely commit. These are the sorts of mistakes that native speakers hear growing up and end up unconsciously repeating. Learn to identify these errors, and make an effort to avoid incorporating them into your own speech and writing.  …

Even More Words Whose Meanings Have Changed Over Time   This week, we’re going to look at another five words whose meanings have changed over time. English, like any living language, continues to grow and change. New words are created, old words fall out of use, and existing words take on new meanings. Many common…

For this week’s lesson, we’re going to revisit the most effective strategies we’ve covered for preparing for the Test of English as a Foreign Language, or TOEFL. The TOEFL is considered the standard measure of proficiency for North American English. More than 9,000 colleges, agencies, and other institutions in over 130 countries accept TOEFL scores…

An adjective clause is a group of words that modifies (describes) a noun or pronoun. These clauses begin with relative pronouns or subordinating conjunctions, such as who, which, what, that, whose, whom, when, and where. Adjective clauses are always dependent. In other words, you can remove an adjective clause without “breaking” the grammar of the…

This week we’re going to examine the differences between clauses and phrases. While these terms are often used interchangeably, they actually describe two different categories of word groups.   Clauses A clause is a group of words that contains a subject and a verb. Clauses are either independent or dependent.   Independent clauses, or main…

This week’s lesson is a short quiz on one of the first topics we covered: gerunds.   Gerunds are verbals made by adding “-ing” to verbs. Verbals are words made from verbs that function as other parts of speech. Gerunds are derived from verbs but are used as nouns. They can fulfill all the same…