Defining and non-defining relative clauses and “that”
Relative clauses add extra information to a sentence by defining a noun. They are usually divided into two types –defining relative clauses and non-defining relative clauses. A relative clause is one that adds information to a sentence, in relation to a noun. For...
What are simple, compound and complex sentences?
Simple sentences are formed in English containing an independent clause that forms a grammatically complete action, event or idea. A simple sentence should have a complete noun and verb relationship with any necessary additional information. To make writing more...
How and when to use the “Not only…but also” construction
The construction “not only … but also …” is used to emphasise something that has more than one quality, or has done more than activity, where the final quality is especially surprising or noteworthy. It can be used to list adjective qualities, nouns or verbs, to show...
What is a bare infinitive?
As part of the introduction to the grammar guide The English Tenses, I explain important words that are required to understand English grammar – including participles and infinitives. The following is a full explanation of what we mean when we say the bare...
What’s the difference between “if” and “in case”
It is important not to confuse “if” and “in case”. They can be used in similar sentences, but they have different meanings. Consider the following examples: I will take a coat if it rains. I will take a coat in case it rains. Here, “if” is used to present a...The English Tenses: Practical Grammar Guide
“The most realistic approach to aide in understanding the English tenses.” – Meg, Amazon review Want to know why we say “I am reading this book now”, but not “I am being happy now”? What about “We’re going...
Exercises to test the uses of “even”
The following exercises will test your use of ‘even’ in sentences. First, this will practice your use of word order – remember that even is used as an adverb, so it follows adverb word order rules. Usually, it comes before the word that it is changing, so try to place...
How to use the word “even”
“Even” is an interesting word. It can be used for a variety of specific meanings that may be hard to generalise, and can raise particular confusion when it comes to its place in a sentence. It can add emphasis to examples (“I don’t like ducks – not even small ones.”)...
Pictures worth a thousand words – textbook illustration examples
In place of a lesson, today, I have some exciting new images for my upcoming grammar guide, The English Tenses. I enlisted the help of a local artist to produce these, following suggestions from a number of beta readers – and I am sure you will agree these...Want to Master English?
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