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...
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.”)...Want to Master English?
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