English & grammar · Guide
A vs an
Choose a before a consonant sound and an before a vowel sound, listening to the first sound of the next word rather than looking at its first letter. The article follows pronunciation, including in abbreviations.
English & grammar.
Clear answers to the rules that trip us up.
English & grammar · Guide
Active vs passive voice
Voice describes whether a sentence’s subject performs an action or receives it. Active voice foregrounds the doer; passive voice foregrounds the affected person or thing and can leave the doer unnamed.
English & grammar · Guide
Affect vs effect
In everyday writing, affect is usually a verb meaning influence, while effect is usually a noun meaning result. A quick sentence check catches most cases, with a few less common uses worth recognizing.
English & grammar · Guide
Comma splice examples
A comma splice occurs when a comma alone joins two independent clauses. Learn to spot the two complete thoughts and repair their connection with a period, conjunction, semicolon, or dependent clause.
English & grammar · Guide
Conditional sentences explained
A conditional sentence links a condition with a result. Its verb forms help readers understand whether the situation is open, imagined, or a past possibility that did not happen.
English & grammar · Guide
Countable and uncountable nouns
Countable nouns can be treated as separate units; uncountable nouns are usually presented as a mass or concept. Learn how the distinction affects quantity words and how a measure phrase can make an amount countable.
English & grammar · Guide
Gerund vs infinitive
A gerund is an -ing verb form used like a noun; an infinitive is usually to plus a verb. The word or construction before the form often determines which one fits.
English & grammar · Guide
Independent vs dependent clause
An independent clause has a subject, a verb, and a complete thought; a dependent clause has a subject and verb but relies on another clause. Recognizing the difference helps you connect ideas and punctuate them clearly.
English & grammar · Guide
Its vs. it’s
Its shows that something belongs to or is associated with it; it’s means it is or it has. Expand the contraction in context to decide, then check that the sentence still says what you intend.
English & grammar · Guide
Lay vs lie
In the common meanings, lay takes an object: someone lays something down. Lie means to recline or rest without an object. The past tense of lie is lay, which is why the pair causes confusion.
English & grammar · Guide
Less vs fewer
Use fewer with plural countable things and less with amounts treated as a whole. The choice depends on how the noun is framed, so a quick test is to ask whether you can count the items one by one.
English & grammar · Guide
Oxford comma examples
The Oxford comma is the comma before the final conjunction in a list of three or more items. See how it can clarify grouping, when a house style may omit it, and how to test a sentence for ambiguity.
English & grammar · Guide
Past perfect tense
The past perfect marks an event as earlier than another past reference point. Form it with had plus a past participle, and use it when the order of past events needs to be clear.
English & grammar · Guide
Present perfect vs past simple
The past simple places an event in a finished past time; the present perfect connects a past event to now. Learn to choose between them by checking whether the time period is complete and what the listener needs to know.
English & grammar · Guide
Semicolon vs colon
A semicolon links closely related independent clauses; a colon points forward from a complete clause to an explanation, example, or list. Use clause structure and the intended relationship to choose.
English & grammar · Guide
Simple compound and complex sentences
Simple, compound, and complex describe how clauses are arranged. Learn to identify independent and dependent clauses, see how the patterns shape emphasis, and revise a short passage with a practical clause-counting exercise.
English & grammar · Guide
Subject verb agreement
Subject verb agreement means matching a verb’s form to its subject. Find the true subject first, then ignore intervening phrases and check tricky cases such as compound subjects, indefinite pronouns, and there is or are.
English & grammar · Guide
Then vs than
Use than to compare, and then to place events or ideas in sequence. A substitution test catches most slips: try “compared with” for than and “next” or “at that time” for then.