English & grammar · Guide
There, their, and they’re
There can point to a place or help introduce a sentence, their marks possession, and they’re contracts they are. Sound them out in context: all three may rhyme, but their grammar differs.
English & grammar.
Clear answers to the rules that trip us up.
English & grammar · Guide
What is a clause?
A clause is a group of words organized around a subject and a verb. Some clauses express a complete thought and can stand alone; others need another clause to complete the meaning.
English & grammar · Guide
When to use an apostrophe
Apostrophes mainly mark possession and omitted letters in contractions, with a limited convention for lowercase-letter plurals. Learn the checks that distinguish possessives from ordinary plurals and common lookalikes.
English & grammar · Guide
Which vs that
In many edited American English contexts, that introduces an essential relative clause, while which often introduces extra information set off by commas. The key question is whether the clause identifies the noun or adds a side note.
English & grammar · Guide
Who vs that
Use who for people in a relative clause when following the usual edited-English convention; use that for things and often for animals. The clause’s role and your style context still matter.
English & grammar · Guide
Who vs whom
Who is the subject form, and whom is the object form in formal English. A he-or-him substitution can help reveal the role, though ordinary speech often favors who in places where formal writing may use whom.
English & grammar · Guide
Your vs. you’re
Your is the possessive form connected to you; you’re contracts you are. Expand you’re to check it, then use your when the sentence means something belongs or relates to you.