Tuesday, March 31, 2015

Hanged vs. Hung—Learn the Difference

Even the most hardened grammarians don’t condone capital punishment for grammar offenses, but we do tend to get hung up about hanged. Hanged can only refer to someone’s death by hanging. If you are wondering, “Is it hanged or hung?” establish whether a deadly action has taken place.

It’s one of the few times when grammar becomes a matter of life and death.

The Past Tense of Hang

Hung is the past tense of to hang when it means “to suspend or be suspended.”

Monday, March 30, 2015

Why Is Groundhog Day a Holiday? An Investigation

According to tradition and lore, Groundhog Day is when you find out whether spring is on its way or whether you’ve got six more weeks before winter runs its course. Observed on February 2, the holiday involves watching a rodent pop its head out of the ground and predicting the weather based on that.

Here’s how it works: if you’ve got cloudy skies when the groundhog shows up, then you can expect an early spring.

Friday, March 27, 2015

Grammarly Reviews – Where to Find Them

For every product conceivable, there are hundreds of reviews. You can find 5-star reviews as easily as 1-star reviews for the same product. The problem is, many reviews are unverified. Most websites allow anyone to post their opinions. As a consumer, wouldn’t you like to be sure that reviews are based on the experiences of real customers? How can you find trustworthy customer feedback for products like Grammarly?

Wednesday, March 25, 2015

Anytime vs. Any Time

A century ago, it was standard to write any time as two words in all contexts. But it’s now perfectly acceptable to write anytime as one word when you’re using it as an adverb. However, some readers still consider it a casualism, so you may want to stick to the two-word version for extremely formal writing.

  • When in doubt, write any time as two words. It might look a little old-fashioned, but it won’t be wrong.

Monday, March 23, 2015

How Do You Spell the Color Gray?

As a noun, gray usually refers to the color. It can be used as an adjective when we want to say that the color of something is a shade of gray. It can also be used as a verb, for when something turns gray. But regardless of its use, you’ll sometimes find that gray is not spelled the way you think it should be. Or, you might be reading this and thinking “those people at Grammarly really don’t know their spelling—it’s grey.” So, what’s behind the grey/gray dilemma, and is there any difference between them, besides the obvious?

Thursday, March 19, 2015

Do You Use a Comma Before “So”?

Should you place a comma before so when it joins two clauses in a sentence? The answer depends on whether the clause introduced by so is an independent or dependent clause. If so begins an independent clause, a comma should precede it, but if it begins a dependent clause, leave it out.

Let’s have a look at how commas are used before so in the middle of a sentence.

Use a Comma with “So” + an Independent Clause

An independent clause is a clause that would convey a complete thought if it were to be set apart as a sentence on its own.

Simple Future Tense

The simple future is a verb tense that’s used to talk about things that haven’t happened yet.

This year, Jen will read War and Peace. It will be hard, but she’s determined to do it.

Use the simple future to talk about an action or condition that will begin and end in the future.

How to Form the Simple Future

The formula for the simple future is will + [root form of verb].