Everyday Grammar (日常语法)

2019-05-24 The ‘By-phrase’ and the Passive Voice

In a famous scene in the American film Clerks, two of the characters have a disagreement. They debate which "Star Wars" film is the best. "Empire had…

5 years ago

2019-05-17 A Simple Sentence with Seven Meanings

In some languages, speakers say each word in a sentence with equal stress. That is true for Japanese, for example. But,…

5 years ago

2019-05-10 Science Fiction and the Passive Voice

The Terminator movies, featuring actor Arnold Schwarzenegger, have been some of the most popular films ever made. They tell the story of…

5 years ago

2019-05-03 Short Form Yes, No Questions

Hello! Do you have a minute? ...because I want to tell you something about yes/no questions. As you may know,…

5 years ago

2019-04-26 Movies Can Teach You about Verbs and Objects

The 1972 film "The Godfather" is one of the most famous movies ever made. It tells the story of a…

5 years ago

2019-04-19 So and Neither: Short Responses of Agreement

In the American television show Saturday Night Live, actors make jokes of realistic situations and people, like politicians and sports…

5 years ago

2019-04-12 The Word ‘Which’ in the News

Imagine you open an American travel magazine. Perhaps you want to read about other countries and the must-see places to…

5 years ago

2019-04-05 The Many Ways We Use ‘Of Course’

In the film, "Love, Of Course," single mother Amy Andolini finds herself alone after sending her daughter to college. But…

5 years ago

2019-03-29 Grammar and the News: Nouns Modifying Nouns

Imagine you are looking at an American newspaper or news website. You read a few stories, and see terms such…

5 years ago

2019-03-22 The Passive Voice with ‘Get’

Have you ever gotten invited to a wedding? If so, who got married -- or will get married? Where was…

5 years ago