2021-08-20 Shortened Statements with the Word ‘To’
Imagine you hear Americans discussing plans, activities or events. You will likely hear statements such as “I would like to,”…
2021-08-13 How to Split Infinitives
Your English teacher may have told you, “Do not split infinitives.” But if you have been reading Everyday Grammar for…
2021-08-06 How ‘So’ Can Replace a Lot of Information
Think about American movies or books that you know. You have probably heard or read statements such as “I guess…
2021-07-30 Vocabulary for New Sports at the Tokyo Olympics
In the Tokyo Games, there are several “new” Olympic sports: karate, skateboarding, sport climbing, surfing and baseball for men and…
2021-07-23 Crime and Prepositions
Reporters writing news stories must be careful not to say someone is guilty before a trial in a court of…
2021-07-16 Grammar, Planning, and Summer Trips
Imagine you want to talk about a plan you are making, perhaps for a trip this summer. In today’s Everyday…
2021-07-09 Simplify Your Language to Sound Smarter
It has happened to all of us. We open an instruction book for a new machine or read a publication…
2021-07-02 Grammar for Summer: Rest, Relaxation
In the United States, summer is a time when students can have fun, rest, and relax — at least those…
2021-06-25 Is a Situation a Condition?
Today we look at two words that may cause some difficulty for English learners. Both can help us describe what…
2021-06-18 Verbs and Summer Weather
Summer is near in the United States. And with summer comes higher temperatures and strong storms. Americans often discuss the…
2021-06-11 Making Sense of Demonyms – Nationality Nouns
Last week in Everyday Grammar, we looked at how English forms adjectives for country names. We found that, as is…
2021-06-04 Making Sense of Adjectives from Country Names
Recently a reader asked us about how English defines the adjective of nation or country. Hien Lai gave these examples:…
2021-05-28 Memorial Day and Grammar
Memorial Day is an American holiday that honors the memory of people who died while serving in the U.S. military.…
2021-05-21 Mom, Dad, or Parent? Lawmakers Rule on Gendered Words
In the U.S. House of Representatives on January 4, 2021, Representative Emanuel Cleaver of Missouri closed a prayer to mark…
2021-05-14 Bob Dylan Teaches You About Questions, Count Nouns
Nobel prize winner Bob Dylan is considered to be one of the best American songwriters. The answer is blowin’ in…