2021-04-23 I Want to Thank the Academy
The 93rd Academy Award Ceremony is to be broadcast on Sunday, April 25. “Oscar” is the name of the figure on the small statue, so people call the award “an…
2021-04-16 ‘This Ain’t It’ and Other Short Forms
If you often use online social media, you will see many examples of informal English. One expression that you may wonder about is: “This ain’t it, chief.” It is used…
2021-04-09 Apologies and Prepositions
German Chancellor Angela Merkel recently caused protests with the call for a five-day lockdown over the Easter holiday to slow the spread of the coronavirus. She reacted to the opposition…
2021-04-02 Fight Online Crime with Grammar
We have all seen them: emails with bad grammar, spelling mistakes and other problems. The writers ask us to go to a web page or open a file linked to…
2021-03-26 Why Is the News Always Breaking?
One of our readers recently asked about the word ‘breaking.’ “I know about the word ‘breaking,’ as in ‘breaking glass.’ But what does it mean in ‘breaking news’? And what…
2021-03-19 Different Areas in America, Different Second-person Plural Pronouns
In a recent Everyday Grammar, we briefly talked about a video that makes fun of the difference between two terms: y’all and you guys. It goes like this: “Hey you…
2021-03-12 Are ‘Me and My Friends’ Breaking Grammar Rules?
Parents always have concerns about the way their children speak. Personally, I am unhappy when I hear my children saying things like, Me and Eric will be there soon. Now,…
2021-03-05 You, You Guys, Y’all: Second-Person Pronouns in American English
In an episode of the humorous television show Family Guy, an unusual short discussion takes place: Hey! You’re not in uniform. Are you guys cops? Are you guys cops? They…
2021-02-26 Memes Can Teach You English Grammar
If you spend time on social media or the internet, chances are that you have come across memes. Memes are humorous words, pictures or videos shared widely around the internet.…
2021-02-19 Spacecraft, Pronouns and Grammar
The classic film Star Wars: A New Hope has a very famous scene. Actors Mark Hamill and Harrison Ford say the following words: What a piece of junk! She’ll make…
2021-02-11 Are Infinitives Really Verbs?
On many Everyday Grammar programs, we have talked about a verb form called an infinitive. By now in your English learning journey, you have heard and used infinitives hundreds of…
2021-02-05 A Journey with the Present Perfect, Part Two
In a recent report, we explored how the present perfect was playing in a kind of language competition. In today’s report, we will continue our journey with the present perfect.…
2021-01-29 A Journey with the Present Perfect, Part One
Imagine that verbs, nouns, and other parts of language are competing with each other. One verb form or noun might beat a competing verb form or noun. Much like in…
2021-01-22 Four Common Phrasal Verbs with ‘Off’
Today, we are going to talk about phrasal verbs. You may remember that a phrasal verb is a verb plus one or two more words called “particles.” Particles can be…
2021-01-15 A Reason to Understand Adjective Clauses
Imagine you want to answer a why question. For example, someone asks you: Why did you go to the train station? Your answer might use an adjective clause. If you…