2016-09-02 Common Sentence Patterns: Part 3
From VOA Learning English, this is Everyday Grammar. English has many patterns. Basic grammatical patterns can explain the structure of around 95% of sentences in English, says Martha Kolln, a…
2016-08-26 Which Pronoun is Correct: I or Me?
On March 5, Jazmine Hughes wrote in a New York Times blog, “Recently, at an IRL party — that is, a party that takes place ‘in real life,’ as opposed…
2016-08-19 It Sounds Like…Onomatopoeia!
The world is full of different sounds. Some sounds are pleasing to hear, like a bird’s voice. Other sounds hurt your ears, like a loud machine. But how do we…
2016-08-12 Studying Sentence Patterns to Improve Your Writing: Part 2
In a previous Everyday Grammar story, we discussed two common sentence patterns using the word “be.” This week, we are going to give you more information about another common pattern…
2016-07-08 The Power of Parallelism
Parallelism is the repetition of similar grammatical forms. It is a powerful tool in public speaking and writing. You may have heard this quote attributed to Julius Caesar: I came,…
2016-08-05 Studying Sentence Patterns to Improve Your Writing: Part One
Many English learners have spent a lot of time studying the parts of speech: adjectives, nouns and verbs, for example. But sometimes studying the English sentence from a larger perspective…
2016-07-29 Grab Onto Phrasal Verbs
Welcome back to Everyday Grammar from VOA Learning English. Today we look at a very common verb form in English – phrasal verbs. There are over 5,000 verbs that fall…
2016-07-22 You Want to Learn About Tag Questions, Don’t You?
Have you ever been in a conversation and wanted to check your understanding? That is the time to use a tag question in English. A tag question is a short…
2016-07-15 The Sounds of Grammar with Betty Azar
For VOA Learning English, this is Everyday Grammar. Today we have a special guest host. Betty Azar is the most successful writer of grammar textbooks in the world. Generations of…
2016-07-01 Could Have, Would Have, and Should Have
From VOA Learning English, this is Everyday Grammar. Today we will take a look at the modal verbs could have, would have and should have. These past tense modals are…
2016-06-17 May, Might, Must – Modals of Certainty
For VOA Learning English, this is Everyday Grammar. This week’s Everyday Grammar looks at how to use the modals may, must and might. Modal verbs (called modals for short) are…
2016-06-10 Modals for Asking Permission
For VOA Learning English, this is Everyday Grammar. This week we will give you some tips on how to use modals to make requests and give permission. Some common modals…
2016-06-03 You Really Should Learn Modals!
For VOA Learning English, this is Everyday Grammar. This week we are going to show you how to give advice using modal verbs. Modal verbs (called modals for short) are…
2016-05-27 Demonstrating How to Use Demonstratives
From VOA Learning English, this is Everyday Grammar. Have you ever wondered about the differences between the words this, that, these and those? These words are called demonstratives. Demonstratives tell…
2016-05-20 Are You How You Talk?
We judge people by the way they speak and the grammar they use. Listen to several Americans from different regions speak. Don’t worry too much about what they are saying,…