2017-11-24 Thanksgiving and English Verbs
Every year around the Thanksgiving holiday, a strange ceremony happens in Washington, DC. The president stands outside the White House,…
2017-11-17 James Bond Can Teach You About English Grammar
In the 1964 action film Goldfinger, actor Sean Connery plays the British secret agent James Bond. Bond, also called agent…
2017-11-03 Verbs and Gerunds in Speech and Fiction Writing
The American rock group Journey released the song “Don’t Stop Believin'” in 1981. This song, still popular in karaoke music…
2017-10-27 Verbs and Infinitives in Everyday Speech
The 1977 movie Star Wars is an American classic, with many memorable lines and characters. At one point in the…
2017-10-20 The Word “That” in Everyday American English
The 1994 crime film “Pulp Fiction” tells the story of a gunman, played by Samuel L. Jackson. In the film,…
2017-10-13 The Many Reasons for the Word ‘The’
The 1995 film Dead Man has a strange opening scene. Actor Johnny Depp is sitting on a train. A man…
2017-10-06 Good and Nice: Common Adjectives with Many Uses
The 2014 film Whiplash tells the story of a young man who wants to be a great jazz musician. He…
2017-09-29 Popular Culture and Academic Writing
Popular culture can teach you about English grammar. You might be surprised to know that music and films can show…
2017-09-22 Are You Afraid of Adjectives and Prepositions?
The 2007 film No Country for Old Men tells the story of a lawman in West Texas. Actor Tommy Lee…
2017-09-15 How to Show That You Are Not Sure
In the 1998 film “Saving Private Ryan,” actor Tom Hanks plays the part of Captain Miller. The fictional Captain Miller…
2017-09-08 Common Transition Words
In 1963, President John Kennedy gave a famous speech at American University. In the speech, Kennedy said the following lines:…
2017-09-01 Reported Speech and the ‘Historic Present’ Tense
The 2008 film, The Dark Knight, tells the story of Batman, a fictional superhero. At one point in the movie,…
2017-08-25 Academic Writing: Common Patterns, Part Two
The Everyday Grammar team often receives questions about academic writing. Students around the world want to improve their academic writing…
2017-08-18 Academic Writing: Common Patterns, Part 1
The new school year is beginning in communities across the United States. Many students are busy at work in their…
2017-07-28 Starting Sentences With Conjunctions
The film Finding Forrester tells a story of a high school student who becomes friends with a famous writer named…