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Innate is an adjective that means a quality, attribute or talent that is inborn, natural, existing within someone or something since birth. The adverb form is innately, the noun form is innateness. Innate comes into the language in the early fifteenth century and is derived from the Latin innatus, the …
The English language is full of grammar rules designed to help your writing and speech make sense to your audience. However, these rules often confuse anyone new to the language. “A” and “an” are indefinite articles and work to modify the noun they precede. They are important to use to …
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Personal may be used as an adjective to mean belonging to a particular individual. Personal might mean private, not for public consumption or it may mean an action involving the actual presence of a certain individual. In North America, personal is sometimes used as a noun to refer to a …
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Caramel is a flavoring or coloring for food or drink, made from browned sugar. Caramel may also refer to a piece of chewy candy made from browned sugar, butter and milk. The word caramel debuts in 1725, coming from the French word caramel, meaning burnt sugar. The verb form of …
The subtle differences between the words angle and angle make them confusing to use in writing and speech. They may look alike, but their pronunciation and meanings are very different. Let’s take a closer look at the differences between these two words, how to use them, and what tricks you …
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Precedence is a noun which means the condition of being of a higher priority, the fact or right of being considered of higher importance or of superior rank. Precedence is also the formal or official order of ceremonial ranking of dignitaries in order of their importance. Precedence first appears in …
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Biannual is an adjective which means occurring twice a year, the adverb form is biannually. Biannual is derived from the prefix bi-, which means two, twice, double, doubly, as it comes from the Latin bi-, meaning twice, double, and annual comes from the Old French twelfth century word, annuel, which …
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Abject is an adjective that refers to a degrading condition, of the most wretched degree, hopeless, lacking self-respect. The adverb is abjectly, the nouns are abjectness and abjection. Abject first appears in the English language in the fifteenth century meaning cast off, rejected. Abject comes from the Latin word abiectus, …
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Fatal is an adjective which means (1.) deadly, causing death (2.) decisive, important in outcome (3.) disatrous. Fatal implies death, whether of a human, cause or idea. A fatality is a person who was killed by accident, disease or war. Fated is an adjective which means doomed. Fatalism is a …
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An epic is a long poem, usually a story or ballad of ancient oral tradition that speaks about the adventures and deeds of a hero or legend. An epic may also refer to any long, narrative poem with the same style, structure and importance. Epic has also been applied to …