To stick is to attach to something or not move. There are three prepositions that are commonly used with this verb, by, with, and to, which change the verb to a phrasal verb. For the most part these can be used interchangeably to mean remain loyal or be persistent, especially if there is hardship involved. In …
The English language can be complex, especially when trying to use all parts of speech correctly. That’s why you might be confused when you learn that a verb is not just a verb but can also take on various responsibilities in a sentence that you need to use correctly in …
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As a verb, to blow means, in its most common definition, is for air to move either by nature (e.g., the wind or a breeze) or for a person to push air out of his or her mouth. To blow past something is to move quickly beyond it. The past tense is blew an the …
To slay something can mean to kill it or to amuse it. The past tense of the first meaning is slew, while the past tense of the second meaning is slayed. The popularity of the word slayed has grown considerable in the last century, and my guess would be that the colloquially usage of …
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Collective nouns are countable nouns that refer to groups of people, objects, or things. A collective noun differs from a mass noun (a noun that cannot be counted—e.g., love, water, evidence) because it can be pluralized. For example, each of these collective nouns refers to a group but can itself …
Are you confused about indefinite articles and want to improve your grammar? I don’t blame you; I even get them mixed up from time to time. These words (a and an) introduce non-specific, countable, and singular nouns. Keep reading to learn the definition of indefinite articles and how to use …
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An agent noun denotes a person who performs an action. Most agent nouns end in either –er (standard) or –or (for words derived directly from Latin). A recipient noun denotes a person who receives an action. Recipient nouns usually have the suffix –ee, which technically means one to whom. Examples Agent …
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A phrasal preposition (not to be confused with a prepositional phrase) is two or more words functioning as a preposition. Below are some of the most common phrasal prepositions in English: according to apart from because of by means of contrary to in addition to in front of in reference …
