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In English, there are hundreds of nouns that don’t follow the standard rules for pluralization. There are no easy ways to remember them, so they generally have to be memorized. Some of the rarer irregular plurals are often misused, leading to the creation of variant forms, which usually encounter resistance at …
In English, there are four main classifications of shortened words and phrases. Abbreviations All types of shortened words and phrases are technically abbreviations, but we generally use this term to denote shortened words—for example, Dr. in place of Doctor, pars. in place of paragraphs, Found. in place of Foundation, lbs. in …
A suffix is a letter or group of letters affixed to the end of a word to create a different word. Some suffixes are single letters; for example, in the word floors, -s is a suffix indicating that the noun, floor, is plural. Others are multiple letters; for instance, in …
In English, a contraction is an abbreviated word formed by removing a letter or multiple letters from a longer word or phrase. The omitted letters are replaced by an apostrophe. For example, he’s is a contraction of he is, won’t is a contraction of will not, o’clock is a contraction …
With as many punctuation marks and rules that exist in the written English language, it’s no wonder that many people are often confused about what to use and when. The forward-slash (also known as a virgule) is a commonly typed punctuation mark that should be reserved for informal situations or …
If you avoid using a semicolon when writing because you aren’t sure of its use, you aren’t alone. Most people are comfortable with a comma and stick safely with it, but the semicolon is a strong punctuation mark worth learning more about. Since a semicolon helps highlight the relationship between …
Quotation mark use is specific to both direct and indirect forms of support to help prove ideas and arguments. We also use them in dialog to help make stories more interesting. However, using them requires knowing some very specific rules, especially concerning punctuation. Take a look at the particular ways …
Punctuation marks are your friends because they make your writing clearer and more precise. Question marks, unsurprisingly, are a piece of punctuation used to end questions. Keep reading to learn what a question mark is, how to use it, and how to type the symbol! What is a Question Mark …
The period [.] is the most common punctuation mark in the English Language. Also called the full stop, its use is universal and makes clear to a reader that they have reached the end of a sentence. Even though its use is easy to understand, its placement can sometimes be …
Parentheses are a popular way to add information to a sentence without breaking its flow, but they come with some very specific rules. These punctuation marks are an excellent way to give your reader some insight into your main idea and are used to interject details and asides in a …