This tricky pair is more nuanced. One choice suggests a specific choice and the other suggests pon- dering over something for a while.
He was thinking of a number between one and ten. (specific choice)
He was thinking about going to law school. (pondering)
Here is my trick to remember which is which for this pair: Of is short, like making a quick decision. About is longer, like pondering options.
Incorrect: Both did not come.
Correct: Neither came.Incorrect: Both of them did not pass the test.
Correct: Neither of them passed the test.In negative clauses, we use ‘neither’ not both.
Were you taught that a preposition should never be placed at the end of a sentence? Ending a sentence with a preposition is a perfectly natural part of the structure of modern English. For example:
- in some passive expressions:
- The dress had not even been paid for.
- The match was rained off.
- in relative clauses and questions that include verbs with linked adverbs or prepositions:
- What did you put that there for?
New or knew:
The words knew and new are homophones which means they sound alike but mean different things.
New is an adjective that means unused.
Knew is the past tense form of the verb know, which means to understand or to be aware of.
If you are having trouble using these words correctly, remember that knew is a verb and has to do with knowledge. Since both of these words start with the same two letters, you can link them together in your mind.
“The noun conscience refers to a state of awareness or a sense that one’s actions or intentions are either morally right or wrong, along with a feeling of obligation to do the right thing. . . . Conscious, on the other hand, is an adjective that indicates that a person is awake and alert and able to understand what is happening around them, such as a patient who becomes fully conscious after being administered anesthesia.”
Run-on sentence
A run-on sentence is two complete sentences joined by a simple comma. This is different from a really long sentence. Â You need conjunctions to fix a run-on sentence. Here’s an example:
- Incorrect: Practice is over at 5pm, you need to pick John up in time.
- Correct: Practice is over at 5pm, so you need to pick John up in time.
You can also replace the comma with a semi-colon or a period to make two complete sentences correctly.
Attain and obtain have the same ending, and they both mean to get something.  Attain is a verb that means to get an achievement. For example, “After a lot of hard work, she attained her dream of being able to speak 7 languages.”
Obtain is also a verb. It means to get possession of something. For example, “The men obtained the tools they needed to cut down the tree.”
Allude means to refer to indirectly.
Elude means to avoid or to evade.
Alliteration is a term to describe a literary device in which a series of words begin with the same consonant sound. Alliteration emphasizes something important a writer or speaker would like to express. Â
- Hannah’s home has heat now, hopefully.
- Jackrabbits jump and jiggle jauntily.
- Kim’s kid kept kicking like crazy.
- Larry’s lizard likes lounging in the sun. SOURCE
Aid means help or assistance.
To aid means to help or to assist.
An aide is a helper or an assistant. (In other words, an aide is a person.)
