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Conclusion to the Parts of Speech

We hope you have enjoyed and profited from Grammar.com’s discussion of the parts of speech in the English language. We’ve tried to cover what you need to know to expand your knowledge of the language. We firmly believe that improving your writing...

a, an

Writers sometimes confuse the use of the articles a and an. We were all taught that a precedes a word starting with a consonant and that an precedes a word starting with a vowel (a, e, i, o, u). Here’s the secret to making the rule work: The rule a...

agree

Watch out. Those who diminish our language have turned the intransitive verb agree into a transitive verb. Remember, an intransitive verb needs a preposition to form a relationship with a noun.Thus, you agree to the terms. You do not agree the terms....

all, all of

allIn formal writing, omit the of after all. Remember the folk song: All My Trials Not:All of My Trials all ofIn two situations, however, you should include the of.1. When the word following all is a pronoun. all of themBut when that pronoun is poss...

almost

Place almost directly before the word it modifies.The following is incorrect: There was almost a threatening edge to his voice. Instead: There was an almost threatening edge to his voice. See only....

all right, alright

Use two words: all right. The one-word alright is incorrect in American English....

alot, a lot, allot

The word lot is a one-word noun. When you precede it with the article a, you write the expression as two words: a lot. You wouldn’t refer to a tree as atree. Neither should you write alot.Allot is a verb that means “to parcel out or distribute.�...

and

Don’t hesitate to start a sentence with And. It’s a coordinating conjunction, and great writers have been starting sentences with conjunctions for hundreds of years. You can remember the coordinating conjunctions by referring to the acronym BOYFA...

a while, awhile

Awhile is an adverb that will most commonly follow a verb. (Could you wait awhile?)A while is a noun form and usually appears after a preposition (usually for or in). The main confusion here is that both can be used in very similar sentences: Sit awh...

accept, except examples

These two words are actually most likely to be confused in a situation where their meanings are actually the opposite.Accept as a verb means “to receive gladly,” “to be deemed proper,” or “to be admitted into a group.”As a preposition exc...

adverse, averse

Adverse means "antagonistic" and is easily seen as the base of the word adversary. Averse means "feeling disinclined" and implies a desire to avoid. The word averse is more recognizable in two more commonly used forms: avert and aversion.Example: Due...

advice, advise

Advice is a noun that means “counsel” or “opinion.”Advise is a verb that means “to give advice or counsel.”Use this rhyme to remember the differences:The greatest vice is advice. It is rarely wise to advise.Example: When I asked her for h...

affect, effect

These two words are discussed at length in the Common Grammatical Mistakes section of Grammar.com. Click here for that discussion.Both words can be used as either nouns or verbs even though many sources will claim that affect is a verb and effect is ...

aide, aid

The word aid is a verb that means “help.” We should note that aid may also be used as a noun in the same way that “help” can be used as both a noun and a verb.Aide however can be used only as a noun and refers to a person, an assistant.Exampl...

all ready, already

To figure out which of these is correct, look for a time element. Already as one word implies that there was a time limit and the task was completed ahead of it. (In casual conversation it is also sometimes used to add emphasis, as in “Enough alrea...

allude, elude

Allude means “to refer to something indirectly or covertly” without actually naming it. The confusion here might come from the fact that elude means “to evade or escape.” They both can imply an element of intrigue.Allude is commonly used in t...

allusion, illusion

Allusion is a noun form of the verb allude and means “a reference to something indirectly or covertly.“An illusion is something that creates a false perception. The term “optical illusion” is an example of the correct use of this word.An allu...

among, between

Entire chapters in grammar books have been devoted to this pair of words.Both words are prepositions.Some assert that between is used only when referring to two things and that among is used when referring to more than two things. Thus: the spat betw...

anecdote, antidote

An anecdote is a short story or humorous tale. An antidote is a remedy that counteracts a poison or relieves an ailment.Example: His funny anecdotes provided an antidote for the hospital patients....

appraise, apprise

Appraise means “to evaluate or estimate the value of something.”Apprise means “to give notice” or “to inform.”Example: After he appraised the house, he apprised the homeowners of its market value....

apt, likely, liable

Writers often use apt, likely, and liable interchangeably in constructions, especially with infinitives: Fred is likely to win the election. Fred is apt to win the election. Fred is liable to win the election. But these three words do have some subtl...

as, because, since, for

We have several words showing causation: as, because, since, for. Be careful in your use of as to show a causal connection, however, because your readers might think as imparts its more usual meaning “while.”Henry Fowler endorses the use of as cl...

as far as

Many writers botch the use of the expression as far as. It serves as a subordinating conjunction. Therefore, it must be followed by a verb. If you follow as far as with a noun, then you have magically transformed the expression into a preposition. An...

as, like

Back in the olden days, when tobacco companies advertised on TV, Winston used the slogan: Winston tastes good like a cigarette should. In that sentence, the word like acts as a subordinating conjunction starting the subordinate clause a cigarette sho...

as per

Many people start off letters with as per your request and similar fluff.For many years, standard texts on writing have condemned this wordy and pompous expression: This hybrid is inexcusable. Instead of “as per your request” say “in accordance...