Relative Clauses
We use relative clauses to add extra information to our sentences. They help us to say more about a noun without starting a new sentence. A clause is a group of words that includes...
Graham's Grammar Posts
Main and subordinate clauses
Main and subordinate clauses A clause is a group of words that includes a noun and a verb. Examples: We call these clauses “main clauses”. They make complete sense on their own and we...
What is a Sentence?
What is a Sentence? A sentence is a group of words that expresses a complete idea. It always contains a verb. A sentence almost always contains a noun or a pronoun. (The exceptions are...
i before e except after c
When I was at school – many years ago – I was taught the spelling rule “i before e except after c”. It was very useful to help me remember to put the i...
Active and passive voice
Active and passive voice In English, verbs can be used in two “voices”: active and passive. Some people might tell you that you should always use the active voice. But really the active voice...
Which is correct: “learned” or “learnt”?
Which is correct: “learned” or “learnt”? Both! In British English, the verb “to learn” is irregular. The past participle is “learnt”. So, we might say: Similar irregular verbs include: In American English, many irregular...
Gerunds
Gerunds are very useful but can be a bit confusing at first. Two things you need to know about gerunds right from the start: Here are some examples: We can also use the infinitive...
What are present participles?
We make present participles from verbs and use them as adjectives or to form the continuous tenses of the verb. We always use the ending “-ing”. Some examples of present participles Using present participles...
What are past participles?
We form past participles from verbs and then use them in a number of different ways including: We form the past participles of regular verbs in the same way as we form the past...
More about holidays
More about holidays In an earlier post we looked at the meaning of “holiday” and some of the ways we use the word. This time we look at other uses of the word and...