Category_MWW Blog>General

Does "-ly" Always Mean an Adverb?

I had a question in my grammar class last night that I want to address. It is true that very often a word that ends in -ly is an adverb. We actually add the -ly to the adjective form of many words...
Category_MWW Blog>General

Time Out for a Personal Ad

It's here! We are launching Margie Holds Class, my very own "school" -- after 52 years of teaching, I think it must be time! Seriously, this is a platform on my website, where I will teach all of m...
Category_MWW Blog>General

That Pesky Word "So"

One more time... The word so is normally an adverb. ...I was so very tired that night. ...He was so cranky at the end of the day. It can also be a conjunction. It can be the kind of...
apostrophe

Those Darn Hyphens

If a noun is listed as separate words, then it stays separate words -- and is not hyphenated -- as a direct (right in front of the noun) adjective. ...He is in real estate. ...He is a real estate ...
Category_MWW Blog>General

"Are You Done?" -- My Least Favorite Question

...I am done with dinner. ...I am through with dinner. ...I am finished with dinner. ...I have finished with dinner. WRONG! INCORRECT! ...I have finished dinner. This is the only correct form as...
Category_MWW Blog>General

The Subjunctive

Verbs in English (and many other languages) have a characteristic called "mood." When you make a statement or ask a question, the mood of the verb is indicative. When you directly tell someone to d...
Category_MWW Blog>General

A Personal Story...

I walked into a restaurant to meet my son for breakfast yesterday morning, wearing my "Bad grammar should not happen to good people" T-shirt. The guy at the next table said, "Good morning. How are...
Category_MWW Blog>General

"Like/As" I Said

The word "like" cannot start a dependent clause; that is, it cannot be part of a unit with a subject and verb. The word you want is "as" or "as if." ...As I said previously, we were not part of th...
Category_MWW Blog>General

What's Wrong with This Statement?

...It burns hotter and quicker. It does, indeed, burn hot, and then the comparison is "hotter." However, it burns quickly, not quick; and the comparison is "more quickly." ...He reacted more cal...