| Topic |
Question |
| i before e |
My teacher says there's a sentence that tells all or most of the exceptions to the "i before e" rule, but she can't remember it. Do you know it? |
| apostrophes |
Please tell me where I should put the apostrophe (or apostrophes) in the following sentence: "The children will be getting together at around 5:30 p.m. to celebrate James and Serena's sixth birthday."
|
| adverbs |
I do not understand the differences between the adverbs "so," "much," and "very." Are there any rules that prescribe the correct or incorrect use of these adverbs?? |
| either, neither |
When I use "neither" or "either" I'm not sure if I need to write "neither have" or "neither has." Please help... are there rules for this problem? |
| both |
Which is correct?
The offer applies to both Bob and Jim.
The offer applies to Bob and Jim.
The offer applies to Bob and to Jim. |
| present or past tense? |
Which tense is correct? "We ate Christmas dinner with an elderly Dutch couple whom we know." |
| apostrophes with plurals? |
Please tell me which of the following are correct:
All of the people in red suits on the street let forth a series of ho-ho-ho's. Congress is debating the safety of supplies of ABM's. |
| last name ending in "s." |
How do you pluralize a last name that already has an "s" on it? |
| can, may |
Why use CAN and not MAY? |
| critical review |
What is a critical review and how should I get these papers started? |
| modifiers |
Please correct the sentence below.
What do you do if someone asks you to dance with him/her, but you don't want to at a night club? |
| possessive |
I have a question about the word "families" when it deals with a number of families in a possessive sense. For example, The families' cars were parked outside (ie a number of cars from a number of families were parked outside. Is "families'" the spelling you would use in this situation? |
| email |
Do you spell "email" with a hyphen? Is e-mail / email countable or uncountable? |
| ESL or EFL |
Would you please tell me what's the difference between an "ESL" and an "EFL" approach in English language class? |
| bibliography |
What should be included in a bibliography?
What should be included in a bibliography? |
| numbers, APA style |
When writing APA style, how do you use numbers in text? Do you use numerical form or do you write them out alphabetically? |
| numbers, writing out |
Is "December 25th" correct, or is it "December twenty-fifth", or does it matter? |
| hyphens |
I would like to know if there is a hyphen between the following: east-northeast, five-star quality, and colonial-style hotels. |
| subject, object |
Hi, I want to know why this sentence uses she, not her:
|
| humor v. satire |
What is the difference between "humor" and "satire"? |
| first-person |
Please explain "use first-person terminology". |
| parenthesis |
Should punctuation remain within the closing parenthesis at the end of a sentence, or after it, or both? What are the usage rules if the answer is both? |
| titles, official |
Should titles such as president, secretary of state, etc. be capitalized when referred to as "the secretary of state" or "president Bush"? |
| non-count nouns |
I am having problems understanding when I should treat non-count nouns as collective or individual nouns. For example: feeling(s), opportunity(ies), communication(s), skill(s), system(s), difficulty(ies) etc. |
| punctuation |
Do I end this sentence with a period, exclamation point, or question mark:
Eighteen-year-old Ralph Samuelson figured that if one could ski on snow, why not ski on water
|
| capitalization |
Can you tell me if "Church" and "Local Church" should be capitalized in the following sentence or if the three words should not be capitalized?
|
| tense: past, past perfect |
I want to know the basic difference between these two sentences.
1) She went to Chicago.
2) She had been to Chicago.
|
| adverb and adjective clauses |
Hey! I would like to ask you a couple of questions which are related to adverb and adjective clauses.
1) What is the difference between "which" and "which is"?
2) When do I have to put only "which" and when do I have to put "which is"? |
| prepositions |
I have problems! Please tell me how to correct the following:
1) HOW TO USE ENGLISH FOR GETTING SPECIFIC INFORMATION
2) I think the webpage [that or where] I visited is called "abcd." |
| so, so that |
Could you please explain the difference between so and so that? Those words confuse me all the time. |
| structure |
Are there any errors in the following sentences?
1. What did you say was your name?
2. I regret to have hurt your dog. |
| question mark |
I need your help to know that is it required to put question marks after statements like these:
1) Second, is there a larger job market for a master's degree in ESL than in English Literature or Language.
2) I want to know whether you will allow me to come or not. |
| that or who |
My style book says that you should use "that" when referring to a group of people. For example, The number of parents that are... Is this correct, or should it be "who"? Please advise. |
clauses,whether or not |
I don't know how to make a sentence with noun clauses, adjective clauses and adverb clauses . Could you please send me some simple examples to show me with explanation? The second question I would like to ask you is about whether and whether or not. Could you please show me the difference? |
| transitions |
When using "unfortunately" at the beginning of a sentence, is it incorrect if a comma is not used after it? |
| compound adjectives |
When do compound adjectives need to be hyphenated? |
| subject-verb agreement |
Which verb is correct in the following sentence? In Canada today, one in four women over the age of fifty (has/have) osteoporosis. |
| commas between adjectives |
When do adjectives need commas between them, and when don't they? |
| but |
Is it all right to use the conjunction "but" to begin a sentence? |
| ages |
For persons' ages: Use the number at all times or write out? |
| brackets |
Why would one put brackets around the first letter of a word in a quote? |
| dates |
Should dates be written out? |
| email |
Is "e-mail" a countable noun? |
| have or get |
Which is correct, "have" or "get"? |
| renown, renowned |
Is it "renown" or "renowned"? |
| fragments |
"Well, take restaraunts, for example." Is this a fragment? |
| format |
Is it necessary to put two spaces after a period? |
| prepositions |
Which is idiomatically correct, "competence in" or "competence at"? |
| website |
Is it: website, web site, or web-site? Also, if we refer to "our" website (such as "Please visit our website at...") do we need to capitalize the word? |
| loan, lend, borrow |
What are the rules for using the verbs loan, lend, borrow? Why can't I say, "Will you borrow me a pen?" |
| degrees, academic |
When writing a degree, for example, in John Doe, M.B.A. or M.S., can you just use MBA or MS? What is the rule for this? What warrants using MBA rather than M.B.A.? |
| commas |
Do I need to use commas before titles in quotes? |
| first person |
Some teachers say it's okay to use first person in some papers. Others say never to use "I." Which is correct? |
| articles |
If someone is hurt or sick, why do they say that person is in hospital instead of in the hospital? |
| dashes |
Hi, I am very confused about the use of em and en dashes. Could you explain the correct usage with a couple of examples? |
| words, making your own |
Would it always be correct to form a new word by adding prefix or suffix to a word despite the fact that there is no such word in a general dictionary? |
| likewise |
What part of speech is "likewise" ? |
| number, a number |
What is the distinction between "the number" as a singular subject and "a number" as a plural subject? |
| titles, M.D.s |
What is the correct title to use when addressing a couple who are both doctors? |
| that, which |
Could you briefly explain the difference between "that" and "which" and give a couple of examples? |
| quotes |
In a direct quotation, is it OK to omit the brackets that normally indicate that a change of capitalization has taken place? |
| "arm's length" |
The bare infinitive and an arm's length agreement |
| yet, ever |
What is the difference between the use of "yet" and "ever"? |
| character analysis |
I am having trouble writing a character analysis. I would appreciate any help you can give me. |
| articles before plural nouns |
I have some problems using or dropping "the" before plural countable nouns. Could you please help me? |
| the |
In the sentence, "Our society is based on the family," should I use 'the' before the word, 'family' ? If so, why? |
| thesis statement |
I need to know if my thesis statement is too broad or too narrow or neither. |
| you or your |
Which is correct, "I appreciate your giving me the opportunity to pursue..." or "...you giving me the opportunity..."? |
| online, email |
Can you tell me when to use "on-line" versus "online"? How about "E-mail" versus "e-mail"? Is there a source you consistenly use? Many thanks. |
| i.e., e.g. |
I'm wondering what the current consensus is regarding "i.e., e.g." |
| run-ons |
My question is, What are three different ways to correct run-on sentences? |
| hyphen |
Could you please tell me how I would write out time to time--with hyphens, i.e. 'time-to-time' or not? |
| A.D., B.C. |
What is the pc version of AD (as in BC/AD as designations for time)? |
| hair, hairs |
Why is hair singular and not plural? |
| simple or continuous |
Can you explain to me when I use the simple and the continuous form? |
| plural ending in "s." |
How would I write the following: doubting Thomas's or doubting Thomases? |
| besides, in addition |
What's the difference between BESIDES and IN ADDITION? |
| gender specific |
I once wrote, 'As an open university student, he must work harder than regular students.' I used to use 'he' to represent a student; is it male chauvinism? |
| effect, affect |
I have trouble telling the difference between effect and affect. Can you give a clear answer with specific examples? |
| factive |
What is a factive? I have to do a presentation on "The status of a clause following a factive, nominal vs. adverbial." |
| participial phrase |
What is a participial phrase? Give me an example and explain the answer. |
| there be |
What kind of verb will follow "there be" in a sentence? |
| semicolons, colons |
Please explain when to use semicolons and colons and offer some examples. |
| singular or plural? |
Do I use a singular or a plural verb following two subjects differing in number? |
| citations, internet |
What is the correct way to cite something that is obtained from the internet? Is it alright to simply write a web address? |
| period, quotation marks |
When does the period go outside of the quotation marks? |
| punctuation |
Could you give me a brief explanation of some punctuation marks? |
| numbers, writing out |
When should I write out numbers? |
| citations, MLA, electronic |
How do I cite electronic sources in MLA format? |
| APA |
Does APA style require all present tense? |
| revisions |
How much revising is enough? |
