What Is a Verb? The Word That Makes Your Sentence Actually Do Something
Imagine trying to communicate with only nouns and pronouns: “Sarah. Coffee shop. Homework. Stress.” Sure, you get the vibe, but...Main Verbs vs. Helping Verbs: When Your Verb Needs Backup
Pop quiz: In the sentence “I am studying for finals,” what’s the verb? If you said “studying,” you’re close—but not quite there. The full verb is actually “am studying”—a combo...
The 23 Helping Verbs: Your Complete List (And When You Actually Need Them)
Here’s the thing about helping verbs: there are only 23 of them. That’s it. Once you memorize this list, you’ll be able to spot helping verbs anywhere—and more importantly, you’ll...
Finding Verbs in Sentences: The Subject-Verb Detective Strategy
Here’s the secret to identifying verbs: you can’t find the verb until you find the subject. They’re a package deal....
Let’s Go Back to the Past – and Return to the Future with Good Grammar
Before spell-checkers, autocorrect, and predictive text, many schools were called grammar schools for a reason. Students were expected to understand...
Grammar Literacy: Looking Back, Looking Forward
More than a century ago, grammar was a central part of the American school curriculum. Students learned the parts of...
Pronoun Understood: The Invisible Subject That’s Actually There
Quick question: What’s the subject of the sentence “Come here immediately”? If you said “there is no subject,” you’re close—but...
Title Demonstrative & Interrogative Pronouns: The Pointers and Question-Askers
Ever pointed at something and said “This is mine” or asked “Who did this?” Congrats, you’ve used demonstrative and interrogative...
Indefinite Pronouns: The Vague but Valid Subjects
Quick question: In the sentence “Everyone is coming to the party,” who exactly is everyone? Your roommate? Your entire contact...