English: What is a homonym?
As an English tutor, I’ll share a definition I learned in elementary school. I had no idea it was controversial. I remember my spelling text from grade three – yes, it was a textbook. Each week had a new list …
Category: english
English: Punctuation with Quotation Marks
As term-end essays soon come due, your English tutor mentions a couple of finer details…. When quotation marks enclose speech, you put the comma or period inside: “Call them back,” he requested. “I’ll never make that mistake again.” You also …
English: Using conjunctive adverbs
When you tutor English, conjunctive adverbs come up – especially around due dates for important English compositions. Following a semicolon, a conjunctive adverb can be used. It leads to an attractive construction that can elevate your essay. Their best pitcher …
English: Using they or their with a singular pronoun?
She-or-he and her-or-his are clumsy constructions. Can you escape them? The English tutor has looked it up to be sure…. Most writers face the situation commonly: Leaving the shelter of the train, everyone put on ______ hat. “Everyone” is, of course, …
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Punctuation: Everyday use of the Colon
When you tutor English, punctuation is a constant concern. Appropriate use of the colon can add a nice touch to a writing assignment. My wife has been questioning my use of colons for months now: “Don’t you need to follow …
Literary Terms: What is a Foil?
Tutoring English at the college level, you might be asked to explain the term foil. There are hundreds of literary terms. Most of them you never hear in everyday conversation, while many others are seldom used. In the hallways of …
English: Your old friends who and whom
Tutoring English, you’re bound to be asked when to use who vs when to use whom. “Whom do you love?” asked George Thorogood. Actually, I think he asked “Who do you love?” However, he should have used whom. Whom is …
Vocabulary: some “-ibles”
When you tutor English, you still need to discuss spelling – believe it or not. When I was a kid, I often wondered which words were “ible” and which were “able”. In time, I realized that I used more “able” words …
Essay Writing: Some practical considerations
Tutoring English, advice can be more important than “how-to”. Here, then, are some practical pointers to help your next essay. Talking to my sister yesterday, she told me she’s had a flood of essays to mark this semester. When your essay is amongst many …
Apostrophes: a minefield of everyday English
One issue in English tutoring is apostrophes. We’ll sort out when to use them – and when not to. In everyday English, you commonly see apostrophes misused. There are only two cases in which you do use them: 1) In contractions, such as can’t …