Quick Answer The plural of hippopotamus is hippopotamuses or hippopotami. Both are correct. In casual speech, most people just say hippos. One: I saw one hippopotamus. More than one: I saw three hippopotamuses. Hippopotamus, Hippopotamuses, Hippopotami — See the Pattern Look at these sentences. Can you see the pattern? Did you see it? When there…
Quick Answer Passed is always an action — someone or something moved or completed something. Past talks about a time before now or a place you go by. Action: She passed the test. Time: In the past, life was different. Past and Passed — See the Difference These two words sound exactly the same when…
Quick Answer PS means “postscript.” It is a short note you add after you finish and sign a message. Think of it as saying “Oh, one more thing!” at the end of a letter, email, or text. Best wishes, SarahPS: Do not forget to bring your umbrella tomorrow! PS in Action — See How It…
Quick Answer The plural of axis is axes. The word “axises” is not correct in English. One: The Earth spins on its axis. More than one: A graph has two axes — the x and the y. Axis Becomes Axes — See the Pattern Look at these words. Can you see what happens? Did you…
Quick Answer English has twelve personal pronouns. Seven are subject pronouns (the doer): I, you, he, she, it, we, they. Five are object pronouns (the receiver): me, him, her, us, them. (“You” and “it” are the same for both jobs — that is why there are only 5 different object pronouns, not 7.) Click any…
Quick Answer There are 8 parts of speech in English. Every word you say or write is one of these 8 types. They are: noun, pronoun, verb, adjective, adverb, preposition, conjunction, and interjection. Example: Wow, the tall girl runs quickly and she jumps over the fence. (That is all 8 in one sentence!) The 8…
Quick Answer The correct spelling is no one (two words). Writing it as “noone” is a spelling mistake. ✓ No one was home when I called. ✗ Noone was home when I called. No One — Always Two Words Look at these sentences. What do you notice? Did you see the pattern? It is always…
Quick Answer Use Ms. for any woman (married or not). Use Mrs. for a married woman. Use Miss for an unmarried woman. Not sure? Ms. is always safe. Ms. (say it like “Miz”) — Ms. Lee is our new teacher.Mrs. (say it like “Missiz”) — Mrs. Adams got married last year.Miss (say it like “Miss”)…
Quick Answer The 5 English word pairs that trip up almost everyone are affect / effect, their / there / they’re, its / it’s, your / you’re, and then / than. They sound almost the same, but they mean very different things. Quick rule: if you can swap the word for it is, use it’s….
Quick Answer The past tense of make is made. Use made for the past and with “have,” “has,” or “had.” Every day: I make breakfast. Yesterday: I made breakfast an hour ago. Many times: I have made breakfast every day this week. Make and Made — See the Pattern Read these sentences. Look at how…
