Quick Answer Situational irony is when the result of something is the opposite of what everyone expected. Nobody sees it coming — not the audience, not the characters. It is life playing a trick on all of us. Example: A fire station burns down. The one place made to stop fires cannot stop its own….
Quick Answer The past tense of shrink is shrank. With have, has, or had, use shrunk. For example: “My shirt shrank in the wash” and “It has shrunk a lot.” Shrink, Shrank, Shrunk — See the Pattern Look at these sentences. Watch how the word shrink changes: Did you see the pattern? When you talk…
Quick Answer The past tense of show is showed. With “have,” “has,” or “had,” use shown. Every day: I show my work to the class. Yesterday: I showed my work to the class. Many times: I have shown my work to the class before. Show, Showed, Shown — See the Pattern Read these sentences. Look…
Quick Answer It depends on the sentence. Write Dad with a capital letter when you use it as a name. Write dad with a small letter when you say “my dad”, “your dad”, or “her dad.” Example: I asked Dad for help. / My dad helped me. Dad or dad — See the Difference Look…
Quick Answer The past tense of set is set. It never changes. There is no “setted” in English. You say: “I set the table yesterday.” Set, Set, Set — See the Pattern Look at these sentences. Can you see what happens to set? Did you see the pattern? The word set looks the same every…
Quick Answer The past tense of shake is shook. With “have” or “has,” use shaken. Every day: I shake the bottle. Yesterday: I shook the bottle. Many times: I have shaken the bottle before. Shake, Shook, Shaken — See the Pattern Read these sentences. Look at how the verb changes: Did you see the pattern?…
Quick Answer The past tense of sink is sank. With “have” or “has,” use sunk. Every day: Ships sink in bad storms. Yesterday: The boat sank yesterday. Many times: Many ships have sunk in that sea. Sink, Sank, Sunk — See the Pattern Read these sentences. Look at how the verb changes: Did you see…
Quick Answer The past tense of put is put. It never changes. Do not add -ed. “Putted” is not a word. Every day: I put my keys on the table. Yesterday: I put my keys on the table. Many times: I have put my keys on the table before. Put, Put, Put — See the…
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…
