Quick Answer The present perfect uses have or has + a past participle, such as eaten, seen or done. It looks back from now: I have eaten lunch, so I am ready to leave. The context explains why the past action matters now. Have or Has + Past Participle — See the Pattern The present…
Quick Answer The plural of tableau is tableaux or tableaus. Both are correct. The word comes from French, so it has two ways to make the plural. One: The museum has one beautiful tableau.More than one: The museum has several beautiful tableaux. Tableau, Tableaux, Tableaus — See the Pattern Look at these sentences. Can you…
Quick Answer The plural of matrix is matrices. You can also say matrixes — both are correct. Matrices is more common. One: This matrix shows the data.Many: These matrices show the data. Matrix, Matrices, Matrixes — See the Pattern Look at these words. Can you see what happens? Did you see the pattern? These words…
Quick Answer The plural of fungus is fungi. You can also say “funguses,” but fungi is the most common form. One: There is a fungus on the bread. More than one: There are fungi growing in the garden. Fungus, Fungi, Funguses — See the Pattern Read these sentences. Can you see the pattern? Did you…
Quick Answer Sympathy means feeling sorry FOR someone — you care from the outside. Empathy means feeling WITH someone — you imagine yourself in their place and share the feeling. Both are kind; empathy is one step closer. Sympathy and Empathy — See the Difference Watch where the feeling happens — outside or inside: Did…
Quick Answer A participle is a word made from a verb. There are two types. The present participle ends in -ing (like running). The past participle ends in -ed (like played) or has a special form (like broken). Running, Broken, Playing — What Are Participles? Look at these sentences. The blue words are all participles:…
Quick Answer The subject and the verb in a sentence must match. If the subject is one thing, the verb is singular. If the subject is more than one, the verb is plural. For example: “She walks” but “They walk.” Singular and Plural — See the Pattern Look at these sentences. Can you see how…
Quick Answer An idiom is a group of words with a hidden meaning. The words do not mean what they say. For example, “It is raining cats and dogs” does not mean animals are falling from the sky — it means “it is raining very hard.” See the Pattern: Words vs Real Meaning Look at…
Quick Answer A sentence is a group of words that gives a complete thought. English has 4 main types of sentences: one that tells, one that asks, one that orders, and one that shows strong feeling. Simple example: The cat sleeps on the sofa. (This sentence tells you something. It is a declarative sentence.) The…
Quick Answer A transitive verb needs an object — it acts on something. “She reads a book.” An intransitive verb does not need an object — the action is complete on its own. “The baby cried.” Transitive and Intransitive — See the Difference Look at these sentences. Can you see which verbs act on something…
