Tag: knowledge

Pronouns are essential in the way we communicate with one another. The importance of pronoun communication, however, is crucial. We use pronouns as a way to identify or refer to someone so next time before making an assumption about someone’s pronouns, just ask!

What is a pronoun? 

A word that can function by itself as a noun phrase and that refers either to the participants in the discourse (e.g., I, you ) or to someone or something mentioned elsewhere in the discourse (e.g., she, it, this ).

What are Gender Neutral/Gender Inclusive Pronouns?

Gender neutral or gender inclusive pronouns are unspecific to one gender. Using gender neutral pronouns does not label or associate the person being discussed with a specific gender. This is especially important for people who don’t identify with their assigned gender at birth. Physical sex does not determine gender. In other words, genitals do not equal gender. Rather than assume someone’s pronouns based on their perceived gender or appearance, it’s crucial to ask what their pronouns are. 

Pronouns are essential in the way we communicate with one another. The importance of pronoun communication, however, is crucial. We use pronouns as a way to identify or refer to someone so next time before making an assumption about someone’s pronouns, just ask!

What is a pronoun? 

A word that can function by itself as a noun phrase and that refers either to the participants in the discourse (e.g., I, you ) or to someone or something mentioned elsewhere in the discourse (e.g., she, it, this ).

What are Gender Neutral/Gender Inclusive Pronouns?

Gender neutral or gender inclusive pronouns are unspecific to one gender. Using gender neutral pronouns does not label or associate the person being discussed with a specific gender. This is especially important for people who don’t identify with their assigned gender at birth. Physical sex does not determine gender. In other words, genitals do not equal gender. Rather than assume someone’s pronouns based on their perceived gender or appearance, it’s crucial to ask what their pronouns are. 

How do you ask?

• “What pronouns do you use?”
• “What pronouns would you like for me to use?”

It can take time to get someone’s pronouns right. Try your best. Apologizeif you do make a mistake and correct it. Don’t make it awkward. Remember that respecting someone means also respecting their pronouns.

How do you share?

• “I’m Sally, and my pronouns are ze and hir.”
• “My pronoun is co.” 
• “I don’t use pronouns.”

A Summary of the 10 Functions of Nouns — enjoy your reading!

1. Subjects of Sentences:
The professor, John Smith, is the noun expert, so yesterday he gave the class his views on the importance of learning to write papers clearly, his students feverishly taking notes on all he said.

2. Subject Complements (“Predicate Nouns” or “Predicate Nominatives”):
The professor, John Smith, is the noun expert, so yesterday he gave the class his views on the importance of learning to write papers clearly, his students feverishly taking notes on all he said.

3. Direct Objects of Transitive Verbs:
The professor, John Smith, is the noun expert, so yesterday he gave the class his views on the importance of learning to write papers clearly, his students feverishly taking notes on all he said.

4. Objects of Verbal Phrases:
The professor, John Smith, is the noun expert, so yesterday he gave the class his views on the importance of learning to write papers clearly, his students feverishly taking notes on all he said.

5. Indirect Objects:
The professor, John Smith, is the noun expert, so yesterday he gave the class his views on the importance of learning to write papers clearly, his students feverishly taking notes on all he said.

6. Objects of Prepositions:
The professor, John Smith, is the noun expert, so yesterday he gave the class his views on the importance of learning to write papers clearly, his students feverishly taking notes on all he said.

7. Noun Appositives:
The professor, John Smith, is the noun expert, so yesterday he gave the class his views on the importance of learning to write papers clearly, his students feverishly taking notes on all he said.

8. Noun Modifiers:
The professor, John Smith, is the noun expert, so yesterday he gave the class his views on the importance of learning to write papers clearly, his students feverishly taking notes on all he said.

9. Noun Adverbs:
The professor, John Smith, is the noun expert, so yesterday he gave the class his views on the importance of learning to write papers clearly, his students feverishly taking notes on all he said.

10. Noun Absolutes:
The professor, John Smith, is the noun expert, so yesterday he gave the class his views on the importance of learning to write papers clearly, his students feverishly taking notes on all he said.

An article is a word that modifies a noun.

In English, there are two different types of articles: the definite article (the) and the indefinite article (a/an).

In accord with the designations, the indefinite article is used when we speak about something for the first time, or something non-specific. The definite article is used when we speak about something specific or something that has already been mentioned in the conversation.

Many languages in the world use articles, but just as many languages don’t have them at all. So there is no reason to panic if your native language does not use articles.

The following eight rules regarding the use of the articles in English will help you make fewer mistakes when you speak English.

It is very important to be able to use the articles properly, both when writing and speaking.

1. With the names of countries and continents

In these instances we do not use the articles at all, BUT if the country is made up of different parts or if the name is taken from common nouns, for example USA, UK, UAE, then we use the article the and say the USA, the UK, the UAE, the Czech Republic, The Netherlands.

It is the same when speaking of continents and islands. It is not used at all with the continents. We usually do not use an article when speaking about islands, but if the name is made up of different parts, then use the definite article.

For example, Africa, Europe, Bermuda, Tasmania, BUT the Virgin Islands, the Bahamas

•         She lived in America.
•         They live in England.
•         My friend is from the Czech Republic.

∙     I will go to the Galapagos Islands next year.

2. With the words breakfast, lunch, dinner

When it comes to eating in general, the article is not used. But if you are speaking about a particular breakfast, lunch or dinner, use the.

For example:

•         I don’t eat breakfast.
•         We didn’t like the dinner.

3. With the names of jobs and professions

In these instances, use the indefinite article a/an.

For example:

•         I want to be a politician.
•         My younger brother wants to be a vet.

4. With compass directions

Compass directions are written with capital letters when they designate definite regions (the North, the South, the East, the West), but not when they indicate direction or general location.

If the compass direction follows a preposition or if it designates a definite region, use the definite article the. If it follows a verb, no article is used.

For example:

•         They went east.
•         Look to the north and you will see the lake.
•         The North is cooler than the South.

5. With names of oceans, seas, rivers, and canals

Remember that the definite article is always used with these bodies of water.

For example, the Amazon, the Indian Ocean, the Red Sea, the Suez Canal.

•         I would like to swim in the Red Sea, and you?
•         The Amazon is the longest river in the world.

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6. With the names of unique objects

This means that only one of the object or thing exists; it is one of a kind. Specifically, the sun, the moon, the internet, the sky, the earth.

For example:

•         The sun is a star.
•         We looked up at all the stars in the sky.
•         He is always on the internet.

7. With uncountable nouns

Uncountable nouns are nouns that we cannot count. A way to identify these nouns, in most cases, is that they do not add –s in the plural form.

But remember that for every rule there are many exceptions. If you are speaking about any uncountable noun in general, do not use the article. But when speaking about something specific, the is used.

For example:

•         I like bread/milk/honey.
•         I like the bread/the milk/the honey. (specific bread/milk/honey)

8. With surnames

When speaking about members of the same family collectively, the article the is used before the surname. In this way, you designate a group of people –a family – with one word. Remember, the surname must be in the plural form.

For example:

•         The Smiths are coming for dinner today.
•         Have you seen the Johnsons recently?

Verbs tell you what the subject of a sentence or clause is doing (or being). Verbs are conjugated according to person, number, gender, tense, aspect, mood, or voice.

Verbs are at the heart of sentences and clauses; they are indispensable to the formation of a complete thought. A verb can express a thought by itself (with the subject implied) and be understood.Run!Believe!

Action vs. Nonaction Verbs

Action verbs simply indicate an action or occurrence.Gloria walked across the room.The shark swam menacingly close to the shore.

Even when used figuratively rather than literally, some verbs can still be considered action verbs.The singer broke with tradition by shaking hands with his fans.

In this example, the singer didn’t really break anything, but the verb is still an action verb.

Conversely, nonaction verbs can indicate a state of being, sense, emotion, desire, possession, or opinion. The most common nonaction verb is to be.I am a good person.The baby felt cold without her blanket.My mother loves me.I have four tickets to the show.

Verb Tenses

Verbs change in form, or tense, to indicate whether the actions or states are occurring in the present (or are happening continuously), occurred in the past, or will occur in the future.I take the bus.I am taking the bus.I took the bus.I will take the bus.

These examples indicate the simple present, present continuous, simple past, and simple future tenses respectively. Further possible tenses include present perfect (I have taken the bus), present perfect continuous (I have been taking the bus), past continuous (I was taking the bus), past perfect (I had taken the bus), past perfect continuous (I had been taking the bus), future continuous (I will be taking the bus), future perfect (I will have taken the bus), and future perfect continuous (I will have been taking the bus). All the latter uses would require additional grammatical elements to form complete thoughts. To ensure good writing, it is important for verbs to be used consistently and in a logical sequence so that the time period being written about is properly understood. Verbs can also have up to five different forms: root, third-person singular, present participle, past, and past participle.

Verb Moods

Among a verb’s many properties is mood. A verb’s mood, sometimes referred to as a mode, can be either indicative, imperative, or subjunctive. The most common of these is the indicative mood. Indicative mood is used for statements of fact or opinion and to pose questions.Every rose has its thorn.A cat has nine lives.Is the moon made of cheese?

The imperative mood is used to express commands. Subjects are often implied rather than expressed in sentences with imperative verbs. In the following examples, the subject you is implied:Put that down!Please exit the building in single file.

The subjunctive mood is used to express a verb with an action or state that is doubtful, imagined, conditional, desired, or hypothetical.I wish you were here.

It is implied by this sentence that you are not actually here, but I wish that were not so. Were is in the subjunctive mood. Conditional verbs (which often appear with if/when statements) also receive a subjunctive treatment.If I were a younger man, I would run three miles a day.

Were and would run indicate the subjunctive mood.

Of course, it is also important to follow the grammatical rules for conjugating verbs, including all those pesky English irregular verbs.

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We can use some, any or ‘no article’ before plural or uncountable nouns. They all mean something similar to a/an before a singular noun. For example:

• Can I have a banana? [One banana, but any one is okay.]
• Can I have some bananas? [More than one banana, but any small group is okay.]

The difference between some and ‘no article’:

Often, there isn’t a big difference in meaning between ‘no article’ and some. However, we use some when we are talking about a limited number or amount (but we don’t know or we don’t want to say the exact quantity).

Some means ‘a certain number of’ or ‘a certain amount of’. We don’t use some if we are talking about something in general or thinking about it as a category. When we use some, we don’t say the exact quantity, but we could probably find it out if we needed to. For example:

• Can you buy some milk? [We don’t know exactly how much, but I’m talking about a certain amount of milk – I don’t want all the milk in the world.]

On the other hand, we use ‘no article’ when we aren’t thinking about the quantity. It’s used to talk about the noun as a category, rather than a certain amount of it:

• We need Ø milk to make pancakes. [I’m thinking about milk as a category. I’m not thinking about a certain amount of milk.]

More examples:

• We need to buy Ø coffee [I’m talking about coffee as a category, not thinking about the amount].
• Would you like some coffee? [I mean a certain amount of coffee, probably a cup.]
• I ate some bread [I mean a certain amount of bread].
• I ate Ø bread [not pasta or rice].

Remember that often it doesn’t make a big difference:

• Do you want Ø tea? [I’m not thinking about the amount.]
• Do you want some tea? [I’m thinking about the amount, but the meaning is really the same as the first sentence.]

Try an exercise about this here.

The difference between some and any:

Generally, we use any in the same way as some: when we are thinking about a certain amount or number of something. Remember, usually both some and any can only be used with plural countable nouns or uncountable nouns, but not usually with singular countable nouns.

We usually use some with affirmative (positive) sentences and any with negatives and questions:

• She bought some tomatoes [positive sentence].
• She didn’t buy any tomatoes [negative sentence].
• Did she buy any tomatoes ?

However, there are some exceptions to this.

1: Any can be used in a positive sentence to mean ‘it’s not important which one’. When we use any in this way, it’s most often used with singular countable nouns:

• You can take any bus.
• Pass me any glass.
• Come over any Sunday.

2: Any can also be used in positive sentences that have a negative feeling, for example if they include never, hardly, without:

• She never eats any fruit.
• We hardly watch any television.
• Julia left the house without any money.

3: Some can be used in questions when we expect that the answer will be ‘yes’. This is very common in offers and requests:

• Would you like some coffee?
• Do you want some sandwiches?
• Could you give me some help?
• Could you pass me some sugar?

Compare the following two sentences:

• Do you have any letters for me? [This is a real question. I don’t know if you have any letters or not.]
• Do you have some letters for me? [I think you do, so I’m expecting that you will say ‘yes’.]

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Use of ‘A Little’, ‘Little’, ‘A Few’ and ‘Few’

We use ‘a/an’ with several quantifiers:

• a little
• a few
• a lot (of)

We also use ‘no article’ with several:

• little
• few
• lots (of)

In many situations, we can choose to use ‘a little’ or ‘little’ (when using an uncountable noun) or ‘a few’ or ‘few’ (when using a plural countable noun). They have slightly different meanings. (‘A lot’ and ‘lots’ aren’t like this. ‘A lot’ means the same as ‘lots’).

When we say ‘a little’ or ‘a few’, we mean a small amount, but it’s enough:

• John: Let’s go out tonight.
• Lucy: Okay. I have a little money, enough for the cinema at least.

On the other hand, ‘little’ or ‘few’ usually give us a different impression. These also mean a small amount, but this time the amount is almost nothing. If the noun is something that we want (like money or friends) then using ‘little’ or ‘few’ means that we don’t have enough:

• John: Let’s go out tonight.
• Lucy: Sorry, I have little money. I really can’t afford to go out.

Of course, if we use ‘few’ or ‘little’ with a noun that we don’t want, then it can have a positive meaning. It’s good to have nearly no problems, for example:

• There have been few problems with the new system, thankfully!
• Luckily, there is little crime in my town.
• I’m so pleased that I have few arguments with my family.
• It’s great that there’s been very little bad weather this month.

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