Category: Grammar

Order of adjectives simplified

EnglishNaija

The arrangement of adjectives has been quite a task for a number of English language users. Let’s go through it right away. The arrangement Sometimes, we use more than one adjective before a noun, that’s why we need to know how to arrange them. If you have a car, red in colour, expensive, salon and small, how do you arrange these attributes in a sentence? Generally, adjectives which describe opinions or attitudes (e.g. wonderful) usually come first, before more neutral, factual ones (e.g. blue): →You have an expensive small red…

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Free Ebook Download: questions, answers, explanations…

EnglishNaija

You’ve seen and studied questions/answers books, but would you love to see one with a simplified explanation of each answer? That’s what this ebook is all about. Whether you’re studying for an examination or just need lessons in modern English, this is for you. You would love it—rest assured. May you find the knowledge you seek. Download.  

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Who exactly is a ‘vulcanizer’?

EnglishNaija

In Nigeria, ‘vulcanizers’ do general maintenance work on vehicle tyres. They patch up punctured tyres, maintain pressure, attach tyres to wheels, etc.   In British and American English, does ‘vulcanizer’ have the same meaning? Here is the answer: Vulcanization is a chemical process of heating natural rubber with sulphur in order to make it tougher or stronger. By extension, a vulcanizer could mean someone who vulcanizes rubber, the equipment used for this process, or a substance added to rubber during this process.  In America, people who are called vulcanizers in Nigeria…

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The comma rules you should know

EnglishNaija

On the one hand, the comma is apparently the most popular punctuation mark in English; on the other hand, it is often misused. These are the uses of the comma you should know: v To separates items. Examples: 1. He bought shirts, jackets, trousers, socks, and shoes.2. The names on the list were: Olusola Adeboye, Leon James, Uchechi Anazodo, Usman Rabiu, Polinosky Sanzer and Kim Kardashian. See explanation on comma before ‘and’.    v Used in larger units to separate phrases, clauses and sentences. Examples: 1.     The boy, according to the report, was about…

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Why you shouldn’t say ‘My names are…’

EnglishNaija

People who say ‘My names are…’ think they know simple grammar than most of us because when two to three names are mentioned, they assume that’s a plural noun phrase. For the ones who would listen, let’s tell them this: a full name is a singular nominal concept because it refers to one individual and represents a single human. Whether you have one or ten first names before your surname, they refer to YOU and they all combine to form your identity. Examples: My name is Tailor Swift. My name is…

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