Gerunds vs Present Participles: the simplified explanation

EnglishNaija

A gerund is easy to spot in any sentence provided you know how it functions. A gerund is a noun formed from a verb by adding -ing and it’s strictly as a noun. All gerunds have -ing, but not all words with this ending are gerunds. Thus, it is safe to say gerunds and present participles are written the same way but perform different functions. gerund Let’s look at these examples: Swimming is my hobby. He likes feeding the birds. She doesn’t know anything about teaching. Look at the above…

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Possessive Pronouns vs Possessive Adjectives: simplified explanation

EnglishNaija

Possessive adjectives (possessive determiners) and possessive pronouns are tricky and could get you confused. Here, we provide the explanation that would help you understand them in few words. Possessive adjectives: my, your, our, their, his, her and its. Possessive pronouns: mine, yours, ours, theirs, his, hers and its. Examples: pronouns The ball is yours. The gift is mine. adjectives My gift is on the table. It is your ball. A possessive adjective goes before a noun to show possession but a possessive pronoun goes after the noun and can replace it, unlike its adjective…

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‘see’ or ‘watch’ a movie: all you should know

EnglishNaija

Most of us know we can see a movie when we go to the cinema, but when to use watch has somehow become an unresolved subject. Even if you browse the internet, you could be more confused as no single individual seem to give a definite answer. There are answers and explanations for this seemingly confusing pair, so read this post and search no further – and we hope you find what you need. see or watch We naturally use watch to mean that we look at something that is changing or moving…

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Clap him or clap for him: all the explanation you need

EnglishNaija

If you think ‘clap for him’ is correct but ‘clap him’ is not, this discourse is for you; if you think ‘clap for him’ sounds weird and ‘clap him” is the standard, this is also for you. Confused? Don’t be. Take a deep breath and read on. We will look at how and where different speakers (all of which speak English as a primary language) use the above expression, with a new insight for everyone, no matter which style you use. Let’s get to it right away. Every discourse I…

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have a bath vs take a bath

EnglishNaija

When you hear people say have a bath or take a bath, what do you think? That one is correct and the other is not? Not at all. They’re both correct, and here’s why: In this context, bath is always a noun in American English but both a noun and a verb in British English. American Americans naturally say take a bath to mean wash oneself in a tub of water and use bathe as the verb form. They however use have a shower when talking about a wedding shower, but not in the sense of…

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