Verbs

There are up to five forms for each verb: root, third-person singular, present participle, past, and past participle.

Root Form of the Verb

The root form of a verb is the base form of the word. Roots have not been conjugated and do not include prefixes or suffixes.

The root form of the verb is the same as the infinitive form with “to” removed. See the examples below: to see – see

to be – be

to wear – wear

to go – go

The root form of a verb is used to create other forms of the verb when conjugated. This is always true with regular verbs, but may not apply with irregular verbs, depending on the tense. The examples below illustrate this concept.

I am going to school.

(Root: go)

What did you do yesterday?

(Root: do)

The girl showed her mother the picture she drew in school.

(Root: show)

He had eaten three hamburgers.

(Root: eat)

Third Person Singular Form of a Verb

The third person singular (he/she/it/one) conjugation is the verb form that tends to be different from other conjugations. For regular verbs, this verb form end in ‑s (or sometimes ‑es). Consider the examples below: he sees

she watches

it shrinks

one does

Present Participle Form of a Verb

The present participle verb form is created by adding -ing to the root word. It’s used in the past, present, and future progressive verb tenses. Look at the examples below:

We’re coming to the party tonight.

(come – coming)

They have been drawing for hours.

(draw – drawing)

We will be washing the car before vacation.

(wash – washing)

Past and Past Participle Forms of the Verb

The past and past participle verb form for regular verbs is the root word + ‑ed. It’s only used with the past tenses. Consider the examples below:

We shopped for hours on Saturday afternoon.

(shop – shopped)

The books were stacked on the shelf.

(stack – stacked)

He had played computer games for the whole weekend.

(play – played)

The past participle can be difficult to determine for some irregular verbs. It’s best to look these up in a dictionary if you’re at all unsure of the past participle. Here are a few examples of irregular verbs:

Root	Simple Past	Past Participle
Sing	Sang	Sung
See	Saw	Seen
Fall	Fell	Fallen
Give	Gave	Given
Go	Went	Gone

I had forgiven him for his unkind words.

Simon had lit candles all around the room.

Articles with Plural Nouns

The indefinite articles a and an are used to modify singular nouns. When using a plural noun, these two articles are unnecessary. Plural nouns can take either a definite article or no article at all.

The definite article is the word the. It precedes a noun when something specific (i.e., definite) is being referred to.

The phone is ringing.

Indefinite articles, on the other hand, are used before nouns that are nonspecific within their class.

I bumped into a lady on the sidewalk.

We do not know from this statement who specifically this lady is. We only know generally that the person is a lady.

Plural nouns can be used with the definite article or no article at all; to use an indefinite article would be incorrect.

I have a books in my locker.

I have books in my locker.

I have the books in my locker.

It is also unnecessary to use an indefinite article if there is an adjective in front of a plural noun.

When he is in public, he does an embarrassing things.

When he is in public, he does embarrassing things.

When he is in public, he does an embarrassing thing.

When selecting courses, there are a many options to choose from.

A is not necessary in this sentence and should be removed. However, if you want to refer to the specific quantity of options, the sentence can be rephrased to use the definite article the with a plural noun:

You may select courses from the many options available

.

You can explore more by reading Articles: Grammar Rules and Plural Nouns: Rules and Examples.

Grammar Basics: What Are Superlatives?

Can you have two best friends? Someone posted this question on Grammarly Answers. Why a question about friendship? The grammar issue has to do with the adjective “best.” Best is a superlative. Let’s discuss what that means.

Suppose you have three rich friends. Bob has five million dollars. Bill has eight million dollars. Bernice has two million dollars. If you were comparing two friends, you would use a comparative adjective: Bill is richer than Bob. When you want to express the highest or most extreme degree of the quality you are comparing, you need a superlative: Bill is my richest friend.

Forming superlative adjectives is easy. For most short adjectives, you add “est” to the end of the word. Of course, if a single syllable word already ends with E, you only need to add the “st.” To form the superlative of longer words, you put the words “most” or “least” in front of them. Bernice is not the wealthiest, but she buys the most expensive clothes. You will notice that the Y of “wealthy” becomes I in the superlative form.

“Best” is the superlative form of “good.” Remember the definition of a superlative adjective. It expresses the highest degree of the quality. When you talk about a best friend, is it possible to have more than one? You can view the answers given and share your opinion by visiting Grammarly Answers.

Bear minimum vs. bare minimum

ESL TIP: This play on words intentionally misspells the phrase “bare minimum” as “bear minimum,” which, from the picture of this bear, looks to be quite relaxing.

Hyphen In Compound Adjective With Numbers

When numbers are used as the first part of a compound adjective, use a hyphen to connect them to the noun that follows them. This way, the reader knows that both words function like a unit to modify another noun. This applies whether the number is written in words or in digits.

The president of the company gave a 10-minute speech to the Board of Directors.

He is knowledgeable in thirteenth-century politics.

The boy threw a rock at the second-story window.

However, a hyphen is not required if the number is the second word in the compound adjective.

He is a victim of Type 2 diabetes.

This elevator doesn’t go down to Basement 3.

Hyphen in Compound Adjective With Fractions

When using a fraction (e.g. half or quarter) as part of a compound adjective, it should be hyphenated so the reader understands which fraction is modifying which noun.

I half-wanted to commit a felony.

A quarter-million dollars is still a large amount of money.

You’ll need one-third of a pound of flour and one egg.

That’s a half-baked idea if I ever heard one!

Hyphen With Number of Years

Use hyphens when you are using someone’s age as a label.

Four-and-a-half-year-olds are not reasonable about nap time.

The two-year-old’s favorite food was yogurt.

Don’t use hyphens when you’re just talking about a span of time.

We’ve lived here for four and a half years.

Two and a half years is plenty of time to learn how to play tennis.

7 Awesome and Underused Scrabble Words

If a perfect game for competitive wordsmiths exists, Scrabble is it. Not only does the game allow you to flex your vocabulary muscles, it also encourages you to use key strategies to increase your score. When you play these seven underused words, you’ll have a winning chance at an all-time Scrabble high score.

Maximize 

One of the easiest ways to score big with Scrabble is to use one or more of the highest-ranked letter tiles. Playing the X tile will earn you an easy eight points, and this seven-letter word gives you an opportunity to maximize your score, or make it as great as possible. Using all seven of the letter tiles on your rack at once, or scoring a “bingo,” grants you 50 bonus points.

Quixotic

This word includes two of the rarest letter tiles, Q and X. Though you’ll have to be quite quixotic, or extremely idealistic, to think you’ll have the chance to play this word, it’s certainly possible. Since rare letter tiles lead to high scores, this word will impress your opponents and increase your numbers at the same time.

Quickly

Playing common words can be a great Scrabble strategy, since they are easy to remember and implement. Look for a high-scoring location on the game board, and watch for one of the rare Q tiles to appear on your rack. Once you visualize your move, seize the opportunity and play this word as quickly, or speedily, as you can.

Whizbang

Adding on to letters that already appear on the Scrabble board is a great way to play longer words. Since this word includes eight letters, instead of the standard seven stored on your rack, you’ll need to set up this play or build on one by an opponent.  For a whizbang, or a resounding success, of a game, simply add “whiz” to an already played “bang,” and watch your score jump.

Quizzify

This is a tricky play, but one that pays off in a big way. If you get lucky and draw the only Q and Z tiles in the game, throw in a blank tile to stand in for the second Z in this word. If you’re really strategic, you can even play this word on top of triple word and double letter squares. Don’t worry if your opponents quizzify, or question, you for this move. You’ll be the one celebrating your massive score.

Chutzpah

You may need to have to have real chutzpah, or supreme self-confidence, to play this word, since it’s not in everyone’s vocabulary. Scrabble rules prohibit brand names and words that are always capitalized, but this is a common and acceptable Yiddish term and an official Scrabble word. Play the Z tile on a triple letter square, and you’ll really score big.

Jumbles

Sometimes making a clever move on top of an opponent’s smart play is the best strategy. This is an excellent example of a word that can earn you more points with the simple addition of an S tile. Straighten out the jumbles, or disordered mixes, on your rack by playing a quick one-letter extension, otherwise known as a hook. This has served as the winning word for more than one Scrabble tournament, and it can do wonders for your game, too.

If you want to be a Scrabble champion, it helps to have an extensive vocabulary. But if you don’t have time to read through the dictionary, there are other ways to score. To make big plays, memorize these key words and place them strategically.

April 13 is Scrabble Day. What’s the highest scoring Scrabble word you’ve ever played?