A meeting can be slightly tense, quite tense, or extremely tense. The adjective tense allows different degrees of the same quality. Other adjectives behave differently. Something described as identical, medical,…
A quiet neighborhood, a former colleague, and an unexpected delay all use adjectives before nouns. When an adjective is used this way, it is in attributive position. Many English adjectives…
AM and PM are used with the 12-hour clock to show which half of the day a time belongs to. AM refers to times before midday, while PM refers to…
Etc. is short for et cetera and is used to show that a list could continue with other similar items. We bought notebooks, pens, folders, etc. The abbreviation is useful…
E.g. and i.e. are both Latin abbreviations, but they do different jobs. Use e.g. to introduce one or more examples. Use i.e. to clarify, define, or restate exactly what you…
May, might, and could can all express possibility. That does not mean they follow a fixed scale such as may = more likely, might = less likely, and could =…
Many people first learn that can is for ability and may is for permission. That is a useful starting point, but it is not the whole picture. Both words are…
You do not always need to say I don’t understand when something is unclear. If you know what the problem is, you can ask for exactly what you need: help,…
You do not need complicated vocabulary to sound polite in English. Often, a small change in wording can make a request, correction, refusal, or interruption sound more considerate. The best…
Knowing I think, I agree, and I disagree is enough to get started, but real conversations often need more nuance. You may want to sound certain, soften your opinion, agree…
Writing a positive letter of recommendation is easy in theory. Writing one that feels credible, specific, and genuinely useful to the person receiving it takes more care. A strong recommendation…
A resignation letter does not need to explain your entire decision to leave a job. Its main purpose is much simpler: clearly tell your employer that you are resigning and…