Grammar

The Amharic ‘And’: A Verb’s Best Friend

In English, we connect actions with a simple 'and.' But in Amharic, the official language of Ethiopia, this conjunction is…

2 weeks ago

Forgetting the Subject: The Case of Pro-Drop in Italian

Ever wonder why an Italian speaker says "Vado al cinema" instead of "Io vado al cinema"? This linguistic magic trick…

2 weeks ago

How Persian Lost Its Gender

Modern Persian, or Farsi, is famously gender-neutral, but its ancestor, Old Persian, was not. This post explores the fascinating linguistic…

2 weeks ago

The Non-Apology: A Grammatical Breakdown

"I'm sorry if you were offended". This familiar phrase feels hollow for a reason: it's a non-apology, an illusion of…

3 weeks ago

Why Is ‘An’ Used Before Vowels?

Why do we say 'an apple' but 'a pear'? This fundamental rule is about more than just grammar; it's a…

3 weeks ago

What Are Grammatical ‘Moods’?

When we talk about 'mood' in grammar, we're not talking about being happy or sad; we're referring to a verb's…

3 weeks ago

What Is a Phrasal Verb?

Phrasal verbs like "run into" and "give up" are a cornerstone of natural English, yet they often frustrate learners. This…

3 weeks ago

Why is ‘You Guys’ a Pronoun Now?

Ever wonder how 'you guys' became the go-to way to address a group, even a group of women? This phrase…

3 weeks ago

Why Do Some Languages Use Postpositions?

Ever wondered why Japanese speakers say "box in" instead of "in the box"? This seemingly small difference is no accident;…

3 weeks ago

When Did English Lose Its Grammatical Gender?

Old English once had a complex system of masculine, feminine, and neuter nouns, much like modern German. This all changed…

3 weeks ago

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