For the month of March, we are theming our Word for Wednesday blog posts around types of punctuation. Last week we chose the word apostrophe, and our word this week is parenthesis. A parenthesis is a word or phrase inserted into a grammatically-complete sentence as an explanation or afterthought. The sentence would still make sense if the parenthesis was removed. There are three main punctuation marks used to mark of a parenthesis: Round brackets Daisy’s parents (Sally and James) are visiting France next month. Spellzone users have access to a variety of word lists (word lists, spelling tests, etc.). 2. Em dashes (...
Over the course of March we’ve decided to try something new for our Word for Wednesday feature and choose each week’s word to fit around a specific theme. Our chosen theme is punctuation, starting with the word apostrophe. As today is National Grammar Day in the United States of America, it is important to point out that grammar and punctuation are not the same thing. Grammar refers to the whole system and structure of a language and you can find a Word for Wednesday post about the word’s origin here. Punctuation on the other hand refers to the written marks used to separate sentences in order to clarify meaning. Punctuation marks have a variety of...
So here we are… the last few day of 2019. Some of you will be wondering where the year went, while others will be looking forward to wiping the slate clean and setting some goals for the new year. We’ll share some ideas for New Year’s spelling goals next week – for now, here’s what we got up to in 2019: We began the year by sharing five challenges for 2019. Did you have a go at any of them? As usual, we expanded our Commonly Confused Words series. This year we looked at: allude vs. elude, assume vs. presume, bath vs. bathe, biannual vs biennial, biweekly vs. fortnightly vs. semi-weekly, click vs. clique, discreet vs. discrete, enqu...
What does each word mean? Your waist is where your body narrows slightly between your ribs and hips. Click here for the full Spellzone dictionary definition of the word. Here is waist used in some example sentences: He loved the jeans but they were the wrong waist size. She tied a belt around her waist. Waste refers to an activity that is useless or profitless, the careless use of goods, or materials that are unused or worthless. The word is used as a verb to describe becoming physically weaker or using something inappropriately. Click here for the full Spellzone dictionary definition of the word. Here is waste used in ...
What does each word mean? If you allude to something, it means you are making a disguised reference to it. Click here for the full Spellzone dictionary definition of the word. Here is allude used in some example sentences: She alluded to who she was talking about without mentioning a name. The novel alludes to current politics. If you elude something, you avoid, evade, or escape from it. Click here for the full Spellzone dictionary definition of the word. Here is elude used in some example sentences: She managed to elude capture. Sleep had eluded him for some nights now. Where does each word come from? Both of t...
What does each word mean? Bath is a noun used to describe the process of washing by immersing oneself in hot water, as well as the vessel used to contain the water. In British English the word may also be used to refer to a building that contains public swimming or spa facilities, while in American English the word is sometimes used as a shorthand for a bathroom. In British English, the word is also used as a verb to describe the act of washing oneself or someone else by immersion in a tub of water. Click here for the full Spellzone dictionary definition of the word. Here is bath used in some example sentences: He preferred baths to showers. The bat...
Although this week's pair of words have slightly different meanings, many people use them interchangebly. Scroll down to find out more. What does each word mean? If you assume something, you suppose it to be true without having proof or you take control of it. Click here for the full Spellzone dictionary definition of the word. Here is assume used in some example sentences: He’d always assumed her hair was naturally blonde. You shouldn’t assume you will enjoy a book just because you like the cover. The supply teacher assumed responsibility of the classroom. Here are all the Spellzone study lists related to the word assume....
Happy New Year! Whether you are a regular user of our site or someone who's just signed up, we hope 2019 will be a great year for improving your spelling. Here are some of our favourite blog posts from 2018: We began the year with a tour of our site to help you make the most of Spellzone. What your favourite feature on the Spellzone website? As usual we looked at pairs and groups of confusing words and shared tips and tricks to help you tell them apart. This year we looked at: balmy vs. barmy, by vs. bye vs. buy, capital vs. capitol, father vs. farther vs. further, faun vs. fawn, hair vs. hare, heir vs. air, hoard vs. horde, infer vs. imply, moot vs. mute, and yolk vs...
There are two types of brackets: round brackets and square brackets. Round brackets are used for parenthesis while square brackets are used for clarification. This week, we’ll look at how to use both types of brackets as well as other ways to offset a parenthesis. Parenthesis A parenthesis is a word or phrase inserted into a grammatically-complete sentence as an explanation or afterthought. The sentence would still make sense if the parenthesis was removed. There are three main ways to mark off a parenthesis: Click here to make sure you don’t confuse em dashes with hyphens. Round brackets Daisy’s parents (Sally and James) are visiting France next mo...
A hyphen is a short dash which is used to link words together. Last week, we learned how to use hyphens in compound words. Today, we will look at how to use hyphens when adding a prefix to another word, how to use hyphens to denote word breaks, and how to use hyphens to stand in for repeated parts of words in lists. Using Hyphens to Join Prefixes to Other Words What is a prefix? A prefix is a collection of letters that is added to the beginning of a word in order to modify its meaning. Prefixes are not usually words in their own right. Here are some examples of prefixes: un- pre- multi- post- super- Do I need to use a hyphen every time I add a prefix to a word?...
What is a hyphen? A hyphen is a short dash which is used to link words together. There are three main situations in which hyphens are used: in compound words, when adding a prefix to another word, and to denote word breaks. This week, we will look at how to use hyphens in compound words. What is a compound word? A compound word is a word that is made up of two or more other words. Hyphens are often used in compound words either to show that when the included words are together they have a combined meaning, or to show the relationship between the included words. There are different types of compound words and you don’t need to use hyphens in all of them. Compound Adjectives...
A semicolon is used to denote a break that has more emphasis than a comma but is less final than a full stop. There are two common circumstances in which it is appropriate to use a semicolon. Use a semicolon between two complete clauses that are not joined by a conjunction. A complete clause is a group of words which contains a verb – i.e. if everything else in the sentence was cut away, the clause would still make sense. In each of the below examples, both clauses would make sense on their own. A semicolon is useful when two complete clauses feel too closely linked to separate into two different sentences. It’s half past twelve; we’re going ...
Recently a friend asked if I would write a blog post on the difference in meaning between the words ‘uninterested’ and ‘disinterested’. She said that she kept hearing the words used interchangeably and that she was beginning to doubt that she was using the words correctly herself. Let’s take a look at this confusing pair of words… Is there actually a difference between ‘uninterested’ and ‘disinterested’? The beautiful (and annoying!) thing about the English language is its inconsistency – as with anything else, certain words and certain meanings (and sometimes even certain spellings!) go in and out of fashion. Language ...
Yesterday was National Grammar Day in America and to celebrate we shared five easy-to-avoid grammar tips on Facebook. This week, for ‘Word for Wednesday’ we thought we’d look at the word ‘grammar’ itself. The Oxford English Dictionary defines ‘grammar’ as the ‘whole system and structure of a language or of languages in general, usually taken as consisting of syntax and morphology (including inflections) and sometimes also phonology and semantics’. You can read the full definition of the word here. What we find the most interesting about the word ‘grammar’ is that, like word ‘spell’, it has associations with m...
A little twist to the Word for Wednesday blog this week: we’ll be looking into the grammatical enigma that is the apostrophe. This week, the government has introduced a new spelling and grammar test for primary school children across the UK. Last year, Education Secretary, Michael Gove introduced a new policy which penalises students for poor spelling and grammar in their national examinations. This is the first time such emphasis has been put onto correct spelling and grammar in the education system. In my opinion, one of the biggest culprits for poor grammar is the misuse of the apostrophe. This is so widespread that one need’nt look far (did you spot it?) to find an i...
One of the most alarmingly persistent grammatical errors in the English language is the incorrect use of the words there, their and they’re. We’ve all asked that age-old question: ‘Is it there, their or they’re?’ So why is it that this mistake is so commonly made and how can we learn to master these pesky spellings and help resolve this issue for good? There, their and there are a certain type of homophone known as heterographs. This means they sound the same but both their spellings and their meanings are different. Since their meanings are different, when one is used in the incorrect context, the sentence actually fails to make sense. Here is a commo...
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