Latest blog posts

Boost Your Vocabulary: 150 Movement Verbs to Elevate Your Writing

Want to make your writing more energetic? From a leaf trembling in the wind to an adventurer clambering up a mountain, our collection of 150 verbs includes movements big and small, fast and slow, animated and languid. These doing words will give you the tools to describe actions in a detailed way and make your storytelling more interesting. Let’s begin… accelerate: to increase in speed or velocity ascend: to move upward, typically in a steady manner amble: to walk slowly and casually bike: to ride a bicycle bolt: to move suddenly and rapidly bounce: to spring back after hitting a surface bound: to move forward with big leaps brake: to apply ...

Hyphens in Compound Words

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...

Grammar and Punctuation Tips

The summer holidays are coming to an end and if you’re not back at school yet, you will be soon. To help you prepare, we’ve compiled a list of our favourite posts on grammar and punctuation. Commas are confusing, but luckily we’re here to help. Click here to learn how to use commas to separate clauses, here to learn how to use commas as part of a list, and here to learn how to use commas in direct speech. If you think commas are difficult to use, you’ll probably think semi colons are worse. This punctuation mark is used to denote a break that has more emphasis than a comma but is less final than a full stop. In this article, we look at the two common circumsta...

Commonly Confused Words: Who vs. Whom

Over the last few weeks, we’ve looked at subject and object and subjective and objective pronouns. In most cases we know whether to use a subjective pronoun or an objective pronoun instinctively, but there are two pairs of pronouns that people often confuse: I vs. me and who vs. whom. This week we’re going to look at when to use who and when to use whom. To learn about when to use I and when to use me, click here. When should you use the word ‘who’? You should use who when the word you are referring to the subject of a sentence. Learn more about subjects and verbs here. Here is who used in some example sentences: The two women, who have known each ot...

Subjects and Objects

In our last blog post we looked at subjective and objective pronouns, but what do we mean when we refer to the ‘subject’ or ‘object’ of a sentence? Read on to find out! What does the term ‘subject’ mean? The subject of a sentence is the person or thing that the sentence is about. All verbs have a subject, and the subject is usually the person or thing doing whatever action the verb indicates. Here are some examples of subjects (bold) and verbs (underlined) in sentences: Katie threw the ball. My mum and dad almost missed the party. Thomas and I love action films. Sometimes, the subject of a sentence is implied. For example: &lsq...

Pronouns

A few weeks ago, in part two of our series on Word Classes, we looked at pronouns. A pronoun used in a sentence to avoid repeating a noun that has been mentioned before. We use the term personal pronoun to describe pronouns used to replace words for people or things. Personal pronouns include: I, me, mine, you, yours, his, her, hers, we, they, and them. Personal pronouns can be categorised into the following four groups: Subjective Pronouns The term subjective pronoun is used to describe the pronouns: I, you, he, she, it, we, and they. This is because these pronouns work as subjects of verbs in a sentence. Here are some examples of subjective pronouns: She threw the ba...

Commonly Confused Words: Son vs. Sun

Now that springtime is finally here, we thought we would look at a weather-appropriate word! Scroll down to read about the differences between sun and son and for tricks to help you tell them apart. What does each word mean? The word son is used to describe male offspring. Click here for the full Spellzone dictionary definition of the word. Here is son used in some example sentences: They had two sons and one daughter. The son and daughter each inherited an equal share in the family business. Click here to create a Spellzone vocabulary list including the word son. The sun is the star at the centre of our solar system. It is the source of light and heat for the ...

Commonly Confused Words: Complacent vs. Complaisant

What does each word mean? Complacent is adjective that describes one who is ‘contended to a fault with oneself or one’s actions.’ Click here for the full Spellzone dictionary definition of the word. Here is complacent used in some example sentences: After getting a few good grades, I became complacent and now I’m at risk of failing the year. Business is down this year – we can’t afford to be complacent. Click here to find the Spellzone vocabulary lists related to the word complacent. Complaisant is adjective that describes someone who shows ‘a cheerful willingness to do favours for others’. Click here for the full Sp...

Word Classes: Part 2

A word class is the category we assign a word to in order to show how it functions in a sentence. In the first part of this article, we looked at adjectives, adverbs, nouns, and verbs. Click here to read it. This week we’re looking at conjunctions, determiners, exclamations, prepositions and pronouns. Conjunction A conjunction is a word used to connect different parts of a sentence. Conjunctions are sometimes called ‘connective words’. Here are some examples of conjunctions functioning in sentences: Sarah threw the ball, but Thomas dropped it. The teachers might have to reschedule the picnic if it rains, or perhaps they’ll plan another activity ins...

Commonly Confused Words: A Quick Reference Guide: Part 2

Click here for Commonly Confused Words: A Quick Reference Guide: Part 1 Confusing Words Tricks To Help You Tell Them Apart Adverse vs. Averse Think of the following sentences to help you remember that adverse relates to conditions and averse relates to people: The drugs had adverse side effects. The adverse weather conditions ruined our day. Even though she had a terrible voice, she wasn’t averse to singing the verse. Affect vs. Effect Affect is a verb and is used to describe an action. Effect is a noun and is used to describe the end consequence. Think of ...

How To Use A Semicolon

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 ...