Grammar

The apostrophe

If the possessor is a plural noun ending in s, simply adding an apostrophe after the

final - s.

He found himself lost in Madrid's winding streets.

I cannot understand Tim's point of view.

The building's foundations were very unstable.

The poet's work was highly regarded around the world.

The monk's meals were served in a cold, damp room. (One monk)

The monks' meals were served in a cold, damp room. (Lots of monks)

The comma splice.

The comma splice is one of the most frequent mistakes made when using a comma. The comma splice occurs when a comma is used to connect two independent clauses.

In this example the two clauses make sense on their own. Connecting them with a comma is incorrect

Confusable words.

Poor grammar may affect your essay marks.

Poor grammar had a huge effect on his academic achievements.

The Subjunctive.

If you have learned a foreign language such as French, German or Spanish you may well have had to do battle with the subjunctive. It is little used in English but worth getting to grips with nonetheless.

The subjunctive mood, as it is known, is used to indicate a hypothetical or speculative situation:

In the following examples the subjunctive is given in brackets:

If only I was [were] rich, I would be able to afford to buy a house.

I would like him better if he was [were] more sociable.

If the weather was [were] better, we would be in a better mood.