Writing Resources > English as a Second Language (Page 18 of 20)

The 10 Most Common ESL Mistakes

Scribendi.com's editors outline the ten most common mistakes made by ESL students.

Punctuation Marks

In “Understanding Punctuation,” we covered some of the most common punctuation marks used in English writing. Now, let’s look at a few more punctuation marks in further detail.

Contrary to popular belief, "which" and "that" do not function in a similar capacity. Although "which" and "that" are both pronouns, they are not interchangeable. "Which" is used for non-restrictive phrases and "that" is used for restrictive phrases.

Adjectives or Adverbs?

Are you constantly confusing adverbs and adjectives? Scribendi's editors will help cure your confusion for good.

Acronyms and Initialisms

Scribendi provides tips to help you use initialisms and acronyms correctly in your writing.

What is an Adjective?

Are adjectives causing you aggravation? Are you unsure of the difference between adjectives and adverbs? Perhaps you are asking yourself “What is an adjective?” Whatever the case, this article will help you make sense of these descriptive words.

What is a Verb?

When it comes to constructing a sentence, the verb is widely considered to be one of the most integral elements. In the simplest of definitions, a verb is an action. Drink, walk, talk, drive, and dive are all verbs. But as with everything English, it can't possibly be this easy, can it?

Using Articles—A, An, The

Put simply, an article is a word that combines with a noun. Articles are actually adjectives because they describe the nouns that they precede. In English, there are only three articles: the, a, and an.

Adverbs: What You Need to Know

The adverb belongs to a large class of words that add information by qualifying or modifying a verb, an adjective, another adverb, a preposition, or a clause, indeed anything except nouns and pronouns (which are modified by adjectives). Confused? Don't be! After we provide some examples of adverbs, you will have a much better understanding of this mystifying modifier.