It's the student's paper, not tutor's
Rule #1: It's the student's paper, not the tutor's.This is the most important rule of all. It's perhaps easiest to see and follow when the student argues a position I completely disagree with. My job...
View ArticleThe five-paragraph essay
A lot of English teachers absolutely loathe the five-paragraph essay. The form is unoriginal, stifling, and most of all boring. And they are, of course, correct. The five-paragraph essay — an...
View ArticleDon't Panic!
The first rule of writing is Don't Panic!When a writer gets stuck on something, she can sometimes panic, and obsess over what she's stuck on. Although it's sometimes not easy to apply, there's an...
View ArticleTime and Tense: Introduction
Part 1: IntroductionPart 2: Verb FormsVerb tenses are probably the most difficult parts of English Grammar, especially for non-native English speakers and writers. There are two reasons for this...
View ArticleVerb Forms
Part 1: IntroductionPart 2: Verb FormsExcept for "to be", verbs have at most five forms. Strong verbs (mostly Anglo-Saxon in origin) have different spellings for all five forms. For example, the strong...
View ArticleConstructing Simple Tenses
Part 1: IntroductionPart 2: Verb FormsPart 3: Constructing Verb TensesThe simple tenses are your "go-to" tenses. Unless you have a specific reason to use the complex tenses (progressive and/or perfect)...
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