Words & Sentences

By Richard Nordquist, About.com Guide to Grammar & Composition

Practice different strategies for building forceful sentences while using words correctly, effectively, and imaginatively.

1. All About Words
2. Sentence Structures

All About Words

Learn to use words correctly, effectively, and imaginatively.

• What Is Language?
• Commonly Confused Words
• Six Common Myths About Language
• Etymology: Word Stories
• Key Dates in the History of English
• Tips to Cut the Clutter
• Common Redundancies
• Commonly Misspelled Words

• Denotations and Connotations
• Copyediting Terms
• Spelling Rules
• Grammar & Rhetoric Glossary
• 200 Expressions That Tick You Off
• Top 20 Figures of Speech
• Store Name Puns

Sentence Structures

One of the keys to good writing is understanding the countless ways in which basic sentence structures can be combined and arranged. Let's begin, then, by identifying those basic sentence structures and considering how to use them effectively.

• What Is Grammar?
• Why Does Grammar Matter?
• Basic Sentence Structures
• The Basic Parts of Speech
• 24 Grammatical Terms That We Should Have Learned in School

• Introduction to Sentence Combining
• Sentence Combining With Basic Modifiers
• Sentence Combining With Adjective Clauses
• Sentence Combining: "The Kitchen"
• Sentence Combining: Orwell's "A Hanging"