Published on
June 27, 2024
by
Magedah Shabo
Revised on
November 19, 2025
A noun clause is a type of dependent clause that functions as a noun. As a dependent clause, it contains a subject and verb but cannot stand alone as a sentence.
Published on
June 27, 2024
by
Magedah Shabo
Revised on
June 4, 2025
Participles are formed from verbs and can serve as adjectives and indicate tense. The primary types of participles are past and present.
Past participles (e.g., “ran,” “clapped,” “burnt”) are a component of perfect tenses, and they also appear in sentences written in the passive voice. Typically, past participles take the following endings: “-ed,” “-t,” “-en,” “-n,” or “-ne.”
Present participles indicate continuous tenses and always take an “-ing” ending.
Examples: Past and present participlesRumored to be haunted, the house decayed slowly.
NoteAlthough we use the terms “past” and “present” to label participles, these terms do not directly indicate the tense being used. Participles, whether past or present, can be used to form verbs in past, present, or future tenses. Past and present participles can also both be used as adjectives.
Published on
June 27, 2024
by
Magedah Shabo
Revised on
October 27, 2025
A comparative adjective indicates a higher or lower degree of a specific attribute (e.g., “faster,” “less trusted”) in a comparison of two nouns, including people, places, objects, or groups.
Most comparative adjectives are created either by adding the suffix “-er” (e.g., “younger”) or by adding “more” (e.g., “more famous”) or “less” (e.g., “less popular”) before the base form of the adjective. The form each comparative adjective takes is determined in part by the number of syllables in the original adjective.
Comparative adjectives examplesThe coffee is hotter at the café across the street.
The blue dress is prettier than the green one.
This phone is more expensive than the previous model.
Published on
June 27, 2024
by
Magedah Shabo
Revised on
October 27, 2025
“Superlative” means embodying a quality to the greatest extent. A superlative adjective denotes the highest or lowest degree of a given attribute (e.g., “fastest,” “least trusted”) in a comparison of three or more things.
Most superlative adjectives are formed either by adding the suffix “-est” (e.g., “youngest”) or by adding “most” (e.g., “most famous”) or “least” (e.g., “least popular”) before the base adjective. The specific form depends primarily on the number of syllables in the base adjective.
Superlative adjective examplesThey say it’s always darkest before dawn.
She chose the costliest dress from the collection.
Published on
June 27, 2024
by
Magedah Shabo
Revised on
November 19, 2025
Appositives are nouns or noun phrases that provide information about another noun or noun phrase that precedes them (e.g., “Steve Jobs, former CEO of Apple, is a hero of mine”).
The noun or noun phrase described by an appositive is called the antecedent. The relationship between an antecedent and its appositive is called apposition.
The appositive typically follows the antecedent and is set apart from the rest of the sentence by commas. If the appositive provides information that is essential to understanding the sentence, however, commas should not be used (e.g., “My friend Devon is in med school”).
Appositive examplesEmily, our only daughter, is learning to drive.
The AustrianFranz Ferdinand was assassinated in Sarajevo, the capital of modern-day Bosnia and Herzegovina.
I consider the Russian novelistDostoyevsky to be one of the greatest writers of all time.
Published on
June 27, 2024
by
Magedah Shabo
Revised on
November 13, 2025
The red herring fallacy is a form of argumentation that relies on distraction. Red herring arguments present irrelevant information that diverts attention from the main topic of discussion.
Although red herring fallacies may result from faulty reasoning, they are often used purposely, with the intent of confusing or distracting the audience.
Red herring fallacy exampleIn a pre-election press conference, a political candidate is questioned about allegations of financial impropriety. She responds by shifting the focus to her opponent’s harmful policies.
In this example, the candidate being questioned commits a red herring fallacy. Even if the accusations against her opponent are true, they’re irrelevant to the allegations against her. The accusations against the opposing party are likely to provoke anger and effectively change the topic of conversation so that many listeners will forget the original topic.
Published on
June 27, 2024
by
Magedah Shabo
Revised on
October 29, 2025
Gerunds are words ending in “-ing” that function as nouns (e.g., “dancing” in the sentence “She loves dancing”). A gerund looks identical to the present participle form of a verb but has a different grammatical function.
In the example “She loves dancing,” “dancing” refers to a general activity, not a specific occurrence of the activity. Gerunds typically function in this way, denoting a category of action rather than a particular instance.
Unlike most other nouns, gerunds can take direct objects (e.g., “Jack loves playing football”) and can be modified by adverbials (e.g., “Running competitively is exciting”).
Gerund examplesLearning to play a new instrument requires dedication.
Published on
June 26, 2024
by
Magedah Shabo
Revised on
October 27, 2025
A compound adjective is an adjective that is formed from multiple words. Compound adjectives are typically joined by hyphens when they precede the noun they modify (e.g., “two-year-old child”). But, in some cases, compound adjectives aren’t hyphenated.
Compound adjective examplesThe seven-year-old boy stared with wide-eyed astonishment.
The sound of high-pitched laughter echoed through the room.
Published on
June 26, 2024
by
Magedah Shabo
Revised on
November 13, 2025
The appeal to authority fallacy occurs when conclusions are deemed true solely because of expert endorsements, regardless of the experts’ actual knowledge of the subject. Citing authorities can lend a perception of credibility to an argument even in the absence of clear reasoning or evidence.
Appeal to authority fallacy example“Dr. Johnson, a practicing psychiatrist, believes that anxiety can be eliminated through a specific diet. Questioning a diet developed by a doctor would be ridiculous.”
Appeals to authority are often made in the context of academic subjects, health decisions, political choices, and product advertisements.
Published on
June 26, 2024
by
Magedah Shabo
Revised on
September 12, 2024
Begging the question is a fallacy of circular reasoning in which at least one premise assumes the truth of the argument’s conclusion. This informal logical fallacy renders an argument unsound.
Begging the question is often a result of faulty reasoning rather than an attempt at manipulation.
Begging the question fallacy example“The government must be conducting secret time travel research. The advanced technology they possess could only have come from the future.”
In this example, the premise (the advanced technology must have come from the future) assumes the truth of what the argument sets out to prove (that the government is conducting time travel research). Both the premise and the conclusion assume the debatable idea that time travel is possible.
