No Where or Nowhere | Meaning & Example Sentences

Published on October 25, 2024 by Tom Challenger, BA Revised on November 5, 2025

Nowhere is spelled as one word. It is typically used as an adverb meaning “not anywhere” and is part of many frequently used, everyday phrases such as “nowhere near” and “going nowhere.”

Nowhere in a sentence examples
  • There was nowhere to sit in the cafe so we got our drinks to go.
  • There was no where to sit in the cafe so we got our drinks to go.
  • The movie was nowhere near as bad as the reviews said it was.
  • The movie was no where near as bad as the reviews said it was.
  • The negotiations are dragging on and probably going nowhere.
  • The negotiations are dragging on and probably going no where.

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Carmel or Caramel | Difference & Pronunciation

Published on October 23, 2024 by Tom Challenger, BA Revised on November 5, 2025

Carmel is a common misspelling of the word caramel. However, “caramel” can be pronounced with or without the “a” syllable in American English.

  • Caramel is a type of candy or a burnt-sugar substance used as an ingredient.
  • You can pronounce the word “caramel” as (three syllables) or (two syllables).
Caramel examples in a sentence
  • I had the caramel macchiato, but it was too sweet for me.
  • I had the carmel macchiato, but it was too sweet for me.
  • I ate a whole bag of caramels while watching the movie.
  • I ate a whole bag of carmels while watching the movie.

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Premier vs Premiere | Meaning, Difference & Spelling

Published on October 22, 2024 by Tom Challenger, BA Revised on November 5, 2025

A premiere is the first performance of something (e.g., “a movie premiere”), while a premier is the head of a government (e.g., “the Premier of British Columbia”).

  • “Premiere” is used as a noun (e.g., “world premiere”) and a verb (e.g., “The movie premiered at the Sundance Film Festival”).
  • “Premier” is used as a noun (e.g., “the Premier of South Australia”) and an adjective meaning “best” or “leading” (e.g., “one of the country’s premier universities”).
Premiere vs premier
Premiere examples in a sentence Premier examples in a sentence
She is performing in the opera’s US premiere. Presidents and premiers from all over the world attended her state funeral.
The new work will premiere at Houston Grand Opera next year. The convention is widely regarded as the premier event in the industry calendar.

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Active Voice | Examples, Definition & Use

Published on October 22, 2024 by Tom Challenger, BA Revised on November 27, 2025

Sentences can be in the active voice (e.g., “He made the breakfast”) or the passive voice (e.g., “The breakfast was made by him”).

In the active voice, the grammatical subject of the sentence is the “doer” of the action described by the verb (“He made…”), but in the passive voice, the subject is the “recipient” of this action (“The breakfast was made…”).

Active voice examples in a sentence
My friend cuts my hair.

The mail carrier delivered the letter at about 10 a.m.

Did the man pick up the litter?

Who is writing the report?

The dog had eaten everything.

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Passive Voice | Definition, Examples & Use

Published on October 11, 2024 by Tom Challenger, BA Revised on November 27, 2025

Sentences can be in the passive voice (e.g., “The window was cleaned”) or the active voice (e.g., “He cleaned the window”). In the active voice, the “doer” of the action described by the verb is the grammatical subject of the sentence (“He cleaned…”), but in the passive voice, the subject is the “recipient” of this action (“The window was cleaned…”).

Choosing the passive voice allows us to make the sentence or clause “about” the recipient rather than the doer (or “agent”).

You construct the passive by using a form of the auxiliary verb be (e.g., “was”) and the past participle of the main verb (e.g., “cleaned”). If you want to mention the agent in the passive voice, it comes after the preposition by (e.g., “…was cleaned by him”).

Passive voice examples in a sentence
All the ingredients are cooled before mixing.

These ones are made by a different company.

It is scheduled for release next week.

They said the delivery had already been made.

When were these windows last cleaned?

The event is going to be held in New York, but the date has yet to be announced.

The movie has been slammed on social media.

Tip
Overuse of passive voice can make text sound stilted and unnatural. So, replacing passive voice with active voice is one way to humanize AI text.

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Inbetween or In Between | Meaning & Use

Published on October 8, 2024 by Tom Challenger, BA Revised on November 5, 2025

In between is always spelled as two words, but you need to hyphenate it to “in-between” if you use it as an adjective or a noun. “Inbetween” (one word) is always incorrect.

  • In between generally functions as a preposition of place (e.g., “The bakery is in between the cafe and the drug store”) or time (e.g., “We like to go there in between classes”).
  • Occasionally it’s a compound adjective (e.g., “It’s a kind of in-between stage”) or a noun (e.g., “You’re either with us or against us; there’s no in-between”); if you use it like this, it should be hyphenated.
Inbetween or in between in a sentence examples
  • Why don’t we put a small table in between the two windows?
  • Why don’t we put a small table inbetween the two windows?
  • There’s only an hour in between our two flights.
  • There’s only an hour inbetween our two flights.
  • The program features pop, rock, classical, and everything in between.
  • The program features pop, rock, classical, and everything inbetween.
  • I’ll be in meetings all day, but I’ll try and call you in between.
  • I’ll be in meetings all day, but I’ll try and call you inbetween.

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OK vs Okay | Difference & Spelling

Published on October 8, 2024 by Tom Challenger, BA Revised on November 5, 2025

OK and okay are alternative spellings of the same word and are both correct.

Whichever spelling you decide to use, the most important thing is to be consistent throughout your text. If you’re supposed to be following a particular style guide, make sure to check if it specifies using either “OK” or “okay.”

OK vs okay in a sentence examples
The food was OK/okay but nothing special.

Is it OK/okay if I bring a friend along?

Person A: Shall we meet outside the theater at six thirty?
Person B: OK/okay, see you there.

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Madam or Madame | Difference & Use

Published on October 8, 2024 by Tom Challenger, BA Revised on November 5, 2025

Madam is a polite way of addressing a woman (the equivalent of “sir”), but Madame (with an “e”) is sometimes used in English instead of “Mrs.” to address a woman from France or another French-speaking country.

Madam vs Madame
Madam in a sentence Madame in a sentence
Are you ready to order, madam? How are you Madame Dubois?
Follow me please, madam, your table is this way. Marie Tussaud, better known as Madame Tussaud, opened her wax museum in 1835.

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Stationary vs Stationery | Difference & Meaning

Published on October 7, 2024 by Tom Challenger, BA Revised on November 5, 2025

Stationary (spelled with an “a”) describes something that is “not moving,” while stationery (spelled with an “e”) means “writing materials” such as pens and paper.

So, if you want to write a letter, buy some stationery, but if you want to save on gas, turn off your engine whenever your car is stationary.

Stationary vs stationery
Stationary in a sentence Stationery in a sentence
The dog ran across the street between the stationary cars at the traffic lights. She wrote the letter on the paper from her personalized stationery set.
She thought she could see a dark, stationary figure standing under the tree. He found the pen in a convenience store that had a section selling greeting cards and stationery.
One man remained stationary while the rest of the crowd dispersed. They are having a sale on stationery and business cards this weekend.

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Preventive vs Preventative | Difference & Meaning

Published on October 7, 2024 by Tom Challenger, BA Revised on November 5, 2025

Preventive and preventative mean the same thing and are used interchangeably, but since most style guides recommend “preventive,” it’s the better choice for formal writing (e.g., academic writing).

  • The adjectives preventive and preventative both mean “intended to prevent,” and they are used interchangeably in both American and British English.
  • Preventive is used more frequently than preventative, especially in writing.
  • In spoken English, preventative is more common in the UK than it is in the US.
Preventive vs preventative in a sentence examples
The company has put in place preventive/preventative measures to avoid similar data breaches in the future.

Despite clear signs of financial instability, the CFO failed to take preventive/preventative action to avert the situation.

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