When we use the word evening to refer to plans and arrangements, we are generally thinking of a period of the day that begins at about 5 or 6 p.m. (17:00–18:00) and lasts up to about 11 p.m. or midnight (11:00–12:00). In other words, from when most people finish their working day until when most people go to bed.
As evening time is not a precise concept, it is best to clarify statements like “Let’s meet tomorrow evening” with exact times. If an event starts after about 9:30 p.m., we will probably describe it as starting in the “late evening,” rather than in the evening.
Evening examples
Evening in a sentence
Scenario
Comment
What about tomorrow evening?
Someone arranging when to go to the movies with a friend.
They are probably referring to a showtime in the earlier part of the evening (i.e., starting no later than about 9 p.m.)
I booked an evening flight.
Someone informing their family about vacation arrangements.
If the speaker is referring to a flight time after about 9:30 p.m., they would more likely specify “a late-evening flight” or “a flight in the late evening.”
Did you have a nice evening?
A babysitter welcoming the child’s parents home at 1 a.m. after they have been to the theater.
The word “evening” here refers to the parents’ entire outing to the theater, even though it continued past the typical evening hours.
A fair is an event (e.g., a “trade fair,” a “county fair”), while a fare is the amount of money you pay to ride on public transportation (e.g., a “bus fare”).
Fair and fare are pronounced in the same way (i.e., they are homophones).
Fair is also an adjective meaning “reasonable and correct” (e.g., a “fair decision”), “light colored” when describing skin or hair (e.g., a “fair complexion”), and “good” when describing weather (e.g., “fair conditions with only light winds”).
Fare is also a verb used in combination with “well/better” and “badly/worse” to refer to how successfully something or somebody is performing, coping, or progressing (e.g., “The economy is faring better than expected”), and a noun meaning “food” (e.g., “traditional Irish fare”).
Fare vs fair examples
Fare in a sentence
Fair in a sentence
The transportation authority announced that fares will rise by 4% in January.
Visit us at our stand at the Frankfurt Book Fair.
The company was faring poorly compared to its performance the previous year.
I thought the referee was very fair to both teams.
The restaurant has been serving classic, reasonably-priced Italian fare for over five decades.
Published on
December 3, 2024
by
Tom Challenger, BA
Revised on
April 11, 2025
We use is with singular nouns and “he,” “she,” and “it” (third-person pronouns) but are with plural nouns as well as “you” and “they.” However, deciding what is singular or plural, or which pronoun to use, can sometimes be tricky.
Published on
November 26, 2024
by
Tom Challenger, BA
Revised on
June 20, 2025
Quiet is the opposite of “loud” or “noisy,” while quite means “very” (e.g., “It’s quite expensive”) or “completely” (e.g., “He’s quite wrong”).
Quiet is an adjective (e.g., “a quiet night”) or a noun (e.g., “peace and quiet”). It has two syllables (
).
Quite is an adverb and has one syllable (
). It “intensifies” an adjective or adverb more than “fairly,” but a bit less than “very.”
Quiet vs quiet in a sentence examples
Quiet in a sentence examples
Quite in a sentence examples
My new computer is very quiet; I can hardly hear that it’s switched on.
The chair’s quite comfortable, thanks.
Can we have some quiet, please? Claire would like to say a few words.
You did quite well for a first attempt.
NoteIn British English, quite is sometimes closer in meaning to “fairly” when used with adjectives such as “good,” “interesting,” and “cold” (i.e., “gradable adjectives” that can be “intensified” with words like “very” and “extremely”). If it’s used like this in speech, the word “quite” is given the same emphasis, or more emphasis, than the adjective.
So, if a British person says, “the food was quite good,” they probably mean that the food was “moderately good” or “okay” but not that the food was “very good.”
In American English, quite can typically be used as a direct substitute for “very” with gradable adjectives. So, if an American person says, “the food was quite good,” they probably mean it was “very good,” “surprisingly good,” or “actually very good,” depending on the context.
Published on
November 20, 2024
by
Tom Challenger, BA
Revised on
March 18, 2025
The modal verbsmay and might can be used interchangeably to describe something that will possibly happen (e.g., “I may/might go to the movies tonight, but I haven’t decided yet”) or that is possibly true (e.g., “I think you may/might have a fever”). However, these words are not interchangeable in some other contexts.
We use may to “grant permission” and may not to “deny permission” (e.g., “You may/may not walk on the grass”).
We use might have, like “could have,” to make critical statements about the past (e.g., “They might have given us a bit more time to prepare”).
We typically use may when asking for permission or making a request (e.g., “May I have a glass of water, please?”—using “might” can have an overly formal, old-fashioned effect in these contexts).
We use may for expressions of desires, hopes, and wishes (e.g., “May all your dreams come true”).
May vs might examples
Function
May in a sentence
Might in a sentence
Granting/denying permission (synonymous with “can”/“can’t”)
The examination has now finished, and you may leave the room.
The examination has now finished, and you might leave the room.
Critical statements about the past (synonymous with “could”)
But I’m not free on that day; you may have asked me first to check.
But I’m not free on that day; you might have asked me first to check.
Asking for permission/making a request
May I take your phone number, please?
Might I take your phone number, please? [But very formal/polite]
Expressions of desires, hopes and wishes
May the new year bring you happiness and good fortune.
Might the new year bring you happiness and good fortune.
NoteSome grammar books suggest that using might instead of may expresses that a possibility is less likely to happen (e.g., “The Yankees might win” expresses less certainty than “The Yankees may win”). However, the choice of word here is more a matter of personal preference.
We do, however, use “might” instead of “may” to express “unreal possibility” when describing scenarios that we view as “imaginary/hypothetical,” “contrary to reality” or “not really possible,” for example:
“I might consider staying here if the rents weren’t so high.” [Imagining if the rents were lower]
“He might sleep better if he didn’t drink so much coffee!” [Complaining about his coffee drinking by imagining the alternative, rather than discussing realistic solutions to his sleep problems]
“You never know, I might win the lottery one day!” [Joking about a scenario that we think of as impossible]
Published on
November 15, 2024
by
Tom Challenger, BA
Revised on
January 22, 2025
Your conscience is your “sense of what is right or wrong” (e.g., “a guilty conscience”), while conscious means “aware” (e.g., “conscious of the danger”) or “deliberate” (e.g., “a conscious decision”).
“Conscience” is a noun (e.g., “I have a clear conscience”), but “conscious” is an adjective (e.g., “I am conscious that we don’t have much time”).
The pronunciation of conscience
and conscious
is very similar; they both have two syllables, and the only difference in the way they sound comes at the end of their second syllables.
Conscience vs conscious examples
Conscience in a sentence
Conscious in a sentence
I acted according to my conscience and did what I thought was right.
We are conscious of parents’ concerns about the closure of the swimming pool and will discuss the issue at the next meeting.
He made the decision out of conscience, guided by his religious beliefs.
It was a conscious, strategic decision; we were fully aware of the consequences.
Published on
November 11, 2024
by
Tom Challenger, BA
Revised on
December 30, 2024
Criterion is the singular form of criteria.
A criterion is a measure, standard or guideline used to make decisions or evaluations (e.g., “Price was the key criterion”).
The plural of this noun is criteria (e.g., “Price was only one of the criteria”).
Criteria or criterion examples
Criteria in a sentence
Criterion
We have simplified the assessment criteria.
Each criterion now only contains five descriptors.
We need to introduce a set of objective selection criteria.
Formal academic achievements should not be the sole criterion.
What are your criteria for judging the success of a project?
Cost is an important criterion but not the only one.
NoteMost usage guides recommend using criterion as the singular form of the noun and criteria as the plural (e.g., “a/each/every/this criterion is” vs. “some/all/these criteria are”). This is the best advice to follow for formal writing such as academic writing.
However, in practice, and particularly in speech, “criteria” is also increasingly being used as a singular noun (e.g., “Age should not be a criteria”) and in an uncountable sense when referring to a “set” of individual requirements or standards (e.g., “The criteria is not objective enough”).
Hoping is the present participle of the verb “hope” (e.g., “I was hoping you would come!”), while hopping is the present participle of the verb “hop” (e.g., “Why are you hopping around on one leg?”).
Hoping vs hopping examples
Hoping in a sentence
Hopping in a sentence
We were hoping for better weather, but at least it’s not raining.
We had a great time hopping between the islands just off the costs.
I’m not sure what he was hoping to achieve by doing that.
Published on
November 8, 2024
by
Tom Challenger, BA
Revised on
January 21, 2025
You are a patient person or have patience if you are able to stay calm in a frustrating situation—if you “have patients,” you are probably a doctor.
Patient is an adjective meaning “able to remain calm rather than become annoyed” (e.g., “You need to be a patient person to work with children”).
Patience is an uncountable noun meaning “the ability to remain calm rather than become annoyed” (e.g., “I don’t have enough patience to work with children”).
“Patient” is also a noun meaning “a person receiving medical treatment” (e.g., “Dr. Sanchez is treating a patient at the moment”). Patients (the plural form of this noun) and patience are often pronounced in the same way in natural, connected speech
.
Patient or patience examples
Patient (adjective) in a sentence
Patience (uncountable noun) in a sentence
Patient (noun: medical meaning) in a sentence
Patients (plural: medical meaning) in a sentence
The doctor was very patient with me and answered all my questions.
You need a lot of patience to work as an assistant in a busy doctor’s office.
I’d like to register as a new patient with Dr. Sanchez.
I’m afraid Dr. Sanchez isn’t accepting any new patients right now.
