The Subjunctive Mood | Definition & Examples

The subjunctive mood is a verb form used to refer to a hypothetical scenario or to express a wish, suggestion, or command (e.g., “I suggest you be quiet”).

The subjunctive is one of three grammatical moods in English, along with the indicative mood and the imperative mood.

There are two types of subjunctive verb forms. Verbs in the present subjunctive take the infinitive form (e.g., “be”), while verbs in the past subjunctive are identical to their simple past forms (e.g., “ran”).

Examples: Sentences in the subjunctive mood
I demand that everyone have an opportunity to speak.

Sharon insisted that she be notified of any problems.

If Jane were here, she could tell us what to do.

Note
The subjunctive mood is less common in UK English than US English. In UK English, the modal verb “should” is often used instead of a subjunctive verb (e.g., “Sharon insisted that she should be notified of any problems”).

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Hers or *Her’s | Meaning, Spelling & Use

Hers is a third-person singular feminine possessive pronoun.

“Her’s,” written with an apostrophe, is sometimes mistakenly used instead of hers, but this is never correct. While possession is usually indicated by adding ‘s to the end of a word, possessive pronouns don’t take an apostrophe.

Examples: Hers and her’s in a sentence
  • That bag is her’s, not yours.
  • That bag is hers, not yours.
  • I have my ticket for the theater, but Lisa lost her’s.
  • I have my ticket for the theater, but Lisa lost hers.

Continue reading: Hers or *Her’s | Meaning, Spelling & Use

Ours or *Our’s | Meaning, Spelling & Use

Ours is a first-person plural possessive pronoun.

“Our’s,” written with an apostrophe, is sometimes used instead of ours, but this is incorrect and should be avoided. While possession is typically indicated by adding ‘s to the end of the word, possessive pronouns don’t take an apostrophe.

Examples: Ours and our’s in a sentence
  • These seats are our’s, not yours.
  • These seats are ours, not yours.
  • Their strategy was not as effective as our’s.
  • Their strategy was not as effective as ours.

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Theirs or *Their’s | Meaning, Spelling & Use

Theirs is a third-person plural possessive pronoun and a gender-neutral singular possessive pronoun.

“Their’s,” written with an apostrophe, is sometimes used instead of theirs. However, this is incorrect and should be avoided. While possession is usually indicated by adding ‘s to the end of a word, possessive pronouns don’t take an apostrophe.

Examples: Theirs and their’s in a sentence
  • I enjoyed my dessert, but Tina and Jay didn’t enjoy their’s.
  • I enjoyed my dessert, but Tina and Jay didn’t enjoy theirs.
  • That’s not our car, it’s their’s.
  • That’s not our car, it’s theirs.

Continue reading: Theirs or *Their’s | Meaning, Spelling & Use

Fulfil or Fulfill | Difference & Example Sentences

Fulfil and fulfill are two different spellings of the verb meaning “bring to completion,” “satisfy a requirement,” or “succeed in developing one’s abilities or qualities.”

The spelling tends to vary based on whether you’re writing in UK or US English:

  • In UK English, “fulfil” (one “l”) is standard.
  • In US English, “fulfill” (double “l”) is more common.
Examples: Fulfil and fulfill in a sentence
The presidential aide must fulfil/fulfill a number of important duties.

The protagonist of the film fought to fulfil/fulfill her promise to her mother.

Anthony is looking for a hobby that will fulfil/fulfill him.

Continue reading: Fulfil or Fulfill | Difference & Example Sentences

*Everytime or Every Time | Meaning, Definition & Spelling

Every time is an adverbial phrase meaning “each time” or “without exception.”

“Everytime,” written without a space, is sometimes used instead of every time. However, this is incorrect and should be avoided.

Examples: Everytime and every time in a sentence
  • Everytime we meet, you ask me to do you a favor.
  • Every time we meet, you ask me to do you a favor.
  • Lia gets bored everytime she goes to the theater.
  • Lia gets bored every time she goes to the theater.

Continue reading: *Everytime or Every Time | Meaning, Definition & Spelling

What Is a Modal Verb? | Definition & Examples

A modal verb (also called a modal auxiliary verb) is used along with a main verb to express possibility, ability, permission, or necessity. For example, in the statement “you must leave,” “must” is a modal verb indicating that it’s necessary for the subject (“you”) to perform the action of the verb (“leave”).

The modal verb “will” is used to form the future tense, indicating an action that has not yet occurred (e.g., “I will clean the garage”).

Examples: Modal verbs in a sentence
We should listen to some music.

Can you drive me to the airport?

Amanda might practice her German.

Continue reading: What Is a Modal Verb? | Definition & Examples

Everyone vs. Every One | Difference, Examples & Quiz

Everyone and every one are pronounced the same but have different meanings.

  • Everyone (one word) is an indefinite pronoun meaning “everybody.” It’s pronounced with the stress on the first syllable only: [ev-ry-one].
  • Every one (two words) is a phrase used to refer to each individual or thing in a group, usually followed by “of.” It’s pronounced with the stress on the first and third syllables: [ev-ry-one].
Examples: Everyone in a sentence Examples: Every one in a sentence
Everyone except Joe attended the concert. Every one of the phones has a camera.
Not everyone enjoys reading poetry. Every one of Jill’s brothers is in the army.

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Smelled or Smelt | Meaning, Difference & Examples

Smelt and smelled are two different spellings of the past tense of the verb “smell,” used to mean “detect the scent of something” or “emit an odor.”

The spelling tends to vary based on whether you’re using UK or US English:

  • In UK English, both “smelled” and “smelt” are commonly used.
  • In US English, “smelled” is standard, and “smelt” is generally not accepted.
Examples: Smelt and smelled in a sentence
The lasagne looked delicious but smelt/smelled like it was burned.

The bear cub smelt/smelled the camper’s food and made its way to the campsite.

Andrea smelt/smelled all the candles before she bought one.

Note
Verbs whose simple past and past participles are formed in some way other than by adding the suffix “-ed” are called irregular verbs.

“Smell” can be either regular or irregular, with the irregular form more commonly used in UK English. This is also true of “spelt/spelled,” “learnt/learned,” “knelt/kneeled,” and “dreamt/dreamed.”

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*No-One or *Noone or No One | Meaning, Definition & Spelling

No one is an indefinite pronoun meaning “nobody.”

“Noone,” written without spaces, is sometimes used instead of no one. However, this is incorrect and should be avoided. This is also the case for the hyphenated form “no-one.”

Examples: Noone, no-one, and no one in a sentence
  • Noone asked for your advice.
  • No-one asked for your advice.
  • No one asked for your advice.

Continue reading: *No-One or *Noone or No One | Meaning, Definition & Spelling