You need a comma before “or” when it connects two independent clauses. These are clauses that could stand alone as full sentences because each contains its own subject and verb.
But you shouldn’t use a comma before “or” when it connects two verbs with the same subject.
Continue reading: Comma Before Or | Rules & Examples
ChatGPT is a popular AI language model that can provide fluent answers to all kinds of different user prompts. Given its strong language abilities, you might wonder if it can help you to improve your academic writing when asked to proofread it.
To find out, we ran an experiment where we gave the same text to ChatGPT and to a human editor, asking them to improve the language and style and to clearly explain the changes they made.
The experiment showed that both editors improved the text overall, but the human editor made more extensive and reliable changes, and only the human editor was able to properly explain their changes.
Our general conclusion is explained below, followed by our methodology and an in-depth exploration of each edit.
We don’t recommend using ChatGPT in this way. Always follow your institution’s guidelines over any suggestions you read online. Check out our guide to current university policies on AI writing for more information. You can also learn more about how to use AI tools responsibly on our AI writing resources page.
Continue reading: ChatGPT vs. Human Editor | Proofreading Experiment
An abstract noun is a noun that refers to something non-physical—something conceptual that you can’t perceive directly with your senses. Examples include “sadness,” “analysis,” “government,” and “adulthood.”
Abstract nouns are contrasted with concrete nouns, which are words like “cat,” “desk,” or “Andrew” that refer to physical objects and entities.
The passage of time isn’t easy to perceive.
The article derides the quality of popular music. The author’s snobbishness is plain to see.
Continue reading: Abstract Noun | Definition, Examples & Worksheet
A concrete noun is a noun that refers to a physical thing, person, or place—something or someone that can be perceived with the five senses (touch, hearing, sight, smell, and taste). Examples include “pencil,” “dog,” “Timbuktu,” and “Patricia.”
Concrete nouns are contrasted with abstract nouns, which are words such as “politeness” describing concepts that you can’t perceive directly with the senses.
A cat ran across the garden and climbed the fence.
Jan was supposed to be flying to Amsterdam, but he forgot his passport and didn’t realize until he got to the airport.
Continue reading: Concrete Noun | Definition, Examples & Worksheet
ChatGPT, the popular AI language model, is a really exciting piece of technology. In response to your inputs, it can instantly generate fluent, human-sounding responses. But how accurate is the information in those responses?
While testing the tool, we’ve come to the conclusion that, though its language capabilities are impressive, the accuracy of its responses can’t always be trusted. We recommend using ChatGPT as a source of inspiration and feedback—but not as a source of information.
Below, we explain what ChatGPT does well and what kinds of things it tends to get wrong. We also explore why its responses aren’t always reliable and look at the best ways to use it responsibly.
You can also learn more about how to use AI tools responsibly on our AI writing resources page.
Continue reading: Is ChatGPT Trustworthy? | Accuracy Tested
A possessive noun is the special form of a noun that’s used to indicate ownership (possession). The possessive noun represents the owner (possessor) of something and usually comes right before another noun representing what they own (e.g., “Jeremy’s car”).
Possessive nouns are formed from the basic versions of nouns by adding an apostrophe and the letter “s”: for instance, “boy” becomes “boy’s.” The possessives of plural nouns normally only add an apostrophe, not an additional “s”: “boys” becomes “boys’.”
Possessive nouns don’t always indicate literal ownership. “Alice’s brother” doesn’t suggest that Alice owns her brother; the possessive is just used to show their relationship.
Granddad’s hearing isn’t what it used to be.
That’s my room, and this one is Nari’s.
The first noise I heard in the morning was a rooster’s crowing.
Continue reading: Possessive Noun | Examples, Definition & Worksheet
People are still figuring out the best use cases for ChatGPT, the popular chatbot based on a powerful AI language model. This article provides some ideas for how to use ChatGPT and other AI tools to assist with your academic writing.
These tools can assist you with the following steps when writing a paper, thesis, or dissertation:
Continue reading: Using ChatGPT for Assignments | Tips & Examples
An appositive (also called an appositive noun or appositive phrase) is a noun phrase that follows another noun phrase and provides additional information about it. The two words or phrases are described as being in apposition.
The usual structure is the antecedent (a noun phrase that the appositive will give more information about) followed by the appositive itself, either set off by commas or, if it’s essential to the meaning of the sentence, without any additional punctuation.
The capital of France, Paris, is a popular destination for tourists from across the world.
The author Jane Austen is best known for her second novel, Pride and Prejudice.
Continue reading: Appositive | Examples, Definition & Punctuation
A gerund is a word like “swimming” in the sentence “I have always enjoyed swimming.” The term refers to the “-ing” form of a verb when it functions as a noun.
A gerund usually refers in a general way to the activity represented by the verb it’s derived from. Above, “swimming” means the activity of swimming in general, not a specific instance of swimming.
Gerunds are different from other nouns in that they can be modified by adverbials (e.g., “I enjoy swimming in the sea”) and can take direct objects (e.g., “playing my guitar always relaxes me”).
I’m in the habit of writing every day.
Meditating helps Shirley to clear her mind.
Continue reading: Gerund | Definition, Form & Examples
Pronoun-antecedent agreement means choosing a pronoun that matches its antecedent (the earlier noun or noun phrase it refers to) in terms of number, person, and gender. Agreement errors can cause confusion or just make your writing read poorly.
For example, the sentence “Jennifer is here, and she isn’t happy” is correct because the pronoun “she” is singular (Jennifer is one person), third-person (Jennifer is not the speaker and isn’t being directly addressed), and feminine (Jennifer is a woman).
The vast majority of common agreement errors relate to number (singular vs. plural). Examples of some errors and how they can be fixed are shown in the table below. The following sections explain various contexts where mistakes commonly occur.
| Error | Correction |
|---|---|
| The box of pencils remained in their place. | The box of pencils remained in its place. |
| Each day will bring their own challenges. | Each day will bring its own challenges. |
| One should look out for themselves. | One should look out for oneself. |
Subject-verb agreement follows many of the same principles but is about the relationship between a verb and its subject rather than a pronoun and its antecedent.
Continue reading: Pronoun-Antecedent Agreement | Examples & Tips