Simple Stuff (Things you should have learned before high school)
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Past/Passed & Desert/DessertQuick Tip:
The forms with the letter "s" twice (passed & dessert) mean only one thing each: passed is always a verb and dessert is always something you eat. |
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Longer Explanation:
- "Passed" is the past tense of "pass." Period. That's the only time it's used.
I passed Casey's on the way to school yesterday; in fact, I pass it every day. - "Past" is used for anything else.
- "Dessert" is what you might eat after dinner. You can remember that by thinking "I want two helpings of dessert"; that helps because the letter s is in the word two times.
- "Desert" is used for anything else, like (1) the sandy place where camels live and (2) to leave someone/something behind.
Don't desert your friends in the desert.
Fewer/Less & Many/MuchQuick Tip:
Singular words use less/much. Plural words use fewer/many. |
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Longer Explanation:
- Just ask yourself if the noun is singular or plural. Don't worry about whether it's "countable."
- If it's singular , use less/much:
less time, less fruit, etc.
How much lemonade do you want? - If it's plural nouns, use fewer/many:
fewer boys, fewer days, etc.
How many hours did you work last week? - For words that are spelled the same in singular and plural, just think about if it means one or more than one.
I caught fewer fish this weekend. (more than one)
My fish taco has less fish than yours. (one)
Here/Hear/HeirQuick Tip:
Hear = listen Here = a place Heir = son/daughter |
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Longer Explanation:
- Hear = what you do with your ears
[See how they're spelled almost the same?] - Here = a place ['Where' & 'there' are also talking about a place and are spelled almost the same.]
- "Here" is also used for "here is" and "here are."
- Heir = the person who inherits stuff when someone dies
Quite/Quiet/QuitQuick Tip:
Quite = some Quiet = not loud Quit = stop |
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Longer Explanation:
- "Quite" means more than just 'some' but not as much as 'very many.'
You have quite a few missing assignments. - It's often used as "NOT quite."
We're not quite finished. - "Quiet" is the opposite of loud.
A classroom should be quiet. - "Quit" means to stop doing something.
Sometimes you have to know when to quit.
To/Too/TwoQuick Tip:
Two = twin Too has "too many" letters. To = everything else |
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Longer Explanation:
- "Too" means "also" or "more than needed."
I want some ice cream too!
Don’t give the baby too much milk. - "Two" is the number 2.
It starts with tw, like "twin" and "twice." - "To" can go before a verb, as in "I like to run." This is called the infinitive form.
- It can also be a preposition, like "I’m going to Tulsa" and "please give this to her."
There/Their/They'reQuick Tip:
There = a place Their = belonging to them They're = they are |
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Longer Explanation:
- "There" is a place, just like here & where, which are also talking about a place. Do you see how all three have "here"? That's on purpose. :-)
- "There" is also used for "there is" and "there are."
- "Their" shows possession (like "their cousins," "their house," etc.). It's actually they + r, just like you + r = your.
- Whenever you see "they're," think "they are" and see if it makes sense. It's like we are = we're and you are = you're.
