Whether you’re an SEO content writer that crafts words for a living, a small business owner who needs some content writing help, or someone that just wants to know more about idioms, you’ve come to the right place. Idioms can help improve all kinds of content writing, as you’ll find out below!

What Is an Idiom?

An idiom is a group of words that are used as a common expression whose meaning is not easily deduced from the literal words within.

Idioms are often put into the class of figurative language, which is when words are used in an imaginative or unusual manner.

To put it simply, idioms mean something different than the words do individually.

For example, the phrase: “writing an idiom is a piece of cake” does not mean that writing an idiom is a literal ‘piece of cake’ that you can eat.  Instead, ‘piece of cake’ is a figurative expression for saying that something is easy to do.

While idioms are more commonly used in America, idioms are also often used in the English language on TV shows, movies, written literature and other media.

Familiarizing yourself with the meaning behind common idioms is important as idioms don’t often make literal sense. Here is a list of the most popular and commonly used idioms in American English along with examples and meanings.

 

Common English Idioms

A blessing in disguise
Meaning: A good thing that initially seemed bad

A dime a dozen
Meaning: Something that is very common, not unique

Adding insult to injury
Meaning: To make a bad situation even worse

Beat around the bush
Meaning: Avoid sharing your true viewpoint or feelings because it is uncomfortable

Bite the bullet
Meaning: To get an unfavorable situation or chore over with now because it will need to get finished eventually

Best of both worlds
Meaning: The choice or solution has all of the advantages of two contrasting things at the same time

Biting off more than you can chew
Meaning: Committing to do something that you don’t really have the time, resources or ability to do

Don’t judge a book by its cover
Meaning: Don’t judge someone or something by how it looks

Doing something at the drop of a hat
Meaning: Doing something at a moment’s notice

Caught between a rock and a hard place
Meaning: Making a choice between two unpleasant choices

Cutting corners
Meaning: Taking risky shortcuts to save time and/or money

Devil’s advocate
Meaning: To argue for the other side in an argument in order to encourage further debate

Getting a taste of your own medicine
Meaning: Being treated the (usually negative) way that you have been treating others

Giving the benefit of the doubt
Meaning: Believing someone’s story without proof even though it may seem unbelievable

Hitting the nail on the head
Meaning: To be exactly right

Letting someone off the hook
Meaning: Not holding someone responsible for something

No pain, no gain
Meaning: You have to suffer to see results

On the ball
Meaning: Attentive and doing a good job

Once in a blue moon
Meaning: Something that doesn’t happen very often

Speak of the devil
Meaning: When the person you have just been talking about arrives

The last straw
Meaning: The last act that makes an entire situation unbearable

Your guess is as good as mine
Meaning: I have no idea

Dead ringer
Meaning: Someone who looks extremely similar to someone else

The whole nine yards
Meaning: Everything. All of it. 

Get down to brass tacks
Meaning: Get down to business

Burning bridges
Meaning: Damaging a relationship beyond repair

Fit as a fiddle
Meaning: Excellent health

Go down in flames
Meaning: To fail in a spectacular manner

He/She is off their rocker
Meaning: Someone who is acting crazy or not thinking rationally

It’s always darkest before the dawn
Meaning: Things always get worse before they get better

It takes two to tango
Meaning: One person usually isn’t the only responsible party

Like riding a bike
Meaning: Something that you never forget how to do

Through thick and thin
Meaning: Everyone experiences hard and good times

Time is money
Meaning: Work faster or more efficiently

 

Food Idioms

Can’t make an omelet without breaking some eggs
Meaning: You can’t make everyone happy

Like two peas in a pod
Meaning: Two people who are always together

An apple a day keeps the doctor away
Meaning: Apples are healthy and good for you

Heard it through the grapevine
Meaning: Hearing rumors about someone or something

Piece of cake
Meaning: A task or job that is easy to complete

Bread and butter
Meaning: Something you do or use to survive or thrive in a situation

Bring home the bacon
Meaning: Make money, specifically money to live on

Crying over spilled milk
Meaning: Worrying about the past or things that are already done or settled

Not my cup of tea
Meaning: Something that you don’t like

Take it with a grain of salt
Meaning: Believe it at your own risk

Top banana
Meaning: The most powerful or important person in a group or organization

Bad apple
Meaning: A troublemaker

Bad egg
Meaning: Like a troublemaker but worse; someone who seems fundamentally dishonest or otherwise ill-behaved

Good egg
Meaning: The opposite of a bad egg; someone who is honest and trustworthy

Bigger fish to fry
Meaning: More important things to do

Cool as a cucumber
Meaning: Calm, especially under pressure

Couch potato
Meaning: A sedentary person who spends a lot of time seated, often watching TV

Can’t cut the mustard
Meaning: Can’t keep up with the competition

Hard nut to crack
Meaning: Something or someone that’s difficult to figure out

Big cheese
Meaning: The person in charge

Bun in the oven
Meaning: Pregnant

Apple of someone’s eye
Meaning: To be loved and adored

Buttering someone up
Meaning: Being super-nice to someone because you want something from them

Egg someone on
Meaning: Encourage someone to do something, typically something that they shouldn’t be doing

In a nutshell
Meaning: To sum things up

Spill the beans
Meaning: Divulge secret info

 

Animal Idioms

Don’t count your chickens before they hatch
Meaning: Not to count on something happening until after it’s already happened

Going on a wild goose chase
Meaning: Doing something that is pointless

Killing two birds with one stone
Meaning: Accomplishing two different tasks in the same undertaking

The elephant in the room
Meaning: An issue, person, or problem that someone is trying to avoid

Straight from the horse’s mouth
Meaning: Reading or hearing something from the source

Letting the cat out of the bag
Meaning: Sharing information that was intended to be a secret

Beating a dead horse
Meaning: Giving time or energy to something that is ended or over

You can lead a horse to water, but you can’t make him drink
Meaning: You can’t force someone to make what is seemingly the right decision

Every dog has his day
Meaning: Everyone gets their chance to do something big

A leopard can’t change its spots
Meaning: People don’t change

Wag the dog
Meaning: Divert attention from something important to something trivial

The birds and the bees
Meaning: Sex education

Ants in one’s pants
Meaning: Being nervous and unable to sit still

Chicken out
Meaning: To decide not to do something, usually at the last minute

Clam up
Meaning: Stop talking

The cat’s got someone’s tongue
Meaning: That person is oddly quiet

Have a cow
Meaning: Get extremely upset, usually about something that’s not worth it

Hold your horses
Meaning: Be patient

Pig out
Meaning: To eat a lot of food

Take the bull by the horns
Meaning: To show initiative

Until the cows come home
Meaning: Forever, or at least a mighty long time

Smell a rat
Meaning: To suspect that somebody’s up to no good.

Nest egg
Meaning: Sum of money saved for later

Raining cats and dogs
Meaning: Raining heavily

Get the lion’s share
Meaning: Get the biggest portion

 

Weather Idioms

Feeling under the weather
Meaning: Not feeling well, or feeling sick

Stealing someone’s thunder
Meaning: To take attention away from someone by doing or sharing something before that person can do so

Clouds on the horizon
Meaning: Trouble is coming or is on its way

Run like the wind
Meaning: To run really fast

Weather the storm
Meaning: Enduring a trial or hardship

Getting a second wind
Meaning: Having energy again after being tired

A snowball effect
Meaning: Something has momentum and builds on each other, much like rolling a snowball down a hill to make it bigger

Throwing caution to the wind
Meaning: Being reckless or taking a risk

 

Body Idioms

Having your head in the clouds
Meaning: Day dreaming, not paying attention

By the skin of your teeth
Meaning: Just barely making it

Costs an arm and a leg
Meaning: Something that is overpriced or very expensive

Giving someone the cold shoulder
Meaning: Ignoring someone

Pulling someone’s leg
Meaning: Joking with someone

Cold feet
Meaning: Getting nervous before a big event, to the point of backing out

Face the music
Meaning: Face the consequences of your actions

Get something off your chest
Meaning: Vent or complain

Head over heels
Meaning: In love

Makes my blood boil
Meaning: Makes me extremely angrily

Rule of thumb
Meaning: A basic rule or principle

Stick your neck out
Meaning: Support someone or something, even if it may have negative consequences for you

Wash your hands of something
Meaning: Abandon a problem or responsibility

See eye to eye
Meaning: Agree

Neck of the woods
Meaning: A location and its immediate surroundings

Keep your chin up
Meaning: Don’t give up

 

This Is Just a Small Sample of Common Idioms

Idioms are everywhere. They’re how we make everything from casual conversation to roadside advertising more colorful, and they convey a certain level of cultural understanding and kinship. What are some of your favorite commonly used idioms? Share the wealth in the comments below!

 

Need Help With Your SEO Content Writing?

Now that you’ve learned enough idioms to fill up a small boat, it’s time to put them to use! Our expert SEO content writers and editors can help you to craft interesting, helpful and keyword-optimized content for your website. Contact us today to learn more about our affordable SEO services for small businesses as well as our white label SEO content solutions for agencies and publishers.

One of the most memorable scenes in Martin Scorsese’s 1990 gangster opus “Goodfellas” features Henry Hill showcasing all the mobsters in his crew. The camera glides through The Bamboo Lounge, and Hill makes introductions. Each wise guy breaks the fourth wall to say hello. We meet such luminaries as Fat Andy, Frankie No-Nose, Pete the Killer and — last but not least — Jimmy Two-Times, who always says everything twice, as in “I’m gonna go get the papers, get the papers.” If epistrophe were a person, it would be Jimmy Two-Times.

 

Epistrophe Definition

Epistrophe is intentional repetition at the end of a sentence or clause. This figure of speech is typically used for dramatic effect, as it adds emphasis to the repeated word or phrase and creates a sense of rhythm.

Because the repetition is deliberate, epistrophe (also known as epiphora or antistrophe) has the potential to be a powerful rhetorical device. This puts it in stark contrast to rhetorical tautology, which involves unintended redundancy that weakens otherwise good writing.

Given its mutant superpower to highlight ideas and stir up emotions, you often see epistrophe used in speeches, song lyrics and dramatic monologues. Remember Tom Joad’s “I’ll be there” speech from “The Grapes of Wrath?” You know, the one that goes: “Wherever [there’s] a fight so hungry people can eat, I’ll be there. Wherever [there’s] a cop beatin’ up a guy, I’ll be there…” That’s epistrophe.

Here’s another epistrophe example from “I’ll Be Around” by The Spinners:

Whenever you call me, I’ll be there
Whenever you want me, I’ll be there
Whenever you need me, I’ll be there
I’ll be around

Contrary to this article’s trajectory, not all uses of epistrophe are legally required to include the phrase “I’ll be there.” In the next section, we’ll look at several epistrophe examples that have virtually nothing to do with pop culture. I promise.

Epistrophe Examples

There are several reasons why a writer might employ epistrophe in his or her writing. Here are four of the most common.

1. To Show Strong Emotion

The repetition of a feeling can arouse emotion in the reader and convey great emotion on the writer’s part, too. Those feelings can be positive, negative or somewhere in between. Check it out:

• My toddler’s kindness fills me with pride. His curiosity fills me with pride. His ability to burp his full name fills me with pride.
• Whenever Jake watches a Warriors game, he misses his dad. Each time he tunes up his vintage Chevy in the driveway, he misses his dad. Every time Netflix promotes its documentary about all those elderly people his dad scammed out of their retirement savings, Jake misses his dad.

As you can see from this second example, the words or phrases used to create epistrophe don’t have to be exact matches, either. Here, despite the alterations in phrasing, Jake’s sense of sadness over his absentee (and criminal) father is punctuated by epistrophe.

2. To Emphasize a Point

Epistrophe can be a valuable rhetorical device in argumentative or persuasive writing, as well. Repeating words or phrases is a simple way to stress a point. Ready for more epistrophe examples?

• Tom, I married you knowing that you’re obsessed with Limp Bizkit, and now it’s time for me to divorce you knowing that you’re obsessed with Limp Bizkit.
• This condo building doesn’t have a rat problem. It’s besieged by rats. The weight room in the basement is overrun with muscular rats. I’m pretty sure our next election for condo board president will see Donna in 4G take on 15 rats stacked on top of each other under a trench coat.

3. To Share a Strongly Held Conviction

In this next example, you’ll see that you can also use epistrophe to convey an important belief, ethical position or moral stance:

• Asking your daughter to drive the getaway car was wrong. Robbing that bank was wrong. Making you pay for your own mask was wrong. Loudly and repeatedly calling you by your full name while we were robbing the bank just because I was mad at you this morning was wrong, and I see that now.

4. To Create a Memorable Moment

As politics prove in abundance, repeating words and phrases is often an easy way to produce a memorable moment. From Barack Obama’s “Yes We Can” refrain to Abraham Lincoln’s government “of the people, by the people, for the people,” history is littered with memorable speeches that stick in our brains largely due to a deft use of repetition.

Here’s one more example of epistrophe in action, this time in pursuit of an unforgettable rallying cry:

• No middle school cafeteria is better than the hot lunches it serves, and the students of Reginald VelJohnson Middle School want the best! We’re hungry for the best! We deserve the best! And when I’m elected student body president, we’ll never eat mystery meat again!

 

 

The Effect of Epistrophe

No matter what point or conviction it’s used to drive home or what emotion it’s meant to provoke, one thing remains the same: Epistrophe makes words and phrases stick with you. Just like hyperbole, epistrophe is a way to add emphasis without screaming, “Hey! Yo! I really mean this!” When used well, strategic repetition can create stunning effects.

Which epistrophe examples from pop culture (or otherwise) are your favorite? Do you share my belief that “Goodfellas” is superior to “The Godfather?” (Sorry, Dad.) Sound off in the comments below, in the comments below!

It doesn’t matter if your company sells artisanal pickles or offers ghost tours of Savannah. When it comes right down to it, almost all brands have similar blog content creation goals.

What separates the Vicky’s Very Mediocre Pickles from the Vlasic Kosher Dills of the world is engagement, and blog writing can be an indispensable tool for driving traffic to your business. Of course, blogs can also be a maddening vortex of time crunches, keywords, and comma splices, which are just three of many reasons why it might be wise for your brand to buy blogs from a blog writing service.

 

9 Reasons Why You Should Use Blog Services

Blogs are a direct representation of your company. They educate. They inform. They’re the online distillation of your brand’s voice and image, and the best way to build a faithful readership and client base.

In other words: Yeah, blog writing is kind of a big deal.

Blogs create buzz for your brand by expertly mixing informative yet appealing content with skillful SEO strategies. Here are nine reasons why your brand’s smartest move may be to buy blog posts from experienced blog services.

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Blogs are a direct representation of your company. They educate. They inform. They’re the online distillation of your brand’s voice and image , and the best way to build a faithful readership and client base. #ContentMarketing
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1. You’re not a blog writer.

It can be difficult to admit that you’re not good at everything. It took me years to admit that I couldn’t fold a fitted sheet if my life depended on it. Once I did admit that, though — and once I outsourced laundry folding duties to my husband — our linen closet started looking a whole heck of a lot better.

If writing blogs isn’t your jam, keep your company’s metaphorical linen closet tidy by hiring a blog service. You have endlessly better uses for your time and resources than staring into the void of a blank word processing document.

 

2. You are a blog writer, but grammar and spelling aren’t your forte.

Sharp ideas and savory supporting details are only half of the equation when it comes to creating engaging blog content. If your prose is littered with spelling mistakes, errant commas and — gasp! — the wrong form of “there,” “their,” or “they’re,” it can be a disaster for your brand.

At best, blog writing errors make your messaging difficult to follow. At worst, they make your brand look amateurish, sloppy and untrustworthy, and they send your readers running into the carefully proofread arms of your closest competitor.

When you buy blog posts from a blog service, you’re not just hiring a team of blog writers, you’re also hiring editors. In some instances, the writers will also do the editing.

With many blog services, however, writing and editing are carried out by two different people, meaning that you’ll have two sets of fresh, qualified eyes on your blog content before it’s delivered. You know what that means: Say goodbye to misplaced modifiers and “to” when you clearly meant “too.”

3. Hiring blog writing services lets your employees focus on what they do best.

Right about now, you may be thinking: Fine. I’m not a great blog writer, but I’m sure somebody on my staff is. I’m pretty sure Chris is writing a novel, and Devon has, like, 900 Twitter followers.

Fair point. Here’s the thing, though: Blog posts aren’t novels. They’re not code, they’re not clever tweets, and they’re certainly not “Tiger King” fan fiction. Blog writing is a specific discipline within online content writing as a whole, and as such, it requires its own skill set.

Unless you hired staff members specifically for their rad blog-writing abilities, tasking them with the business of blog creation will divert their attention away from what you actually did hire them to do. To wit, your butcher may slice roast beef like a champ, but you probably don’t want him to cut your hair, too. Leave the blogging to the experts found at a blog writing service.

Blog Services Help Reduce Stress

What’s more, your employees are busy and stressed out. Foisting blog-writing duties on one or more of them will likely increase their stress as they learn the ins and outs of blog writing on the fly while juggling their other job responsibilities. This can cause their primary projects and workflow to suffer, and possibly result in subpar blog posts.

Ultimately, there are only so many hours in the day, and your staff is likely stretched thin. The American Institute of Stress found that 46% of Americans reported their main source of workplace stress isn’t their finances or that one guy who crunches his chocolate-covered pretzels incredibly loudly; it’s their workload. Instead of piling more on your employees’ plates, consider hiring a blog writing service and maybe bringing in some donuts once in a while, too.

 

4. You don’t want to spend time and resources to train your staff to write blogs.

Let’s say you ignore the advice above and decide that Chris or Devon can totally handle blog writing in addition to their other day-to-day duties. Don’t forget that they’ll need to be trained. Successful blog writing demands a particular set of writing skills acquired over a long blog-writing career.

Don’t worry: This skill set has almost zero crossover with Liam Neeson’s famously specific set of skills from “Taken.”

Almost.

To engage readers, your brand’s blog posts need to tick several boxes. They need to be consistent in topic and tone, for example, and use carefully deployed keywords at an optimal density. Quality blog writing is more than just creating an interesting and informative article — although being interesting and informative is certainly a good start.

When you hire a blog service, its writers have already been trained to write meta descriptions, to avoid keyword stuffing, and somehow to make a blog post about vending machine repair downright riveting.

Yes, you could train your staff (and possibly yourself) in the fundamentals of expository blog writing and SEO. However, the better call may be to leave those nitty-gritty details to blog writing professionals who can handle them in a fraction of the time at a fraction of the cost of training newbie blog writers, while you focus on growing your company.

 

5. Your blog writing will stay consistent.

If you’ve ever started a winning blog only to completely abandon it after six weeks of incredible, earth-shattering, high-quality blog posts, you’re not alone. Consistently publishing and writing for a blog is hard work — even if you’re not simultaneously managing expense reports, staff and customer service needs.

Search engines trust business blogs that are regularly updated with fresh content more than they do stale, sporadically updated business blogs. If you want your site to scale a mountain of search engine results, you need fresh blog content.

By working with blog writers for hire at a blog service, you can guarantee that exclusive blog content will keep coming down the pike for as long as you want it to. Gap-free publishing is imperative if you want to prevent readers from pointing their browsers elsewhere and to stop your most important Google Analytics reports from tanking.

 

6. A professional blog service can help you develop a marketing persona.

A marketing persona is a tool that identifies your core audience and what it wants. It’s essential to creating blog content that addresses said audience’s needs. It’s not the same thing as a demographic profile, though.

A content marketing persona goes beyond cold, hard facts to appraise your clientele on a more human level. It takes into consideration not just where your consumers live or what they do for a living, but also how they spend their free time, what they value, where they get their information from and whether they’re Team Taylor or Team Kanye.

OK, so probably not that last part, but the point still stands. Understanding your readers is integral to capitalizing on the rhetorical situation surrounding your brand.

If this type of research sounds like a lot of work, that’s because it often is. When you partner with an experienced blog writing service, however, it can do much of the analytical heavy lifting for you. No two brands are exactly alike, but with the right blog service, you’ll gain the expertise of blog writers, editors, and project managers who have played a part in crafting content marketing personas in the past — and who can help develop yours next.

 

7. Professional blog services know how to hit a deadline.

If blog writers don’t meet deadlines, they wouldn’t have jobs. Seriously. It’s that simple.

Many blog writing services employ independent contractors, a hardy breed of disciplined freelance writers who — not to get all dramatic or anything — practically live and die by the deadline. These men and women are frequently paid on a project-by-project basis. If they biff a deadline or produce subpar content, they don’t make their next mortgage payment.

Both your hourly and salaried employees, meanwhile, have other tasks and projects that need their time. Often, this makes blog writing deadlines a lower priority. For a blog writing service, finishing your company’s blogs on time and to your satisfaction is paramount.

Your blog posts are Rod Tidwell, and your blog writing service is Jerry Maguire. It wants to show you the money, because that’s how its own stable of hardworking blog service writers avoids a diet of Top Ramen and tap water.

 

8. Blog services work remotely.

Partnering with a blog service means pulling talent from across the country. Diverse backgrounds, experiences and ways of looking at the world are all part of the remote workforce package.

Hiring remote workers also means that you don’t have to dedicate any additional resources in your office to your blog writing team — not even an extra stack of K-Cups in the break room. If your company is small, saving cash anywhere and everywhere you can is crucial.

 

9. You don’t know how to generate traffic with blog posts.

A steady flow of interesting, original blog posts is key to filling your website with the critical keywords that will rocket your site up the search results page. There is a myriad of metrics for gauging the success of your blogs:

• Link traffic referral
• Deep link ratio
• Visitor paths

Don’t know what those words and phrases mean or what to do about them? It may be time to search out a professional blog service.

When you bring the right blog writing service into the fold, you’re not just paying for well-written and carefully edited work; you’re coughing up a small fee for content that bolsters your brand image and boosts your readership.

Need on-site blogs to strengthen your brand? Not a problem. Maybe you’re after off-site blogs or guests blog posts for content marketing? A blog writing service can do that, too. More importantly, its project managers and writers know that different types of blogs require different SEO approaches.

 

Reasons Why Blog Services May Not Be for You

Hiring blog writers is a game changer for most brands. You may not be “most brands,” however. From budgetary concerns to technical constraints, here are a few reasons why buying blog posts from a blog service may not be the right choice for your company right now.

 

Your content marketing budget is tight.

Professional blog services aren’t free. However, the good news is that most blog services aren’t expensive. What’s more, when you consider the time, money and other resources you’d spend training someone in-house to write blogs and to wrestle with SEO stratagems, hiring blog writing professionals may ultimately save you money in the long run.

 

You don’t want to forfeit any control.

When you buy blogs posts, you have to cede at least a small slice of control over your content. It’s unavoidable. Bear in mind, however, that you’re still the boss. You can provide the blog topics, keywords and any other components and/or constraints that you desire. You have the last word on the final draft, too.

Before you contract with a blog service, discuss its policy on edits. Does it have a cap? What happens if you’re not satisfied with the product? Most blog writing services are willing to listen to their clients and to guarantee their satisfaction. That’s how they secure repeat customers.

 

You don’t know your brand’s style or voice.

Trusting your brand’s voice to a blog writing service can be intimidating at first, particularly if your brand is your “baby.” That’s where brand voice guidelines come in. They’re the gift that keeps on giving.

Before you partner with professional blog writers, put your voice down on paper. Describe your desired tone, your goals, words to use and phrases to avoid. Get it all out, and then give it to your blog service.

By clearly illustrating what you want in concrete terms, the best blog writers can better nail your brand’s voice. What’s more, the very act of having to describe your company’s voice in detail to a blog service can help you identify its strengths and weaknesses so you can make improvements.

 

Why Blog Services Remain a Useful Branding Tool

Blogs are the Swiss army knife of content creation. They’re a well-defined expression of your brand’s voice, values and image. You can use them to ascend Google’s ranks, to heighten your visibility, and to develop a loyal following.

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There’s little that a well-written blog can’t do — except maybe open a can of beans or whittle a twig into a toothpick — and maintaining a successful blog takes a triumvirate of talents. You need writing ability. You need solid SEO skills, and you need a laser-like knack for spotting the difference between past perfect and present progressive verbs. The best blog writing services can provide all this and more.

 

Hire Blog Services Today!

Alternately, if grammar isn’t your bag and you’d prefer to leave keyword concerns to the pros, you need the help of an experienced blog service. If you want an easy, yet dependable way to produce excellent blogs, look into our blog subscription plans. It’s important to find a dependable blog writing team that thrives upon delivering outstanding results for brands just like yours. Contact us today to see if BKA Content can help you find the right blog writers for hire.

You probably began learning about the eight parts of speech in second grade. You learned that your big sister, Disney World, and the duckbilled platypus are all nouns, for example. The thing is, you’ve probably also forgotten much of what you learned in elementary school. Seriously, how many dinosaurs can you name? Because pint-sized you could rattle off a dozen theropods faster than present-day you can Google “What the heck’s a theropod?”

If the 8 parts of speech are currently occupying a dusty corner of your mind, right alongside the dilophosaurus, then this refresher is for you.

What Are the 8 Parts of Speech?

There are, in fact, eight parts of speech. That’s not too many, right? Here is a simple guide to the 8 parts of speech and examples of each.

1. Adjectives

Adjectives modify nouns and pronouns. You probably know that they’re used to describe, but they can also quantify, identify, and limit.

Check out the examples of this part of speech:

Brett ate nine tacos.

In this example, nine quantifies tacos. It also limits the number of tacos — even if Brett knows no limits when it comes to portion control.

The disgruntled grandma threw snowballs at the teenagers next door.

Disgruntled describes the grandma who wants the kids to turn down the Cardi B already, for crying out loud.

2. Adverbs

Just like its cousin the adjective, adverbs are used to describe. The difference? Adverbs can modify verbs, adjectives, and even other adverbs. Oh, the power!

Here are some examples of this part of speech:

After eating nine tacos, Brett threw up violently.

In this example, violently describes the verb phrase threw up. Gross.

The extremely disgruntled grandma threw snowballs at the teenagers next door.

Here, the adverb extremely describes the adjective disgruntled. Because Grandma, frankly, has had it.

Adverbs often end in –ly, but they don’t have to. In fact, adverbs can be phrases, too. Generally speaking, adverbs are expertly deployed to answer one of the following questions:

• When? (tomorrow; when the mayor called; now)
• Where? (there; to Target; in your ear)
• How? (sneakily; slowly; angrily)
• To what extent? (highest; most attractive)
• In what manner? (backwards; like he hadn’t eaten in a year)

 

3. Conjunctions

Conjunctions are used to connect words, phrases, and clauses in a sentence. Think of them like duct tape or that friend from high school who thought that if she joined every single club, she’d get into Princeton. (Hi, Emily!)

There are three types of conjunctions:

• Coordinating conjunctions, which link words, phrases, and clauses together
• Subordinating conjunctions, which link two clauses together
• Correlative conjunctions, which are pairs of conjunctions that work in tandem to join equal sentence components

Let’s check out an example of each of these parts of speech:

JC and Justin were my favorite members of *NSYNC.

In this example, the coordinating conjunction and links JC and Justin, just as their shared love of bedazzled denim once did.

When he remembered that he can’t skate, Evan decided not to try out for the ice hockey team after all.

Here, the subordinating conjunction when links the dependent clause that opens the sentence with the independent clause that comes after the comma.

Neither Donna nor Kaitie could believe that their geometry professor used to play drums for The Snots.

In this example, nor is a correlative conjunction used to link Donna and Kaitie, which are both nouns.

 

4. Interjections

Interjections are the most dramatic part of speech. They’re used to express emotion, and they often interrupt the flow of a paragraph. Literally any phrase can be an interjection. Here are five examples of interjections as a part of speech:

• Stop!
• Holy guacamole!
• Wait!
• Ouch!
• Cowabunga!

 

5. Nouns

Nouns are the granddaddy of the eight parts of speech. The boss. The Big Kahuna. The High Priestess of — well, you get it. You probably learned about these first, and you probably remember that a noun is a person, place, or thing.

Here are three examples of nouns to use the next time you encounter a stranger on the street who demands that you help her complete some Mad Libs before you can pass:

• Kelly Clarkson
• Australia
• Weasels

 

6. Prepositions

Prepositions are used to hook up a noun or a pronoun with another word in the sentence. You might think of them like wingmen. Or not.

Either way, they’re never seen without an object. Check out this example to see a preposition and its object in action.

Maria dropped her phone in the toilet.

Here, the preposition in links the nouns phone and toilet. Toilet is the object of the preposition, and in the toilet is a prepositional phrase. (Ten points to Gryffindor if you just screamed, “And the is an adjective!”)

Other common prepositions include words/phrases such as the following:

• Against
• From
• Instead of
• Next
• Outside
• Without

 

7. Pronouns

Just as found footage is a subgenre of horror movies, pronouns are a subgenre of nouns — you know, but without all the grainy, black-and-white footage of little girl ghosts. Keeping the whole movie analogy going, you might think of a pronoun as a noun’s stand-in. Generally speaking, these parts of speech are used to avoid repetition.

Here’s a paragraph with zero pronouns:

Dean works out seven days a week. Dean’s training for a 5K and wants to be a famous knee model someday. Since Dean began his fitness regimen, Dean has lost 75 pounds. Dean’s modeling agency is very proud of Dean.

Here’s what happens when pronouns are plugged in:

My brother, Dean, works out seven days a week. He’s training for a 5K and wants to be a famous knee model someday. Since my brother began his fitness regimen, he has lost 75 pounds. His modeling agency is very proud of him.

The paragraph no longer sounds like it was written by robots. Score!

 

8. Verbs

Back in the day, you probably learned that verbs express an action. If that’s all you learned, then your second-grade teacher was a big, fat liar.

In addition to action verbs, such as screams or sneezed, verbs come in a handful of other useful varieties:

• Linking verbs, which link the sentence’s subject to information about it (Brett is nauseated.)
• Helping verbs, which team up with the main verb in the sentence to make a verb phrase (Grandma’s neighbors have been playing Cardi B songs for six hours straight.)

No matter what form it takes, the humble verb is a must-have – even if it’s irregular. In order to truly be a sentence, that sentence needs to include a verb.

 

Conclusion: The Eight Parts of Speech at a Glance

Real talk: There’s much, much more to the eight parts of speech. Each part of the 8 parts of speech can be broken down into myriad subclasses. (Okay, maybe not interjections.) If you have any tips for telling count nouns from mass nouns or remembering the most common prepositions, sound off in the comments below!

Muhammad Ali vs. Joe Frazier. The Boston Red Sox vs. The New York Yankees. Like vs. such as. Some battles are just legendary. Others are about grammar, so let’s make this syntax showdown quick and painless, OK?

 

Like vs. Such As

My husband hates it when I say like. In my defense, I’m an ’80s kid. The word like is firmly ingrained in my speech right alongside dialectical chestnuts such as awesome, rad, and totally tubular. (Yep, sometimes I’m surprised he agreed to marry me, too.)

Here’s the thing: like arguably has a place in informal speech. That’s how we talk; we pepper our speech with a like here, and an um there, and occasionally we drop a you know or a gag me with a spoon. These words are part of verbal communication’s flow.

The problem is, we also commonly use like in place of such as in our writing, and grammatically speaking, that’s the opposite of awesome and rad. It’s grody to the max. It’s a mistake — and it’s a super common one we don’t have to make.

 

When Should You Use Like and When Should You Use Such As?

Knowing when to use like and when to use such as is all a matter of meaning. One implies comparison; the other, inclusion. Check it out:

 

1. Use like when you’re making a comparison.

Let’s kick things off with an example sentence using like and break it down. Here we go:

Ever the adventurous eater, Brenda’s favorite dishes are ones with unusual ingredients like cotton candy and ostrich eggs.

In this sentence, like implies comparison. It’s saying that all of the unusual ingredients Brenda would like to wolf down are in the same league as cotton candy and ostrich eggs. (What league is that? The gross food league, but that’s neither here nor there.)

It also suggests that she’s never actually eaten those two particular ingredients. If she did regularly start her day with a cotton candy and ostrich egg omelet, then the sentence would need to swap like for such as, which conveniently brings us to our second point.

 

2. Use such as when you’re giving actual examples.

While like suggests comparison, such as suggests inclusion. Let’s break down another example of using such as in a sentence:

Later that evening, the guests at Brenda’s dinner party complained of symptoms such as nausea, abdominal cramps, and blurred vision.

Here, such as suggests that these are the actual symptoms exhibited by some of the dinner guests. In other words, these poor diners didn’t feel symptoms similar to nausea; they were straight-up nauseated. They didn’t have symptoms similar to abdominal cramps; they really had cramps. Thanks a ton, Brenda.

 

 

 

Sharpen Your Like and Such As Skills

Sometimes, it just takes practice to be able to nail this one on the head. These examples of using like and such as in a sentence will help hone your skills:

The Gundersons’ backyard is home to a wide variety of animals such as squirrels, woodchucks, and incredibly venomous millipedes.

In this example, such as implies that the Gundersons have actually encountered these three creatures in their backyard. It also implies that being the slowest Gunderson is dangerous.

Kelly wants to incorporate more fruits like kumquats into her diet.

Here, Kelly doesn’t want to include kumquats into her diet; she wants to include fruits that are similar to it. Who knows? Maybe she already eats a bunch of kumquats on the regular. That doesn’t seem weird at all.

Aunt Debbie’s Thanksgiving playlist included a surprising number of heavy metal tracks, such as “Blood and Thunder” by Mastodon and “World Painted Blood” by Slayer.

Who knew Debbie was so dark? In this example, such as is used to show that those two tunes were a part of her Turkey Day soundtrack.

Matt can’t stand romantic comedies like Love Actually.

Here, like suggests that there are several other movies similar to the British holiday classic that Matt hates with a passion.

Olivia has studied martial arts such as hapkido, karate, and slap-fighting.

In this example, such as is used to suggest that these are the forms of self-defense Olivia has taken part in in the past. (And no, slap-fighting isn’t a martial art, but don’t tell Olivia. She knows karate.)

 

 

Like vs. Such As: Remember Such As Is Not a More Formal Version of Like

Some writers will argue that, given the way language evolves, the entire like vs. such as debate isn’t a debate at all. They might say that both are fine. They might say that such as is just more formal, and avoiding informal words is for antiquated grammar snobs. They might be saying all these things because they don’t know which one to use and when, and they’re betting that you don’t either. I don’t know; I’m just speculating here.

What I do know is that when you write for a professional audience, your grammar should be on point, and that means knowing went to drop a like and when to drop a such as like a linguistic boss. Do you have any tips for remembering the difference between like vs. such as? Think I’m being too hard on like? Sound off in the totally tubular comments below!

If you attended public school anytime in the last 40 years, you’ve likely been subjected to a motivational speaker. He may have done jail time. He may have known a little slight-of-hand magic. He probably had a mustache, and he almost certainly yelled things at you and your fellow 6^th graders like “It is what it is!” and “If you do drugs, either you’ll end up just like me or you won’t!” In other words, what he lacked in actual inspiration, he made up for in demonstrating the meaning of tautology.

 

What Is Tautology?

What is the tautology definition? A tautology is a redundant word or phrase that adds nothing to your writing. It comes in two flavors: logical and rhetorical.

 

1. A logical tautology is a statement that’s true in all situations.

When a sentiment is true no matter how you interpret it, that’s a called a logical tautology. It looks like this:

• Either the nachos have sour cream on them or the nachos don’t have sour cream on them.

Well, no kidding. This sentence is true of literally any plate of nachos. That’s what makes it a logical tautology. No matter what, a plate of delicious brisket nachos either will be ruined by a big glop of sour cream, or it won’t be.

 

Logic Tautology Examples:

Let’s set aside my hatred of sour cream and look at some more examples that define tautology of the logical kind:

• When we go on vacation, we’ll likely go to the Bahamas or someplace else.

Yup, you sure will. Because — from Disneyland to the outer reaches of Siberia — everywhere on Earth that isn’t the Bahamas in this example falls under the umbrella of “someplace else.”

• Jenna, I’ve looked at your test results, and this flesh-eating zombie disease will kill you or it won’t.

Unless she’s a Highlander, something will eventually kill Jenna, so her doctor’s statement is true no matter how you interpret it. It’s also true that Jenna needs a new doctor, STAT.

 

2. Rhetorical tautology uses multiple words to say the same thing.

Unintentionally repeating the same idea with different words is an example of rhetorical tautology. It’s filler at its not-so-finest. It’s redundant, and it does absolutely nothing to enhance your writing.

 

Rhetorical Tautology Examples

Let’s walk through four rhetorical tautology examples:

• A helmet is a necessary requirement for playing hockey.

If it’s required to play (and to preserve at least a couple of your teeth), then by definition it’s necessary to play.

• Shout it out loud!

If you can shout quietly, hit me up on Twitter because I’d like you to teach my toddler your mysterious ways.

• The principal went to visit Braden personally.

I know what you’re thinking: What about holograms? Nice try. The principal can’t visit Braden without bringing his person.

• You’re simply the best — better than all the rest.

With apologies to Tina Turner, “Better than all the rest” is the definition of “best,” which makes this chorus a catchy example of rhetorical tautology.

 

Check Out These 12 Common Examples of Rhetorical Tautology

At best, tautology in your writing can make you sound amateurish. At worst, it can undermine your credibility. Here’s a 12-pack of common tautology examples that can wreak havoc on your writing.

1. Janis Joplin died from a fatal overdose of heroin.
2. Best Buy is giving away free iPods.
3. First and foremost, we need to decide on a team name.
4. For years, Kevin hid it from his friends that he was a secret Hootie and the Blowfish fan.
5. When I was a kid, YouTube was a new innovation.
6. Please prepay in advance before pumping gas.
7. In my opinion, I think Dennis Rodman is the best basketball player of all time.
8. My dog’s pedicure appointment is at 10 a.m. in the morning.
9. After our server sneezed in close proximity to the salad bar, I switched my order to a hamburger.
10. Back to the Future: Part II made several accurate predictions about the future.
11. All large pizzas come with the added bonus of breadsticks.
12. Megan’s grades were adequate enough to get into Sam Waterston University.

 

Remember: Not All Repetition Is Tautology

Sometimes, writers and speakers repeat words or phrases on purpose. A frustrated mother might repeat herself to express her frustration, for example:

• Tyler, if you don’t pick up your dirty socks off the kitchen counter, I’m going to throw your car keys in Lake Michigan. In Lake! Michigan!

Here, the repetition of “Lake Michigan” is intentional and used to convey Mom’s frustration with her disgusting son Tyler, so it doesn’t fit the tautology definition. Rather, this type of intentional repetition is called epistrophe, which is a fancy Greek word that describes repetition at the end of a sentence that’s done for effect.

 

Epistrophe Example

Let’s look at another example of epistrophe:

• When I ask Tyler to take a shower, he says he’ll do it after one more episode. Every time, “after one more episode.”

In this example, Tyler’s poor mother employs repetition to express her exasperation, as well as how full of it she thinks her stinky teenage son is.

Writers and speakers may also employ repetition at the beginning of a sentence to dust it with additional meaning. When this happens, it’s called anaphora. Let’s check out two examples of anaphora:

 

Anaphora Examples

• Jennifer Lopez can sing. Jennifer Lopez can dance. Jennifer Lopez can act. Jennifer Lopez can cook a mean chicken bouillabaisse.

The repetition of “Jennifer Lopez can” in this example is used to emphasize how multitalented she is.

• Every Halloween, you force me to dress up like Jar Jar Binks. Every Halloween, I do as I’m told. Every Halloween, I want to bob for an apple and never resurface.

In this example, the speaker repeats “every Halloween” to make three points: First, this whole situation has gone on for far too long. Second, he or she has been a good sport by putting up with a tired Star Wars costume year after year. Third, things must change if they’re going to continue spending Halloweens together.

 

Tautology: Once Is Usually Enough

From pop music to politics, tautology is everywhere — just ask Yogi Berra. The thing is, these unintentional redundancies have no place in virtually any form of writing. To keep your credibility tight, add tautology-hunting to your proofreading routine.

Want to share your best tautology-busting tips? Got any favorite tautology examples? Hit the comments section below!

There are countless reasons why it’s important to understand the nuances of your vs. you’re, but one of them stands above the rest. One of them is vital to political discourse and woven into the fabric of our shared social contract in this American century.

That’s right. I’m talking about the importance of not embarrassing yourself online by telling someone “Your wrong” or “Your dumb” when you’re arguing in an online comments section.

The Importance of Your vs. You’re

We’ve all been there. We all know that we should never, ever read the comments. Sometimes, we do, though. OK, fine. Sometimes I do. Listen, if I see someone online say that Fleetwood Mac isn’t the best band of all time, I’m going to defend the band’s honor — and I’m going to use the right form of your or you’re when I do it.

If you want to win your next message board argument, or even better, if you want to make sure your point is made in academic and business writing, it’s important to remember the difference between these two commonly confused words.

 

When Should You Use Your or You’re?

When considering your vs. you’re, figuring out which word you should use is a fairly straightforward process. Unlike Fight Club, there are only two rules you need to remember:

1. Your is an adjective that shows that something belongs to you.

Technically, your is the second-person possessive adjective, but you really don’t need to know that unless you want to impress people at grammar parties or scare off people at regular parties. What you do need to know is that your is all about ownership. As such, it’s always followed up with a noun or gerund:

• Listen to me, Amanda! I swear I didn’t steal your Mike Tyson bobblehead!

Here, your shows that the missing bobblehead (that’s the noun being modified) belongs to Amanda.

 

• Your dancing was awesome — especially that part when you pretended to sharpen a pencil.

Here’s an example of your being used to modify a gerund. The rad dancing skills belong to the person being addressed, who, based on said skills, is probably somebody’s dad.

 

• Your trying out for the competitive eating team made Dad and me so proud.

This is another example of your modifying a gerund. Here it’s the phrase trying out, as in the fact that you tried out for the team moved your parents so much that it’s probably going to make the family’s Christmas newsletter.

 

2. You’re is a contraction of you are.

Now check out these examples that use the contraction you’re. They all have one big thing in common: If you swap in you are for you’re, the sentence still makes sense. Go ahead. Try it.

• I just volunteered to take your mom to Bingo. You’re welcome.

Your welcome vs. you’re welcome has perplexed writers since the dawn of man — or at least the dawn of manners. The correct form is you’re welcome because what you’re really saying is “You are welcome,” where welcome is an adjective that describes you, who no longer has to suffer through bingo at the Moose Lodge on a Friday night.

• You’re going to Tommy’s Flag Day party, right?

As you can see in this patriotic example, you’re is often followed by an -ing verb, or gerund.

 

• If you think I’m going to wear that hot dog costume, you’re dreaming.

Here, you’re is the right call because the speaker is saying, “You are dreaming,” which is a nicer way of saying, “You’re a moron.” Once again, you can see that you’re is chased by a gerund.

• You’re awesome.

As in, you are awesome. No, really. You are.

Now that your self-esteem is at an all-time high, let’s talk about using your or you’re in regards to text messaging. It turns out there’s a third party when it comes to you’re vs. your, and things R about 2 get ugly.

 

What About Ur? Is It Ever OK?

Like it or not, the joint rise of text messaging and social media has changed the way we write. Brevity is key. Thanks becomes THX. Both your and you’re become UR, and if you’re my dad, I think you left the baby monitor’s charger in the guest room when you guys visited last weekend becomes I? U LFT BBMON’S C N GR00 LAST WKND plus the lobster emoji.

Let’s get back to ur, though. It, like all text abbreviations, is slang. In the proper context, it’s fine. You might use quick abbreviations in situations like these, for example:

• An email to your friend
• A handwritten note to your husband
• Fiction and poetry
• A hilarious tweet about sour cream
• Text messages (duh)

In more formal writing situations, however, ur is generally the wrong call. Without the proper audience, slang and other informal words can stick out like dads at a Shawn Mendes concert. At best, they distract from your message and purpose for writing. At worst, they can reflect poorly on your reputation as a person who regularly uses the English language.

Assume your audience isn’t down with slang until proven otherwise. Stick to using your and you’re, and remember: If you can plug you are into the sentence and it still makes sense, then you should probably use you’re.

 

Your vs. You’re: Got It?

Got any other tips for using your vs. you’re? Any strong thoughts about using ur? Sound off in the comments below — or, as my dad would say, SOFF CoMM B3LLOw$ ER!1!

The word sic is the Shaggy of writing. Not the Shaggy who foiled criminals with Scooby-Doo and the rest of the gang at the abandoned amusement park or the abandoned mansion or the other abandoned amusement park. I’m talking about the Shaggy who sang “It Wasn’t Me.” What does sic mean? It means you’re acknowledging that somebody else made a mistake.

What about the fact that “It Wasn’t Me” is such a tremendously bad pop song that it makes you literally sick? Well, that’s just a barfy coincidence.

How To Use Sic

The word sic is a versatile tool. You can use sic in writing as a verb or as an adverb. It all depends on whether you’re quoting someone whose writing is unclear or telling your pet lizard to attack. Let’s start with the lizard attack version.

1. What Does Sic Mean in Writing?

As a verb, sic means to pursue, chase or attack. Typically, you sic someone or something (like a lizard) on someone or something else. Check out these sic examples:

• After the deli refused to serve Green Bay Packers fans, one of those cheeseheads sicced her lawyer on them.

In this example, sic means that the Packers fan is pursuing cold-cut justice via her attorney.

• That man stole my purse! Sic ‘em, Thunderbutt!

Here, Thunderbutt is — that’s right — a lizard being encouraged to pursue a would-be robber. #ReptileJustice

2. What Does Sic Mean in a Quote?

When you see sic in quotes, it’s being used an adverb. It means two things: First, the writer is acknowledging that the quoted material contains an error (such as a misspelling) or a chunk of awkward phrasing that may hinder its meaning. Second, the writer is telling you that the mistake or rough patch was left in there on purpose.

Let me show you what I mean with this sic example, bro.

• “Look right up their [sic]!” Beth’s husband wrote. “I knew Beth couldn’t resist making a bad surfer joke.”

Here, the writer who is quoting my husband uses sic to point out that the writer knows my husband used “their” when he should have used “there.” Chew on that, Mr. Sederstrom.

Because this type of sic involves quoted material, such as interview transcripts or other articles, you’re most likely to spot the adverb sic in journalism and other types of expository writing where it’s important to convey what someone says accurately. You may notice that homophones are a frequent target of sic, too, in part because they frequently slip past spell-checking software.

To use sic in quoted material, place it right after the error. Italicize it, and put it in brackets [ ], not parentheses ( ). This lets the reader know that it’s not part of the text being quoted.

Examples of [Sic] in Quoted Material

Below you’ll find examples of sic to give you a better feel for how to expertly deploy this tool of linguistic acknowledgement and denial. Each sentence is followed by the corrected version of the original text. Don’t say I never gave you anything.

1. “Who’s [sic] turn is it to buy tacos?” (Whose)
2. “Robbie didn’t let two broken legs negatively effect [sic] his experience at prom.” (affect)
3. “Go tell every body [sic] that Godzilla was just spotted downtown!” (everybody)
4. “It’s definitely not my turn to buy taco [sic].” (tacos)
5. “The principle [sic] at my high school used to be a WWE wrestler.” (principal)
6. “I just called to sat [sic], ‘I love you.’” (say)
7. “My Finish [sic] grandmother makes a big pitcher of glögi, or mulled wine, every Christmas.” (Finnish)
8. “Then she drnks [sic] it by herself in the garage.” (drinks)
9. “Learning to juggle basket balls [sic] was a colossal waste of time.” (basketballs)
10. “Let’s just say it’s Brad’s buy tacos [sic]. I’m starving.” (turn to buy the tacos)

In the simplest terms, this type of sic is the writer’s way of saying “Look, I know that’s spelled wrong, dude, but I think it’s important to present the information as originally written.”

Make Sure It’s Actually an Error, Though

In the internet age, there’s a greater need for sic than ever before, and I’m not just referring to that overwhelming urge we all have sometimes to sic a pack of rabid wolverines on our favorite website’s comments section.

“Text speak” and social media’s growing ubiquity have created an avalanche of abbreviations and other forms of shorthand that often require a sic in a professional or academic setting. Check out these sic examples:

• “Thx [sic] for all of your support as I pursue my dreams of being a toll booth operator.”
• “I left a tuna casserole for u [sic] in the microwave, darling.”

That said, it’s important not to go overboard with sic. At the barest of minimums, you should always verify that what you’re indicating is an error with sic actually is an error. If a quote includes the same error multiple times, you don’t need to use sic after each instance, either.

You should also avoid immediately pegging every instance of nontraditional usage as an error. A typo is a typo, but in some cases, context matters. The boundaries of standard English are always changing, and this is a good — dare I say exciting — thing. Anybody that tells you otherwise is full of baloney, and they probably believe other grammar myths. Repeatedly labeling other dialects or similar syntactical differences as “wrong” can send a pretty nasty message.

In short, if the writer’s meaning or intent is muddied because of an error, sic your sic on it so your readers will understand the point. Otherwise, chill out. Or, if you’re really not sure what to do, just don’t directly quote that passage. Paraphrase it instead.

Let’s Recap: How to Use Sic

What does sic mean in an article? When used verb-style, it means somebody better look alive because they’re about to get chased by a lizard. As an adverb, sic is a valuable method of both preserving an original source and proving that you paid attention in English class. Do you have any sick tips for how to use sic? Do you think I’m being too hard on Shaggy? And whatever happened to RikRok? Sic your comments on this blog below!

If you’ve ever watched a 20th-century teen comedy set in a high school, then you’ve likely learned the following three things about the SAT exam, whether you took it back then or not:

• It was a huge deal.
• If you didn’t do well on the SAT, you should probably just drop what you were doing and start living under a bridge because without a good score, you couldn’t get into the college of your choice. If you didn’t get into the right college, you’d never be able to get a job, and without a job, you’d have to live under a bridge and eat Spaghetti-Os out of tin cans whenever you weren’t riding the rails with all three of your belongings tied up in a bandana that you carry on the end of a long stick.
• The SAT analogy question section was BRUTAL.

Fortunately, the SAT did away with its notorious analogy definition section in 2005. That doesn’t mean that you can just skate through life being dazed and confused about analogies, though — especially if you want to make a living using your writing skills. Grab your popcorn, crank up the “10 Things I Hate About You” soundtrack and let’s get to it.

 

Analogy Definition

An analogy is a statement that compares the similarities between two things in order to explain or clarify a concept. That last part is what sets analogies apart from similes and metaphors: Similes and metaphors aren’t used to explain anything. Typically, they’re just straight-up description, like if you say your lovable but stupid pet raccoon Todd is “as dumb as a rock” or “Todd is not the sharpest claw on the paw.” That simile and that metaphor, respectively, double-down descriptively on how stupid your pet raccoon is.

If, on the other hand, you said, “Todd is to raccoons what Homer Simpson is to the town of Springfield,” that’s an analogy. It shows instead of tells. It doesn’t directly state that Todd is lovable but dumb; rather, it explains his position within the raccoon population by comparing him to a very well-known fictional character and his relationship to his community.

In other words, if you’re familiar with Homer Simpson, you’re very likely to have a precise and oddly satisfying understanding of Todd the Raccoon’s temperament. You know he’s kind of a doofus and doesn’t often exercise common sense, but you root for that little trash panda nonetheless.

 

What Is an Analogy?

All analogies compare two similar things in order to explain or illuminate something about one of them. They don’t all take the same approach toward completing that task, though.

There are two main varieties of analogy that you can use to hook a reader’s attention. Check out each subset of analogy definition below:

Identical Relationships

Analogies are used to represent relationships. These are those old, straightforward chestnuts — and by “chestnuts,” I mean “pains in the you-know-where” from standardized testing: A is to B as C is to D.

A simple example of an analogy that uses an identical relationship to explain something would be, “Frogs are to amphibians as jaguars are to mammals.” Frogs and jaguars are both members of a broader class of animals — amphibians and mammals, respectively.

Here’s another one: “Good is to evil as peace is to war.” Since both pairs are opposites, that’s another example of an analogy that tidily rests upon an identical relationship.

Shared Qualities

Other analogies get a bit more abstract — and if you’re a writer, parent or high school football coach, this is where all the fun and opportunities for colorful communication begin. Instead of utilizing straightforward relationships, these analogies compare via shared attributes. Here’s an example:

• Marriage is to dating as Kenny G is to Motörhead.

Here, marriage and dating are being compared to two popular recording artists in order to illuminate the difference between being married and dating someone. The analogy posits that being married is like that sax-heavy smooth jazz music you might hear playing over the loudspeakers at your dentist’s office or perhaps a Jo-Ann Fabrics. In other words, it’s fine and tame and kind of boring.

On the other hand, the analogy for dating someone is like the music of a proto-thrash metal band. It’s exciting, it’s sexy and somebody might get a bottle broken over their head.

Right about now, you might be asking: “Hey, why couldn’t you just say that marriage can be dull and dating is almost always more fun?”

You could, but that conveys less meaning and specificity. Also? Yawn City.

Analogies are an engaging and revelatory way to explain things, especially abstract ideas such as dating, marriage, love and how relegation works in English Premier League soccer. Analogies add depth.

Creative Analogy Examples

While there are two main divisions of analogy definition, individual analogies come in all shapes and sizes. As you scope out the examples below, see if you can tell the difference between those that use identical relationships to make their point and those that rely on shared traits.

• The Black-Eyed Peas are to music what Applebee’s is to steak.
• Brenda feels about the keto diet the same way she feels about rollercoasters: they’re fine for somebody else to go on.
• “The Godfather Part III” is to Coppola’s film trilogy what that 2:30 a.m. burrito run is after a fun night of drinking. It sounded good at the time, but nobody really needed it, and it made your roommate throw up in his mouth a little bit.
• Jeff’s girlfriend, who lives in Canada, is a lot like Bigfoot. She has great hair, and we’re pretty sure she doesn’t exist.
• Hawkeye is to “The Avengers” what Tito was to The Jackson 5.
• You know at awards shows how the losing nominees all have to clap for the winner on camera? That’s what attending a bridal shower is like, but for at least an hour straight. You’re in uncomfortable clothes, clapping and smiling at shiny things you barely care about, surrounded largely by acquaintances and dreaming of the juicy burger you’re going to devour on the way home.

Common Word Analogy Examples

If you’re looking for simple word analogy examples that highlight the association between objects or concepts, consider the following:

• Green is to color as square is to shape
• Fridge is to cold as oven is to hot
• Sheep is to mammal as lizard is to reptile
• Birds are to cages as animals are to zoos
• Fingers are to snapping as lips are to whistling
• Apple is to fruit as cauliflower is to vegetable
• Den is to bear as house is to person
• Feet are to kicking as fists are to punching
• Cat is to kitten as dog is to puppy
• Mansion is to big as shack is to little
• Chef is to food as artist is to painting
• White is to black as cold is to hot

 

Do You Understand the Analogy Definition?

Analogies are essentially similes and metaphors that have leveled up. Literature, history and popular culture are littered with these colorful ways of enriching an audience’s understanding and laser-focusing your explanation of ideas, feelings and abstractions.

Got any analogies of which you’re especially fond? How about a favorite analogy definition or high school comedy? Make like “Clueless” and Cher — er, I mean share — in the comments below!

If you’re like me, you often feel that there aren’t enough hours in the day. There’s never any time to play video games or, you know, exercise. There’s no time to study or to get into Stanford. You, me, Jessie Spano — we’ll take any shortcuts we can get if it means regaining just a few precious moments of time. And that’s where contractions grammar comes in.

Contractions Grammar Definition

A contraction is a compressed version of a word (or words) that’s created by leaving out one or more letters. In most contractions, an apostrophe replaces the missing letters to denote they’ve been intentionally omitted.

Why do we use contractions? First, they reflect the way people actually talk. For example, if you were picking up a chronically late friend to go on a camping trip, which of the following sounds like how you’d phrase things?

Option A: We will pick you up at 7:30. Do not be late. I am serious, Owen. If you are not ready, we cannot wait around.

Option B: We’ll pick you up at 7:30. Don’t be late. I’m serious, Owen. If you’re not ready, we can’t wait around.

Unless you’re a robot butler, Option B likely sounds much more like how you talk, and that’s because it employs contractions. They make writing flow more smoothly and can also have a positive effect on the overall rhythm of your writing.

Contractions are widely accepted in most forms of writing, including some professional and academic settings, but they do suggest a certain casualness, so it’s best to assess the situation carefully — and read any instructions closely — before you commit to contractions.

That’s the other thing: If you use contractions in an article or essay, it’s best to be consistent. Either use contractions from start to finish or don’t use them at all. Switching between the two can be jarring to the reader.

The exception to this rule is dialogue. In order to preserve what the speaker actually said, if he or she used contractions, you should too when quoting him or her.

 

Contractions Examples

Contractions typically merge a verb with another word. “Don’t” is a combination of “do” and “not,” for example. The contraction “I’ll” is a shortened form of “I” and “will.” Check out this six-pack of example sentences to see contractions in action:

1. We would’ve ordered the gluten-free crust if we knew wheat makes you hurl. (would have)
2. This fall I’m enrolling in clown college. (I am)
3. What’d your dad say when you told him you burned down that Applebee’s? (What did)
4. My grandmother says I mustn’t chew my toenails. (must not)
5. You’ll never guess what we found buried under our swing set. (You will)
6. Of course, I’ve seen all 40 seasons of “Survivor.” Hasn’t everybody? (I have, Has not)

Given (A) how expansive the English language is, (B) how it’s continually evolving and (C) how impatient most of us are, it should come as little surprise that the English language is stacked with an ever-expanding lineup of contractions that mimic the way you, me and Jessie Spano speak.

Below is a chart that includes more than 100 contractions words that you’re likely to encounter as a reader or deploy as a writer. You’re likely familiar with the vast majority of them, but you might be surprised by some of the base words from which your favorite contractions are built.

Contraction	Base Words
aren’t	are not
can’t	cannot
could’ve	could have
couldn’t	could not
couldn’t’ve	could not have
didn’t	did not
doesn’t	does not
don’t	do not / does not
everybody’s	everybody is
everyone’s	everyone is
hadn’t	had not
had’ve	had have
hasn’t	has not
haven’t	have not
he’d	he had / he would
he’ll	he shall / he will
he’s	he has / he is
how’d	how did / how would
howdy	how do you do / how do you fare
how’ll	how will
how’re	how are
how’s	how has / how is / how does
I’d	I had / I would
I’d’ve	I would have
I’ll	I shall / I will
I’m	I am
I’ve	I have
isn’t	is not
it’d	it would
it’ll	it shall / it will
it’s	it has / it is
let’s	let us
ma’am	madam
may’ve	may have
might’ve	might have
mustn’t	must not
mustn’t’ve	must not have
must’ve	must have
needn’t	need not
o’clock	of the clock
ol’	old
oughtn’t	ought not
she’d	she had / she would
she’ll	she shall / she will
she’s	she has / she is
should’ve	should have
shouldn’t	should not
shouldn’t’ve	should not have
somebody’s	somebody has / somebody is
someone’s	someone has / someone is
something’s	something has / something is
that’ll	that shall / that will
that’re	that are
that’s	that has / that is
that’d	that would / that had
there’d	there had / there would
there’ll	there shall / there will
there’re	there are
there’s	there has / there is
these’re	these are
these’ve	these have
they’d	they had / they would
they’ll	they shall / they will
they’re	they are / they were
they’ve	they have
this’s	this has / this is
those’re	those are
those’ve	those have
wasn’t	was not
we’d	we had / we would/ we did
we’d’ve	we would have
we’ll	we shall / we will
we’re	we are
we’ve	we have
weren’t	were not
what’d	what did
what’ll	what shall / what will
what’re	what are/what were
what’s	what has / what is / what does
what’ve	what have
when’s	when has / when is
where’d	where did
where’ll	where shall / where will
where’re	where are
where’s	where has / where is / where does
where’ve	where have
which’d	which had / which would
which’ll	which shall / which will
which’re	which are
which’s	which has / which is
which’ve	which have
who’d	who would / who had / who did
who’d’ve	who would have
who’ll	who shall / who will
who’re	who are
who’s	who has / who is / who does
who’ve	who have
why’d	why did
why’re	why are
why’s	why has / why is / why does
won’t	will not
would’ve	would have
wouldn’t	would not
wouldn’t’ve	would not have
you’d	you had / you would
you’ll	you shall / you will
you’re	you are
you’ve	you have

 

Poetic Contractions

Just like carpenter jeans and the music of Evanescence, some contractions are doomed to fall out of fashion. Today, when we want to form a contraction from “will not” we use “won’t,” as in “I won’t babysit your kids again until you stop paying me in Bed, Bath and Beyond coupons.”

In the past, both “willn’t” and “wonnot” were contractions for “will not.” How clunky is that contractions grammar, right?

While some archaic contractions have completely disappeared, others simply wonnot die, largely due to your English teacher. These contractions are called poetic contractions, and some of the most common are this dirty dozen right here:

Poetic Contraction	Modern Equivalent
o’er	over
’tis	it is
’twas	it was
an	and
ne’er	never
e’er	ever
oft	often
ta’en	taken
e’en	even
th’	the
o’	of
heav’n	heaven

As their name suggests, poetic contractions — sometimes referred to as syncope — are found mostly in poetry, where they’re used to give the writing momentum or enhance the rhythm. Below are two examples of poetic contractions from a pair of Edgar Allan Poe’s least popular poems. (That’s a joke. I made these up.)

Put thine dirty dishes in the sink,

or ne’er play Xbox again, dear raven.

Stop! Thief! Her purse hath been ta’en!

‘Twas that man in the tell-tale cap.

Someone stop him! Stop him now!

He runs o’er there toward the Gap.

Informal Contractions

I know what you’re thinking: “Aren’t all contractions informal?” You’re right, but some contractions are informal even by contractions grammar standards. These colloquial contractions mimic speech even more closely than the contractions listed above and, as such, are very rarely seen in academic or professional writing — outside of quoted dialogue, of course.

Let’s check out a handful of examples:

• Just tell your mom that you’re gonna go over to my house after the dance. (going to)
• Betcha don’t know how many Granny Smith apples I can fit in your toilet! (Bet you)
• C’mon, Alvin. Just tell us where you hid the diamonds. (Come on)
• I’mma ask you one more time, Alvin. Where are the diamonds? (I’m going to)
• Lemme go already. I ain’t telling ya nothing. (Let me, am not, you)

You can use informal contractions liberally in your personal writing, such as in an email or a note to a friend, as well as in your creative writing, but colloquial contractions grammar should generally be avoided in most formal writing.

Below you’ll find a chart containing the most commonly used informal contractions, all of which probably shouldn’t work their way into your next project summary or research report.

Informal Contraction	Base Words
ain’t	am not / are not / is not / has not / have not
alotta	a lot of
betcha	bet you
‘bout	about
’cause	because
c’mon	come on
cos	because
coulda	could have
dunno	do not know
‘em	them
finna	going to
gimme	give me
gonna	going to
gotcha	got you
gotta	got to
hafta	have to
hasta	hast to
I’mma	I’m going to
kinda	kind of
lemme	let me
lotsa	lots of
mighta	might have
musta	must have
outta	out of
she’da	she would have
shoulda	should have
s’more	some more
sorta	sort of
usta	used to
whatcha	what are you
woulda	would have
wouldna	would not have
ya	you / you are

 

Conquering Contractions Grammar

Understanding contractions grammar is largely a matter of repeated exposure. The more you read these shortened word forms, the more deeply ingrained they’ll become in your writing brain.

Do you have any favorite archaic contractions? Any tips for remembering what stands for what? ‘Tis my hope you willn’t refrain from sharing them in th’ comments section below!