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A descriptive paragraph gives a thorough, in-depth treatment of a particular subject. This kind of writing may express abstract ideas like an emotion or a memory as well as tangible details like the sound of a waterfall or the smell of a skunk. Some descriptive essays combine the two. These sentences make the information the author intends to express more tangible for the reader.

To create a descriptive paragraph, you must thoroughly research your subject, list the elements you see, and arrange that information logically.

Finding a Topic

Choosing a subject is the first stage in creating a powerful descriptive paragraph. You may skip this stage if you have a particular assignment or an idea for a subject. If not, it’s time to begin the creative process.

Topics like personal possessions and familiar places are helpful. Detailed, multifaceted descriptions often result from topics you are passionate about and are well-versed in. A spatula or a bag of gum are examples of items that, at first appearance, only need a little explanation. These harmless things take on wholly unexpected dimensions and implications when caught in a well-written descriptive paragraph.

Take into account the objective of your descriptive paragraph before making a decision. You may select any subject if you’re writing a descriptive paragraph, but many descriptive paragraphs are part of a broader endeavor, like a personal story or an application essay. As a result, ensure the subject of your descriptive paragraph fits with the project’s overall objective.

Examining and Exploring Your Topic

After deciding on a subject, the enjoyable part—studying the details—begins. Examine the topic of your paragraph in great detail. Examine it from every viewpoint, starting with your five senses: What does the thing feel, sound, taste, smell, and look like? What connections or recollections do you personally have with the object?

If your subject involves more than one thing, like a place or a memory, you should look at all the emotions and experiences connected to it. Let’s imagine that your area of discussion is your first dental anxiety. The specifics may include the sparkling white grin of the dental assistant who never remembered your name, your white-knuckled grasp on the vehicle door as your mother attempted to pull you inside the office, and the mechanical buzz of the electric toothbrush.

Don’t bother about creating whole sentences or organizing the data into a logical paragraph structure during the prewriting stage. Write down anything that occurs in your mind for the time being.

Organize Your Information

You may start putting together a paragraph using the descriptive facts you’ve gathered into a long list. First, look through the purpose of your descriptive paragraph once again. The specifics you decide to include in the paragraph and the specifics you leave outlet the reader know how you feel about the subject. If any, what message do you hope the description would convey? What particulars help to effectively portray that idea? Think about these concerns as you build the paragraph.

Each descriptive paragraph will have a somewhat different structure, but the following example is a simple place to start:

1. A topic phrase that introduces the subject and succinctly discusses its importance.
2. Supporting phrases that use the specifics you identified during brainstorming to vividly and precisely depict the issue.
3. A succinct statement that reiterates the importance of the subject.

Put the information in a logical sequence for your subject. (While describing a room from back to front is simple, doing so while describing a tree would be difficult.) If you run into trouble, go over sample descriptive paragraphs for ideas and feel free to try out alternative layouts. The facts in your final draft should flow logically, with each phrase building on the one before and the following.

Showing, Not Telling

Remember to illustrate rather than just state even in your subject and conclusion phrases. It is blatant “telling” (the fact that you are describing your pen should be self-evident from the paragraph itself) and unconvincing to have a subject sentence that begins, “I am describing my pen because I love to write” (the reader cannot feel or sense the strength of your love of writing).

You may avoid using “tell” statements by retaining a convenient collection of facts. Here is an example of a topic sentence that emphasizes the importance of the subject via the use of specifics: The baby-soft tip of my ballpoint pen glides over the page with ease, almost drawing my ideas out of my head and onto the paper. It is my secret writing companion.

Edit and Proofread Your Paragraph

Your paragraph is finished once it has been modified and proofread. Request comments from a friend or instructor once they have read your text. Check to see whether the paragraph effectively communicates the point you were trying to make. Reading your paragraph can help you identify any uncomfortable language or long phrases. Last but not least, use a proofreading checklist to make sure there are no little mistakes in your text.

After an independent clause or a parenthetical comment, a word or phrase is set off with the dash (—) punctuation mark (words, phrases, or clauses that interrupt a sentence). Contrary to popular belief, the dash (—) is longer than the hyphen (-). “The Elements of Style” by William Strunk Jr. and E.B. White explains that a dash is a stronger signal of separation than a comma, less formal than a colon, and more relaxed than parentheses.

The em dash, also known as the “long dash,” according to Oxford Online Dictionaries, and the en dash, which has no other name but is in between the hyphen and em dash in length, are the two sorts of dashes that exist and each has a distinct purpose. The en dash and the em dash were given their names because their widths are roughly similar to a capital N and an uppercase M, respectively.

Origins

The Middle English word darshan, which likely sprang from the Middle French verb dancier, meaning “to urge ahead,” is where Merriam-Webster claims the word “dash” originates. A dash’s present meaning is “to break,” which is a good description of what it does in grammar.

According to the Online Etymology Dictionary, the dash, a “horizontal line used as a punctuation mark,” first emerged in writing and printing in the 1550s. However, the dash had specialized uses by the late 1800s. The em dash is commonly employed in specific works as a replacement for the comma or the colon and is deemed especially useful in rhapsodic literature, where interrupted sentences regularly occur, according to Thomas MacKellar, who wrote “The American Printer: A Manual of Typography” in 1885.

MacKellar listed numerous particular uses for the dash, such as

• An indication of repetition in product catalogs where denotes ditto.
• In book catalogs, it was used in place of author names.
• In place of the words to and until, as shown in chap. xvi. 13–17.

Today, an en dash, which denotes a range, would be the last application.

The En Dash

The press service explains how other styles utilize the shorter dash, even if the Associated Press does not. En dashes are required in certain other styles to denote ranges of dates, times, or page numbers, as well as with some compound modifiers. For instance:

• He had  9-5 job.
• She is at work from 8 am-5 pm.
• The event will run from March 15-31.

Hold the Alt key while typing 0150 on a Windows-based computer’s keyboard to dash. When using a Macintosh-based computer, hold the Option key while pressing the Minus key [-]. According to the American Psychological Association, you should use the en dash for the following: (test–retest, male–female, and the Chicago–London flight).

• Page ranges (cited as “Journal of Applied Psychology, 86, 718-729”).
• Additional ranges (16–30 kHz).

The Modern Languages Association, according to Angela Gibson, writing for the MLA Style Center, utilizes an en dash when a single compound adjective is a proper noun, as in:

• Pre-Industrial Revolution city.

She points out that when a compound in the predicate position contains a proper noun, the MLA additionally requires an en dash:

• The audience adored Beyoncé Knowles-Carter.

The Em Dash

Em dashes are used by The AP, who also uses them, and they are used as follows:

• To indicate a sudden transformation.
• To initiate a phrase’s internal sequence.
• Before author or composer credit in certain forms.
• Following datelines.
• To begin lists.

Other styles, such as MLA and APA, remove the spaces on each side of an em dash, although AP style demands them. Holding down the Alt key while typing 0151 creates an em dash on a keyboard on a Windows-based computer. Techwalla advises holding down Shift and Option on a Macintosh-based machine while pressing the Minus key [-]. Alternatively, you may hit the Hyphen key twice while pressing Space.

An em dash may be used in sentences in one of two ways:

Following a standalone clause, in his book “My Paris,” author Saul gives the following example of how to use an em dash after an independent clause:

“Life is like playing the violin while delivering a performance” — observed Samuel Butler.

“That — friends, is true knowledge.”

Words and phrases to jargon: The following quotation demonstrates how writers have successfully inserted a parenthetical idea or statement using em dashes:

“My first memories of money are of copper Lincoln cents— pale zinc-coated steel for a year in the war.” A Sense of Change by John Updike, The New Yorker, April 26, 1999

Thoughts on the Dash

The dash has generated an exceptional amount of discussion among authors, grammarians, and punctuation specialists for such a small punctuation mark. In “The Complete Plain Words,” a style, grammar, and punctuation reference book, Ernest Gowers assert that the dash is alluring. It tempts the author to employ it as a master of all punctuation, saving him the hassle of selecting the proper stop. On the other hand, some people have backed the dash: “The dash is more appealing than the semicolon because it is less formal, improves the tone of discourse, and has rather subtle consequences. People mostly use it because they know it cannot be misused.”

“Shoots, Eats, and Leaves” by Lyndon Truss

Other authors vehemently object to using the mark: “As you may have seen, the dash has the negative effect of discouraging genuinely effective writing. It also messes up the flow of a phrase, which may be its worst offense. Don’t you find it irritating when a writer interjects a partially finished idea into the middle of another one? You may tell me if you do, and I won’t take it personally.” —Norene Malone, “The Case Against the Em Dash, Please Hear Me Out.” 24 May 2011 Slate.

Therefore, make sure you are employing the en dash and em dash for the appropriate purposes and according to the guidelines mentioned, the next time you look through your arsenal of punctuation marks and find them ready to be used. Consider if your parenthetical statement will enhance the reader’s understanding of your text or confuse them. If the latter is the case, either modify the phrase to eliminate the dreaded dash or put the dashes back in your punctuation tool bag and use a comma, colon, or semicolon instead.

Nouns are among the most significant categories of words in English. Nouns are a word that denotes entities like individuals, things, ideas, etc. English has seven different noun categories.

Abstract Nouns

Abstract nouns describe concepts, thoughts, and emotions. Abstract nouns play a crucial role in life because they are nouns you cannot touch and are not comprised of physical objects. Here are some prevalent abstract noun examples:

• Success
• Depression
• Love \hate \anger
• Power \importance \tolerance

Tom has had a great year of success.

Many individuals would instead let love motivate them than hatred.

Jack doesn’t like it when people squander his time.

The quest for power has destroyed many fine individuals.

Collective Nouns

Collective nouns refer to groups of all kinds. Animal groupings are the most frequent subjects for collective nouns. Although collective nouns may be used in single and plural forms, the singular form is more often utilized. These popular collective nouns for groups of animals include:

• Herd \slitter \pack \swarm \shive
• The cattle herd moved to a fresh pasture to graze.
• Be cautious! Bees are living in a hive nearby.

The names of organizations like political, economic, and academic institutions, as well as divisions within such entities, often employ collective nouns.

• Department \firm \party
• Tomorrow morning at ten thirty, the staff will gather.
• Last quarter, the sales department achieved its objectives.

Common Nouns

Common nouns never relate to individual instances, only to broad categories. To put it another way, the term “university” may be used with a generic meaning when discussing education.

Tom should attend a university to study science.

University is a popular term in this context. However, when the word “university” is part of a name, it becomes a proper noun (see below).

To attend the University of Oregon, Meredith made the decision.

Keep in mind that proper nouns are always capitalized when they are used as part of a name. The following common nouns and name components are often used in both sentences:

• University \college \school \institute \department \state
• Several states are experiencing financial difficulties.
• I believe you should enroll in college.

Concrete Nouns

Things that you can touch, taste, feel, and see are referred to as concrete nouns. They are engaged with real things regularly. Countable and uncountable concrete nouns are both possible. Typical concrete nouns include the following:

Countable Object Nouns

• Orange \desk \book \car \house
• Numerous concrete nouns
• Rice \water \pasta \whiskey
• On the table, there are three oranges.
• I want some liquids. I’m hydrated!
• My acquaintance just purchased a new vehicle.
• Rice is acceptable for supper.

Abstract nouns, which do not relate to objects we touch but instead to thoughts, ideas, and emotions, are the antithesis of concrete nouns.

Pronouns

A pronoun indicates a person or object. Depending on how the pronouns are used, there are many pronoun forms. The subject pronouns are as follows:

I
you
he
she
it
we
you
they

He is a New York resident.

He enjoys pizza.

Pronouns come in various forms, including possessive, demonstrative, subject, and object pronouns.

Proper Nouns

The names of individuals, objects, organizations, and countries are considered proper nouns. Proper nouns are capitalized at all times. Common proper noun examples include the following:

• Canada
• College of California
• Tom Alice is a resident of Kansas.
• Next year, I’d want to go to Canada.

Uncountable Nouns/Mass Nouns/Non-Count Nouns

Mass nouns or non-count nouns are other names for uncountable nouns. Uncountable nouns cannot be numbered; they may be both concrete and abstract and are always used in the singular form. Following are a few prevalent uncountable nouns:

• Rice \love \time \weather \furniture
• This week’s weather is wonderful.
• For our house, we must get some new furnishings.

According to usage, uncountable nouns typically cannot have a definite or indefinite article.

The tense of a verb in grammar determines when it acts or what state it is in, such as present (something that is occurring right now), past (something that occurred in the past), or future (something going to happen). These are known as the time frame of the verb. For instance, consider that “I shall continue to walk as I do” (future) in the present and the past.

A verb may also have an aspect that provides additional information about the verb’s state of activity. It might be simple, perfect, progressing, or perfect simple. The fundamental present, past, and future tense verb forms cover simple sentences. Simple aspect verbs only sometimes indicate when an activity is finished. Instead, it would be best to use continuous/progressive tenses for a continuing or incomplete activity. You would use the perfect or perfect progressive tenses if the activity was completed:

The tenses for walking are: I walked (simple past), I am walking (present continuous, action is continuing), I was walking (past continuous, activity continued in the past), and I shall be walking (future continuous, ongoing action will happen later).

I have walked (present perfect progressive, the current ongoing action is complete), I had walked (past perfect progressive, the action was ongoing in the past and completed in the past), I will have walked (future perfect, the action will be completed in the future), I have been walking (present perfect progressive, the current ongoing action is complete), and I will have been walking (future perfect progressive, ongoing action will be completed in the future).

Irregular Verbs

Of course, not all verb tenses in English are as simple to conjugate as ordinary verbs like: walk, walked, and walking participles. Consider the verb go, which in the past also transforms into went and gone:

I was going (past continuous, activity continued in the past), I went (simple past), I am going (present continuous, action is continuing), and I shall be going (future continuous, ongoing action will happen later).

I shall have gone (future perfect, action will have occurred), I had gone (past perfect, the action was accomplished in the past), and I will have gone (future perfect, action will be completed in the future).

The verbs indicate the actions that were continuing and accomplished in the past. I have been going (present perfect progressive), I had been going (past perfect progressive), and I will have been going (future perfect progressive, ongoing action will be completed in the future)

Helpers and Conditional Mood

The continuous and perfect tenses are created via auxiliaries, which are versions of the verbs “to be” or “have,” like in the examples from above:

• I was or am walking (continuously)
• I walked or had walked (perfectly)
• I’ll go forward via walking (future)

English only expresses future tense by the use of auxiliary verbs adjacent to the verbs, such as I will walk, I will be walking, or I am going to walk, rather than having a distinct future tense verb form (like adding a -ed to produce a past tense word).

The conditional mood (which is not a different verb form either) is used when something may or may not happen. It is frequently constructed with auxiliary verbs like may or can: I could walk (present conditional) or I may walk (past conditional).

Understanding the independent and dependent variables and how to utilize them is crucial since they are both investigated in experiments that follow the scientific method. Here are the explanations for graphing independent and dependent variables and examples of each one.

Independent Variable

The circumstance you alter in an experiment is the independent variable. It is a factor that you can influence. Because its value is independent of and unaffected by the status of any other variable in the experiment, it is known as an independent variable. This variable, which is altered, is often referred to as the “controlled variable.” Contrast that with a “control variable,” which is a variable that is consciously kept constant to have no impact on the experiment’s results.

Dependent Variable

The condition that you assess in an experiment is the dependent variable. You might conceive of it as relying on the independent variable since you are evaluating how it reacts to a change in the independent variable. Sometimes the dependent variable is termed the “responding variable.”

Independent and Dependent Variable Examples

The test score is the dependent variable in research to see whether students’ amount of sleep impacts their test results, and the amount of sleep is the independent variable.

To find out which brand absorbs the most liquid, compare several paper towel brands. The kind of paper towel you used would be the experiment’s independent variable. The quantity of liquid absorbed by the paper towel would be the dependent variable.

The wavelength of light is the independent variable, and whether or not the light is detected (the response) is the dependent variable in an experiment to find out how far individuals can see into the infrared region of the spectrum.

The presence or absence of a certain quantity of caffeine will serve as the independent variable in a study to determine if caffeine impacts hunger. The dependent variable would be how hungry you are.

You plan an experiment to determine if a substance is necessary for a rat diet. The independent variable is whether the chemical is present or not. The rat’s health is the dependent variable (whether it lives and can reproduce). The amount of the chemical required may be determined in a subsequent experiment if it is shown to be essential for healthy nutrition. The number of chemicals, in this case, would be the independent variable, while the health of the rats would be the dependent variable.

How to Tell the Independent and Dependent Variable Apart

Remember that changing the independent variable impacts the dependent variable if you have trouble differentiating between the independent and dependent variables—the independent variable influences the dependent variable when the variables are written out in a cause-and-effect phrase. The variables must be correct for the statement to make sense.

The impact of the independent variable on the dependent variable:

Example: Your test results (dependent variable) are influenced by how much sleep you get (an independent variable).

Example: Your test results (dependent variable) are impacted by your sleep duration (independent variable).

How to Plot Variables on a Graph

The graphing of the independent and dependent variables follow a conventional procedure. The dependent variable is on the y-axis, whereas the independent variable is on the x-axis. To make it easier to remember how to graph variables, use the term DRY MIX:

DRY MIX

D = dependent variable
R = responding variable
Y = graph on the vertical or y-axis
M = manipulated variable
I = independent variable
X = graph on the horizontal or x-axis

Test your knowledge of the scientific process with this quiz.

Percentiles are a tool used in statistics to comprehend and analyze data. A data set’s nth percentile is the number below which n percent of the data falls. Percentiles are often used daily to comprehend numbers such as test results, health indicators, and other metrics. An 18-year-old man who is six and a half feet tall, for instance, is in the 99th percentile for height. This indicates that 99 percent of the guys aged 18 are at least six and a half feet. On the other hand, a boy aged 18 who is just five and a half feet tall is in the 16th percentile for his height, which means that only 16% of men of the same age are the same height or less.

Key Facts: Percentiles

• Data may be understood and interpreted using percentiles. They show the range of values below which a certain proportion of the data in a collection is found.
• The formula n = (P/100) x N, where P is the percentile, N is the number of values in a data collection (ordered from least to most significant), and n is the ordinal rank of a particular value and may be used to determine percentiles.
• To comprehend exam results and biometric measures, percentiles are routinely utilized.

What Percentile Means

It is essential to distinguish percentiles from percentages. In contrast to percentiles, percentages are the values below which a certain proportion of the data in a data collection is discovered; they are used to describe fractions of a total. Practically speaking, there is a big difference between the two. For instance, a student may score 75% on a challenging test. This indicates that he answered three out of four questions correctly. A kid with a score in the 75th percentile, however, got a different score. This percentile indicates that the student outperformed 75% of the other test-takers in grade. In other words, the percentile score shows how well the student performed from other students, whereas the percentage score shows how well the student performed on the test.

Percentile Formula

The following formula may be used to generate percentiles for the values in a given data set:

n = (P/100) x N

Where n is the ordinal rank of a specific value, P is the percentile, and N is the number of items in the data collection (with the values in the data set sorted from smallest to most significant). Consider a class of 20 students who just took a test and had the following scores: 75, 77, 78, 78, 80, 81, 82, 83, 84, 84, 84, 85, 87, 87, 88, 88, 88, 89, 90. A data set containing 20 values may represent these scores: 75, 77, 78, 78, 80, 81, 82, 83, 84, 84, 84, 85, 87, 87, 88, 88, 88, 89, 90.

By substituting known numbers into the formula and figuring out n, we can get the score that corresponds to the 20th percentile:

n = (20/100) x 20

n = 4

The score of 78 is the fourth number in the collection of data. This indicates that a score of 78 represents the 20th percentile, which implies that 20% of the class’s pupils had a grade of 78 or below.

Deciles and Common Percentiles

The median, first quartile, and third quartile of a data set arranged in increasing magnitude may be divided into four parts. One-fourth of the data is below the first quartile, which is where it is located. Half of the data are below the median, precisely where the center of the data set is placed. Three-fourths of the data are below the third quartile.

Percentiles may be used to express the median, first quartile, and third quartile. The median represents the 50th percentile since half of the data is less than the median, and one-half is equal to 50%. Since 25% is equivalent to one-fourth, the first quartile represents the 25% percentile. The 75th percentile is in the third quartile.

Along with quartiles, deciles are typical methods of grouping data collection. Each decile represents 10% of the data set. As a result, the first decile represents the 10th percentile; the second decile represents the 20th percentile, etc. Deciles provide a means to divide a data set more evenly than quartiles while avoiding the need to divide it into 100 equal parts as with percentiles.

Applications of Percentiles

Numerous applications exist for percentile scores. Percentiles are valid whenever data collection has to be divided into manageable pieces. Furthermore, they are often used to analyze test results, such as SAT scores, allowing test takers to contrast their performance with that of other students. A student could get 90 percent on a test, for instance. That looks pretty great, but it becomes less so, considering that only 20% of the class scored 90% or below. A score of 90% corresponds to the 20th percentile.

Children’s growth charts are another place where percentiles are used. Pediatricians often provide a percentile score in addition to a physical assessment of a patient’s height or weight. A percentile is utilized when comparing a child’s weight or height to other kids of his or her age. This enables a valuable comparison so parents may determine if their child’s development is typical or atypical.

The verb to be is one of the English language’s smallest, most essential, and strangest verbs. This one is the only irregular verb in English that changes its form in each tense.

Usage of To Be

The most significant verb in English is “to be.” It may be used in straightforward sentences like: “How are you?”

“I’m from Italy.”

“It’s a lovely day.”

It may also be used to convey sophisticated ideas, however. In reality, the famous question “To be, or not to be?” is posed by the title character in one of William Shakespeare’s most well-known dramas, “Hamlet.” Prince Hamlet expresses his existential doubt in this well-known quote, effectively pondering if it would be preferable to be dead than living. To be, fundamentally, is a state of being.

Being is used as an Auxiliary, Transitive, or Linking Verb

Although the word “to be” is used often, it’s crucial to know how to use it correctly. Understanding the function of the verb is necessary before conjugating it in the present and past tenses.

To be is a stative verb that refers to something’s current condition, including its appearance, existence, and even scent. As in the following instances: “Jennifer is my sister,” “That television program is intriguing,” and “Our home is in the country,” the verbs “to be” or “be” may connect a sentence’s subject to a word or phrase that describes it.

The auxiliary or assisting verb “to be” may also be used in conjunction with the main verb, as in the following instances:

Joe made his first model rocket last year.

Michelangelo’s masterpieces have been appreciated for ages.

Kim is now creating a clay vase.

The verb “to be” may also accept a direct or indirect object, making it a transitive verb. For instance, “Sue is chatting.” This statement’s verb “to be” has talked as its immediate object.

To Be: Present Tense

The indicative or straightforward present, the present perfect, and the present continuous are only a few tenses that the verb to be may be in the present tense. The tables below demonstrate the conjugations needed to take these forms.

Indicative Mode
Singular	Plural
I am	We are
You are	You are
He/She/It is	They are

The verb changes in the first, second, and third person, even in the indicative or simple present tense.

To Be: Present Perfect

The present perfect, created by joining the verbs has or have with a past participle that often ends in -d, -ed, or -n, denotes acts or occurrences that have already been accomplished or have occurred in the present.

Singular	Plural
I have been.	We have been.
You have been.	You have been.
He/She/It has been.	They have been.

Examples of the present perfect include:

• I have been a teacher for many years.
• She has been to France several times in her life.

Remember that only the third-person singular employs the verb form “has” in the present perfect. Every other form used in this tense is “have.”

To Be: Present Continuous

The present continuous, commonly referred to as the present progressive, is typically employed to describe a current event.

Singular	Plural
I am thinking.	We are thinking.
You are thinking.	You are thinking.
He/She/It is thinking.	They are thinking.

An example might be, “Multiple pupils are taking the course.” Note how the verb “to be” varies based on the number (single or plural) and the person (first, second, or third). Unfortunately, there needs to be a more complex strategy to choose the correct form. Remember that the third-person singular needs “is,” the second requires “are,” and the first requires “am.” Thankfully, all of the use of the plural form “are.”

To Be: Past Simple

Her home was constructed in 1987, which shows that something occurred at a precise moment.

Singular	Plural
I was.	We were.
You were.	You were.
He/She/It was.	They were.

It should be noted that “were” is used with a second-person pronoun, whereas the past singular needs “was” for the first and third person. The plural tenses “were” used for all forms.

Past Perfect

The past perfect describes things that have already occurred or are in the past.

Singular	Plural
I had been.	We had been.
You had been.	You had been.
He/She/It had been.	They had been.

Examples include:

How long had you been in town before he phoned you?

Peter had gone to the office before they came.

Before they came, Peter had probably only made one trip to the post office, and the person in the second phrase had “been in town” for a certain amount of time before “he phoned.”

To Be: Past Continuous

When describing occurrences concurrently with a significant event, the past continuous is often utilized.

Singular	Plural
I was being	We were being
You were being	You were being
He/She/It was being	They were being

The phrase “The concepts were being debated as the choices were being taken” is an example of the past continuous in a sentence. The past continuous is used twice in this sentence to emphasize how two actions were co-occurring: Decisions “were being” taken at the same time as ideas “were being” debated.

Other Present and Past Uses of To Be

The present and past tenses of the verb to be may also be employed in various ways, such as the comparative or superlative form to compare two people, places, things, or concepts. The “to be” verb functions as an adjective when used in this way: “The Mercedes is quicker than the Fiat” or “The Mercedes is the quickest automobile on the lot.”

• The modal form, also known as the present possibility, indicating the likelihood that something will happen, as in “He should be at church waiting for us,” and past possibility denoting the likelihood that something occurred in the past, as in “He may have been at school or home.”
• A copular verb connects the subject of a phrase or sentence to the compliment. These complements are often descriptive, frequently adjective or noun phrases, such as “I sometimes arrive late for work.”

A popular “to be” verb is a transitive verb, but instead of having a single word as the object, it has a phrase or a sentence. The verb “to be,” in this instance, “am,” connects the subject “I” with the description of the subject (a person who is sometimes late for work).

The component of speech (or word class), known as a verbs, express an action, a happening, or a state of being. Typically, verbs and verb phrases serve as predicates. Verbs may show variations of tense, mood, aspect, number, person, and voice.

Lexical verbs, sometimes known as primary verbs since they don’t rely on other verbs, and auxiliary verbs are the two basic categories of verbs (also called helping verbs). Many verb types have opposites, such as lexical and auxiliary verbs.

Lexical vs. Auxiliary

Lexical verbs, also known as complete verbs, communicate a sentence’s semantic (or lexical) meaning. Examples include: It rained yesterday night; I ran quickly and consumed the whole hamburger.

Lexical verbs make up the vast bulk of verbs in English. Contrarily, an auxiliary verb controls the tenor or mood of another verb in a sentence, as in the example: “It will rain tonight.”

By indicating the future in this statement, the verb will aid the verb rain. The auxiliary verbs in English are:

• Is, am, are, were, and are.
• Been, being, was.
• Has; Has; Had.
• Will, shall, should, would; Do; Does; Did; Can; Could.
• Can, could, and must.

Stative vs. Dynamic

A dynamic verb, like in “I purchased a new guitar,” is often used to denote an activity, process, or experience instead of a condition.

Another name for it is an action or event verb. Three main categories of dynamic verbs exist:

• Accomplishment verbs describe actions with a logical conclusion.
• Achievement verbs describe immediate actions.
• Activity verbs describe actions that may go indefinitely.

A stative verb, such as “be,” “have,” “know,” “like,” “own,” “appear,” “prefer,” “understand,” “belong,” “doubt,” and “detest,” defines a state, circumstance, or condition, as in the sentences “Now I own a Gibson Explorer” and “We are what we think we are.”

Instead of describing an action or process, a stative verb mainly describes a condition or circumstance. It might be a physical, mental, or emotional state of being. The conditions might endure for a very long time or an unlimited amount of time without altering. State verbs and static verbs are other names for these terms.

Finite vs. Non-finite

She walked to school is an example of a finite verb that communicates tense and may appear by itself in the primary phrase.

A finite verb is tense-marked and agrees with a subject. If a sentence contains one verb, it is a finite verb. A finite verb, in other words, may stand alone in a phrase.

Conversely, non-finite verbs lack a tense marker and do not indicate agreement with a subject. The phrase “while going to school, she noticed a blue jay” is an example of a non-finite verb (an infinitive or participle) that lacks a difference in tense and may only appear alone in a dependent phrase or sentence.

Finite and non-finite verbs vary primarily because the former may serve as the root of an independent clause or complete sentence, while the latter cannot. For example, the guy dashes into the supermarket to buy a gallon of milk.

Because it agrees with the subject (man) and indicates the tense, the word “dashes” is a finite verb (present tense). Because it doesn’t indicate the tense or agree with the subject, the verb “buy” is a non-finite verb. Instead, it relies on the primary (finite) verb “dashes” and is an infinitive.

Regular vs. Irregular

A regular verb develops its verb tenses by adding one of the universally recognized standardized suffixes, mainly the past tense and past participle. Contrary to irregular verbs, which must be conjugated according to specific rules, regular verbs are formed by adding -d, -ed, -ing, or -s to their primary form.

Regular verbs make up the majority of the English verbs. The essential components of regular verbs are as follows:

1. The -s form is used in the present tense, third person singular, as in walks.
2. The -ed form is used in past verb tenses and past participles, such as walking.
3. The -ing form is used with verbs in present and continuous tenses, such as walking.

Regular verbs always operate the same and are predictable, irrespective of the speaker. An irregular verb does not follow the standard rules for verb forms. If a verb in the past tense and past participle forms does not contain the typical -ed ending (such as requested or concluded), it is considered irregular in English.

Transitive vs. Intransitive

A transitive verb requires an object, which may be either direct or indirect:

• She trades in seashells.
• An intransitive verb does not take the direct object.
• She sat there still.

Because many verbs may serve both transitive and intransitive purposes, this distinction can be complicated. Rihanna crushes my heart; for example, she sometimes takes a direct item and other times does not (When I hear your name, my heart breaks).

Phrasal vs. Prepositional

A prepositional adverb, also known as an adverbial particle, is combined with a verb (often one of action or movement) to form a composite verb known as a phrasal verb. The terms “two-part verbs” (take off and leave out) and “three-part verbs” are occasionally used to refer to phrasal verbs (look up to and down on).

There are hundreds of phrasal verbs in English, many of which have several meanings (such as rip off, run out [of], and pull through). Phrasal verbs, both in their richness and productivity, are “one of the most distinguishing elements of present-day casual English,” according to linguist Angela Downing in “English Grammar: A University Course” idioms often include phrasal verbs.

On the other hand, a prepositional verb is an idiomatic word that joins a verb with a preposition to create a new one with a unique meaning. Prepositional verbs include care for, yearn for, apply for, approve of, add to, resort to, result in, count on, and deal with.

Prepositional verbs are transitive because they often have a noun or pronoun after the preposition.

Other Types of Verbs

Since verbs in English describe every activity or signify all states of being, it is not unexpected that more verb forms are significant to understand.

Catenative: A chain or sequence of verbs may be created by combining catenative verbs. Ask, keep, promise, help, desire, and seem are a few examples.

Causative: A causative verb denotes that something or someone causes something to occur or contributes to its occurrence. Causative verbs, often called causal or just causatives, include make, cause, allow, help, have, enable, retain, hold, let, force, and need.

Compound: A compound verb comprises two or more words that serve the same purpose as one verb. Verb compounds are often written as one word (housesit) or two words connected by a hyphen (water-proof).

Copular: A copular verb is a particular linking verb that connects a sentence’s or clause’s subject to the clause’s subject complement. Jane is my buddy, and Jane is friendly; for instance, both use the word is as a copular verb.

Iterative: An iterative verb, such as “Philip was kicking his sister,” denotes that an action is (or was) repeated.

Linking: A verb that connects the subject of a sentence to a word or phrase that expresses anything about the subject is known as a linking verb. Examples of such verbs include forms of the verbs be and seem. For instance, it serves as a connecting verb in the statement: The boss is unhappy.

Mental-state: A mental-state verb has a meaning that is connected to comprehension, research, planning, or decision-making. Verbs denoting mental states describe cognitive states often inaccessible to external assessment. For instance, all of Tom’s co-workers know his teaching abilities.

Performative: The kind of speech act done, such as promise, invite, apologize, anticipate, vow, request, warn, demand, and prohibit, is conveyed by a performative verb. It is sometimes referred to as a performative utterance or a speech-act verb.

Prepositional: An idiomatic word known as a prepositional verb combines a verb and a preposition to create a new verb with a unique meaning. Care for, yearn for, apply for, approve of, add to, resort to, result in, depend on, and deal with are a few examples.

Reporting: To show that speech is being cited or paraphrased, a reporting verb (say, tell, believe, reply, respond, or question) is employed, as in the sentence: I strongly suggest you obtain a better lawyer. It is also known as a verb of communication.

Are you prepared to improve your aptitude for mathematics? You may complete calculations more quickly using these basic arithmetic techniques. They are also helpful if you want to impress your parents, friends, or teachers.

01 of 10

Multiplying by 6

When multiplying 6 by an even integer, the result will have a single digit. Half of the number in the one’s place will be in the tens.

Example: 6 x 4 = 24.

02 of 10

The Answer Is 2

1. Consider a number.
2. Increase it by 3.
3. Add 6.
4. Subtract 3 from this value.
5. Deduct the figure from Step 1 from the response from Step 4.

The answer is 2.

03 of 10

One-Digit Three-Digit Number

1. Consider any three-digit number where each digit is the same. 333, 666, 777, and 999 are a few examples.
2. Summarize the digits.
3. Subtract the response from Step 2 from the three-digit number.

The answer is 37.

04 of 10

Six Digits Become Three

1. To construct a six-digit number, write any three-digit number twice. Examples are 552552 or 371371.
2. Multiply the result by 7.
3. Multiply it by 11.
4. Multiply it by 13.

It doesn’t matter whatever order you divide things up in!

The three-digit number is the solution.

For instance, 371371 will give you 371, while 552552 will give you 552.

1. Pick any three-digit number and use the associated method.
2. Add 7, 11, and 13 to it.

An outcome is a six-digit number that is a multiple of three.

Example: 456 becomes 456456.

05 of 10

The 11 Rule

This is a simple method for mentally multiplying two-digit integers by 11.

1. Distinguish the two numbers in your head.
2. Combine the two digits.
3. Insert the second-step number between the two numbers. Put the one digit in the space and carry the ten’s digit if the number from Step 2 is more than 9.

Examples: 72 x 11 = 792.

57 x 11 = 5 _ 7, but 5 + 7 = 12, so put 2 in the space and add the 1 to the 5 to get 627

06 of 10

Memorizing Pi

How many letters are there in each syllable of the phrase “How I wish I could calculate pi”? That will help you memorize the first seven digits of pi.

They are 3.141592.

07 of 10

Contains the Digits 1, 2, 4, 5, 7, 8

1. Choose a number between 1 and 6.
2. Increase the amount by 9.
3. Increase it by 111.
4. Increase it by 1001.
5. Multiply the result by 7.

The sum of the digits 1, 2, 4, 5, 7, and 8 will equal the number.

Example: The number 6 yields the answer 714285.

08 of 10

Multiply Large Numbers in Your Head

The arithmetic may be made simpler by using the distance between two double-digit values and 100:

1. Deduct each value from 100.
2. Summarize these figures.
3. The first component of the solution is 100 minus this number.
4. To get the second component of the solution, multiply the digits from Step 1.

09 of 10

Super Simple Divisibility Rules

You’re wondering whether your party can divide the 210 pizza slices equally. Use these straightforward shortcuts to do the arithmetic in your brain rather than pulling out the calculator:

• If the final digit is a multiple of 2, then it is divisible by 2 (210).
• 3 if the total of the digits is a multiple of 3 (522 because the digits add up to 9, it is divisible by 3).
• 4 if the last two digits are 4 or less (2540 because 40 is divisible by 4).
• If the final digit is 0 or 5, it is divisible by 5 (9905).
• If it meets the requirements for both 2 and 3, it is divisible by 6 (408).
• Is a multiple of 9 if the total of the digits is a multiple of 9 (6390 because 6 + 3 + 9 + 0 = 18 is a multiple of 9).
• Divisible by ten if the last digit is a 0 (8910).
• Divisible by 12 if the conditions for divisibility by 3 and 4 are met.

For instance, the 210 pizza slices may be uniformly divided into groups of 2, 3, 5, or 10.

10 of 10

Finger Multiplication Tables

You can count on your fingers; everyone can do it. Did you know that you could multiply with them? To quickly do the “9” multiplication table, extend the fingers and thumbs of both hands in front of you. Fold that number finger down, counting from the left, to multiply 9 by that number.

Examples: Fold down the fifth finger from the left to multiply 9 by 5. To get the answer, count the fingers on each side of the “fold.” The response in this instance is 45.

Fold the sixth finger downward to multiply 9 by 6, yielding a result of 54.

A composition, which derives from the Latin “to bring together,” refers to how a writer puts words and phrases together to produce a text that is both cohesive and meaningful. The composition may also refer to the writing process, the subject matter of writing, the writing itself, or the name of a college course a student must take. This article focuses on writing exercises.

Key Takeaways

• Composition in writing refers to the way a writer organizes a text.
• Description, narration, exposition, and argumentation are the four types of writing defined in the late 19th century.
• Multimodal compositional features may be found in good literature.

Composition Definition

A writer, like a musician or an artist, determines the tone of a composition according to its intended purpose, making choices about what that tone should be to create a structure. Anything may be expressed via writing, from ardent rage to the use of cold rationality. A piece of writing could use clear, concise language, floral descriptions, or analytical terminology.

English authors and educators have been debating how to categorize forms and styles of writing since the 19th century so that beginning writers would have a place to start. Description, Narration, Exposition, and Argumentation are the four literary genres that rhetoricians settled on after decades of debate. These genres still dominate Composition 101 college courses.

Types of Composition Writing 

Description, narration, exposition, and argumentation are the four traditional writing styles; they are not always categories. They are best regarded as writing modes or individual styles that may be merged and used to make a whole since they would seldom stand alone in a piece of writing. In other words, they may provide information for a piece of writing and serve as solid foundations for learning how to organize a piece of writing.

The famous line “A rose is a rose” from the American poet Gertrude Stein’s 1913 poem “Sacred Emily” is the basis for examples of each of the composition styles listed below.

Description

A description, also known as descriptive writing, is a claim or narrative that gives a reader a verbal portrait of something or someone by enumerating distinguishing qualities and essential details. As a depiction of a person, place, or thing in time, descriptions are grounded in the tangible, realism, or solidity of an item. They give you as many details as you want while giving them the appearance and feel of actual objects.

The color of the petals, the scent of the rose’s perfume, the location of the rose in your garden, and whether it is in a simple clay pot or a hothouse in the city are all ways to describe a rose.

A description of “Sacred Emily” can discuss the poem’s length, composition, and publication dates. It can list Stein’s illustrations or discuss how she employs alliteration and repetition.

Narration

A narration, also known as narrative writing, is a personal tale the author tells the reader. It may explain a set of facts or events presented in chronological order and make connections between the various phases. It may even be theatrical, allowing you to depict each scenario with dialogue and movements. You might insert flashbacks or follow the sequence strictly.

A rose’s story can include how you first saw it, how it ended up in your garden, or why you went to the greenhouse that particular day.

A “Sacred Emily” narrative might describe how you came across the poem, such as in a class or a friend’s loaned book, or you could describe how you looked into the origin of the phrase “a rose is a rose” online.

Exposition

A person, place, object, or event is expounded upon or explained in an exposition, also known as expository writing. Instead of merely describing something, your goal should be to give it a reality, an interpretation, or your beliefs about what it means. In some ways, you are formulating a proposal to clarify your topic’s overarching idea or abstract concept.

An explanation of a rose could include its classification, scientific and colloquial names, who created it, the results of its public release, and how it was spread.

An explanation of “Sacred Emily” may include the setting in which Stein wrote her residence, her influences, and the book’s effect on critics.

Argumentation 

An argumentation, also known as argumentative writing, tests one’s ability to compare and contrast. It is the logical or formal presentation of opposing arguments utilizing a methodical approach. The conclusion is constructed to justify why item A is superior to object B. The substance of your arguments is what you mean by “better.”

A rose could be the subject of an argument over why one rose is superior to another, why you choose roses over daisies or vice versa.

Arguments against “Sacred Emily” could compare it to other poems by Stein or poems that deal with the same subject matter.

The Value of Composition

In the 1970s and 1980s, there was much discussion in college theoretical rhetoric as academics sought to escape what they saw as the constricting conventions of these four writing forms. They continue to be a staple of several collegiate writing courses.

These four traditional forms provide beginner writers with a basis for building a concept and a technique to intentionally influence their writing. They could, however, also be restrictive. Use the conventional forms of composition as a guide to help you improve your writing, but keep in mind that they should only be seen as beginning points rather than strict guidelines.