Articles are words that introduce nouns. To choose the correct article, you must first determine whether the noun that it refers to is 1) countable or uncountable and 2) specific or non-specific.

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Modifiers are words that give a specific quality or property to another word or phrase in a sentence.

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Possession is most often shown by adding “–’s” to the relevant noun. However, possessive pronouns (like his, hers, its, ours, yours, and theirs) do not require an additional apostrophe-“s”.

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Prepositions are words or phrases that indicate agency, comparison, concession, manner, place and time, purpose, etc. They include words like: before, at, in on, about, etc. 

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Pronouns replace nouns or other pronouns (called referents) that have been previously stated in the same sentence or paragraph.

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The use of punctuation greatly contributes to the clarity of a message. The correct use of punctuation is therefore essential when it comes to successfully communicating ideas in a paper.

View York University – Bethune College Writing Centre’s Resource on Comma Splices

View SPARK’s Resource on Using Commas

View uOttawa’s Resource on Punctuation

Transition words ensure coherence from one idea to another and overall flow in a paper. They allow the writer to go from one idea to the next, and they help the reader to see how these ideas are connected. 

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The present, past, and future tenses are used for different reasons. In order to express your ideas clearly and precisely, use verb tenses correctly by paying particular attention to the context in which they appear.

View York University – Bethune College Writing Centre’s Resource on Subject-Verb Disagreement

View uOttawa’s Resource on Verb Tenses