Elder, Older, etc.

Fill in the blanks.

1. My …………….. sister took care of me after the death of our mother.

Oldest          eldest          Either could be used here

2. She is two years …………….. than her husband.

Elder           older           Either could be used here

3. I have two …………….. sisters.

Elder           older           Either could be used here

Этимология некоторых названий стран мира

Афганистан - возможно, от 'Upa-Ghana-Stan' (на санскрите "земля объединенных племен").

Албания - земля горцев. Корень "Алб" означает "белый" или "гора". Предполагается, что горные племена из современного Косово принесли свой горский этноним на узкую прибрежную равнину.

Affordable comes from the word, "afford." Anne Ball and Jonathan Evans explains in this weeks News Words.

People vs. Persons

People vs. Persons
In the modern sense, the word «people» has slowly been adopted by some writers as the de facto plural form of «person» in place of its traditional plural form persons. However, persons as a term is still used in legal and some formal writing. This post will help you distinguish between these two words so you can properly use them in your writing.

Passive Voice

When to use the passive voice

Verbs can be active or passive. In the active voice, the subject is the doer. In the passive voice, the subject is the person or thing affected by the action of some other agent.

·     The government approved the policy. (Active)

·      The policy was approved by the government. (Passive)

There is nothing wrong with a passive construction, but if you can express the same idea using an active verb, you should do so. Passive forms show an unwillingness to shoulder responsibility. In several passive constructions the doer of the action is not mentioned at all.

Grasp at Straws