There IS...or There ARE a book and a pen on the table?

You may find different answers to this question depending on whom you ask, but almost all native speakers of English would definitively agree that they would say:

"There IS a book and a pen on the table."

The argument for "There are" is that "a book and a pen" are plural.  In that case, it sounds much better to say:

A book and a pen are on the table.

BUT when using the dummy subject "There", it sounds better to say:

There is a book (and there is) a pen on the table.

The rule at work here is that it sounds strange to have a plural verb (are) right next to a singular subject (a book), and vice versa.  It sounds strange to have a singular verb (is) next to a plural subject (pens).  

Ex.  There is a book and pens on the table.

       There are a book and pens on the table.

       There are pens and a book on the table.

       There are a book and pens on the table.  

Ex. There is a girl and two boys waiting outside for us.
       There are a girl and two boys waiting outside for us.
       There are boys and a girl on the soccer team.
       There are a girl and boys on the soccer team. 

What do the words LACKLUSTER, MOONBEAM & PUKING have in common?

They are all words that Shakespeare "invented" or one could say put together using prefixes, suffixes, merging words, changing verbs into adjectives and nouns into verbs (which still happens today, for example, Google...).  But Shakespeare also came up with words in a completely original manner, so we can say he invented words in the end.

This year, 2016, marks 400 years after his death in 1616.

Some of Shakespeare's Idioms...

Shakespeare's Contribution to English Vocabulary (not a complete list...)

1. academe
2. accused
3. addiction
4. advertising
5. amazement
6. arouse
7. assassination
8. backing
9. bandit
10. bedroom
11. beached
12. besmirch
13. birthplace
14. blanket 
15. bloodstained
16. barefaced
17. blushing
18. bet
19. bump
20. buzzer
21. caked
22. cater
23. champion
24. circumstantial
25. cold-blooded
26. compromise
27. courtship
28. countless
29. critic
30. dauntless
31. dawn
32. deafening
33. discontent
34. dishearten
35. drugged
36. dwindle
37. epileptic
38. equivocal
39. elbow
40. excitement
41. exposure
42. eyeball
43. fashionable
44. fixture
45. flawed
46. frugal
47. generous
48. gloomy
49. gnarled
50. grovel
51. gossip
52. green-eyed
53. gust
54. hint
55. hobnob
56. hurried
57. impede
58. impartial
59. invulnerable
60. jaded
61. label
62. lackluster
63. laughable
64. lonely
65. lower
66. luggage
67. lustrous
68. madcap
69. majestic
70. marketable
71. metamorphize
72. mimic
73. monumental
74. moonbeam
75. mountaineer
76. negotiate
77. noiseless
78. obscene
79. obsequiously
80. ode
81. olympian
82. outbreak
83. panders
84. pedant
85. premeditated
86. puking
87. radiance
88. rant
89. remorseless
90. savagery
91. scuffle
92. secure
93. skim milk
94. submerge
95. summit
96. swagger
97. torture
98. tranquil
99. undress
100. unreal
101. varied
102. vaulting
103. worthless
104. zany

What's the difference between SECOND COUSIN and COUSIN ONCE REMOVED?

This question has been annoying me for too long, so here is the answer in simplest terms for my readers.

Second Cousin

First, let's think of it from the perspective of a child.  Your second cousin is quite simply the son or daughter of your Mom or Dad's cousin, which means that you share a great-grandparent with your second cousin.  Confused yet?  

Now think of it from the perspective of an adult.  Imagine your cousin you grew up with.  Now imagine your child and your cousin's child playing together...They are second cousins and share the same great-grandparents.   

Cousin Once Removed

Now the key word here is "once removed," which refers to a generation below or above depending how you look at it.

From the perspective of a child, your cousin once removed is the cousin of your Mom or Dad.  The terms cousin uncle/second uncle or cousin aunt/second aunt can be used. (which, by the way, sound kind of weird, right?)...Anyways...

From the perspective of an adult, your cousin once removed is the son or daughter of your cousin, who can also be called cousin nephew/second nephew or cousin niece/second niece.  

SHOULD'VE, COULD'VE, WOULD'VE...When do I use these contractions?

First of all, here are the contractions:

should've=should have
would've=would have
could've=could have

Note: We use a past participle after each of these contractions. See below for examples. 

We use these words to express the impossible in the past tense. In other words, we use these contractions to look back on the past to think about what we would change if we could do it again.

Let's look at examples of each.

My car got broken into the other day!  I should've locked it...
You're in a traffic jam right now!  You should've taken the other freeway...

I went swimming all day yesterday and got a sunburn. If I'd had sunscreen, I would've used it!
They got lost on their way home from the beach.  They would've used a GPS if there had been Internet.

We went to New York last weekend.  We could've gone to the Statue of Liberty, but we didn't have enough time.
She didn't study for her final exam.  She could've gotten an 'A'...

Woulda Shoulda Coulda...You can say it but don't write it!

Now you know a bit more about the grammar and usage of these useful contractions!  Now go use them!

Difference Between WHILE & WHEN

Basically, we use while with the progressive or continuous verbs, and we use when with the simple verbs.

Here are some examples:

PAST

While I was driving my car, I was drinking a Starbucks coffee.
When I saw my old friend, I ran and gave her a hug.
I was watching T.V. while my dog was taking a nap.
I went inside when I realized the door was open.

PRESENT

While I am correcting papers, I listen to music.
When I go to Mexico, I always eat tons of guacamole.
They are eating dinner while the kids are playing.
When we arrive, we will have lunch.

Hope this helps! Leave any questions below you may have below...

QUICK LESSON: Time PREPOSITIONS (with practice!)

Let's take a look at those little words called prepositions (on, in, to, out, for, through, behind, etc.). But as today is a quick lesson, let's just look at the following:

Prepositions for Time:

• time (4:30, 12:00, 8:20...etc.)
• days (Monday...)
• dates (June 12th, 2015)
• morning/afternoon/evening
• night
• months (January...)
• seasons (winter, spring, summer, fall/autumn)
• years (2014...)

AT+ _ _ : _ _+ night

I take my dog for a walk at 6:30 in the afternoon.

I get up at 7:15 in the morning. 

We will meet for lunch at noon. (12 pm)

The kids went to sleep at midnight. (12 am)

We like to go out at night. 

ON + day + date 

I work late on Mondays, and I take a late lunch on Fridays. 

I will see you on Tuesday. 

My birthday is on June 12th. 

The famous author was born on November 25th, 1979.

IN + the morning/afternoon/evening + months + seasons + year

I like to have an espresso early in the morning.
In the afternoon I enjoy going for a walk along the river.
Our family eats dinner in the evening at 7:30 pm.
He will get married in October.

Let's go to the beach in the summer and snowboarding in the winter.

Shakespeare was born in 1564 and died in 1616. 

Exercises:

Write the correct preposition of time:

1-Let’s meet ______ six o’clock.

2-I went to Scotland ______ 1980.

3-I will start my new job ______ Friday.

4-We met her______ New Year’s Eve.

5-We arrived in Romania _______ October.

6-_____ the summer I love to go sailing.

7-We get up early ________ the morning.

9-Do you dream_______ night?

10-What do you like doing _______ Fridays?

11-He is working on the project ______ Tuesday.

12-I lived in Spain _______ the 1970s.

13-I will see you _______ the winter.

14- The telephone and the doorbell rang ______ 5:00 pm.

15- My wife gave me a wonderful present _____ my birthday.

16- The doctor will see you _______ two o’clock.

17- We got up ______ the morning.

18-I like to drink tea ______ the evening.

19-I was born _______ the 15^th of March, 1990.

20-Shakespeare died ______ 1616. 

Answers:

1. at
2. in
3. on
4. on
5. in
6. In
7. in
8. at
9. on
10. on
11. on
12. in
13. in
14. at
15. on
16. at
17. in
18. in
19. on
20. in

If I HAD HAD more money...Can I say HAD HAD?

Yes, you can.  In the grammar world it makes up part of what is called the third conditional.  What's that?  Well, it's a way of expressing something that didn't happen, in the past, of course.  It's what we call...

WOULD HAVE 
COULD HAVE 
MIGHT HAVE

Or in more informal speech...woulda, coulda...mighta...

So where does the HAD HAD come in?  The HAD HAD goes with the IF clause.  Let's take a look at the structure first:

If + SUBJECT + HAD (NOT)+ Past Participle, ...SUBJECT + WOULD/COULD/SHOULD + (NOT) HAVE + Past Participle...

If I HAD driven slower I WOULD NOT HAVE gotten in the accident.

Here is an example of each using HAD HAD in the IF clause.  The first HAD is the conditional past perfect, and the second HAD is the past participle.

1.  If I HAD had more money, I WOULD HAVE bought a faster car.
2.  If I HAD had more time, I COULD HAVE spent more time at the beach.
3.  If I HAD had more experience, I MIGHT HAVE gotten that job.

Just so you know, us native speakers usually don't say HAD HAD.  Instead we use the following contractions to make it flow better:

I had had= I'd had
You had had= You'd had
He had had= He'd had
She had had= She'd had
It had had= It'd had
We had had= We'd had
They had had= They'd had

Well, that's it for now.  I hope this clarifies your doubts about English's idiosyncratic HAD HAD.

Why is K silent in KNIFE? A Complete List of KN- Words...Bet you don't know them all!

The 'k' in knife wasn't always silent, and, in fact, when the English language was Old English almost 1,000 years ago, the 'k' in knife was most certainly pronounced.  It wasn't until the 16th or 17th century that English speakers began to drop the 'k' pronunciation, most likely or perhaps because it was easier to just say 'n' rather than a consonant cluster 'kn'.

Here's a list of 225 KN- words... Do you know them all?  Remember, don't pronounce the 'k'!

1. knack
2. knacked
3. knacker
4. knackered
5. knackeries
6. knackers
7. knackery
8. knacking
9. knacks
10. knackwurst
11. knackwursts
12. knap
13. knapped
14. knapper
15. knappers
16. knapping
17. knaps
18. knapsack
19. knapsacked
20. knapsacks
21. knapweed
22. knapweeds
23. knar
24. knarred
25. knarry
26. knars
27. knaur
28. knaurs
29. knave
30. knaveries
31. knavery
32. knaves
33. knavish
34. knavishly
35. knawel
36. knawels
37. knead
38. kneadable
39. kneaded
40. kneader
41. kneaders
42. kneading
43. kneads
44. knee
45. kneecap
46. kneecapped
47. kneecapping
48. kneecappings
49. kneecaps
50. kneed
51. kneehole
52. kneeholes
53. kneeing
54. kneel
55. kneeled
56. kneeler
57. kneelers
58. kneeling
59. kneels
60. kneepad
61. kneepads
62. kneepan
63. kneepans
64. knees
65. kneesock
66. kneesocks
67. knell
68. knelled
69. knelling
70. knells
71. knelt
72. knesset
73. knessets
74. knew
75. knickerbocker
76. knickerbockers
77. knickers
78. knickknack
79. knickknacks
80. knife
81. knifed
82. knifelike
83. knifepoint
84. knifepoints
85. knifer
86. knifers
87. knifes
88. knifing
89. knight
90. knighted
91. knighthood
92. knighthoods
93. knighting
94. knightliness
95. knightlinesses
96. knightly
97. knights
98. knish
99. knishes
100. knit
101. knits
102. knitted
103. knitter
104. knitters
105. knitting
106. knittings
107. knitwear
108. knives
109. knob
110. knobbed
111. knobbier
112. knobbiest
113. knobblier
114. knobbliest
115. knobbly
116. knobby
117. knobkerrie
118. knobkerries
119. knoblike
120. knobs
121. knock
122. knockabout
123. knockabouts
124. knockdown
125. knockdowns
126. knocked
127. knocker
128. knockers
129. knocking
130. knockoff
131. knockoffs
132. knockout
133. knockouts
134. knocks
135. knockwurst
136. knockwursts
137. knoll
138. knolled
139. knoller
140. knollers
141. knolling
142. knolls
143. knolly
144. knop
145. knopped
146. knops
147. knosp
148. knosps
149. knot
150. knotgrass
151. knotgrasses
152. knothole
153. knotholes
154. knotless
155. knotlike
156. knots
157. knotted
158. knotter
159. knotters
160. knottier
161. knottiest
162. knottily
163. knottiness
164. knottinesses
165. knotting
166. knottings
167. knotty
168. knotweed
169. knotweeds
170. knout
171. knouted
172. knouting
173. knouts
174. know
175. knowable
176. knower
177. knowers
178. knowing
179. knowinger
180. knowingest
181. knowingly
182. knowingness
183. knowingnesses
184. knowings
185. knowledge
186. knowledgeabilities (I doubt that this word is an actual word...)
187. knowledgeability
188. knowledgeable
189. knowledgeableness
190. knowledgeablenesses (And I doubt this one too!...)
191. knowledgeably
192. knowledges
193. known
194. knowns
195. knows
196. knubbier
197. knubbiest
198. knubby
199. knuckle
200. knuckleball
201. knuckleballer
202. knuckleballers
203. knuckleballs
204. knucklebone
205. knucklebones
206. knuckled
207. knucklehead
208. knuckleheaded
209. knuckleheads
210. knuckler
211. knucklers
212. knuckles
213. knucklier
214. knuckliest
215. knuckling
216. knuckly
217. knur
218. knurl
219. knurled
220. knurlier
221. knurliest
222. knurling
223. knurls
224. knurly
225. knurs