English Blog by Juan Bossa

As their names imply, possessive pronouns show ownership. The independent possessive pronouns are mine, ours, yours, his, hers, its, and theirs. We break down each type and offer examples of their usage below. Possessive pronouns are a type of possessive noun. Also called absolute possessive pronouns, possessive pronouns simplify constructions that show possession of a noun by replacing it—in other words, independent possessive pronouns must stand alone and be used without a noun. To understand how possessive pronouns can make things simpler and clearer, first take a look at this example of a sentence that does not use a possessive pronoun: Juan’s peace lilies were healthier than my peace lilies. It sounds repetitive and feels a little unnecessary to state “peace lilies” twice in this sentence. Rewriting with a possessive pronoun simplifies things: Juan’s peace lilies were healthier than mine. Examples: My phone is dead. Pass me yours. Did you know that Labrador is mine? The house on t

  Sentences in the "unreal" conditional have one part of the sentence that begins with the word "if" and contains a verb in what looks like the past tense and another part of the sentence which contains the modal verb "would." If the part of the sentence with "if" goes first, use a comma. These sentences are known as "unreal" conditional because they contain conditions that are not likely (probable). For example, in the sentence below, winning the lottery is not very likely. If I won the lottery, I would buy a new car. I would buy a new car if I won the lottery. If we had a private airplane, we would travel around the world. If I was rich, I would travel around the world. If I had a car , I would drive everywhere. If I were a king , I would contribute in many charity associations in all the world. If I were you , I would wear that wonderful dress.

Morality is defined as the principles concerning the distinction between right and wrong or good and bad behaviour. What makes these questions dilemmas is an individual’s definition of right and wrong or good and bad. However, in a time when many question our national moral character, pondering what to do in various situations can be a positive exercise preparing an individual for worst and best case scenarios. For example,  You go out with your husband for dinner at a new restaurant you have not frequented before. It is in a part of town you rarely visit. You are shocked to see your friend’s spouse having dinner with a very young, attractive person. From the way they are behaving, it is obvious they are more than friends. The couple finish their meal and leave without seeing you. They behave very affectionately on the way out the door.  Do you: Tell your friend, knowing you probably will not be believed and that it may ruin your friendship? Say nothing about seeing the couple as it is