Published on
June 13, 2025
by
Gina Rancaño, BA
Revised on
July 29, 2025
The typical phrasing is “I have never.” This follows the standard English word order of subject + auxiliary verb + adverb + main verb.
I Have Never vs. I Never Have
Sometimes, when you’re learning English, proper word order can be a challenge. For example, when it comes to I have never or I never have, do you know which is the preferred phrase?
Native English speakers prefer I have never.
To understand why, we have to briefly review the basic word order English uses: ‘subject + verb + object’ (SVO).
SVO, which is quite rigidly followed in English, is a type of sentence structure in which the subject is first, followed by the verb, and then the object.
The man [subject] threw [verb] a pen [object].
When it comes to the phrases I have never or I never have, ‘auxiliary + adverb’ + verb is the canonical word order.
We [subject] have [auxiliary] never [adverb] disagreed [verb].
However, you should know that ‘adverb + auxiliary + verb’is a stylistic choice used to emphasize or call attention to the meaning of the adverb.
Consider the following examples:
I have never cheated on a test.I never have cheated on a test.
It’s not to say that I never have is incorrect, it’s just not the standard word order. It’s only used to accentuate the adverb.
LanguageTool’s Grammar Checker can help ensure your sentences are structured correctly.
LanguageTool—an intelligent writing assistant that supports over 30 languages—can help improve your writing by correcting the use of nonstandard phrases and fixing various types of grammar errors. Try it out!
“I never have met a man so ignorant…” is acceptable, but not standard.
Nice to meet you is an extremely popular English pleasantry used when first meeting someone. If you want to vary your vocabulary, you can use these nice to meet you synonyms:
Show has numerous definitions and can function as a verb or noun.
As a verb, to show means “to display or allow something to be seen.” In this sense, to show proves helpful when writing an expository essay or any other type of text that requires a lot of explanation or clarification.
To show how the conclusion was reached, we have to first review two key pieces of data.
A pillar of good writing, however, is the use of varied vocabulary. Even if your writing requires a lot of explanation, don’t just rely on the verb to show—there are plenty of words you can use in its place.
Published on
June 13, 2025
by
Gina Rancaño, BA
Revised on
July 29, 2025
Lose can only be used as a verb and has several meanings, including:“being unable to keep something” (don’t give me the gift because I will lose it); and “failing to win” (I don’t want my team to lose). Loose also has many definitions and can function as an adjective (the pants were too loose) or a verb (they loosed the knot)
Published on
June 13, 2025
by
Gina Rancaño, BA
Revised on
July 29, 2025
The verb “let” is always followed by a bare infinitive, not a full infinitive. For example, the sentence “I let her try some of the food” is correct, while “I let her to try some of the food” ia incorrect.
Published on
June 13, 2025
by
Gina Rancaño, BA
Revised on
July 29, 2025
The correct phrase is “in regard to”—without the “-s.” While “in regards to” might appear in casual speech, it’s considered nonstandard. For a more concise alternative, you can simply use “regarding.” The LanguageTool Grammar Checker can help ensure you’re using phrases like in regard to correctly.
Published on
June 13, 2025
by
Gina Rancaño, BA
Revised on
July 29, 2025
These are nine alternatives for “to be honest”:
Perhaps I’ve been unclear. Let me put it this way:
Maybe the issue is this:
Maybe this is a better way of looking at it:
Frankly,
As a matter of fact,
Actually,
To be fair,
I hate to have to say this,
Let me share this with you:
“To Be Honest” Meaning
To be honest is such a common phrase, most people would have no issue with its use. It’s quite versatile and has different connotations.
To be honest can:
1. Be used for clarification
Think of to be honest as equating to “to be clear” or “to be transparent.” In other words, it’s used when you’re about to clarify something.
To be honest, the second listing we saw is the most sought-out house on the market.
2. Emphasize a candid remark
To be honest emphasizes or simply indicates that the statement that follows will be direct—no filler words or candy-coating, just straight to the point.
To be honest, I wasn’t a fan of its color. It was too bright.
3. Indicate contradictions
Statements that are contrary to consensus or go against what the other party is saying are often preceded by the phrase to be honest.
To be honest, the modern look is a trend that will fade out soon.
4. Express something negative
To be honest is also often used before a negative statement.
To be honest, I wasn’t thrilled with the houses you showed me today.
5. Signals that what you’re about to state is personal
Lastly, if what you’re about to state is personal, you can precede it with to be honest.
To be honest, when I was younger, I moved from house to house.
Keep in mind that the phrase works the same whether it’s at the beginning or end of a sentence.
When I was younger, I moved from house to house, to be honest.What Does “TBH” Mean?TBH is an abbreviation for the phrase to be honest. It’s typically found in informal settings, like texting and social media. It can be all lowercase, uppercase, or both.
Tbh, I didn’t enjoy the concert.
tbh, I didn’t enjoy the concert.
TBH, I didn’t enjoy the concert.
The Issue With “To Be Honest”
Ordinarily, when you use to be honest, the recipient will know that it suggests any of the uses listed above.
However, efficient communication requires direct word choice. That being said, you should try avoiding this phrase. Why? Because you risk implicitly suggesting that what you have said or written up until the phrase to be honest was a lie.
At the very least, avoiding this phrase lowers your chances of encountering someone that says, “Wait, you weren’t being honest this whole time?”
To be honest, there are better synonyms for this phrase either way.
“To Be Honest” Synonyms
For clarity:
1. Perhaps I’ve been unclear. Let me put it this way:
Perhaps I’ve been unclear. Let me put it this way: It is important for us to find a house that checks all the boxes on our “dream house” list.
2. Maybe the issue is this:
Maybe the issue is this: We’re not on the same page when it comes to the house we are envisioning.
3. Maybe this is a better way of looking at it:
Maybe this is a better way of looking at it: There’s nothing more important to me than finding the house of my dreams.
To emphasize a candid statement:
4. Frankly,
Frankly, the last house we saw had a weird smell.
To express a contradiction:
5. As a matter of fact,
As a matter of fact, my wife loved the house we just saw, but I didn’t.
6. Actually,
Actually, I’m not a fan of the modern-rustic look that has been trending lately.
7. To be fair,
To be fair, timeless architecture is called timeless for a reason.
To state something negative:
8. I hate to have to say this,
I hate to have to say this, but I don’t think the house we’re looking for is in this neighborhood.
To share something personal:
9. Let me share this with you:
Let me share this with you: finding the right house is important to me because I’ve never had a house to call my own.
To Be Honest, Direct Vocabulary Is Important
Writing well requires varied and direct vocabulary. Avoid using ambiguous phrases like to be honest and instead use any of the synonyms listed above.
Another way to ensure good writing is to use LanguageTool. This intelligent writing assistant can correct simple and complex errors in grammar, spelling, and punctuation. Did we mention it supports over 30 languages? Start writing flawlessly today!
Published on
June 13, 2025
by
Gina Rancaño, BA
Revised on
July 29, 2025
A suffix is a letter or a group of letters that are added to the end of a word. It can change its meaning or grammatical properties. For example, the suffix “-al” can change nouns into adjectives, and “-s” can change nouns from singular to plural.
Music → Musical
Phone → Phones
First Things First: What’s an Affix?
To thoroughly understand what suffixes are, you must first be familiar with affixes.
Consider these the alchemists of the spelling and vocabulary world. Affixes are basically “word parts” (morphemes) that are added to the base of a word and have the power to completely alter its meaning or word form.
The two major types of affixes in English are prefixes and suffixes. This blog post will focus on suffixes and tell you what they are, go over the different types, and provide examples.
What Is a Suffix?
A suffix is a type of affix that is found at the end of a word. A suffix can be just one letter or a group of letters.
joyfuljoylessjoys
In the examples above, “-ful,” “-less,” and “-s” are suffixes. All of these suffixes serve a different purpose and uniquely change the word. Here are some more examples of suffixes and their meanings:
“-able” means “capable of being” → debatable“-ful” means “full of” → wonderful“-hood” means “state or condition of” → puppyhood“-less” means “without” → defenseless“-ment” means “action or process of” → encouragement“-ship” means “state or condition of” → friendship“-tion” means “action or process of” → hospitalization“-ity” means “state or quality of” → clarity“-ize” means “to make or become” → accessorize
This is just a brief list of English suffixes. There are many of them, and each adds to words in different ways. There are different categories of suffixes, though, which we’ll explore below. LanguageTool’s Grammar Checker can also help ensure you’re using suffixes correctly.
What’s the Difference Between a Prefix and a Suffix?While a suffix is found at the end of a word (e.g., relationship), a prefix is found at the beginning of a word (e.g., disinfect). A few more examples of prefixes include:
“anti-” (which means “against or opposed to”): Antiviral
“pre-” (which means “before”): Prerequisite
“un-” (which means “not or opposite of”): Unstable
Types of Suffixes
In English, there are two different types of suffixes: inflectional suffixes and derivational suffixes.
Inflectional Suffixes
Inflectional suffixes are suffixes that change the grammatical properties of a word, including function, tense, mood, aspect, and more. They do not, however, change the word’s basic meaning or part of speech.
Suffix
Change Made
Example
“-ed”
Changes a verb to past tense
Walk vs. Walked
“-en”
Changes a verb to past participle (irregular)
Take vs. (had) Taken
“-er”
Creates a comparative degree in adjectives and adverbs
Slow vs. Slower
“-ing”
Changes a verb to past participle and gerund
Dance vs. Dancing
“-(e)s”
Changes noun from singular to plural
Cat vs. Cats
“-est”
Creates a superlative degree in adjectives and adverbs
Slow vs. Slowest
“-(e)s”
Changes a verb to its third-person present
Make vs. Makes
Derivational Suffixes
Derivational suffixes, on the other hand, can create a new word with a different meaning and part of speech. For example, adding “-ly” to “slow” changes it from an adjective to an adverb.
There are two types of derivational suffixes: class-changing derivation and class-maintaining derivation. Those that are class-maintaining create a new word but maintain the part of speech. Here are examples of derivational suffixes and what category they fall under:
Suffix
Changes Made
Example
“-able/-ible”
Verbs → Adjectives
Tolerate vs. Tolerable
“-ant”
Verbs → Nouns
Ignore vs. Ignorant
“-ess”
Word remains a noun
Actor vs. Actress
“-hood”
Word remains a noun
Neighbor vs. Neighborhood
“-ity”
Adjectives → Nouns
Absurd vs. Absurdity
“-like”
Nouns → Adjectives
Child vs. Childlike
“-ness”
Adjectives → Nouns
Dark vs. Darkness
-tion/-ion/-ation
Verbs → Nouns
Imagine vs. Imagination
Keep in mind that roots of a word can have more than one suffix. For instance, the word playfulness has the suffixes “-ful” and “-ness.”
Suffix Rules: Understanding and Using Them Correctly
Please be aware that you can’t just add a suffix to any word. Using suffixes correctly requires a thorough comprehension of their rules and guidelines.
For example, when you’re adding a suffix that starts with a vowel to a word that ends in a final silent “-e,” the final “-e” should be dropped.
Or, when adding a suffix to a word that ends in a consonant plus “y,” change the “y” to an “i” in most cases.
try + “-ed” = triedbusy + “-ily” = busily
These are just two of the many rules behind using suffixes. Luckily, LanguageTool can ensure proper spelling and use of suffixes. This advanced writing assistant goes beyond checking for errors and also analyzes your text thoroughly to make stylistic recommendations and enhance your writing completely.
An ellipsis is a punctuation mark that comprises three periods. In formal writing, it shows that an omission has been made in a quote.
The class president said, “It was the best event yet … we raised $5,000.”
In creative writing, it can create certain effects. There’s no universal rule on how to format an ellipsis; it’s up to the writer or the publication they work for.
