Is It “Got” or “Gotten”?

Published on June 17, 2025 by Gina Rancaño, BA

Get is an extremely common verb. At one point or another, you’ve probably found yourself having to use the past participle form of this word and have asked yourself, “is it got or gotten?” This post will go over if gotten is a word, and whether you should use got or gotten.

The LanguageTool Grammar Checker can help ensure you use either got or gotten consistently in your writing.

Continue reading: Is It “Got” or “Gotten”?

“Dessert” vs. “Desert”—Here’s How To Remember When To Use Which

Published on June 17, 2025 by Gina Rancaño, BA

An online search for “desserts near me” and “deserts near me” would lead you to two very different destinations. One would lead you to sweet treats and the other to dry, arid land. We’ll teach you an easy way to remember how to use these words correctly.

  • Dessert is a sweet treat or dish usually served at the end of a meal.
  • Desert can be used as a noun that refers to “dry and barren land,” while the verb means “to abandon someone or something is a disloyal way.”

Continue reading: “Dessert” vs. “Desert”—Here’s How To Remember When To Use Which

Does a Comma Always Precede “And”?

Published on June 17, 2025 by Gina Rancaño, BA

There are a few comma guidelines to keep in mind while writing. This blog post will discuss commas and the conjunction “and.”

  • A comma signals a pause between parts of a sentence.
  • When writing a list of three or more, the use of an Oxford comma before and is optional, but often recommended.
    • They visited Portugal, Spain, and France.
    • They visited Portugal, Spain and France.
  • When and connects two independent clauses, a comma should be placed before it.
    • Catalina stayed with her uncle, and her cousin Ramon stayed with his cousin.
  • The only time a comma isn’t required before and is if the two independent clauses are short and closely related or when a list contains only two entities.
    • Carlos danced and Felipe sang.
    • I like bananas and pears.

    Continue reading: Does a Comma Always Precede “And”?

    Your Style Guide, Your Rules

    Published on June 17, 2025 by Gina Rancaño, BA

    Regardless if you’ve been writing for years or just getting started, once a habit becomes part of your routine—whether correct or incorrect, acceptable or not—it’s hard to recognize it, let alone revise it.

    That’s why LanguageTool’s Style Guide is so helpful. Now you can define your own style rules so that those troublesome customs don’t make their way into your writing. This blog post will show you how the Style Guide can strengthen your writing, where you can find this new function, and how you can set it up.

    Continue reading: Your Style Guide, Your Rules

    Patience, Young Grasshopper

    Published on June 17, 2025 by Gina Rancaño, BA

    Here’s how to remember when to use “patience” and “patients” correctly.

    My mother had a lot of patients with us when we were young and wild.
    My mother had a lot of patience with us when we were young and wild.

    A wise man once said, “patience is a virtue.” We agree. Knowing how to spell patience is important, too. Below, we’ll cover the correct spelling of patience and teach you how not to confuse it with patients.

    Continue reading: Patience, Young Grasshopper

    Verbs: Definition and Examples

    Published on June 17, 2025 by Gina Rancaño, BA

    Verbs are as essential to a sentence as bread is to a sandwich. Without verbs, sentences wouldn’t be, well, sentences! This quick guide will teach you the basics about these vital words.

    The LanguageTool Grammar Checker can help you use verbs and other parts of speech correctly in your writing.

    What Are Verbs?
      • A verb is the action word of a sentence but can also describe a state of being.
      • There are a seemingly endless number of verbs, but a few examples are (to) jump, (to) sat, (to) walked—and the less obvious: (to) be, can, and, will.

      The kids will jump on the trampoline.

      Continue reading: Verbs: Definition and Examples

      Is It “Alright” or “All Right”?

      Published on June 17, 2025 by Gina Rancaño, BA

      All right is always accepted, whereas alright is controversial. Learn more about these two words below.

      “Alright” vs. “All Right”
      Although some people defend the use of alright, others strongly believe it is an incorrect form of the word all right.

      Because all right is always acceptable and alright is still controversial, you should stick to using all right, especially if you’re writing in a formal setting.

      Continue reading: Is It “Alright” or “All Right”?

      Is There a Difference Between “Among” and “Amongst”?

      Published on June 17, 2025 by Gina Rancaño, BA

      Among and amongst mean “surrounded by/in the middle of somebody/something,” “in company or association with,” or “occurring in or practiced by.” Both among and amongst can also be used when “indicating a division or choice among three parties or more.” Among is the favored variation in American and British English.

      Continue reading: Is There a Difference Between “Among” and “Amongst”?