A bowl is both concave and convex, depending on which part you’re looking at.
The part that holds the food is concave, which means it curves inward. The outer part of the bowl that is placed on surfaces is convex, which means it curves outward.
Cannot is not a contraction. It is the full negative form of the modal verb “can” (e.g., “I cannot attend the meeting today”).
It’s important to note that cannot and can not are not interchangeable.
A contraction is a short form of word combinations we commonly use in speech. For instance, “I’m” is the contraction of “I am,” “let’s” is the contraction of “let us,” and “can’t” is the contraction of “cannot.”
Most contractions have an apostrophe where a part of the full form is left out, but some don’t (e.g., “gonna” for “going to).
We don’t generally use contractions in formal writing (e.g., academic writing).
You can use QuillBot’s free Grammar Checker to help you use contractions appropriately in your writing.
Use “if I was” to refer to real, factual situations that have likely occured (e.g., “If I was unclear, I’ll clarify”).
Use “if I were” for hypothetical, imaginary, or contrary-to-fact situations (e.g., “If I were her, I’d go home”).
Remember, “if I was” is used in the indicative mood, while “if I were” is used in the subjunctive mood.
QuillBot’s Grammar Checker can ensure proper use of was and were in your writing. Give it a try!
You say you got this to someone when you want to encourage them; it means “You can do it!” (e.g., “Come on—just one more length of the pool; you got this!).
In this phrase, “got” means “have got,” so it’s always got not gotten.
QuillBot’s free AI Chat can help you to understand colloquial phrases like “you got this.”
Further along and farther along are both correct ways to say “to a more advanced point.”
Some style guides recommend “farther” for physical distances (e.g., “As Sean hiked farther along the trail, he noticed more wildlife”) and “further” for literal distances (e.g., “As the semester moved further along, the students became more confident”).
A QuillBot Grammar Check can also help ensure you’re using further or farther correctly.
If you say someone is “in bed” it means they are sleeping or resting in their bed or have not got out of their bed to start their day (e.g., “It’s time to get up. You can’t stay in bed all day!”).
We say “on the bed,” “on her bed” etc. to indicate the location of something placed above the bed covering (e.g., “I left your washing on your bed,” “Please don’t sit on my bed with your shoes on.”
Knowing whether in vs on vs at is correct often depends on the specific context.
QuillBot’s free Paraphraser can help you rewrite sentences to ensure you’re using prepositions correctly in your writing.
