One of the most important aspects of effective writing is using different types of sentences. Sentence variety keeps readers engaged and helps you communicate your ideas precisely.
In English writing, eight types of sentences are possible. There are four types of sentences by structure (simple, compound, complex, and compound-complex) and four types of sentences by function (declarative, interrogative, imperative, and exclamatory).
Whether you’re working on essays, cover letters, or personal correspondence, the tips and examples below will help you use all eight of these sentence types effectively and correctly. No matter what types of sentences you’re using, QuillBot’s free Grammar Checker can help you avoid errors.
NoteEach sentence has one of the four possible structures and one of the four possible functions. For example, a simple sentence can be declarative, interrogative, imperative, or exclamatory. An imperative sentence can be simple, compound, complex, and compound-complex.
Published on
May 12, 2025
by
Nicole Routh, M.Ed.
Revised on
November 27, 2025
Contractions are words in English grammar that are usually shortened versions of two-word pairs (e.g., “could’ve” for “could have”). Each contraction has an apostrophe (‘) to indicate where one or more letters have been omitted (e.g., “h” and “a” in “could’ve”).
Contractions in writing save space and create an informal, conversational tone. For some academic writing assignments (e.g., essays and dissertations), they’re too informal (depending on the guidelines you’re following). In workplace writing, they’re usually perfectly acceptable.
Contractions examplesAndrew couldn’t find his blue rain jacket anywhere. (could not)
Sarah’s working a night shift, and Devin’s staying home. (Sarah is and Devin is)
The musician who’s headlining the festival won a Grammy. (who is)
I wish we would’ve visited the aquarium when we were in Monterey. (would have)
TipMistakes like missing apostrophes are common with contractions, but QuillBot’s free Grammar Checker can help you get them right. It will instantly show you which contractions are incorrect and how you can fix them.
Published on
May 9, 2025
by
Nicole Routh, M.Ed.
Revised on
November 11, 2025
SYS means “see you soon.” It’s a text abbreviation that people use in messaging threads when they’re planning to see each other in the near future. People sometimes write “SYS” at the end of a conversation about their plans together for later that day.
SYS exampleGrace: Hey, Sis! Any chance I can ride with you to the show tonight?
Nicole: Of course! Can we pick you up at 7:30?
Grace: That’s perfect. SYS!
TipUse capital letters for text abbreviations like “SYS,” “LMAO” or “LMK.” The all caps formatting will make your text messages reader friendly. Without all caps, the initialism might look like a spelling error.
To ensure your messages are error free, why not install the QuillBot app?
Published on
May 9, 2025
by
Nicole Routh, M.Ed.
Revised on
November 11, 2025
SMH means “shaking my head.” It’s a text abbreviation that people use in online chats and text messages to show disapproval or frustration. You can add “SMH” to a piece of mildly frustrating information that you’re sharing, or you can use “SMH” as a reaction to a moderately difficult situation.
SMH exampleCoworker 1: I just read that I-70 is going to be closed again next week. SMH.
Coworker 2: Oh no! Hopefully, they’ll finish the construction soon.
TipOnly use “SMH” with people with whom you have a close personal rapport. “SMH” might come across as too negative if you use it with a supervisor or someone you don’t know well.
It’s also important to use correct grammar and spelling errors when you’re writing instant messages. To ensure your messages are error free, why not install the QuillBot app?
Published on
May 7, 2025
by
Nicole Routh, M.Ed.
Revised on
December 30, 2025
Give up is one of the most common phrasal verbs in English. It has several meanings— including “to stop trying” and “to quit or sacrifice [something].” In each meaning of “give up,” the verb “give” has a figurative meaning rather than the literal meaning (“to offer” as in “Mom gives the best gifts”).
The rules for using “give up” are a bit different for each meaning. For example, “give up” for “to quit or sacrifice [something]” is a transitive verb, which means it must have a direct object. When “give up” means “to stop trying,” it’s an intransitive verb, which never acts upon a direct object.
The examples and tips below show how to use the different versions of “give up.” QuillBot’s free Grammar Checker is also a great resource for using “give up” correctly in your writing.
Give up examples My teacher always says, “Never give up.”
After looking for starfruit at five different stores, I have given up.
Angelina temporarily gave upacting to focus on her family.
Published on
April 30, 2025
by
Nicole Routh, M.Ed.
Revised on
December 30, 2025
A phrasal verb is a type of English verb that has multiple words. The words combined have a different meaning than the verb by itself. For example, the verb “hang” means “to dangle” or “to attach,” but the phrasal verb “hang out” means “to spend time together.” Each phrasal verb has one or more particles (e.g., “on” or “in”).
Phrasal verbs can be very challenging for a few reasons:
They usually have figurative rather than literal meanings.
Many phrasal verbs have multiple meanings (e.g., “take off” can mean “depart” or “remove”).
There are different types of phrasal verbs—intransitive, transitive, inseparable, and separable—and special rules about how to use each type.
They have different tenses (just like other verbs), but some of them are irregular and follow special rules for conjugation.
Phrasal verbs do get easier with practice. The list, meanings, and examples below will help you use phrasal verbs more confidently. And with QuillBot’s free Grammar Checker, you can instantly find and fix phrasal verb errors in your writing.
Phrasal verbs examplesMark Twain grew up in Missouri in the 1800s. [“Grew up” means “spent his childhood.”]
Few families today can get by with one income. [“Get by” means “survive.”]
After a long night out, my cat finally showed up this morning. [“Showed up” means “arrived.”]
Our plane to Jamaica will take off at noon. [“Take off” means “depart.”]
Published on
April 25, 2025
by
Nicole Routh, M.Ed.
Revised on
November 8, 2025
With the loss of Pope Francis in April 2025, the process of selecting the new pope (known as the papal conclave) has become an international focus. During this process, Roman Catholic cardinals convene in the Sistine Chapel and remain secluded from the outside world until they elect the new pope (usually for 2–3 days).
But what does conclave mean exactly?
Most dictionaries define conclave as “a secret or private meeting of leaders,” but the original conclave meaning from ancient Rome is “a locked room.” It originates from the Latin root word “clave,” which means “key.” Conclave can refer to the papal election or (less formally) to a gathering of people with shared interests (e.g., fraternities and sororities).
Conclave in a sentence examplesThe cardinals in the papal conclave take an oath of silence.
The Phi Beta Sigma Conclave 2025 will take place in Tampa.
Ralph Fiennes won an Oscar for portraying a cardinal in the film Conclave.
The Scythes in Neal Shusterman’s novels attend three conclaves each year.
TipWhen you’re writing about important world events—such as the papal conclave—QuillBot’s free Paraphraser can help you with clear syntax and precise word choices.
Published on
April 25, 2025
by
Nicole Routh, M.Ed.
Revised on
March 12, 2026
The post interview thank you email is a crucial step in the job application process. When sent within 24 hours or less, an interview thank you email is evidence of the soft skills that are essential for almost any job—such as timeliness, interpersonal skills, and attention to detail.
A thank you email after an interview has a formal but friendly tone and includes a few main details in 2–3 short paragraphs:
A “thank you” for the interview
Something you were excited to learn about the role or company
A brief recap of your main qualifications
A call to action about the next steps (e.g., a second interview)
In today’s increasingly competitive job market, a timely, concise, and well-crafted interview thank youemail can help you stand out among other applicants. The steps, examples, and template below will help you make the best possible impression.
TipYour thank you email should match the tone and formality of the interviewer. Did you know that the QuillBot paraphrasing tool can instantly transform the tone of the emails you send to employers? In addition to the free standard mode, the tool has a formal mode and a simple mode.
If you’ve been job hunting recently, you’ve probably read lots of advice to write cover letters that are perfectly aligned to skills that each job requires. But what if you’re pursuing a career change? How do you convince hiring managers that your previous career is relevant to the career change you’re hoping to make?
As with any job application, a career change cover letter is a formal, 1-page business letter that you send with your resume to elaborate on your top skills and achievements. With a career change cover letter, though, you should also explain why your achievements from your previous career are transferable to a new career or industry.
The examples, tips, and template below will help you present your unique background in a compelling and memorable way. QuillBot’s cover letter generator can also help you with concise and powerful word choices every step of the way.
Cover letter for career change examples Emily is a reading teacher pursuing an implementation specialist role at an EdTech company that sells reading diagnostic software. In her cover letter, she describes her success using the software in the classroom. She also explains how her teaching experience uniquely qualifies her to meet the needs of K–12 clients.
Khalif is an experienced realtor who is pivoting to a career as a transaction coordinator for a real estate broker. In his cover letter, he explains how he’s already demonstrated strong communication and proficiency with client database systems and escrow paperwork as a realtor, which will prepare him to succeed in a different real-estate role.
Published on
April 21, 2025
by
Nicole Routh, M.Ed.
Revised on
November 11, 2025
The genitive case in English is a grammatical form for nouns, determiners, and pronouns that have a possessive relationship with another noun. For example, the genitive case of “Ava” is “Ava’s” in the phrase “Ava’s car,” which shows that Ava owns the car. The possession can be literal or metaphorical (e.g., “our friend” or “the apartment’s balcony”).
English nouns in the genitive case have apostrophes (e.g., “Molly’s guitar”). Genitive case also includes possessive determiners (e.g., “her guitar”) and possessive pronouns (e.g., “The guitar is hers”).
Genitive case examples
Possessive nouns
Possessive determiners
Possessive pronouns
The mayor’sEarth Day speech inspired us to plant a garden.
The apartment above the bookstore used to be ours.
Diana’s backyard has a 300-year-old tree.
The iced mocha latte boosted her energy.
Aaliya just left, so this jacket must be hers.
All of my friends’ dogs are sweet and lovable.
Jude and Tracey are super busy because their kids all play sports.
The artists said that those designs are theirs.
You can also use a noun phrase with “of” to show a possessive (or similar) relationship. For example, in “The balcony of the apartment was full of plants,” the balcony “belongs to” (or is part of) the apartment.
The following tips and examples show when the genitive case is necessary and how to use the different versions of the genitive case correctly.
NoteThe other two cases in English are nominative case (e.g., “I” and “they”) and objective case (e.g., “me” and “them”). All three cases affect the spelling of pronouns. However, only genitive case affects nouns.
