Cost is a verb that refers to the amount of money that goods or services are priced at (e.g., “The meal cost more than he had expected”). The simple past and past participle are both cost because it is an irregular verb that doesn’t follow the pattern of adding “-ed” to form the past tenses.
In British English, there is another meaning of cost, “provide a financial estimate,” which is a regular verb, so the past tense and past participle are costed (e.g., “I costed that job yesterday”).
Cost is also a noun that means “the price of something” (e.g., “She knew the cost of business in the city”).
Cost in a sentence examples
Cost as simple past
Cost as past participle
The new camera cost less than the one it replaced.
The insurance on my first car cost more than the car itself.
Although it had cost $20, it was the best burger he’d ever had!
They canceled the holiday because it would have cost too much in the end.
Capital and capitol are two nouns that are spelled almost identically and pronounced the same. Their meanings are different, however.
Capital has quite a number of meanings and is the more common word. It is a noun that refers to the governing city of a nation or province, an uppercase letter, or financial assets. It is also an adjective that means “excellent,” “primary,” or “punishable by death.”
Capitol is less common and is used to describe a government building that houses a state or national legislature. When referring specifically to the building in Washington, D.C., that houses the US Congress or to a particular state capitol building, it is spelled with an uppercase “C.”
Capital in a sentence examples
Capitol in a sentence examples
London is the capital city of the United Kingdom.
The hardest thing about starting a business can be finding the capital you need.
In most countries in the world, capital punishment has been abolished.
Nelson Mandela was accorded the honor of addressing both houses of Congress at the Capitol in 1990.
Some people consider the Iowa State Capitol to be the finest in the USA.
I’ve only been inside two state capitol buildings.
TipA QuillBot Grammar Check can help ensure you use “capital” and “capitol” correctly!
Put is a verb meaning “to place” (e.g., “Aidan put the vase on the table”). It is an irregular verb and doesn’t form the simple past or past participle by adding “-ed.” Instead, its past tense and past participle are also “put.”
Put requires a direct object and is often followed by a prepositional phrase (e.g., “in the closet,” “next to the chair”). “Put” is also used to form many phrasal verbs (e.g., “put off,” “put down”).
Past tense of put in a sentence examplesElijah put the roast in the oven.
The firefighters had put the fire out very quickly.
A self-fulfilling prophecy describes a set of circumstances where a person’s belief about a future situation contributes to that belief coming true. It is more likely to be a negative belief or outcome. The explanation for the phenomenon is that our expectations unconsciously affect our behavior.
Self-fulfilling prophecy exampleYou are a keen amateur photographer, and your brother has asked you to photograph his wedding. You can’t really say no, but you don’t think you are good enough. As a consequence, you are nervous on the day, fumbling with the camera and equipment, and making the bridal party and guests nervous.
As a result, the photos are awkward and don’t come up to the standard you would like. Your beliefs about your abilities have caused you to underperform, and what you feared would come true, has.
A self-fulfilling prophecy is not necessarily a negative thing, and it can be positive. Self-fulfilling prophecies can be found in all manner of contexts, such as business, healthcare, or education.
Most dictionaries indicate that the correct past tense and past participle of the irregular verbgrind is “ground.” Some recognize “grinded” as a widely used alternative, but it would be wise to avoid it in formal or academic writing.
Past tense of ground in a sentence examples
Formal English
Informal English
The barista ground the coffee with expert precision.
The pressure of the job had ground Joe down over the years.
The glass had been ground to produce an opaque finish.
Josh grinded the rail on his skateboard like a pro.
It wasn’t pretty, but the team grinded out the win.
Stella winced as her boyfriend grinded the gears of her Mustang.
NoteThere is a separate verb “ground,” which describes when a plane is kept on the ground or a child is not allowed to leave their house as a punishment (e.g., “Bill’s plane had been grounded by the terrible weather” or “Rose knew that she was going to be grounded for this”).
Glow is a verb meaning “produce a soft, dim light” and a noun describing that same light. It is a regular verb, so it uses the “-ed” ending to produce the simple past and past participle forms.
Glow can also be used in a nonliteral sense to refer to how a person’s face looks when they are happy or healthy-looking (e.g., “Emma glowed with satisfaction and joy”).
Glowed in a sentence examplesThe battery in the flashlight was dying, and its bulb glowed dimly.
Looking back, we realized that our hopes had glowed brighter that year than at any time since.
Betty loved the outdoor life, and her skin glowed with health.
Desert and dessert are two completely different words with similar spellings. Depending on the meaning, their pronunciation can be the same or different.
Dessert is always a noun, whereas desert can be a noun (with two completely different meanings) or a verb.
Spelling
Pronunciation
Example sentences
Desert [verb]
We had to desert the sun loungers as the storm raced in from nowhere.
Desert [noun]
Many people are surprised to learn that the largest desert on Earth is Antarctica, not the Sahara!
Desert [noun]
It was difficult not to gloat, but it felt like Jack had gotten his just deserts.
Dessert [noun]
Amy has a really sweet tooth, and dessert is always her favorite course.
When you imply something (i.e., suggesting something without stating it directly), then you are making an implication. Implication is a noun, which also means implicating someone in a crime (i.e., strongly suggesting they were involved in the act).
The plural form, implications, is used in academic writing and refers to the consequences or influence of a study’s findings .
Implication in a sentence examplesThere was an implication in the prime minister’s farewell speech that she would fight to return to power.
If this is true, then the implications are far-reaching and potentially disastrous.
Is the implication that there might be the chance of promotion later in the year?
The suspect’s full and frank confession led to the inevitable implication of his brother in the offense.
NoteImplication and inference (from imply and infer) are often incorrectly used interchangeably. An implication is made by a speaker or writer, and the listener or reader makes the inference from what is said or written.
A protagonist is the main character in a work of fiction. It is a noun that can be used in a more general sense outside of fiction to refer to the principal people involved in a real-life situation. This use is less common, however.
The idea of a protagonist comes from ancient Greek drama and refers to the actor who plays the main role in a play and is often opposed by an antagonist.
Protagonist in a sentence examplesIt was clear within the first few pages who the protagonist was in this novel.
Macbeth is the protagonist of the eponymous Shakespeare play.
The Luddites were protagonists in the 19th-century fight for workers’ rights in the UK.
The teacher stepped in and separated the two protagonists in the brawl.
