College Composition / Unit 6 CMP 0138 short lesson, about 20 seconds
Is When and Is Where
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The idea
Defining something with is when or is where is a mixed construction common in speech but not in academic writing.
In practice
"A feeling of accomplishment is when I finish a paper" equates a feeling with a time; write "I feel accomplished when I finish a paper."
Where people slip
After is, use a noun or an adjective that renames or describes the subject.
Your place on the trail
Every lesson rests on earlier ones and opens later ones. Tap any to jump.
Builds on
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