Meaning & use
John Knowles
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Meaning
proper nounproper
An American writer (1926–2001) whose best-known novel, A Separate Peace, is about friendship and rivalry at a boarding school.
Grammar: A person's name; takes no article: John Knowles wrote the novel.
Patterns
- John Knowles's novel
- by John Knowles
- John Knowles wrote something
John Knowles is often taught in American high school English classes.
We read a novel by John Knowles called A Separate Peace.
John Knowles based the school in his novel on a place he knew as a student.
Common combinations
- John Knowles's novel
- John Knowles's novel A Separate Peace was published in 1959.
- by John Knowles
- Have you read anything else by John Knowles?
- a novel by John Knowles
- The teacher assigned a novel by John Knowles for the summer.
Commonly confused: John Knowles or John Knowles?
John Knowles vs John Knowles
Not to be confused with the British actor John Nettles or the American writer John Steinbeck; check the surname carefully.
Practice
Which sentence uses the writer's name correctly?
Choose one answer.
Option 2 correctly states the name and the title; option 1 is also grammatical but slightly less precise about the date, and option 3 is also correct but less common in simple sentences. Option 4 uses a possessive that is possible but less natural in this context. Therefore, option 2 is the best choice.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “John Knowles”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.