The ellipsis and em dash are two fun tools are a writer's dream — like those special powers you pick up in a video game and use at just the right moment. They can add or subtract things that words can't, inject feeling and emotion and serve as a way to further your story or [...]
How should you write Mother's Day and Father's Day? Well, the title of this post should have tipped you off, but we won't take any chances. Here's how you can make sure that you don't ruin a parent's special day with a misplaced apostrophe. It's a simple rule to remember: Both of these holidays are [...]
Adjectives, adverbs and verbs, oh my! There are so many ways to use these two words, it's no wonder we often misuse them or choose one that works but is a little less correct. That's because historically, these words have been somewhat interchangeable; even Merriam-Webster says so. Let's break them down into some simple usage [...]
Do you use an apostrophe at the end of a word that ends in the letter "s"? We see this rule applied differently because different styles vary. For making the possessive form of singular common nouns that end in "s," AP and Chicago styles call for an apostrophe followed by another "s." But if the [...]
As humans, we often talk about the impossible or unreal, and to do that, we use a tiny but important word: "if." But when we talk about something that is unreal, hypothetical or improbable, we switch it up. Usually, a conditional sentence includes a past-tense verb and a modal verb and looks something like this: [...]
The school principal's principal principle is to pay off the principal. "Huh?" you might be thinking. But yes, the above sentence is grammatically correct. You can easily decipher this and use the words "principal" and "principle" correctly by simply reviewing some definitions: Let's start with principal. We've all dreaded this word at one point or [...]
Is the phase of bad grammar you're going through fazing you? We're here to set you straight. Phase, a noun, has several definitions, but we'll keep it simple and go with the top two: A particular appearance or state in a regularly recurring cycle of changes A distinguishable part in a course, development, or cycle How [...]
We've all tried to see the positive side of the COVID-19 pandemic, whether it's pollution subsiding in India or having more time to bake sourdough bread at home. In the grammar world, we hope that coronavirus is shedding a light on how to use certain terminology properly. The phrase "social distance" and its variants are [...]
OK, this is one of those that I used to always have to look up. Then I came up with a mnemonic device. Pallet is the wood platform goods are stacked on for shipping and storing. (Pallets keep things straight and orderly, just like the two Ls in the spelling.) Palette is the rounded board [...]
Can you guess the only difference between toward and towards? (Hint: It's not a trick question.) The only difference is, you guessed it, an "s." You may have a preference, and so do predominately English-speaking countries. The U.S. and Canada more often prefer "toward." Australia and the United Kingdom use "towards" more often. AP Style prefers [...]
