Your third-grade English teacher was wrong. It is OK to end a sentence with a preposition. Really. Oxford Dictionaries says so (even though some of AVC’s own favorite proofreaders aren’t down with this). This “rule” is a carryover from the 17th and 18th centuries when several notable writers were attempting to make English conform to [...]
It's something we often skip over when reading — comprise/compose. Is there really a difference? Does it really matter that much which one we use? Actually, it does. When your audience knows the difference and you don't, a tiny question of credibility seeps into your readers' brains making them wonder if you don't know [...]
Until English speakers adopt a gender-neutral pronoun, we’re stuck typing out “he or she” and “his or her” to be inclusive. But that can get super clunky. Fortunately, AP says it’s OK to use “they” in the singular when it’s absolutely necessary or when someone’s gender is unknown or should not be revealed. Specifically, AP says: [...]
Commas. Some people love them; some people hate them. But no matter which way you lean, you will need to deal with them in your copy. One of those important instances involves compound sentences and sentences that may look like compound sentences. Where do those pesky commas go? A compound sentence is a sentence that [...]
Have you ever quoted something or someone, neared the end of that quote or sentence and begrudgingly put a period or exclamation point inside or outside the quotation mark, not really knowing whether it's right but hoping no one will notice? We've all been there. But a few simple rules can make you feel [...]
Let's talk about apostrophes. Specifically, let's talk about apostrophes used to replace numbers or letters. Sometimes these come in the form of contractions like don't, can't and won't. Other times we replace numbers: I was born in the ’80s. The above is correct, but too often we see mistakes like these: I was born in the ‘80s. INCORRECT [...]
A “cue” refers to either a signal or a billiards stick, whereas a “queue” is a line. Nick jumped right on cue when he saw the spider. Cue the music; the parade is starting. Having received the order, the baker put another chocolate cake in the queue. I’m dying to see this movie, so I’m [...]
Don't lie to yourself. This grammar rule can sometimes be so confusing it makes you want to lay the rule book down and walk away or just lie down altogether. First, let's forget about the lying to yourself part. "To lie," as in to tell an untruth, is its own separate meaning that's pretty clear-cut. [...]
When two or more subjects are joined with the word “and,” use a plural verb. But when one subject is the main focus and a second subject is just tagging along, use a singular verb. You’ll know when a subject is tagging along, because it will be set off in commas. For instance: Plural subject: [...]
Something different or special is in the text you're writing — so important or different that it warrants a little flash. Maybe it's a newspaper name or an article or song title. Should you: A. Underline it? B. Italicize it? Wait, isn't that the same thing as underlining? C. Put quotation marks around it? [...]
