October 21, 2024
It might sometimes seem like people just toss hyphens randomly into their writing. And with so many different rules and various situations when you do or don’t need a hyphen (even for the same word!), it’s very possible that some Read more…
Babysit or baby-sit? Common sense or common-sense? First aid, first-aid, or firstaid? There are three different kinds of compound words—open, closed, and hyphenated—and it can be tricky to keep them all straight! Overview: What Is a Compound Word? A compound Read more…
October 18, 2024
If we only had short, simple sentences, our writing would be super boring to read. Every sentence would be like this. There would be no variation. Books would be absolutely unbearable. We would sound like robots. Luckily, we’re not restricted Read more…
October 11, 2024
A clause is a combination of a subject and a predicate (e.g., she ran; I discovered; he reads). There might be more information added in, such as direct objects, adjectives, adverbs, etc. (e.g., she ran four miles quickly; I discovered Read more…
October 7, 2024
Parentheses are a great tool you can use to add extra information or commentary to your text. If you want to toss in some examples or clarifications, they’re super handy. Little jokes and sarcastic comments love to be nested inside Read more…
October 3, 2024
These two abbreviations get mixed up constantly. Most of the time, people use “i.e.” incorrectly when they mean “e.g.” But sometimes it’s the other way around. A big part of the problem is likely that both “i.e.” and “e.g.” are Read more…
Parentheses have all kinds of different functions: In academic papers, you’ll see them used for citations and maybe even in a few mathematical equations. In more casual writing, they’re used to insert extra information or relevant commentary. They’re handy if Read more…
October 1, 2024
Let’s take it back to the basics and talk about what the heck an apostrophe is and how to use it in your writing. Where Does It Come From? Oh, yeah. I said we’re taking it back, so we’re taking Read more…
September 12, 2024
Why does “the brick old house” sound weird but “the old brick house” is fine? So many grammar rules are difficult to remember and even trickier to perfect, but this one is pretty much automatic for most native English speakers. Read more…
July 30, 2024
Taylor Swift’s documentary “Miss Americana” was a beautiful work of art that I LOVED—except for one scene. While discussing the lyrics for her song “The Man,” she has a moment of doubt about the chorus: “If I was a man Read more…