March 20, 2023

'Aren't I' is ungrammatical, so why is it OK?

Normally, "are" goes with a plural subject like "we" and "am" goes with "I." Yet the construction "aren't I" is perfectly correct and a great lesson on the power of idiom.

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March 13, 2023

Different Spellings for the Same Word?

There's more than one way to spell ambience/ambiance, accouterment/accoutrement and lots of other words. Not sure which to choose? One way to ensure consistency: always go with the first spelling listed in the dictionary.

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February 27, 2023

Skunked Terms

Hopefully. Decimate. Data as a singular. Singular they. Some words are so fraught that people will think you're wrong even if you use them right.

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February 20, 2023

How to Make Latin Words Plural

Octopuses or octopi? Cactuses or cacti? Mediums or media? Some nouns we adopted from the Latin language are hard to make plural because the Latin system for forming plurals as so different from ours. Here's how to get them right every time.

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February 13, 2023

'As Well As,' 'Along With' and Other Connectors Can Trick You Into Making a Grammar Mistake

Along with
As well as
In addition to
Accompanied by
Added to
Coupled with

Expressions like these connect nouns the way "and" does, but they don't make a subject plural the way "and" does. That's how they can trick you into making subject-verb agreement errors.

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February 6, 2023

Apostrophe Traps

Even if you've mastered apostrophes, some terms can still trip you up:

it's / its

there's / theirs

let's / lets

who's / whose

Here's how to keep them straight.

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January 30, 2023

How to Master Long Sentences

Short sentences are often best, but there's nothing wrong with long sentences if they work. Understanding the mechanics of sentence-building — like coordination and modifying phrases — and omitting needless words are key to making long sentences effective .

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January 23, 2023

Metaconcepts

Metaconcepts are stuffy, reader-unfriendly terms that turn simple ideas into vague, abstract concepts. Common culprits include “approach,” “condition,” “context,” “framework,” “issue,” “level,” “model,” “perspective,” “process,” “strategy,” “subject” and even “concept” itself. Here's why they make writing so bad.

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January 16, 2023

When to Capitalize People's Titles

Should you capitalize "captain," "president," or "chief executive"? If you don't have time to check a style guide, follow this rule: when in doubt, don't.

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January 9, 2023

Vis-a-vis

Vis-a-vis doesn't mean "regarding," though lots of people use it that way.

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