November 18, 2024

Graduate College or Graduate From College?

She graduated from Harvard in 2005.

She graduated Harvard in 2005.

Harvard graduated her in 2005.

Which of these is right? To understand the answer, you need two tools at the ready: 1. an understanding of transitive vs. intransitive verbs, and 2. a dictionary.

Here's how to find answers for yourself about verbs like "graduate." But for those who'd prefer a quick answer, here it is: the dictionary allows all three.

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November 11, 2024

Can 'Apropos' Mean 'Appropriate'?

One dictionary definition of "apropos" is "fitting to the occasion," which means roughly the same thing that "appropriate" means.

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November 4, 2024

'Loan' vs. 'Lend'

Some editing styles say "loan" is a noun and that, if you want a verb, you must use "lend." Good news: These words aren't that restrictive.

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October 28, 2024

Historic vs. Historical

If your gut tells you "historic" means something with lasting significance, like a historic event, and that "historical" means something to do with history, like a historical record, listen to your gut. That's a good way to look at the difference between these two words.

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October 21, 2024

Sometimes 'That' Is Optional

I know you were there. I know that you were there. Both of these are correct and mean the same thing. When you leave "that" out, it's called the zero relative pronoun.

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October 14, 2024

'Different From' vs. 'Different Than'

Some people will tell you these two phrases can never be used interchangeably. That's not quite the case.

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October 7, 2024

Beg the Question

Can you use "beg the question" to mean "raise the question," as in, "These fingerprints beg the question: Was there more than one burglar"? Technically, yes. But some people will look down on you for it.

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September 30, 2024

Can 'Impact' Be a Verb?

A lot of people will tell you that you can have an impact on something — that is, use impact as a noun — but that you can't impact something because it's not a verb. Don't listen to them. It's both.

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September 23, 2024

Faulty Parallels

In the 1988 film Rain Man, Dustin Hoffman's character said his brother, played by Tom Cruise, "yelled and pulled and hurt my neck," suggesting Cruise's character not only pulled his neck and hurt his neck but also yelled his neck. Here's what you need to know about faulty parallels like this one.

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September 16, 2024

'Done' and 'Finished'

A child sitting at the dinner table pushes aside a plate of half-eaten food and announces, “I’m done.” A parent replies, “No, a roast is done. You’re finished.” Is the parent right? Actually, no. Here's the full story.

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