Understanding Back-Formations: Established Expressions or Curious Coinages?
A post describing what back-formations are Read More
Posts Authored by Erika Suffern
Erika Suffern is head of book publications at the MLA. She received degrees from Bard College and the University of Delaware and has worked in academic publishing since 2006. Before joining the MLA staff, she was associate director of the Renaissance Society of America and managing editor of its journal, Renaissance Quarterly.
Omitting the Superfluous Of
The word of, when used in combination with some other words, is sometimes superfluous. Read More
On Pronouns and Their Referents
Learn about three common errors that writers make with regard to pronouns and referents. Read More
Parallel Headings in Research Papers
Discusses techniques for making headings in research papers parallel Read More
One and Then the Other: Using Alternate and Alternative
When choosing between alternate and alternative, it's easy to get confused. Read More
How to Use (Not Abuse) Parentheses
Get tips on how to use parentheses and how to avoid overusing them Read More
Impact as a Verb
The MLA recommends restricting the use of impact as a verb . . . Read More
Colons: How to Use Them
Like a semicolon, a colon can connect two independent clauses . . . Read More
Using the Present Tense with Works; or, Othello Still Exists
When to use the present tense in discussing texts. Hint: the key is consistency Read More
Serial Commas and Serial Semicolons
Perhaps no mark of punctuation ruffles feathers more than the serial comma Read More