Advice from the Editors

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grammar punctuation writing tips

Attributive Nouns; or, Why There Is Sometimes No Apostrophe in Terms Such As Teachers Union

by Jennifer Rappaport

The possessive of plural nouns ending in s is formed by adding an apostrophe . . . Read More

grammar punctuation writing tips

Commas: Essential and Nonessential Elements

by Barney Latimer

The little comma wields a lot of power . . . Read More

usage word choice writing tips

Impact as a Verb

by Erika Suffern

The MLA recommends restricting the use of impact as a verb . . . Read More

usage word choice writing tips

This Can Be Confusing

by Barney Latimer

Chances are, you've begun many sentences with This Read More

formatting a paper works-cited lists writing tips

How to Format Your Essay with Advanced Pattern Matching

by Joseph Wallace

Mistakes in formatting can be complicated to resolve, but you can customize solutions . . . Read More

capitalization writing tips

Cocktails and Capitalization

by Angela Gibson

There is no uniform consensus on how to capitalize names of cocktails . . . Read More

capitalization lists punctuation writing tips

Creating Vertical Lists in MLA Style

by Jennifer Rappaport

In some types of material, a vertical list may be preferable to a run-in list . . . Read More

formatting a paper introductions writing tips

How to Write an Abstract

by Joseph Wallace

An abstract of a work, usually of an essay, is a concise summary of its main points . . . Read More

digital sources in-text citations using sources works-cited lists

Citing Source Code in MLA Style

by Joseph Wallace

To cite source code begin with the MLA format template . . . Read More

grammar usage writing tips

How to Get out of a Tangle When Your Modifiers Dangle

by Jennifer Rappaport

Dangling modifiers take several forms. Here are a few types—and some ways to fix them . . . Read More