Inanimate Nouns and Possession
Opinions vary on which inanimate nouns can be made possessive by adding ’s Read More
Posts related to usage
What Is a Usage Guide?
This post discusses usage guides, a type of reference work consulted in the publishing industry Read More
Versus or Against?
Writers often misuse the term versus Read More
Impact as a Verb
The MLA recommends restricting the use of impact as a verb . . . Read More
This Can Be Confusing
Chances are, you've begun many sentences with This Read More
When is it OK to start a sentence with a coordinating conjunction?
You can use a comma or a dash to connect these pairs of sentences, but writing them separately is not incorrect. It is looked upon… Read More
Teaching the History of the English Language: An Interview
The study of the history of the English language (HEL) reaches back to the fifth century . . . Read More
How to Get out of a Tangle When Your Modifiers Dangle
Dangling modifiers take several forms. Here are a few types—and some ways to fix them . . . Read More
How can I avoid redundancy in my in-text citations?
As the MLA Handbook notes, “The in-text citation should direct the reader unambiguously to the entry in your works-cited list for the source—and, if possible, to a passage in… Read More
How do I style a percentage at the start of a sentence?
Since you should never begin a sentence with a numeral, you should first try to reword the sentence. If you find it unwieldy to reorder… Read More