Overhedging
Some writers are timid—or pretend to be—about making a statement, so they hedge Read More
Posts related to usage
Former and Latter
There are many stylistic sins worse than using former and latter Read More
Should sun, moon, and earth be capitalized?
When Merriam-Webster indicates that a term is “capitalized” or “usually capitalized,” the MLA capitalizes the term in its publications. When Merriam-Webster indicates that a term… Read More
Critique versus Criticize
Claire Kehrwald Cook noted that critique as a verb “has not yet won full acceptance” Read More
Liberate Those Verbs!
Some phrases in English lengthen a sentence while adding nothing to its meaning . . . Read More
A Regrettable Shortcut: The Pseudo Conjunction With
The use of with as a pseudo conjunction weakens prose . . . Read More
Many or Multiple?
Multiple is often not a good synonym for many Read More
“Why Should We Sweat This Small Stuff?”
The notes posted here don’t concern small points . . . Read More
The Waste of Haste: Premature Introductions
A common type of jumble in prose results from premature introductions . . . Read More
A Regrettable Shortcut: Faculty Referring to Individuals
Faculty is one of a category of nouns that refer to groups of people as a body . . . Read More