Adverbs to Avoid
Adverbs you can easily avoid Read More
Posts related to usage
Contemporary as a Kind of Janus Word
Reasons to be mindful of the ambiguity of the word contemporary . . . Read More
The Danger of Deploy
Deploy is not a good synonym for use, utilize, or employ Read More
How do I cite a quotation that I’ve altered?
In almost all cases you should transcribe a quotation exactly as it appears in the source. However, you may occasionally want to italicize words in… Read More
It is . . . that; or, How Not to Edit Jane Austen
The formula it is . . . that is common in academic writing Read More
MLK Day the MLA Way
Martin Luther King Day? Martin Luther King, Jr., Day? MLK Day? . . . Read More
When Not to Include
On the use of include to mean are . . . Read More
Overhedging
Some writers are timid—or pretend to be—about making a statement, so they hedge Read More
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