Five Common Grammar Questions
An MLA editor addresses five common grammar questions Read More
Posts related to writing tips
Are scientific laws, theories, and terms capitalized?
Scientific laws, theories, and terms are lowercased except when preceded by a proper adjective. Read More
Is it OK to split an infinitive?
Yes, generally. An infinitive is the to form of a verb: to go, to be. Writers are often taught to avoid splitting infinitives—that is, to avoid placing a… Read More
How to Avoid Bracketed Changes in Quotations
Writers sometimes use bracketed changes in quotations. But these changes are often unnecessary. Read More
How do I refer to a work I coauthored?
If you refer to a work that you wrote in collaboration with another author or with other authors, refer to yourself in either the first… Read More
Should I use a singular or plural verb with a collective noun?
Collective nouns, like team, family, class, group, and host, take a singular verb when the entity acts together and a plural verb when the individuals… Read More
What’s the difference between who and whom?
Use the pronoun who to refer to the subject of a verb and the pronoun whom to refer to a verb’s object or to the object of… Read More
How should I refer in my prose to a film or TV show that has an original foreign language title and an international title?
When writing about a work known by more than one title, consider your audience. If you are writing for an audience that will know the… Read More
Is it OK to use characters’ nicknames when discussing a work in MLA style, and if so, how should I style them?
If a character is predominantly referred to by a nickname in a work, then you may use that nickname in your paper. For example, in… Read More
How do I shorten a last name in English composed of more than one element?
Last names in English composed of more than one element are usually shortened to the final element, so a name like Harriet Beecher Stowe would… Read More