When should I use a semicolon before a coordinating conjunction?
Semicolons should be used before coordinating conjunctions—that is, terms such as and, or, and but joining independent clauses—when the . . .Published 4 August 2020
How to Use (Not Abuse) Parentheses
Like some other punctuation marks, parentheses are used in prose to set apart some text in a sentence, such as an explanation, observation, aside, or digression. Text . . .Published 30 June 2020
Accent Marks in Microsoft Word
The series Microsoft Word and MLA Style shows writers how to use Word to make their essays conform to MLA style guidelines . . .Published 29 June 2020
Track Changes in Microsoft Word
The series Microsoft Word and MLA Style shows writers how to use Word to make their essays conform to MLA style guidelines . . .Published 25 June 2020
Dashes in MLA Style and Microsoft Word
The series Microsoft Word and MLA Style shows writers how to use Word to make their essays conform to MLA style guidelines . . .Published 24 June 2020
AutoCorrect, Spell-Check, and Style Settings in Microsoft Word
The series Microsoft Word and MLA Style shows writers how to use Word to make their essays conform to MLA style guidelines . . .Published 23 June 2020
The Fused Participle; or, What’s Wrong with Me Writing This Title?
In 1906 Henry Watson Fowler coined the term fused participle to describe "an extraordinary participle, fused into one notion with the noun" (117). He also . . .Published 19 June 2020
Choosing Between
Does a headline like “The Difference between Worry, Stress, and Anxiety” (Pattee) evoke any of those very feelings as you fret over the author’s wording? Were . . .Published 16 June 2020
The Case of the Thick Black Eyebrows; or, When to Omit Commas between Multiple Adjectives Preceding a Noun
Editors are trained to provide explanations for substantive changes they make to a writer’s text. “It just sounds better” is not a convincing argument. And yet . . .Published 19 May 2020
Be Skeptical When You Read Your First Draft
At the core of what an editor does lies a skeptical frame of mind. An editor should question everything, big and small. If a therefore . . .Published 1 April 2020