Using the word there is the weakest of all sentence starts because readers must wait until at least the third word to find any meaning. Find the noun that follows...

Which sounds better: “Do not do that” or “Don’t do that”? Contractions make your writing less formal and more pleasing to the readers’ ears because that’s what what we hear...

Which sounds better: “Do not do that” or “Don’t do that”? Contractions make your writing less formal and more pleasing to the readers’ ears because that’s what what we hear...

A compound noun may be one word, two words, or a hyphenated word. They may be formed by joining a noun with a noun, adjective, verb, preposition, prepositional phrase, or...

Confusion comes in the way the lie and lay verbs are used in different tenses. The verb lie means to tell something that isn’t true. Jack is lying. He lies...

You’ve probably read about widgets and whatchamacallits. Gadgets, gizmos, and contraptions may do important work. Doodads, doohickeys, and thingamajigs can be perfect for the job. With all these things, what...

Our video-oriented environment makes us want to be a part of the action, not be told about it. This is why you may often hear instructors encourage writers to “show,...

State Farm ran a commercial to help us realize that what we read on the Internet doesn’t have to be true. Many times, it’s someone’s not-so-expert opinion that is copied...

To capitalize or not to capitalize: that is the question. Chances are, if you see song lyrics projected on a big screen during a weekend service, you’re used to seeing...

If it weren’t for exceptions, the rules would be easy to understand. We use an apostrophe, sometimes followed by an s. Sometimes not. And then we have to remember that...