April 20, 2026

Commas for Setting Off Nonrestrictive Information

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"My sister Jennifer" has a different meaning from "My sister, Jennifer." A comma tells the reader that the name "Jennifer" in no way narrows down who I mean by "my sister," so I must have only one sister. The absence of a comma tells the reader that the name is restrictive information necessary to know which sister I'm talking about. Here's the full explanation.

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April 13, 2026

Where to Put 'Only'

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Some people will tell you that "only" can go only one place in a sentence: immediately next to the word it modifies, like "only one place" in this sentence. But in fact, "only" can work multiple places in the sentence, so I could have said: Some people will tell you that "only" can only go one place in a sentence. Moving "only" to before the word "can" is just as correct.

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April 6, 2026

'That' and 'Which'

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If you want to follow publishers' rules, keep "that" and "which" in separate lanes. If you just want to be correct, trust your instincts.

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March 30, 2026

Disinterested vs. Uninterested

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If you want to satisfy the most conservative readers, use "disinterested" only to mean "impartial." But you can use it interchangeably with "uninterested" if you like, as well.

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March 23, 2026

Action Verbs

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Some verbs grab your reader's attention and bring them on a ride they don't want to get off. Choose them over static verbs whenever you can.

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March 16, 2026

A 'Myriad of' or Just 'Myriad'?

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Some say "myriad" is only an adjective and not a noun, which means you can't use "a myriad of." They're wrong, but professional editors often prefer the adjective form.

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March 10, 2026

The Generic Pronoun 'One'

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"One," as in "One must work hard to get ahead," is called a generic pronoun and, though it's sounding more outdated every day, it's still useful in a lot of cases. Here's how it works.

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March 2, 2026

In To vs. Into

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"Into" isn't necessarily interchangeable with "in to," and the same is true for "onto" and "on to." Here's the full story.

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February 23, 2026

Can 'Over' Mean 'More Than'?

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There's a popular belief that it's wrong to say "amounts over $50" or "children over 12." But there's no need to use "more than" or "less than" when "over" and "under" sound good to you."

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February 16, 2026

Everything You Need to Know About Dashes

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Dashes are very helpful when used correctly. Here's how.

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