April 28, 2025

Hoi Polloi

"Hoi polloi" doesn't mean "hoity-toity." And it has a long, contentious history involving whether you can use "the" in front of it. Short answer: yes, you can.

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April 21, 2025

Verb vs. Gerund vs. Modifier

Which part of speech is the word “running”?

1. It’s a verb
2. It’s a noun, that is, a gerund
3. It’s an adjective
4. All of the above

Once you know how -ing words work, you know it's all the above. Here's the full story..

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April 14, 2025

Subject-verb Agreement

It's usually pretty easy to make your verbs agree with your subjects. But some sentences throw you a curve ball.

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April 7, 2025

Decimate

Some people insist that the word "decimate" can't be used to mean "wipe out" or "destroy" because it's rooted in a Roman word that meant to kill one in 10 soldiers. But the definition of "decimate" is no longer that specific.

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March 31, 2025

Rob vs. Burglarize

If someone sneaks into your house and steals something while no one's home, can you say someone robbed you? Technically, yes, if you're writing outside the legal profession and don't mind loose usage. But if you like words to be as precise as possible, use "burglarize." Here's why.

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March 24, 2025

These Ones?

If "one" is singular, then the plural "these ones" must be nonsense, right? That's what some people think, but actually, "these ones" is fine. Here's why.

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March 17, 2025

'Among' vs. 'Between'

Can you share something between three friends? Or Is "between" only for groups of two, with "among" the required term for three or more? Some people will tell you it's the latter. But it's not quite that simple. Here's what you need to know.

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March 10, 2025

'Majority Is' or 'Majority Are'?

Some nouns, including "majority," can be singular or plural depending on meaning and context.

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March 3, 2025

'Than I' vs 'Than Me'

Technically, you can get away with saying, "Bob is taller than me." But stick with "than I" if you want to play it safe.

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February 24, 2025

Reign vs. Rein

You never "reign in" something to control it, though you may "reign supreme" once you've reined it in.

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