May 14, 2012

Can You Use 'They' and 'Their' for a Singular Subject

TOPICS: , , , ,

A lot of people object when you use a plural "they" or "their" to refer to a singular subject, as in "Every visitor should be sure they lock their car." But is it wrong?

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

Click player above to listen to the podcast

  • Share
« Older Entries

May 7, 2012

How Participial Phrases Can Hurt Writing

TOPICS: , , , ,

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

Participial phrases, which usually hinge on a word ending in "ing" or "ed," are a great way to add information to a sentence. But writers who rely on them too much can come off as amateurish.

 

Click player above to listen to the podcast

  • Share
« Older Entries

April 30, 2012

'Sneak Peak' May Be the Sneakiest Typo of All

TOPICS: , , ,

For some of us, it's a good policy to double-check every "sneak peek" we write. Way too many "peaks" out there trying to sneak in.

 

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

Click player above to listen to the podcast

  • Share
« Older Entries

April 23, 2012

'Whom' at the Beginning of a Sentence

TOPICS: , , ,

 

You've already decided your piece is formal enough to warrant using "whom." But do you really have to use it at the beginning of sentences like "Whom is this letter for" and "Whom else did you see"?

 

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

Click player above to listen to the podcast

  • Share
« Older Entries

April 16, 2012

Can you use 'impact' as a verb?

TOPICS: , , , ,

 

Well, yes: Impact is both a thing and an action -- though some people still don't like it.

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

Click player above to listen to the podcast

  • Share
« Older Entries

April 9, 2012

Mama vs. Momma and Other Kinship Names

TOPICS: , , ,

Is there a right way to spell mama/momma, papa/poppa and other "kinship names"?

 

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

 

 

Click player above to listen to the podcast

  • Share
« Older Entries

April 2, 2012

'One of the Only'

TOPICS: , , , ,

Is "one of the only" acceptable? Or must you stick to "one of the few"?

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

Click player above to listen to the podcast

  • Share
« Older Entries

March 26, 2012

Choosing Between 'A' and 'An'

TOPICS: , ,

Choosing between the indefinite articles "a" and "an" is pretty easy, right? Then how do you explain how often I see stuff like "They visited a AAA-aproved resort"?

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

Click player above to listen to the podcast

  • Share
« Older Entries

March 19, 2012

Hyphenation: The Big Picture

TOPICS: , , , , ,

When you're combining two or more words to modify another, you often hyphenate them. But in nouns and verbs, hyphens are sometimes part of the official spelling.

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

 

Click player above to listen to the podcast

  • Share
« Older Entries

March 12, 2012

Decimate

TOPICS: , , , ,

A lot of people have strong opinions about this word. Yet "decimate" is more versatile than some people realize.

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

 

Click player above to listen to the podcast

  • Share
« Older Entries