August 3, 2026

Passive Voice

Passive voice is widely misunderstood and often misused. Here's how and when active voice is your friend.

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July 27, 2026

If a Title Is in Quotation Marks, How Do You Make It Plural or Possessive?

In the editing styles that put movie and book titles in quotation marks, how do you make those titles into plurals and possessives, like The future will not bring us more "Gone With the Winds" and The legacy is "Casablanca's"? No one's saying, exactly. But there's a precedent for putting the possessive or plural S inside the quotation marks.

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July 20, 2026

Vis-a-vis

If you're using vis-a-vis to mean "regarding," you should probably learn its primary meaning first.

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July 6, 2026

Predicate Adjective at the Beginning of a Sentence

Also delicious is the apple pie.

Flipping around a sentence like "The apple pie is also delicious" so that the adjective comes before the verb is perfectly grammatical, and it can be a good way to vary your sentences. But it could also mean you have nothing of substance to say.

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June 22, 2026

Synonyms, Antonyms, Homonyms, Homophones and Homographs

You know what a synonym is. But can you say the same for homonyms, homophones, homographs and antonyms?

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June 15, 2026

Upside-down Subordination: A Subtle Problem Undermining Your Writing

When your most important or interesting information is in a subordinate clause instead of the main clause, it can dampen the effect. Here's how to spot and fix upside-down subordination.

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June 8, 2026

When Nouns Are Adjectives

When is a noun not a noun? When it's acting like an adjective, like "chicken" in "chicken soup" and "air" in "air travel." Here's everything you need to know about attributive nouns.

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June 3, 2026

'Flush Out' or 'Flesh Out'?

Both are correct, but "flush out" and "flesh out" have different meanings.

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May 11, 2026

Writing Numbers

Some numbers are better spelled out, others work better as numerals. Following one of the major style guides can ensure you're consistent.

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April 29, 2026

'Actually' and Similar Adverbs

Some adverbs clutter up your sentence, causing more harm to your message than good. "Actually," though useful sometimes, is among the worst culprits.

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