November 12, 2018

The Finer Points of Writing Questions

Just a few quick tips to make sure the questions you write are punctuated and written well!

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November 5, 2018

When to Write in the Present Tense

It seems like most writing is done in the past tense. Stories are, after all, things that supposedly already happened. But the present tense has its place. Here are some thoughts on when and how to use it.

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October 29, 2018

Working With Quotations

It's not enough to know how to quote someone. You have to know when to quote them. Here's a quick lesson on all things quotation!

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October 22, 2018

Yes, Spell-Checker Helps ... Sometimes

There are dangers in relying on spell-checker. Here are some expert tips for making the most out of this tool

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October 15, 2018

Variant Spellings

"How do you spell that?"

Often, the answer is that you have more than one choice. Here's how to know which spellings are correct and which are more correct than others.

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October 8, 2018

Vis-a-Vis

If you're like a lot of people, you've heard "vis-a-vis" is easy to use wrong, but you don't know how to use it right. So you avoid it altogether. A solid strategy. But in just a quick moment, you can erase all doubt. Here's what you need to know.

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October 1, 2018

Attributive Nouns

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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September 24, 2018

Flesh Out and Flush Out

To flesh out suggests adding flesh to bone, making it more complete. To flush out suggests forcing something out of its hiding place. Here's a more thorough explanation.

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September 17, 2018

'Actually' and Similarly Fluffy Adverbs

Some adverbs really do hurt the credibility of a piece of writing. "Actually" is one of them.

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September 10, 2018

The Unkindest Apostrophes

If you pay attention to grammar, you already know that apostrophes cause some of the worst and most common mistakes. But it can still help to get a heads up for some of the apostrophe's most dangerous pitfalls. Here are some apostrophe traps to watch out for.

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