November 4, 2024

'Loan' vs. 'Lend'

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Some editing styles say "loan" is a noun and that, if you want a verb, you must use "lend." Good news: These words aren't that restrictive.

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October 28, 2024

Historic vs. Historical

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If your gut tells you "historic" means something with lasting significance, like a historic event, and that "historical" means something to do with history, like a historical record, listen to your gut. That's a good way to look at the difference between these two words.

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October 21, 2024

Sometimes 'That' Is Optional

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I know you were there. I know that you were there. Both of these are correct and mean the same thing. When you leave "that" out, it's called the zero relative pronoun.

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October 14, 2024

'Different From' vs. 'Different Than'

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Some people will tell you these two phrases can never be used interchangeably. That's not quite the case.

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October 7, 2024

Beg the Question

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Can you use "beg the question" to mean "raise the question," as in, "These fingerprints beg the question: Was there more than one burglar"? Technically, yes. But some people will look down on you for it.

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September 30, 2024

Can 'Impact' Be a Verb?

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A lot of people will tell you that you can have an impact on something — that is, use impact as a noun — but that you can't impact something because it's not a verb. Don't listen to them. It's both.

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September 23, 2024

Faulty Parallels

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In the 1988 film Rain Man, Dustin Hoffman's character said his brother, played by Tom Cruise, "yelled and pulled and hurt my neck," suggesting Cruise's character not only pulled his neck and hurt his neck but also yelled his neck. Here's what you need to know about faulty parallels like this one.

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September 16, 2024

'Done' and 'Finished'

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A child sitting at the dinner table pushes aside a plate of half-eaten food and announces, “I’m done.” A parent replies, “No, a roast is done. You’re finished.” Is the parent right? Actually, no. Here's the full story.

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September 9, 2024

A Dimly Lit Room or a Dimly Lighted Room?

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Some people have strong feelings on whether the detective "lit" a cigarette or "lighted" it and whether a room was dimly "lit" or "lighted." Turns out, they're both fine and about equally good.

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September 2, 2024

Sometimes, 'Both' Must Go

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“The hospital provides a supportive work environment for both doctors and nurses.”

That “both” is, technically, just fine. But when “both” is immediately followed by a plural noun, it could momentarily be construed to be modifying that noun only. Someone looking at the phrase “both doctors and nurses” might first read it as “both doctors” and wonder which two doctors you’re talking about.

Here's more on why editors often chop out "both."

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