Most of us know to capitalize the first letter of a sentence. It’s one of the few written-in-stone grammar rules.
But what about the i in iPhone or the e in eBay? Aren’t those registered brand names?
Do you write “iPhone prices will drop this fall” or “IPhone prices will drop this fall”? Continue
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If you have trouble deciding when to use might and when to use may, this post is for you.
As a writer and ruthless editor who strives for clarity, I prefer this clear distinction:
might implies possibility
Eric might go to the movie tonight.
(There is a possibility Eric will go to the movie.)
may implies permission
Eric may go to the movie tonight.
(Eric has permission to go to the movie.)
Yet I find multiple sources online that offer what I consider this unsatisfactory claim about the difference between might and may: Continue
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Jason Busch
According to most age guidelines, Jason Busch qualifies as a millennial (born 1980s through 1990s).
That’s why I was so delighted to see his column, “The Power of a Thank-You Note,” in the April 2019 issue of In Business: Greater Madison (Wisconsin) magazine, where he is online editor.
You’ll find plenty of folks who believe that expressing thanks has gone out of style — especially the handwritten versions, and especially among young people.
Even Jason admits:
Continue
Regular blog followers probably know how I feel about redundancies. In terms of language, redundant means unnecessary, not required or called for.
The best writing uses the fewest words to express a thought. That’s why I’m targeting both any and reason why in this post.
Any is a determiner, a word that comes before a noun and indicates how much or how little of that noun is being considered.
How many ways can you interpret none?
It can mean no one or not one (singular), or it can mean not any (plural).
How do you know which verb none requires: singular or plural? Is it none is or none are?
You have choices, and these tips will help you decide which to choose. Continue
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Comma use seems to confuse almost everyone at some point.
Equally confusing for many is when to use that and when to use which when introducing extra information in a sentence. They aren’t interchangeable: which requires a set of commas, and that does not.
This post tackles both questions. Answers are based on whether the additional information is essential or nonessential to the meaning of your sentence. Continue
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If you visit online grammar forums, you know that the comma is the most asked-about punctuation mark.
If you get confused about comma use with such as, you have company: me!
Let’s look at some examples and some explanations.
Consider that we often use such as when we present an example of something:
A recent online post about tweeting caught my attention:
“I understand that tweet already means to send a message, but I am hearing tweet out more frequently. Isn’t tweet out a redundancy in the category of revert back, continue on, rise up and drop down?”
As a ruthless editor sensitive to redundancies, I’ve had this question, too.
We see plenty of tweet out in politics and sports: Continue
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Are you as overwhelmed as I am by our early start to the 2020 U.S. presidential election?
As if it’s not enough to be bombarded by nonstop media coverage of emerging candidates, constant emails are flooding my inbox, pleading for contributions to support our way-too-long election cycle.
Here’s a small but positive step we can take: Serve as good examples of how to talk and to write about political terms. Approach politics from a ruthless editor’s grammatical perspective.
You might want to start with a refresher on politics is or politics are. Continue
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We judge writing in part by how lean it is; proficient writers, bloggers, students — and ruthless editors — strive to convey a thought using the fewest words.
In my own writing and the editing I do for others, I sometimes pause when I come to that in a sentence: Is it necessary for clarity or flow? What are guidelines for the use of that?
There aren’t many! Writers can exercise discretion about when and how to use that.
Let’s start with some examples showing how the absence of that might cause a reader to pause and reread: Continue
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