Grammar Rules & Usage Guide | Merriam-Webster

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More Words You Always Have to Look Up

The dictionary is always here to help

'Buck naked' or 'butt naked'?

It's a natural question

The Difference Between 'i.e.' and 'e.g.'

For example, the different ways to use them

What’s the difference between ‘cemetery’ and ‘graveyard’?

Graveyards are sometimes smaller, but not always.

Democracy or Republic: What's the difference?

And which is the United States?

Every Letter Is Silent, Sometimes: A-Z List of Examples

When each letter can be seen but not heard

More Commonly Mispronounced Words

We're here to help

How to Use Em Dashes (—), En Dashes (–) , and Hyphens (-)

Be dashing—and do it well

Usage Notes

Can you end a sentence with a preposition?

Yes, a preposition is something you can end with.

First, Second and Third Person Explained

First, second, and third person explained

31 Useful Rhetorical Devices

Beyond 'simile' and 'metaphor'

Are 'funner' and 'funnest' real words?

We got a whole mess of fun here, folks

Can you use 'comprised of'?

It's been in use for centuries.

Punctuation

To Use or Not Use the "?" in Requests

"Would you read this, please."

All About Ellipses ...

How to use them … and talk about them

How to Use Word Division Dots and Syllable Hyphens

Dictionary secrets, revealed!

A Guide to Using Colons

We'll get to semicolons later.

A Guide to Using Semicolons