Grammar Rules & Usage Guide | Merriam-Webster

Popular

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

All your favorite pet peeves

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

Be dashing—and do it well

'Canceled' or 'cancelled'?

Is it 'autumn' or 'fall'?

Why does this season have two different names?

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

For example, the different ways to use them

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

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

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.

Is it 'graduated' or 'was graduated from'?

No, this will not be on the test

Punctuation

Why do we use apostrophes to show possession?

The shifting role of the apostrophe

A Guide to Using Colons

We'll get to semicolons later.

To Use or Not Use the "?" in Requests

"Would you read this, please."

All About Ellipses ...

How to use them … and talk about them

The Other Kind of 'Apostrophe'

It's when we speak to you and it's like you're not here.