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Est. 1828
Grammar & Usage
‘Metaphor’ vs. ‘Simile’
Shall we compare thee to a summer’s day?
Plural and Possessive Names: A Guide
A guide to plural and possessive names
'Affect' vs. 'Effect'
How to pick the right one
Commonly Confused
Usage Notes
Spelling & Pronunciation
Punctuation
Popular
Putting Adjectives in the Right Order
You do this without even thinking
Using Bullet Points ( • )
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?
7 Pairs of Commonly Confused Words
We promise you're not the only one who has trouble with these words
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
Commonly Confused
Commonly Confused
Is it 'forty' or 'fourty'?
This is usage
Read
When to Use It's vs. Its
A Simple Rule to Avoid Embarrassment
Read
Is it 'used to' or 'use to'?
You'll get used to it
Read
Do you 'say your piece' or 'say your peace'?
The whole truth about a confusing idiom.
Read
See All
'Awhile' vs. 'A While'
There are rules, but who's listening?
Usage Notes
See More
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.
See More
Spelling & Pronunciation
Spelling & Pronunciation
Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?
A learned explanation that is not wicked hard
Read
10 Words You See But Don't Hear
How to pronounce 10 words with unpredictable stress and vowel sounds
Read
How to Remember the Spelling of 'Definitely'
A definitive answer.
Why does English have so many silent letters?
Inexplicable silent letters, explained
Read
See All
The Many Plurals of 'Octopus'
But which is correct?
Punctuation
See More
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
How to Use Word Division Dots and Syllable Hyphens
Dictionary secrets, revealed!
See More