Grammar & Usage

Punctuation

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

Be dashing—and do it well

Should that word have a hyphen?

On open, closed, and hyphenated compounds

A Guide to Using Semicolons

You too can become a semicolon master!

A Guide to Deciphering Diacritics

You know, the markings above and below letters.

On Contractions of Multiple Words

You all would not have guessed some of these

The Serial Comma Explained

Why don't they call it the Merriam-Webster comma?

The History of 'Ampersand'

How the '&' got its name

All About Ellipses ...

How to use them … and talk about them

Comma Splices: What They Are and How to Correct Them (or not)

Adventurous writers pull them off regularly

Why do we use apostrophes to show possession?

The shifting role of the apostrophe

To Use or Not Use the "?" in Requests

"Would you read this, please."

A Guide to Using Colons

We'll get to semicolons later.

How to Use Word Division Dots and Syllable Hyphens

Dictionary secrets, revealed!

The Other Kind of 'Apostrophe'

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

Guest Post: What's a Diaeresis?

And how on earth do you pronounce it?