Grammar & Usage

Commonly Misspelled Words

Spelling is hard

The Truth About 'Y': It's Mostly a Vowel

A consonant that acts more like a vowel.

Using Bullet Points ( • )

Popular

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

How to pick the right one

Words You Always Have to Look Up

The dictionary is here to help

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

Be dashing—and do it well

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?

A learned explanation that is not wicked hard

Democracy or Republic: What's the difference?

A case can be made for either

'Lose' or 'loose'?

Keep this somewhere you won't forget it

How to Use Accents and Diacritical Marks

You know, the markings above and below letters.

7 Uncommonly Doubled Letters

For word games and other shenanigans

Commonly Confused

Commonly Confused

Is it 'home in' or 'hone in'?

Both are used, but 'home in' does a better job of hitting the mark.

Usage Notes

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Plural and Possessive Names: A Guide

A guide to plural and possessive names

Singular Nonbinary ‘They’: Is it ‘they are’ or ‘they is’?

Notes on a conjugation

Is Singular 'They' a Better Choice?

The awkward case of 'his or her'

8 Grammar Terms You Used to Know, But Forgot

Plus yodeling

Words in Disguise: Do these seem familiar?

Some words resemble other words enough to make you think you know them. You might not.
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Spelling & Pronunciation

Spelling & Pronunciation

The Many Plurals of 'Octopus'

But which is correct?

Punctuation

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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
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