Search results for “C”

The art of language embraces sound just as it does precision and eloquence of written expression. For example, along the way we've discussed alliteration, which is the repetition of two or more neighboring sounds of words, often initial letters, to create a phonetic device: simple story accept and excel The repeating alliterative sounds occur either …

The impact of language is often just as much about its sound as its meanings and organization of words. When used with skill and well-aimed subtlety, certain devices in American English can add extra voice and harmony to our writing. Read the following aloud to yourself: If we're lucky, the truck's gear shift won't get …

Language provides more than the means to express and deliver ideas and information. It also bears the power to please us through the tools we use to shape it. Thoughtful, eloquent communication can satisfy the outer and inner ear as much as awaken the mind. One technique that attracts us to writing and speech is …

An item that still periodically surfaces among GrammarBook.com readers is the proper use of sic. Sic is a Latin term meaning "so, thus." A complete word that requires no punctuation or abbreviation, it is found only in direct quotations and other directly quoted material to indicate that something was communicated "in this manner." Writers include it …

The human brain contains 100 billion neurons, 400 miles of capillaries, 100,000 miles of axons, and an estimated 100 trillion synaptic connections. Scientists estimate that if the modern human brain were a computer, its storage would be up to 2,500 terabytes (as of 2023, the world's largest commercial hard drive is 100TB). During an average …

We've touched on the topic of brackets in writing at different times along the way. We also continue to receive occasional questions about their use from our readers. With that in mind, we thought it would be a good time for a current review of brackets by gathering guidelines we've shared both on our website …

Writers focused on pacing, mechanics, and style have many tools at their disposal in English. One such technique is the placement of a main clause at the beginning or end of a sentence. Placing a main (independent) clause at the end of a sentence creates what is referred to grammatically as a periodic sentence. Examples …

We use verbs to communicate actions. We also express their timing in the present, past, or future through their tense: e.g., practice, practiced, will practice. Beyond establishing timing, we further treat verbs to indicate their open or closed nature within their tense. In other words, how does the action extend or not extend during a particular …

Many of us will write for different reasons, such as to convey information, enjoy and maintain relationships, or journal our distinctive experience perceiving the people, places, and things that we see. Some of us also write from a desire to explain or create. Beyond applying good grammar, one's writing can develop its own texture and …

We use verb tenses in English to express if an action is in the past, present, or future. We also use what is referred to as grammatical aspect, which indicates time-related traits such as the repetition, completion, or length of an action. The four aspects are the simple tense, the perfect tense, the progressive tense, …