Search results for “Ff”

When Jane authored the first Grammar Tip on this subject in 2009, her intention was to provide simple, concise guidance on the most commonly encountered uses of the words into and in to. But she knew that at some point we would need to explore this topic in more depth. Since issuing that Grammar Tip, …

When should you capitalize someone's title? We get this question quite often so here are some rules and guidelines: Guideline: Though there is no established rule on writing titles in the complimentary closing of a letter, we recommend capitalizing a person's title when it follows the name on the address or signature line. However, you …

This is from Dan, who offers us a new word and an idea worth understanding and enjoying. He suggests looking at Wikipedia's link for more paraprosdokians: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paraprosdokian A paraprosdokian is a figure of speech in which the latter part of a sentence or phrase is surprising or unexpected in a way that causes the reader …

Many of us get confused about when to hyphenate between words. For example, should you write nearly-extinct wolves or nearly extinct wolves? Adverbs ending in -ly should not be hyphenated. In most cases it is compound adjectives–adjectives that act as one idea with other adjectives–that get hyphenated in front of nouns. Example: The crowd threw …

Do you use a singular or plural verb to match a collective noun such as team or staff? The answer is, It depends. If these nouns are acting as a unit, use a singular verb. Example: The team is heading for practice this afternoon. If the sentence indicates more individuality, use a plural verb. Example: …

We tend to speak plainly and succinctly but for some reason, when we write, we stuff our sentences with extra verbiage, turning streamlined ideas into confusing, out-of-shape messes. Here is a good example of a sentence that needs a workout: The network that this computer is able to connect to contains information that is privileged …

When you drive your car, there are laws you must follow. Well, there are also “laws” or criteria for writing effectively. Enhance your credibility and professional image instantly by paying attention to these criteria: State the main point clearly, right at the beginning Organize information logically Leave out unnecessary information Use short sentences and paragraphs …

Sentences and lists are awkward when they contain a series of items with inconsistent grammatical structure. But as your reader scans through a series of items with parallel grammatical structure, the relationships between different items of information become clear. Here’s an example: Which of the two sentences below is easier to follow? At the February …

Many readers have asked me why people write numbers this way: Example: We will need 220 (two hundred twenty) chairs. While it is often unnecessary to have both numerals and words for the same number, and can come off as pretentious, there are two reasons for using both: 1. You are more likely to make …

Most of us know clumsy sentences when we hear or read them, but we don’t always know exactly why they are clumsy or possess the skills to fix them. An E-Newsletter reader heard the awkwardness of the following sentence but was puzzled by how to reword it. The network that this computer is able to …