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Pick Up or Pickup: Which Word Do You Need to Use?

Let's say you agree to give your friends a ride in your truck. On the way, they ask if you can help them move an appliance since your truck has an open cargo area with low sides and a tailgate. Do you know which word to use to describe what you'll be doing and what …

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Using sic in 2024

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 …

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Anastrophe

Writing allows us extra room to infuse our expressions with an eloquence that would otherwise sound ill-suited when we're speaking. Where simple, declarative language often favors comfort and trust in conversation, techniques that are more affecting can infuse written language with style, voice, and even emotion when applied properly. One such structure is what is …

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What Are Qualifiers and Intensifiers?

The Mediterranean Chicken on the menu is really recommended. You seem seldom energetic this week. This hotel room is quite nice. When we express ourselves, we might include words meant to further limit or amplify what we aim to communicate. For example, we aren't just happy—we are very happy. After working a full day in …

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What Is a Stative Verb?

We often relate the word “verb” with an action: We eat, we work, we talk, we sleep. These verbs are also referred to as dynamic verbs. However, not all verbs describe physical actions. Some express: senses opinions thoughts ownership or measurement states of being emotions or feelings Such verbs are known as stative verbs. Examples …

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Writing Zip Codes

We at times receive questions concerning the proper way to address outbound mail and, in particular, use zip codes. Because your goal and ours is to achieve precision in writing, we'll take a closer look at zip codes and how you can treat them in your correspondence. What Is a ZIP Code? Zip codes today …

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Ordinal vs. Cardinal Numbers

Numbers can often present different style questions in American English. When should we spell them, and when shouldn't we? In particular, what are ordinal numbers and what are cardinal numbers, and how do we treat them? Mastering these distinctions will refine your precision in your daily writing. For this discussion, we'll review style guidance from …

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Year-End Quiz: 2021

Another year of exploring the vast terrain of American English comes to a close. Once again, our routes of study with you have been rich with thought and discovery. We are thankful that you, our dedicated readers, joined us in the pursuit of greater precision and eloquence for self-expression. Each year, we wrap up the …

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Year-End Quiz 2020

We conclude each twelve-month grammatical trip with a review of what we’ve studied and learned together. The 2020 master quiz features twenty-five items inspired by the year’s many different GrammarBook articles.

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More Mangled Language and Pompous Usages to Avoid

This column is mostly concerned about the written word, but even so, pronunciation will inevitably enter the picture from time to time. The expressions chomping at the bit and stomping ground are both corruptions of the original champing and stamping. People find this incredible. But, for instance, consult the 1961 cult-favorite western film One-Eyed Jacks, …

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