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Year-End Quiz: 2022

It's another new year, and all of us at GrammarBook.com hope yours is off to an inspired start—including looking forward to another full year of mastering American English. At the start of each new year, we review what we've explored with you during the previous twelve months of discussion and study. The 2022 master quiz …

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Is it Spelt or Spelled

If you want to say how you ordered letters to form a word, would you express that you spelt the word or spelled it? For many of us, both versions might feel as if they are the same, so how can you choose the right one? We'll address that for you here. Should You Write …

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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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Christmas ‘Log Review

Every year, for six weeks or so, I get a taste of what it's like to be a superstar. From late October to early December, I am accosted daily by an aggressive mob of stalkers who know where I live. Their urgent need for my attention seems to be their only reason for being. No, …

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Colons with Lists

Rule 1: Use the colon after a complete sentence to introduce a list of items when introductory words such as namely, for example, or that is do not apply or are not appropriate. Examples: You may be required to bring many items: sleeping bags, pans, and warm clothing. I want the following items: butter, sugar, …

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Year-End Quiz 2017

Review is good for retention. That’s why GrammarBook.com likes to start the new year with a jumbo quiz that spans the last twelve months of topics we’ve covered with you. In 2017 we explored an array of ways to enhance your grammar and writing. We hope what you learned follows you well into 2018 as …

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Attention-Span Blues

Fewer and fewer of us curl up with a good book anymore. Who can read nonstop for more than an hour, if that? I won’t bore you with my deep thoughts on why this is—not when I can bore you with so much other nerdy stuff. But I will say this: American attention spans started …

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Christmas ’Log Review

Every year, for six weeks or so, I get a taste of what it’s like to be a superstar. From late October to early December, I am accosted daily by an aggressive mob of stalkers who know where I live. Their urgent need for my attention seems to be their only reason for being. No, …

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Commas with Introductory Words

Rule 1 - Use a comma when beginning sentences with introductory words such as well, why, hello, no, yes, etc. Examples: Yes, I do need that report. Well, I never thought I'd live to see the day… Rule 2 - Use a comma before and after introductory words such as namely, that is, i.e., for …

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Using Semicolons

Do you get confused about the proper way to use a semicolon? Semicolons do not represent a full stop at the end of a sentence, as periods do; rather, they're like the "yellow light" of punctuation marks: they signal a pause between one sentence and the next. You slow down, then stop at the end …

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