Stationary vs. Stationery

Writers have long been stymied by the resemblance between stationary and stationery, or by ignorance of the fact that distinct words exist to describe the condition of motionlessness and the class of materials for written correspondence. Progress may make this point moot, because our society is slowly but inexorably abandoning stationery as a medium of communication, but it’s still important to make the distinction.

15 Foreign Words and Phrases People Spell Incorrectly

Here are some problematic frequently misspelled words and phrases of foreign extraction.

5 Tips for Cleaning Up Your Writing Right Now

Here are five quantitative quick tips about improving your writing functionally, before you even get into improving the quality of your prose.

40 French Expressions “En Tout”

English has borrowed heavily from French, including a number of expressions beginning with en (meaning “as” or “in”). Some of these, such as “en masse,” are ubiquitous; others, like “en ami,” are obscure. Many more listed (and defined) here, italicized in the sample sentences, are not even listed in English dictionaries and are therefore considered still wholly foreign (and should be italicized in your prose as well).

40 Synonyms for Praise

Last week, I offered a list of synonyms for the word criticize. To avert criticism (admonishment, censure, chastising, and so on), I offer here a roster of synonyms for its antonym, praise, in that word’s verb form as well as when it’s used as a noun.

10 Modes of Modifiers

A modifier is a sentence element — a word or a phrase — that provides details. Three types of modifiers exist: those that qualify by answering the question of how or under what conditions something occurs, those that set conditions or explain circumstances by answering the question of who, what, when, where, and why, and those that provide reasons or conclusions.

20 Types and Forms of Humor

Humor comes in many flavors, any of which may appeal to one person but not to another, and which may be enjoyed in alternation or in combination. Here are names and descriptions of the varieties of comic expression.

Affect vs. Effect

Among the pairs of words writers often confuse, affect and effect might be the most perplexing, perhaps because their meanings are so similar. Affect, derived from affectus, from the Latin word afficere, “to do something to, act on,” is easily conflated with effect, borrowed from Anglo-French, ultimately stemming from the Latin word effectus, from efficere, “to bring about.”

What to Do When Words Appear Twice in a Row

Using a word twice in a row isn’t always a no-no, but there’s always a more elegant way to revise a sentence in which you might initially be inclined to repeat a word immediately. When words collide, try these approaches.

50 Handy Expressions About Hands

Do you know all these expressions about hands? Most of them are cliches, but using just about any cliche is forgivable if you do so in a fresh way, or to add a note of humor.

7 Patterns of Sentence Structure

Sentence structure can be categorized into seven patterns: one simple, three compound, two complex, and one compound-complex. Here are examples of each pattern with accompanying formulas, all to help you think of how to craft sentences in a greater variety of syntax.

Principles of Plain English

Perspicuous written communication is fundamental in every aspect of human interaction — or should I say, “Clear writing is important whenever people interact”? If I support the triumph of plain English over byzantine jargon and sesquipedalianism, I should.

« Previous Page — Next Page »

Categories

• Book Reviews
• Business Writing
• Competitions
• Expressions
• Fiction Writing
• Freelance Writing
• General
• Grammar
• Grammar 101
• Misused Words
• Punctuation
• Spelling
• Style
• Vocabulary
• Word of the Day
• Writing Basics