DailyWritingTips

One Die, Two Dice

Mickey Bayard has questions about the words die and dice. A friend and I are in dispute over the expression, “The di (die , dye) is cast, we have crossed the Rubicon “.  …our conflict is over the use of “di”. I feel it is the singular of Dice , and therefore means the casting … Read more

Some Perennial Grammar Questions

The DWT team appreciate the great feedback to Daniel’s question “What topics do you want to see covered in the blog?” and are busily responding. Questions of grammar and usage are never out of date. Doubtless we’ll be writing new posts on topics that have been dealt with in the past. Preposition usage, for example, … Read more

“Near East” vs “Middle East”

Readers often encounter the term Near East and wonder how the term differs from Middle East. Near East is the earlier term and, like Far East, was coined from the “western” perspective of European writers. The earliest example of the use of Near East in the OED is dated 1856. The earliest use of “middle … Read more

Where to Put the Stress in “irrevocable”?

Joseph writes: We know that irrevocable is pronounced with emphasis on the first e and not on the o as many people say. It would be logical to assume that words like irreversible, irreparable, etc., would follow the same rule. What is the correct pronunciation of those words? When it comes to words that begin … Read more

Compare and Contrast

Jay asks “Compare with” = contrast; What are the circumstances by which one would use contrast as the verb instead? In general use, such as in writing a “compare/contrast” essay, compare means “find the similarities” and contrast means “find the differences.” Definitions from the OED: compare:. trans. To speak of or represent as similar; to … Read more

16 Manuscript Format Guidelines

If you submit manuscripts to publishers or agents, you’ve probably come across the demand that you use “standard manuscript format” (or “SMF”) for your submissions. However, it isn’t always spelled out what this actually means. Generally speaking, the term indicates that you should format your document with the following guidelines in mind: Type your document, … Read more

The Cardinal Connection

American bird watchers enjoy seeing the bright scarlet plumage of the bird we call the cardinal (Cardinalis virginianus). The bird got its name because it reminded early explorers of the scarlet robes of the cardinals of the Roman Catholic church. cardinal: One of the seventy ecclesiastical princes (six cardinal bishops, fifty cardinal priests, and fourteen … Read more

“Breach” and “Break”

Patrick writes: I’m an English instructor in Germany and was recently asked about the difference between “breach” and “break”. Can you help? Both words have to do with breaking. Both can be used as either nouns or verbs: Can you repair the break in this line? How did you break it? Joan of Arc was … Read more

Pronouncing Words That End in -lm

Not many one-syllable English words end in the letters -lm. Sometimes the l in them is pronounced; sometimes it isn’t. Here’s a list of the most common -lm words, together with the pronunciation in the phonetic notation given at Answers.com. Many Americans pronounce all of these words with an l. alms [ämz] balm [bäm] calm … Read more

Life Passed Me By

Cezar wrote: Can you clarify differences or subtleties between:”my life passed by me” and “my life passed me by.” Sometimes the placement of a word makes all the difference in meaning. My life passed by me could mean simply that a portion of one’s life has gone by. Anyone who bought stocks in mid-1929 and … Read more

Restrictive Appositives

Bob asks: Could you please explain restrictive appositives (Like, Have you read the novel a Separate Peace). Where you don’t use commas. I find it a bit confusing. If you need a refresher, an appositive is: An appositive is a noun or noun phrase that renames another noun right beside it. The appositive can be … Read more

The Curious History of “Bead”

You may have heard the expression “to draw a bead,” meaning “to take aim.” A hunter, for example, “draws a bead” on the quarry. The expression, used both literally and figuratively, is popular with headline writers Connecticut gunman drew bead on bosses Kiefer Sutherland and ’24’ draw a bead on a feature film HP and … Read more