DailyWritingTips

Is That Even a Word?

No authoritarian authority exists that determines whether a given word is valid or bogus. In any language, there’s a complex and imperfect vetting procedure; at least in English, most serious writers agree on the correct or preferred form of a word that is one of two or more variants or on whether a word is … Read more

5 Parallelism Problems in In-Line Lists

Constructing an in-line list — a series of items in a sentence — seems like a straightforward task, but writers frequently err in their attempts to produce parallel structure. The following sentences illustrate some of the pitfalls of parallel construction and how to fix them. 1. “You can pay using your bank account, debit, or … Read more

More Answers to Questions About Commas

Here are a few questions I have received recently about insertion or omission of commas. 1. When there are two introductory clauses, as in “In fact, to that end, let’s work hard as a team,” I’m wondering whether a comma should follow “to that end” or whether including another comma so close to the one … Read more

How to Correct an Awkward Interruptive Phrase

When writers interrupt themselves to expand a thought, they must take care to ensure that they retain a parallel balance on the structure they’ve built. Here are three sentences thrown off balance, followed by solutions that will help the writers (and their readers) keep on their feet. 1. “High school students who carry a poor … Read more

50 Synonyms for “Villain”

The store of synonyms for villain is so well stocked that it seems, well, villainous to employ that relatively colorless word in favor of many worthy substitutes — especially in humorous contexts. Here’s a roster of appropriate alternatives. 1. Baddie: a bad person, especially a villain or a villain’s underling in a novel, a film, … Read more

The Meanings and Connotations of “Junior” and “Senior”

Aside from their literal meanings, junior and senior have an array of connotations related to hierarchy. Junior, from the Latin term juvenis, from which juvenile is also derived, refers to someone younger than another. It also applies to a young person or, more specifically, a son. Until well into the twentieth century, a boy or … Read more

Plural But Singular in Construction

In the dictionary, when you’re looking up a noun that ends in s, you’re apt to find a notation like this: “noun plural but singular in construction.” What does that mean? This description refers to words like news that appear to be plural but take a singular verb (hence the word construction, meaning “sentence structure,” … Read more

5 Examples of the Need for Multiple Hyphenation

Complex and compound phrasal adjectives, in which more than two words unite to modify a noun that follows the phrase, pose a challenge for many writers. How many hyphens are required, and where do they go? These examples demonstrate the proper application of hyphens in such cases. 1. “He broke the 21-year old world record … Read more

Answers to Questions About Abbreviations

Responses to some reader queries about abbreviation issues follow. 1. Which is the preferred abbreviation for “United States,” US or U.S.? Both forms are correct, but, in the interests of consistency with the decline of the use of periods in abbreviations, the trend is to use US. (Note that the abbreviation should be used only … Read more

The Basics of Back-Formation

A back-formation is a new word produced by excising an affix, such as producing the verb secrete from the noun secretion. Many back-formations, like that one, acquire respectability, but others, especially more recent coinages, are considered nonstandard, so use them with caution. Back-formation can be seen as a form of clipping, though the distinction between … Read more

Compound Words in Technological Contexts

“Cell phone,” or cellphone? “Home page,” or homepage? “Touch screen,” or touchscreen? Should such compounds be open, or closed? We see them both ways, so it’s difficult to know how to treat them — unless you use one simple test: Choose the form based on the context. The natural progression for styling compound words is … Read more