Like many of our shortest English words, sit and set have lengthy entries in the Oxford English Dictionary. Some of the definitions overlap. Some are interchangeable. The most common uses of sit and set are similar to those of lay and lie. “To sit” is to be seated. “To set” is to place something somewhere. … Read more
Writers can be insecure creatures. For many, the thought of beginning a novel, a project requiring the production of from 60,000 to 100,000 words, can be overwhelming. For the writer who tends to linger over every sentence, the prospect can be especially daunting. This year’s NaNoWriMo has already begun, but it’s not too late for … Read more
Both terms, Old Guard and Young Turks, have been adopted for various purposes. According to the Wikipedia disambiguation pages, the terms have been applied to everything from a magazine and Internet news service to a street gang. In a general figurative sense, the terms are ideological opposites. Originally, the term Old Guard had military connotations, … Read more
1. Know the Rules This doesn’t mean to simply remember what you learned — or what you think you learned — five or fifty years ago. Careful writers continuously educate and reeducate themselves about grammar, syntax, usage, and style. In preparing to write my posts over the last few years, I have engaged in extensive … Read more
Here are a few questions from DailyWritingTips.com readers about various punctuation issues, followed by my responses. 1. A lawyer asks a witness about a quoted statement made to the witness by another person, such as “Did she tell you, ‘I have to call the authorities, you’re going back. Stay right here.” Should there be a … Read more
Writers should take care when determining which word among two or more synonyms or near synonyms to employ, because the sense of a word can be subtly or significantly different from that of a similar term, as the following examples illustrate. 1. Childish/Childlike Childish refers to immature behavior characteristic of a child, while childlike pertains … Read more