When crafting sentences, writers must take care to check that verbs are inflected to correspond with the subject—the word or phrase the verb pertains to—which is not necessarily the most adjacent noun. The following sentences, each discussed and revised beneath the examples, demonstrate the various pitfalls one can encounter with this issue. 1. Demonstrating effective … Read more
The English language includes some words that, originating in the vocabulary of warfare, have been applied to competitive contexts such as sports and business, while others that did not originate in that realm are associated with both the military and other endeavors. Here’s a list of terms pertaining to military units and formations that also … Read more
When expressing numbers in writing, take care to avoid erroneous styling of number ranges, mixed fractions, and multiple references to categorically similar numbers. The following examples, each of which is followed by a discussion and a revision, exemplify these three categories of style issues. 1. He said there are between 10-15 billion such devices online. … Read more
Cant is jargon or trite commentary, or singsong speech. A chant is a type of song. Is there a connection between the words? Yes, and many other words are more or less obviously related. They are both derived from the Latin verb canare, which means “sing.” Cant originally referred to the repetitive, practiced patter of … Read more
Are police and policy related? Not only are they cognates, but they used to mean the same thing—and politics is descended from the same word as well. That word is polis, the Greek term for a city as well as for the concept of the city-state and the body of citizens who constituted that state. … Read more
All but one of the following sentences require hyphenation between two or more consecutive words to indicate that the phrase is a phrasal adjective; revise the sentences as necessary: 1. It was in my post office box. 2. The project finances construction of energy efficient homes. 3. The figures above reflect cost of living adjustments. … Read more
In each of the following sentences, one or more hyphens are extraneous. A discussion and revision follows each example. 1. Data is accurate and often delivered in real-time. “Real time” is a compound noun, and such nouns are almost invariably open or closed; hyphenated exceptions such as mind-set are rare. If a compound noun does … Read more
When should you write north, and when is North appropriate? How about southern, or Southern? This post outlines the recommendations for when to use uppercase letters for words referring to cardinal directions, and when to employ lowercase letters. Many geographical designations include north, south, east, or west, or combined forms such as northwest, as part … Read more
1. Some new entrants probably need to have a deeper focus on security and privacy than they have; not least because it is only a matter of time before they, too, are regulated more closely. A semicolon is required to separate the two halves of a sentence only when both clauses are independent, but the … Read more
What’s the difference between a ship’s captain and a ship’s master? In contemporary usage, not much, but historically, the titles represented quite distinct roles. Captain is more common in modern usage, but master is more historically accurate. Captain derives ultimately from the Latin term caput, meaning “head” and related to other words beginning with cap- … Read more
Position, as a verb meaning “set” or “place” and as a noun referring to the attitude or location in which something is set or placed, is derived from the Latin verb ponere, as are a number of terms using that word as a base to form new meanings revealed more or less transparently by their … Read more
All but one of the following sentences demonstrate incorrect style for treatment of possessives according to The Chicago Manual of Style; revise sentences as necessary: 1. I walked over to the Smith’s house. 2. Our hostess’ nerves are shot. 3. I went to my aunt’s and uncle’s anniversary celebration. 4. She made it onto the … Read more