Hyphens
By Mignon Fogarty Today’s topic is hyphens. Recently a friend was watching the cable channel CNBC and called me over to the TV because the hosts…
‘Suffragette,’ ‘Editrix,’ ‘Actress,’ and Other Gender-Specific Nouns
Which gender-specific nouns do you still use?
Grammar Girl’s Editing Checklist
by Mignon Fogarty Some time ago, Grammar Girl distributed an editing checklist that turned out to be so popular we decided to make it widely available. Go…
Grammar Girl’s Top 10 Language Myths
by Mignon Fogarty We have a special top-10 post to celebrate the end of the year, and—before you argue—read the whole explanation about why each of…
How to Use Attributives
Dialogue is hard to write and don’t let anyone tell you otherwise. Getting characters to have individual voices has caused more sleepless nights than too much coffee late in the day. Once the dialogue sounds right and reads right on the page, there is the problem of attributives.
Writing Fiction in the Present Tense
By Mignon Fogarty Should you write your novel in present tense? I usually deal with topics that can be widely applied to fiction and non-fiction writing, but…
How To Avoid Clichés in Your Writing
Clichés can be a writer’s worst enemy, and the reader usually doesn’t like clichés much either. Writers from Jonathan Swift to George Orwell have ranted against the cliché like it was the Devil tempting an innocent seminary student.
Apostrophe Catastrophe
It’s no wonder that people are confused about apostrophes, because new uses were introduced in the 1600s and again in the 1700s, and it wasn’t until the mid-1800s that people even tried to set down firm rules.
Active Voice Versus Passive Voice
Today’s topic is active voice versus passive voice. Many people believe they should avoid the passive voice, but fewer people can define it or recognize it.
What Is a Comma Splice?
By Mignon Fogarty How to Use Commas Commas are always tricky because there are so many different ways you can use them, but one of the most…
The 6 Most Common Writing Mistakes that are Missed When Editing
By Freddie Tubbs Grammar and punctuation can be tricky subjects to master, even for the most experienced writers and editors. But they can make a huge…
How To Proofread Like A Professional: 5 Tips
By Joan Selby As a writer, proofreading your work is one of the most grueling tasks. Most writers (perhaps even the majority of writers) don’t like…