Either-Or, Neither-Nor, and Other Correlatives
When conjunctions work in pairs, we call them correlatives because they link two corresponding ideas that need to be parallel in both structure and logic.
Parallel Structure in Embedded Lists
Elsewhere on this site, we discuss the importance of parallel structure in vertical (bulleted) lists. But two or more parts of a sentence, clause, or phrase should be grammatically parallel even without bullets (or numbers or letters). This article focuses on parallel...
Parallel Structure with Vertical Lists (Bullets, Numbers, Letters)
Careful writers ensure that items in a list are parallel with one another in both meaning and form. That is, all items must be both logically and grammatically similar; when they are, the information is more coherent and easier to absorb. Today, we’re looking...
The Colon (and How It Differs from the Semicolon)
Recently I came across two expressions sorely in need of a well-placed colon. The first appeared in the Washington Post*: Although the vaccines remain remarkably effective, the virus has bountiful opportunities to find new ways to evade immunity. Most of the world...
Do We Write “Try to” or “Try and”?
Have you landed on this page to “try to” improve your understanding of English grammar and usage—or to “try and” do so? Either way, you’ve come to the right place. The focus here is on whether “try to” and “try and” are both considered correct and are, thus,...
Alumnus, Alumni, Alumna, Alumnae
As spring graduation season wraps up here in the United States, now is a good time to talk about alumnus, alumni, alumna, and alumnae. Many of us struggle to remember which of these terms are masculine, which are feminine, which are singular, and which are plural. The...
Home In On or Hone In On: Which Is Logical?
The words home and hone sound so much alike that we can hardly blame people for confusing them and saying hone in on when they really mean home in on. Home In On Synonyms for the infinitive to home in on are to zero in on or to target. Think about a guided missile or...
Nominalization and Vague, Wordy Sentences
When it comes to writing, less is often better. Writers can avail themselves of several strategies for more succinct writing, and avoiding nominalization—forming a noun from other parts of speech—is one of them. Nouns can be made from both verbs and adjectives, but...
Myth Rules: Eight So-Called Rules to Ignore
My first exposure to the phrase “myth rules” was the use of that expression in Edgar H. Schuster’s 2003 book (which I highly recommend), Breaking the Rules: Liberating Writers through Innovative Grammar Instruction. But long before I discovered Schuster’s list of...
