Passive Voice and Active Voice
If you use a word processing software’s grammar checker, you have probably seen a green squiggly line at some point indicating that your verb was...
Verbs First: Targeting the Crucial Action
We can improve our writing by focusing on any unit of style—from choosing the just-right word to sculpting clauses, sustaining longer sentences with grace, and...
What Does It Mean to “Beg the Question”?
Pardon Me—May I Beg Your Question? Often I hear newscasters say something like this: “Which begs the question—why was the senator naked in the first...
One Space or Two after Periods?
Do you use one space or two after periods? Many people are surprisingly (even ridiculously) passionate about this issue. The Two-Space Camp Those who favor...
Style Manuals, Style Books, Style Guides
While there are some hard-and-fast grammar rules (subjects must agree in number with their verbs, for example), a large percentage of what people regard as...
