One Space or Two after Periods?

One Space or Two after Periods?

Do you insert one space or two after a period? Many people are surprisingly (even absurdly) passionate about their preference, yet this seemingly minor issue is not nearly as cut-and-dried as it may at first appear to be.  A Little Background on a Longstanding Debate...
Possessives: Joint or Separate Ownership

Possessives: Joint or Separate Ownership

Which of these two constructions would be correct if John and Rob each wrote a separate report and the administrative assistant filed them both? The administrative assistant filed John’s and Rob’s report. The administrative assistant filed John and Rob’s report. The...
The Comparative and Superlative Degrees

The Comparative and Superlative Degrees

Did you know that if a person has only two children, neither child should be described as the oldest or the youngest ? This usage mistake, which reveals a failure to understand the difference between comparative and superlative modifiers, is very common—and it’s...
The Subjunctive Mood

The Subjunctive Mood

Most of us use phrases such as “if I were you,” “if need be,” “be that as it may,” “God bless you,” “far be it from me,” and so on—but few of us are aware that we are employing the subjunctive mood when we do so. This lack of awareness is not surprising given...
Bi and Semi as Prefixes

Bi and Semi as Prefixes

If you receive a paycheck on the fifteenth and thirtieth of each month, are you paid bimonthly or semimonthly? If a newspaper is published every two weeks, it is a biweekly or a semimonthly publication? The answer is not simple. If we check Webster’s for definitions...