When two words come together to create a single new idea that expresses meaning different from that of either of the individual words, the result is a compound word. Sometimes compound words include a hyphen (not to be confused with em dashes or en dashes, which we...
Some so-called “rules” of grammar don’t hold up under careful scrutiny. Such is the case with the oft-repeated statement “never end a sentence with a preposition.” In some cases ending a sentence with a preposition is inappropriate...
Two issues often arise during graduation season. One is with the verb to graduate, and the other concerns the need for apostrophes in the expressions master’s degree and bachelor’s degree. Which of these sentences are problematic? Our new employee was...
Sometimes we aren’t careful with the placement of words in our sentences and thus aren’t as clear as we could be. Can you spot potential ambiguity caused by the placement of the word only in any of these sentences? The budget can only be balanced if...
Elsewhere on this site, we address confusion with myself and other reflexive pronouns. This article focuses specifically on knowing when to use I or me. Consider these sentences, which we will address in the discussion below: Harry and I will take the annual report to...
