Hyphenating Compound Words

Hyphenating Compound Words

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...
Ending a  Sentence with a Preposition

Ending a Sentence with a Preposition

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...
The Word ONLY Can’t Go Just Anywhere

The Word ONLY Can’t Go Just Anywhere

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...
I or me?

I or me?

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...
THE REASON IS BECAUSE vs. THE REASON IS THAT

THE REASON IS BECAUSE vs. THE REASON IS THAT

One of our newsletter subscribers wrote to ask us which phrase—”the reason is because” or “the reason is that”—is correct. Here are two examples of those constructions in a sentence: The reason we were late is because there was an accident on...