by Nancy Tuten | Feb 29, 2020
An ellipsis consists of either three or four periods, or dots. A single dot is called an ellipsis point. The definition is pretty straightforward, but using ellipses can be tricky. Writers use ellipses for various reasons. An ellipsis can indicate the omission of...
by Nancy Tuten | Feb 20, 2020
If the number of page visits is a reliable indicator, this topic—using a comma before and—is on the minds of many people. The third most oft-visited on this site, this page garnered close to 10,000 hits in the past thirty days. (The most popular page—with twice as...
by Nancy Tuten | Feb 11, 2020
In a different post, we discuss using singular personal pronouns to refer to singular indefinite pronouns (e.g., anyone, everyone, someone) and pointed out ways to do so without reinforcing the gender binary. This article focuses on making verbs agree with the...
by Nancy Tuten | Jan 29, 2020
If you feel as though your most recent meal may soon make a re-appearance, would you say, “I feel nauseous”? If so, it might be helpful to know the “rest of the story” about nauseous, nauseated, and nauseating. Consider the use of nauseous or nauseated in each of...
by Nancy Tuten | Jan 21, 2020
The definition of the verb “to include” is not the same as the definition of the verb “to be.” By definition, if we use the word include or including before a list, we are telling the reader that the list is not exhaustive. What the Dictionaries Tell Us Reputable...
