Collective Nouns
Collective nouns are words that refer to—you guessed it—a collection of individuals (people or animals) or things taken as a whole. Though these words appear singular, they represent a group; examples include team, jury, faculty, class, choir, family, and committee....
Capitalizing Words: Proper vs. Common
The rules for capitalizing words in sentences (as opposed to capitalizing words in headings or the titles of publications or a person's job title or military rank) seem simple at first glance: we capitalize proper words, and we lowercase common ones. But because...
Capitalizing a Job Title or Military Rank
In another article, we address the challenge of knowing when words need to be capitalized in sentences because they are proper and not common nouns. This article focuses on the narrower question of when to capitalize a job title or military rank. Just Say No: Chances...
Sit, Set, and Seat
In a different post we discuss the distinction between lie and lay. It is also helpful to examine sit and set, another pair of potentially troubling verbs that is made even more confusing by a third verb, seat. How Much Do You Know Already? Do you recognize which (if...
Either-Or, Neither-Nor, and Other Correlatives
When conjunctions work in pairs, we call them correlatives because they link two corresponding ideas that need to be parallel in both structure and logic.
Parallel Structure in Lists (Embedded)
Elsewhere on this site, we discuss the importance of parallel structure in vertical (bulleted) lists. But two or more parts of a sentence, clause, or phrase should be grammatically parallel even without bullets (or numbers or letters). This article focuses on parallel...
Parallel Structure with Vertical Lists (Bullets, Numbers, Letters)
Careful writers ensure that items in a list are parallel with one another in both meaning and form. That is, all items must be both logically and grammatically similar; when they are, the information is more coherent and easier to absorb. Today, we’re looking...
Colons (and How They Differ from Semicolons)
Recently I came across two expressions sorely in need of a well-placed colon. The first appeared in the Washington Post*: Although the vaccines remain remarkably effective, the virus has bountiful opportunities to find new ways to evade immunity. Most of the world...
Try To or Try And?
Have you landed on this page to “try to” improve your understanding of English grammar and usage—or to “try and” do so? Either way, you’ve come to the right place. The focus here is on whether “try to” and “try and” are both considered correct and are, thus,...