Passive Voice and Active Voice

Passive Voice and Active Voice

Those of us whose word-processing software includes a grammar checker have probably encountered the green squiggly line of doom wagging an accusatory finger at a passive verb. But what is the passive voice, and why is it considered undesirable? (If you learn better by...
Curmudgeon Bemoans Confusion

Curmudgeon Bemoans Confusion

Word confusion and language-related lost causes are no strangers to this site. We have explored the lost distinction between the words nauseous and nauseating, the often-lost letter d in the phrases “used to” and “supposed to,” and lost awareness about the definition...
Uncharted vs. Unchartered

Uncharted vs. Unchartered

The corona-virus disease pandemic, which started late in 2019 (thus the name COVID-19), has given rise to increased use of a few confusing phrases and grammatical constructions. Do we have, for example, less cases than yesterday or fewer? Do we say that the number of...
Transitions: Improving Clarity and Logical Flow

Transitions: Improving Clarity and Logical Flow

Using transitions to improve clarity and logical flow is essential, whether we are meticulously drafting a legal brief or lengthy proposal or dashing off a short email or tweet.  In either case, transitions enable a reader to follow the writer’s train of thought as...
Parallel Structure

Parallel Structure

Whenever our writing includes a list, the items in that list need to be parallel with one another. That is, all of the items in a list must be the same, both logically and grammatically. Logically Parallel Lists First, the items in a list must be parallel in meaning....