Premier and premiere are, respectively, the masculine and feminine forms of the word for “first” in French. But is there + more
Premier and premiere are, respectively, the masculine and feminine forms of the word for “first” in French. But is there + more
The writer and I have constant disagreements on how the en dash and em dash look in a sentence – space + more
Q: Three women walk into a bar. Which one’s the vegan? A: Don’t worry. She’ll tell you. There are a lot + more
shih (noun; Chinese) An insightful, elegant kind of knowledge. Though she considered him ill-bred and loutish (if not a downright cad), Courtney had to admit + more
Principal or principle? This is one of those questions that, even after 15 years as a professional writer, can still + more
Kudos to the Spokesman-Review‘s Stefanie Pettit, who sounds the alarm over the “declining into banality” of language. Here’s the money quote: + more
Great reminder from June Casagrande that your dictionary is good for more than just definitions: Here are just a few of + more
This is from David Foster Wallace’s handout on five common usage mistakes, which he gave to students taking his Fall 2002 section of English + more
From James Wood’s How Fiction Works (2008): Nietzsche laments, in Beyond Good and Evil: “What a torment books written in + more
I heard someone say in a meeting the other day that she needed to “flush out” some creative concepts. Now, the old Aaron + more
There are at least two reasons for my success as a professional writer. (And by “success” I mean my ability to convince CK + more
Floccinaucinihilipilification (noun) The action or practice of estimating something as worthless. When asked to provide the client with a ballpark + more
From Clear and Simple as the Truth, by Francis-Noël Thomas and Mark Turner: The teaching of writing in America is + more
I’ve noticed a lot of nouning lately. You know, taking a verb and turning it into a noun. Regular readers + more
This article by Steven Pinker is a treasure trove of quotable lines: “Rules of usage are well worth mastering, but they + more