This one’s a beast: affect or effect? The simplest answer is that affect is a verb; effect is a noun. + more
This one’s a beast: affect or effect? The simplest answer is that affect is a verb; effect is a noun. + more
“English is an immensely complicated language to get right,” writes Mark Forsyth, “and native speakers often have no idea of + more
About a block from helveticka world headquarters there’s a business that offers “Spokanes only 15 minute workout.” A missing apostrophe, + more
Oof. “Best known as the drummer and lyricist of the Canadian rock trio, Rush, [Neil] Peart was also a successful + more
Breaking news from Formula 1 today: “a first proper look at both the cars that will do battle in 2021, + more
I was reading a pretty interesting article this morning about how a Pittsburgh TV celebrity rigged the state lottery back + more
Because these things matter, if only to keep the barbarians beyond the gates for a little while longer: An abbreviation + more
Can we talk about the word belated? Here’s how The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language (fourth edition) defines + more
This one came up just today: Is majority singular or plural? Well…yes. Let’s take a look at a couple of + more
Jealous vs. envious. Synonyms? Not quite. Let’s say you see Skooch roll up to helveticka world headquarters in his sweet new + more
When people ask me for advice on writing,* I’ll often respond with “Never use utilize. Always use use.” Sure, it’s + more
Let’s talk about compounds and hyphenation. Y’all know what a compound is, right? Two or more words, put together, that + more
Let’s talk about anyway, any way, and anyways. Because there is, in fact, a difference. Anyway is an adverb that + more
Sarah Sweet’s “Barbarians at the Gates of Grammar” reminds me a little bit of Mark Twain’s apocryphal “When I was a boy of + more
In One Day in the Life of the English Language: A Microcosmic Usage Handbook (Princeton University Press, 2015), Frank L. + more