How do I know when to use ‘fewer’ and when to use ‘less’? The express lane at the grocery store is not grammatically correct if the sign near the cash register reads “15 items or less.” Uh oh. How can that be? Use ‘fewer’ when you are referring to things that can be counted. Correct:…
One of our readers asked us how to write the term we use for electronic mail: hyphen or no hyphen? The short answer is this: Either is correct. Just choose one and be consistent. It seems that the original spelling was e-mail, but the spelling has evolved into the shorter form that does not use…
When it comes to quotation marks, the rules for British usage are, for the most part, the opposite of the rules for American usage, as shown in the table below:
Unlike many of our Timely Tips, this tip isn’t to tell you how these words are different and how to use them correctly. Instead, I am here to tell you that these words mean the same thing. Surprised? So was I! I’ve always assumed that there were occasions, grammatically speaking or otherwise, when you needed…
What do you usually say when you aren’t feeling well? Do you say, “I feel bad”? If you write, “I feel badly,” you are in essence saying that your sense of feel is not working correctly. If you write, “I feel bad,” you may be saying that you are sick. So you say “I feel…
Regardless of how good you are at grammar, hyphens can be a pain. Here is the rule for using the prefix ‘re’ with or without a hyphen: Use a hyphen with ‘re’ if it meets both of these conditions: 1. ‘Re’ means again. 2. Omitting the hyphen from the word would cause the reader to confuse it…
It’s amazing how many people use these two words incorrectly. Principal is the name that you give the person who is in charge of an elementary or secondary school. He—or she—is the ‘main one.’ That’s what principal means. So whether you are talking about the administrator in a school or you are trying to point…
A few years ago I was chastened by a client who informed me that the word ‘once’ means ‘one time,’ and it should not be used to mean anything other than that. He was so adamant about it that I didn’t bother to look it up. I have heard this admonition more than once (in fact, several…
Yes, Virginia, You CAN Put Tabs in a Table! You may already know this, but it’s new to me. I have found that if I try to ‘Tab’ within a table, Word just takes me to the next cell in the table. If I am at the end of the table, pressing ‘Tab’ adds a…
When you use a conjunctive adverb (therefore, however, nevertheless, consequently, for example, on the other hand, moreover, besides, accordingly, thus) to join two independent clauses (complete sentences), precede the adverb with a semicolon and follow it with a comma. In English, please? When you combine two complete sentences with any of the words listed in the parentheses…