Choose your placement of the word ‘only’ very carefully; its placement can change the meaning of your sentence. The word ‘only’ should be placed immediately before the word or phrase it modifies. Examples: Only Meg said that she was hungry. Meaning: Meg alone said that she was hungry. Meg only said that she was hungry.…
We see it often in letters, emails, texts, tweets, memos, and notes. This mark is appealing because it helps save character space and looks casual, but how does it fit in formal writing? The Associated Press Stylebook advises using the ampersand when it is part of a company’s formal name or composition title: Barnes &…
What is the difference between preventive and preventative? Is one preferred over the other? According to Paul Brians’ Common Errors in English Usage, the two words are interchangeable, although some people prefer ‘preventive’ because it is shorter. Bill Bryson, author of Bryson’s Dictionary of Troublesome Words: A Writer’s Guide to Getting it Right, agrees. “Preventative…
Which word is correct: toward or towards? Here’s the scoop: toward and towards can be used interchangeably. Technically, they mean the same thing, and it is correct to use either of them. The reason that we may prefer one over the other is simple: it depends on whether you are from the US, Great Britain,…
Just in case you were wondering, ‘compare to’ and ‘compare with’ are not always interchangeable. The basic differences between the two are: Use ‘to’ when you are stressing the similarities between two items that are being compared. These statements are normally subjective, in that your reader may or may not agree with the comparison you are making.…
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…
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…
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…