Adjectives can be a writer’s greatest friend, creating rich images and clear meaning. They can also be a writer’s worst enemy.
Articles Categorized Grammar & Usage
Grammar Bite: Active vs. Passive Voice
You want to keep your readers engaged with your writing to the end. One way to do this is to use more active voice and less passive voice in your writing.
Grammar Bite: Don’t Dangle Your Participle
What’s a participle and how on earth would you know it’s dangling? A quick grammar lesson to help you fix danglers and say what you mean.
Grammar Bite: Misplaced Modifiers
A modifier is a word or phrase that qualifies a noun or verb. Modifiers should be placed next to the words or phrases they modify. Simple, right? Not quite.
That Which Has a Tail
“That” and “which” may seem interchangeable, but there’s a difference between the two words, and it’s more important than you might think.
Who vs. Whom and Other Writing Bugaboos
Every writer has them: little points of grammar they can never remember. Is it who or whom? When is effect the right word? Is it i.e. or e.g., and what do they stand for anyway?
Grammar Bite: Correlative Conjunctions
Want a subtle way to improve your writing? Make sure you’re matching the right correlative conjunctions in your sentences!
A Most Important(ly) Lesson
I have a confession to make: I made a reflexive edit in a manuscript based on personal preference. Worse, I then boasted about it online.
Adverb Placement, Generally and Specifically
Adverbs are usually placed next to the thing they modify. But what do you do when the result is awkward?
Grammar Bite: Snuggling Up to “Only”
“Only” is a delightful little word that can act as an adjective or an adverb; it can modify nouns, verbs, and even other adjectives. Where you place it makes a big impact. Here’s how to do it well.
