Writing with suffixes can show you just how versatile language is. Let’s investigate the suffix “-er” and some examples of its usage.
Articles Categorized The Art of Language
Grammar, spelling, usage, style—this section is all about the mechanics of language. Improve your writing and editing by reading on!
Writing with Suffixes: How to Ate Your Words
Writing with suffixes is just as important as writing with prefixes. Let’s start with the suffix “-ate” and some real-world examples of its usage.
Writing With Prefixes: Intra and Inter
“Intra” and “inter” are a pair of prefixes that people often confuse. Let’s investigate the differences using real-world examples and definitions.
Writing With Prefixes: Greek Syn
You may know your syntax, but do you know your Greek prefixes? In the first part of this blog series, we’ll investigate the Greek prefix “syn.”
Language by the People
What qualifies a usage as “proper” grammar? Perhaps the better question is who qualifies a usage as “proper”? Let’s dig a little deeper.
Plural or Singular? Here’s How to Handle Collective Nouns
There are a few significant ways in which British and American English differ, one of them being the handling of collective nouns.
When Adverbs Fall Flat
We’re taught from a young age that adverbs end in –ly and modify verbs. This is correct, however, adverbs are more complicated than the rule implies.
Rewriting the Zombies: Don’t Use Double Negatives
Double negatives are widely considered illogical, as they often result in an unintended positive meaning. However, there are some cases where a double negative might benefit a writer’s work.
The Reason Why is Because…
Many editors believe that the phrase “reason why” is redundant. That’s true, but it’s also true that why means “for which,” resulting in “reason for which.” Let’s determine whether this phrase fits into your sentence.
Mostly Useful Redundancies
Critical language experts often encourage editors to remove redundancies from written works. However, redundancies are not all bad, and there are times when repetition can help the author drive their message home.
