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!

Passersby or Passerbys: Clarifying the Confusion of Plural Compound Nouns

Should you use “attorneys general” or “attorney generals”? Here’s everything you need to know about how to pluralize compound nouns.

A light verb adds little meaning to the action of the sentence. Interestingly, these verbs have the ability to both help and hinder your writing.

Those who prioritize logic in their writing often avoid phrases like “center around.” However, this common idiom is not as bad as you think.

Are you taking an “alternate” route or an “alternative” route? We tackle this common grammar debate with a little help from the dictionaries.

The end of the year is a good time to celebrate the words that represent the past 12 months. Here’s our breakdown of 2022’s words of the year.

Working with language can be puzzling, especially when dealing with business jargon. In this grammar bite, let’s explore using “action” as a verb.

In this series, learn why zombie rules don’t work and what rule you can follow instead. This week, we’ll tackle the “likely” and “probably.”

Would you write 56-years-old, or 56 years old? There’s more than one answer, so let’s investigate why so many writers disagree.

Would you write 56-years-old, or 56 years old? Hyphenation can be confusing for editors, especially when certain style guides disagree.

Some industries use jargon that can confuse wide audiences. For instance, many PR agencies use the words “creative” and “digital” as nouns.