Articles Tagged dictionary

Is ‘Alternate’ an ‘Alternative’?

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

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

Before deciding whether to replace “social” with “sociable,” learn about this centuries-old zombie rule that stumps copyeditors to this day.

A rule exists claiming that the word “appreciate” should not be used to mean “value.” Interestingly, multiple dictionaries beg to differ.

Sometimes, copyediting rules can be subjective. The common yet controversial use of the word “get” is no exception.

Of which, or whose? Here’s what history has to say about the grammatical correctness of these commonly used phrases.