Two of the most basic punctuation marks the period and the comma, provide structure to sentences while also controlling the flow of your words. When it comes to pacing, these two punctuation marks act as navigational devices that tell your readers when to come to a complete stop or when to take a short rest before[…]
Do you find the semicolon perplexing, or even scary? If so, this article will demystify this often misunderstood punctuation mark. Used correctly, semicolons can transform your writing from so-so to sophisticated. Examples of correct and incorrect usage are included. If you thought semicolons were just for winking, this article’s for you! […]
In spoken English, there is no difference at all between the pronunciation of “it’s” vs “its”. In written English, however, you are always faced with a decision between these two forms. Although the grammatical differences between the two forms are quite straightforward, learners of English and native speakers alike can sometimes make mistakes when using them.[…]
Great proofreading is important for polished and professional writing. It can help you fix typos, spelling errors, word usage, and punctuation problems. Unfortunately, many people have a hard time finding and fixing all the errors in their work. Remember that proofreading is not the only form of editing that your text should undergo. Before doing some[…]
Learning how to summarize a document or book can be a great skill to have. Whether you’re a writer, in business, studying or just want to be able to present written concepts quickly, summarizing can help you analyze, understand and share a document’s key points. The steps to summarizing a document are as follows: 1.[…]
It’s not uncommon for people who are new to speaking English to have problems with homonyms (words that sound the same but are spelled differently). Even those who are native English speakers often have trouble choosing which word they want to be using in their writing. Unfortunately, misusing these words will quickly lead to your[…]
Because human language is constantly in flux, evolving and reshaping with the times, many words and phrases change meaning over time. The field of linguistics was born of a need to keep track of, categorize, and catalog all of these changing nuances of language. Many terms currently used in daily conversation actually have archaic definitions which[…]
Every writer makes grammatical errors, no matter how careful they are when writing. Rewriting, editing, and proofreading are all necessary steps to polishing any written work, but often writers can’t see their mistakes. They may not understand the grammar principle behind it or they are too close to the project and their eyes skip over[…]