Affect vs Effect - There is a verb and noun rule that will make determining the right word to use easy in most cases.
Grammar Check: Awhile or A While? - There is not a solid consensus on this issue.
Grey or Gray - It doesn't matter which spelling you use. They words have the same meaning.
Which or That - Learn when to use which or that in a sentence.
Who vs. Whom - Learn to solve this using the subject/object rule and the he/him he/him mnemonic.
Yea, Yeah, Yay, Yah and Yup. - Find out the meanings of this words.
Lay, Lie, Laid and Lain - The past tense of lie can get tricky.
Peek, Peak and Pique - Find out how to remember to spell these words correctly.
Using i.e. and e.g. - learn the meaning and usage rules for i.e. and e.g.
Write and Writing Synonyms - some interesting options include scribe, craft, indite and compose. We also have a page about book synonyms.
Italics and Titles- Learn when to italicize book titles, magazine names, album titles and more.
Redundancies in English - Learn about redundancies and pleonasm.
How Many Spaces Should You Leave After a Period? - A single space is recommended by most style guides. The two-spacers continue to believe that two spaces are better.
'Tis the Season! - Discover the meaning of the holiday phrase and the 'tis contraction.
Whoa is Correct - Whoa is the correct spelling. "Woah" and "whoah" are wrong.
Find Words to Use Instead of Very - cure your very big overuse problem
Assure, Ensure and Insure - learn the differences in these commonly confused words.
Effective Writing For the Workplace - learn how to make effective use of passive voice and be precise
Onomatopoeias - learn more about these fun words that sound like what they mean
A Conversation with Barbara Wallraff: Barbara Wallraff discusses grammar issues, her column in The Altantic and her grammar advice book, Word Court.
Transition Words and Phrases: Learn more about transition words and how and when to use them.
A Conversation With Patricia T. O'Conner: Patricia T. O'Conner discusses editing, writing skills and her grammar book, Woe Is I.
For Fun: Word Crimes by Weird Al Yankovic: Weird Al Yankovic turns Robin Thicke's Blurred Lines into a rant about proper grammar
Automatically Correct Typos in MS Word: Michael L. Cope explains how to add your common mistakes to the AutoCorrect function in MS Word.
Website Should be One Word Not Two - In 2010 the AP Stylebook tweeted that "Web site" should now be written as "website."
Online vs On-line - Just like with "website" there is no need for the hyphen.
Common Writing Mistakes: Michael LaRocca shares some common writing mistakes and explains why they are incorrect.
Strong Verbs - Learn how using strong verbs can improve your writing.
Interview with Nancy C. Hanger - Nancy C. Hanger talks about getting her start as an editor and the importance of a copyeditor in publishing
E-mail Etiquette (Netiquette)
Learn the rules and unspoken conventions involved in sending email.
Find our what [sic] means and how is it used.
Metaphors and Similes
Find out what metaphors and similes are and read examples from plays, poetry and songs.
Bear With Me
Learn about the English expression, "bear with me."
Capital vs. Capitol
Learn how to remember the difference between these two similar sounding words.
Read our coverage of comedian and host Stephen Colbert who is known for discussing word usage.