Rules for open and closed hyphenation
One hyphenation rule that you can almost take to the bank is this one: when you use a compound adjective…
Search Posts Here
Subscribe to My Blog
Accept and Except
Have you noticed how often the pairs of words that are commonly confused are antonyms (opposites)? One such pair is…
Hyphenating Numbers and Colors
Hyphens. Probably the most misused bit of punctuation next to the semicolon. Writers hyphenate all over the place, and then…
Not Always “As” You “Like” It
Do you recall the 1950s’ cigarette commercial jingle that went like this: “Winston tastes good, like a cigarette should”? I…
Are You Fortunate or Fortuitous?
Here are two words that appear to share a root but do not, and are therefore often used interchangeably and…
Semicolons: Commonly Misused Bits of Punctuation
The semicolon is the most commonly misused punctuation mark. Bryan Garner (A Dictionary of Modern American Usage) calls the semicolon…
What Are Those “Long Hyphens” All About?
I’d like to dash off a not-so-short post today on en dashes, since sorting out the family of dashes—hyphens, en…
Are You Literally Being Literal?
How many times have you heard people throw the word literally around? It’s one of those words that has become…
Hopefully, You’ll Learn Something from This Post
Or, to be more correct, the title should read “I hope you will learn something from this post.” Back in…
Next Steps for Your Manuscript
Get your Free Ebook!
Subscribe to my email blasts to level up your writing and be notified of upcoming events and offers!